The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who seek them
Posts tagged New Zealand
New Zealand – Land and Landscape
Jan 8th
wayfaring.info
New Zealand is a jewel in the South Pacific, comprising large high islands, long isolated from the rest of the world and surrounded by vast stretches of ocean. Once covered in primeval forest, it is a land rich in biodiversity, and its geography is equally varied and stunning.
The country stretches more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the sandy subtropical peninsula at the northern tip to the glacier-carved fjords of the far south. In between lie mighty snow-covered peaks, smoking volcanoes, vast lakes, dense forests, and fertile grasslands. Beaches, bays, and coves punctuate a convoluted, 9,400-mile (15,000 km) coastline. More >
New Zealand’s Hot Springs
Jan 4th
nzine.co.nz
Hot springs punctuate the land all over New Zealand. In many places their therapeutic waters have been developed into resorts where visitors can soak, swim, or indulge in massage or beauty treatments.
The geothermal activity seething underground rises to the surface most readily in the Central Plateau region of the North Island around Rotorua and Taupo, but keep a towel and swimwear handy everywhere in New Zealand for wonderful hot-springs experiences. More >
Mount Tongariro
Oct 3rd
by tph567
The multi-coloured lunar-like volcanic massif of Tongariro, on New Zealand’s North Island, is both otherworldly and spectacular. A toxic, turquoise mountain lake surrounded by decaying, sand-hued decaying mounds, the Tongariro massif comprises several volcanic cones, rising to a peak elevation of 1,968 metres.
The centre is surrounded by an extensive ring plain made of stream, debris flow, lahars, lava, and ash-flow deposits. As a result, the land combines remarkable contrasts of barren lava flows, winter snowfields, hot springs, and active craters. The varied vegetation looks pre-historic; no one quite understands how it manages to eke out an existence on the poor soil. More >
Fiordlands National Park – New Zealand
Aug 10th
The hole in the ozone layer that has threatened South Island for decades has stated to close, but the danger is not over yet. While the human-produced chemicals that weakened the ozone layer have been banned or heavily restricted, it will take many years for the damage to be entirely reversed.
When it came to these intensely green, mist-shrouded Middle-earth landscapes, the Lord of the Rings movies did not need stage sets or computer animation: Director Peter Jackson simply shot the films in New Zealand. The South Island’s Fiordlands are perfect examples of that primeval Lord of the Rings look, with plunging waterfalls, pristine lakes, virgin forest and steep peaks surrounding deep-gouged fiords. More >
