New Zelande, a sulphur smelly country.

Moon crater, New-Zealand

Maybe you heard the sad news about Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand?
Don’t think this is about bad luck, as New Zealand is in one of the most seismic-active area of the world.

Rotorua, New Zealand

And it shows along the “Thermal Explorer Highway” : huge chimney throw white cloud on the road : these are geothermal power-stations: free energy.

Kuirau Park, Rotorua, New Zealand

Not far away, the city of Rotorua welcomes you with its constant sulphur smelling (rotten eggs as a matter of fact). The municipal park looks a lot like a standard park, grass, playground, trees, plus mud pool, whistling vapours going out of the ground, and vegetation whitered by the toxic water.

Moon crater, New Zealand

The “Moon Crater”, south of Taupo, is even more impressive. On the top of a little hill, landscape rockets you out of Earth. Left a big crater filled with bubbling mud, right a field of lichens spread with fumaroles, and an overwhelming smell of salted sulphur when the wind is turning. Vegetation is disposed with geometric patterns around the leaks of vapours. Life is tough here, and close to the heat only few lichens can resist, some endemic ferns grow few centimetres away, and not that far special little tree manage to survive on this very bad ground. Walking 10 meters you can see a succession of ecosystem : unique!

One comment for “New Zelande, a sulphur smelly country.”

  1. Est-ce vraiment un tour du monde “musiciens et danseurs des rues” ou bien un tour du monde “phénomènes géologiques” ?
    Quand on regarde votre périple on a le sentiment que vous sautez d’une zone de subduction à une autre…
    Quant à ce qui vous attend, c’est le domaine de la collision, pas mieux 😉
    Vous ne pourriez pas changer un peu et vous intéresser à de vieux cratons tranquilles (non ce n’est pas une injure !)?
    On vous suit quand même avec envie !

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