Our original plan for today was to go and visit the Buried Village and the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, but then we decided we had seen enough geo-thermal areas and smelt enough sulphur, and a gentle walk would be much nicer.
Out first port of call was the Hamurana Springs, a lovely area where North Island's largest spring wells up out of a 15 metre hole. The resulting river is extremely clear, and very deep in places, and we could see large brown trout swimming in the depths.
There was a redwood grove along the banks, with enormous trees towering over the river.
Just to give you a feel for the size of the trees Mick tried hugging one.
The river was home to ducks, geese and a few shag. We watched this one diving for some time. He seemed to be catching fresh water crayfish. The water was so clear we could see the ducks diving. Almost 5 million litres an hour flow out of the spring and it is an impressive site. In one area we could see more springs coming up under water causing the sand to 'dance' at the bottom. Far nicer springs than those we had seen on the South Island, and far less managed.
As we walked back along the river edge we were mobbed by a group of five fantails. They were flying around our heads and almost landing on Mick's hand as they swopped around us and displayed their tails. They move so fast it is hard to get a photo of them, especially when their tails are fanned out.
Our next port of call was the Okere Falls, and a nice easy walk along a trail by the river. There were several spectacular falls along the river, and it is a favourite site for rafting companies, especially the 7m drop at this waterfall.
We spent some time watching the rafters and kayakers, then moved further down stream to see the Trout Pool. This was a large, very deep, pool presumably full of trout, though we didn't actually see any.
We had a picnic lunch at a peaceful spot overlooking Lake Rotoiti, in a small field filled with white butterflies and yellow daisy type flowers.
It was a lovely remote spot, and found completely by accident as we tried to find a road down to the lakeside.
Our final walk of the day was a 3.5 km trail up to a trig point in the Otanewainuku Scenic Reserve, an area of old growth virgin forest. It was a lovely walk, filled with birdsong and more intrepid fantails. We could hear tui birds calling but failed to spot any. At the top there was a lookout point with some lovely views, though all very hazy.
Then it was time to head back to our motel ready for nibbles and a drink before dinner.
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