May 28th— the long awaited day—the big day—the only day—Conrad’s 19th birthday. Unfortunately for him, the weather was rainy and chilly and mushy on his day; but fortunately for him, he was one year older and could finally kick it with the rest of the big kids. After wishing our first of many happy birthdays to C-rad, we GABEd it up for a day at Wai-o-tapu.
May 29th—the next day— Conrad’s second birthday— his American birthday—his real birthday. It began with a quick drive to a gorgeous beach with a lush forest right next to it. We had no idea of the huge mystery that awaited us deep in the forest.
Xoxo Emma and Loren
“Wai-o-tapWHO?” I hear you scream. Dear readers I’m so glad you asked. A bubbly geothermal wonderland, Wai-o-tapu was the perfect example of New Zealand’s incredibly efficient magma sourced geothermal system that produces 1200 megawatts of power. For scale, just one megawatt powers 1,000 homes.
If that doesn’t make you say, “wowie!” I don’t know what will. After learning from our resident experts about the thermodynamics behind the system, we had time to romp around the park and watch the mud bubbles rise and pop and boil, resisting the urge to jump into the steamy mess.
We did, however, get to soak our tired bodies in a natural hot spring, splashing around with the local brain eating amoebas and little red worms, the next best thing :-)
We then got to an outcrop of our lovely TA Lydia’s research unit— Whakamaru. Pronounced fahk-a-ma-roo. We observed the pyroclastic flow deposit which featured a much higher crystal composition than the volcanic units we had seen thus far, and learned how this eruption erupted about 2000 km³ of magma. It kicked off a series of eruptions, known as the flare-up, and erupted 1/3 the entire volume the TVZed has produced in the past million years. This was a lot of information for our tired hearts to take in so we continued to Ohope and waited the next exciting day.
May 29th—the next day— Conrad’s second birthday— his American birthday—his real birthday. It began with a quick drive to a gorgeous beach with a lush forest right next to it. We had no idea of the huge mystery that awaited us deep in the forest.
We began a short hike, surrounded by chirping birds and crashing waves. We finally reached the outcrop and began making our observations. We could not decide whether it was a pyroclastic flow, pyroclastic fall, or some sort of sedimentary rock. Our conclusions were soiled when, with the help of Lydia, we discovered that this outcrop was a mix of pyroclastic falls and soil horizons.
This outcrop was none other than the famous Whakamaru, which was distinguishable by its incredible crystal content. We then escaped the forest with only Lydia being attacked by bird poop. After a relaxing beach side lunch, the next stop was another drive to an even cooler forest. This hike was special because we were told to not just look at the rocks but at the vegetation as well. Along the trail, there were huge boulders with trees grown on top and around them.
The last eruption of the nearby volcano was about 100 years ago, meaning the trees we thought were hundreds of years old were only about 100! But how did these large boulders get here? We turned to the sounds of rushing water for an answer. A powerful lahar had formed after the eruption, which moved the boulders to where they are today. Following the sound of the river, we came upon a magical waterfall. Some of us even ranked this waterfall in the top three best waterfalls that we’ve seen. What else would we do in front of this beauty other than take a group photo? After heading back, we enjoyed a question and answer session on the TVZed and a delicious barbecue. We then headed to bed dreaming of the volcanoes we would see tomorrow.
Xoxo Emma and Loren
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