[New Zealand] Chapter LXIV: In which we undergo, at a speed of 100 km/h, a course of Kiwi geology

From Wellington, we travelled 300 kilometres northeast --- with strong rain and wind accompanying us most of the way --- to Hastings, where we had booked a guided tour to visit nearby Cape Kidnappers, one of the world's only mainland gannet colonies. Unfortunately, on the morning of the tour, we received an email

informing us that the tour has been cancelled, for the heavy rains of the day before had rendered the tracks leading to the colony impassable.

Somewhat disappointed at the fruitless detour, we veered back inland and drove on to the Taupo-Rotorua region, famous for its many geothermal and volcanic features, where we visited three geothermal nature parks (Wai-O-Tapu, Waimangu, and Craters of the Moon) in three days, marvelling at the multicoloured hot pools, the boiling hot springs, the bubbling mud pools, the dormant and active geysers, the sulphur-encrusted craters, the steam-shrouded lakes, the silica terraces, the alum cliffs, the smelly fumaroles, as well as the hardy vegetation and microscopic life that is able to thrive under these inhospitable conditions.

Accommodations:
- Leah's Airbnb unit at 977 Riverslea Road South, Hastings (1 night; ok)
- Ceryn's Bookabach unit at 4 Bradley Place, Rotorua (3 nights; ok)

Photo captions: (a) Huka Falls, near Taupo; (b-e) Craters of the Moon; (f-aa) Wai-O-Tapu; (bb-oo) Waimangu