BLOG

Photography has changed the way I see the world around me.

Through it I discover new things and rediscover old ones. Like my island, New Caledonia.

This blog is just me sharing my world through my photography.

Hope you enjoy.

Posts tagged hot springs
ROTORUA - NEW ZEALAND

ROTORUA

Wish I had more time to visit Rotorua. There’s so much to see here. Click here if you haven’t seen the video of day 7. There are a few things on it that I haven’t taken photos of.

My morning started early with a stroll where I found myself on a sulphur plateau near the Puaranga Stream. It was overcast when I arrived but then golden hour just exploded through some clouds just long enough for me to setup and capture it. Not the best of compositions but better than nothing in my eyes. It covered up again for the next few hours. I saw a path heading into some bushes along the sulphur plateau and thought I’d follow it in hopes of capturing more photos. Not a lot to photograph but a very nice path nonetheless.

So once we all had breakfast, we headed to Kuirau Park & Mud Pools. I was surprised to find different hot water springs in such a small area. Black water, aqua water, green with white bubbles not to mention the light and dark brown mud bubbles. Very interesting. There was an area where you could dip your feet into the hot springs as well, which the girls took to right away.

After the park we took the Skyline to the Volcanic Hills Wine Tasting Room. The Skyline is a must just for the amazing views. Before the alcohol though, we visited the Jelly Belly Store where we tasted some very bizarre flavoured lollies. Then Alain luge raced before we all had lunch. I don’t have any photos of the wine tasting but check out the video or the link just above to see what the place looks like. The wines were very good and the whole experience was great.

Our last visit of the day was the Ohinemutu Maori Village. Here you’l find amazing carvings decorating the buildings. A very peaceful area on the shores of Lake Rotorua. My photos don’t do justice to these beautiful buildings.

Our stop for the night was the Cosy Cottage Thermal Holiday Park. We were supposed to do the Redwoods Treewalk that evening but it started to rain pretty heavy and didn’t stop till late in the night. Very unfortunate because it looks like an amazing thing to do.

Day 7 is over. Tomorrow we visit a wonderland before heading to Taupo. Hope to see you then. Goodnight.

p.s. thanks to Alain and his wife, Manu, for the use of some of their photos and videos.

THE COROMANDEL - NEW ZEALAND

THE CATHEDRAL AND THE GORGE

I’ve added a few more photos here, to the one’s included in my last video. I had a lot more but it would’ve been too many to upload. Sorry.

In case you haven’t seen the last video or it’s your first time here, these photos are from the fifth day of a small trip around the North Island of New Zealand. 

Today we wake up in Cooks Bay and visit Cathedral Cove in Hahei, the hot springs in Hot Water Beach and finish the day with stroll through Karangahake Gorge. The pics start in Cooks Beach on an overcast morning. My attention was taken by a wild mushroom, which was OK because I was having difficulties finding compositions for a photo. After breakfast we made our way to Hahei Beach where the forty-five minute walk to Cathedral Cove starts. I think it took me well over an hour to get there with all the photo stops I made. A beautiful walk with great water views. By the time I got back, it was past lunch time so we headed straight for Hot Water Beach for lunch at Hotties and to check out the hot springs on the beach. Though quite an amazing phenomenon, the hot springs area is quite small. We didn’t get to dip our toes in but that’s because we didn’t want to hustle for a spot. I found the boulders on the south end of the beach very interesting thus spent most of my time there. Karangahake Gorge was our last visit for the day. An amazing place, well worth the visit. A wonderful walk along old rail tracks and tunnels with gorgeous views down valleys and rivers. Multiple tracks available depending on the time you have. That night we stayed at the Paeroa RV Center, not too far from the gorge, in the town of Paeroa. 

As mentioned in the last video post, our next stop is Rotorua where we spend two nights. See you then. Goodnight.

p.s. can’t forget to thank Alain for letting me use some of his photos and video clips.