Hell's Gate

Rotorua is known for it's insane amount of geothermal activity... every holiday park and hotel boasts it's own mineral baths and sulphury steam can be seen rising out of the ground every where you look.

We got free tickets to Hells Gate (New Zealand's yellowstone).. so we checked it out... it was ok, but nothing compared to what is brewing in Idaho's side yard....

(we were just grateful we were not one of the people who had to pay $30 to walk around this smelly, boiling mud bath)

the tallest hot water falls in the southern hemisphere

storms a brewin

Tongariro Crossing

Easter weekend we headed to the Tongariro Crossing for NZ's greatest day hike...

Joe with Mt Doom (from Lord of the Rings apparently-- I haven't seen it....)

we had planned to go earlier in the week but nasty blizzards kept every one out of the park, we only ran into a little snow by the time we got in

it was a wonderful hike.... just us and a few THOUSAND other people!!!!

it was a very popular hike and even more popular holiday weekend!!!

views from the saddle

more mt doom pics

joe with the red crater in the background

crater lake

ocean views

the emerald lakes

standing on water on such a holy holiday

Waitamo: Glow Worm Caves

Waitomo is full of amazing limestone caves and best of all these caves are full of glow worms and underground rivers-- making for amazing trips literally down under....

unfortunately it is nearly impossible to capture the beautiful glow worms on a digital camera... so you will just have imagine taking a trip down a subterranean river on an old wooden boat with ceiling aglow with little blue green stars shimmering above...

We did get some pretty awesome pictures of the limestone formations though...

a welcome from a lovely cave dweller

Stalactites/stalagmites grow about .005" per year.. so it takes a very long time for these delicate sculptures to become what we see today

a most beautiful ribbon-like stalactite

bumpy coral-esque

popcorn!

glow worm's setting out there web like bait for food

fossils found during excavation

joe astounded!

an amazing cathedral like room filled with stalactites & stalagmites

(in fact in one area of the cave they actually put on concerts because of the great sound effects... many groups from the Vienna Boys Choir to Kenny Rogers (??) have performed there [we werent allowed to take pictures of the cave])