Mount Taranaki

Way back in December, we visited Mount Taranaki, a dormant volcano in New Zealand's North Island; although it hasn't had a major eruption since 1655, it is apparently due to errupt any time now. As we approached it, we could start to see its shape forming menacingly in the distance.



When we finally it, we were rather disappointed for a number of reasons. Firstly, we had been expecting some kind of hellish volcanic landscape. What we got was a perfectly normal, grassy (albeit volcano-shaped) hill. Secondly, we couldn't actually get all that close without spending all day hiking. Thirdly, we could only see a fraction of it, the top part being hidden by the cloud:



Hannah found a big Maori totem pole. I can't remember what the correct name for one of these is.



Instead of hiking up the mountain, we decided to visit the supposedly very impressive Dawson Falls instead. On the way, we encountered what claimed to be the world's oldest continuously operating hydro-electric power station.



We followed the stream down on the way to the falls:



The falls were quite impressive and there was the opportunity to get pretty close to them.

According to some Maori legend or other, a Maori warrior was being chased by a band of other Maori warriors and managed to evade his pursuers by hiding behind the waterfall until they had gone past. I can't really see that working but never mind.