63 and free

Dwarf barrel run and nature’s paint palette.

We went to the Aratiatia Dam this morning. This hydro dam receives so much water that it opens its flood gates 4X per day. The empty chasm below turns into raging rapids in less than a minute.

The dam floodgates closed (Jan 5th, 2023).
The still pond below the dam. Lovely colours.

Then, the floodgates are raised …

The chasm fills:

The water rushes to fill the chasm below the dam.

Before
After

Some of you might think this is kinda familiar. It is if you saw “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.” This is the stream that the dwarfs float down after Bilbo frees them from the wood elves.

The dwarf barrel run.

To paraphrase a sign: the film company dropped 20-25 barrels into the water in each release. After two days of filming the footage was brought to Weta Studios in Wellington, where the actors were magically inserted into the barrels!

We then made our way to the most popular geothermal sight in New Zealand: Orakei Korako. We were hesitant given the number of such sites we had already seen.

But…it was well worth it.

The silica deposited from the boiling water varies in thickness: 20 mm to 20 metres.
Staying on the wooden walkways was recommended.
The colours were incredible.
A stream of
Crème de menthe (the picture doesn’t quite capture how green it was).
This mud bath would not help your skin, but it was available for purchase! 🙄

David and Bernadette Harris

7 responses to “Dwarf barrel run and nature’s paint palette.”

  1. Marian Smiley Avatar
    Marian Smiley

    I am really enjoying your travelogue of New Zealand. The Lord of the Rings sites are so much fun.

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    1. David and Bernadette Harris Avatar
      David and Bernadette Harris

      We agree! We hope to find more in our travels! We are staying near Mordor the next few days but there’s a minimum of a 10 hour hike involved to see it close up. 😳

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  2. Karen Harris Avatar
    Karen Harris

    Spectacular! What an adventure you’re having. Thanks for taking us along!

    Karen

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    1. David and Bernadette Harris Avatar
      David and Bernadette Harris

      We’re happy you’re along for the ride!

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  3. Grace Floisand Avatar
    Grace Floisand

    So fun to see again these amazing sites, brings back memories. I remember the beautiful colours. Fascinating place NZ.

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    1. David and Bernadette Harris Avatar
      David and Bernadette Harris

      It sure is! We recently left an area that’s been deluged with rain and strong winds so even though it’s wetter and cooler than average, it hasn’t affected us too bad yet.

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      1. Grace Floisand Avatar
        Grace Floisand

        That is good 🙂

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