What you are looking at is a pattern the size of a man, formed in the soil of the volcanic geyser field I came across today in my travels.
The earliest Maori stories speak of a man named Ngatoroirangi, a tohunga (high priest) who guided the Te Arawa canoe to the land from Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland of Maori. Anxious to explore, he travelled east from Maketu, down the coast until he reached what is now known as the Tarawera River. Naming it Te Awa-o-te-atua, he turned inland and followed it upstream until he reached Ruawahia, the central peak of Mount Tarawera. Here he had a remarkable experience.
Ngatoroirangi met a spirit in the form of a person named Tama-o-Hoi, who objected to him trespassing over what he claimed as his land. He used sorcery to try and destroy Ngatoroirangi, but his power was no match for the tohunga from Hawaiki. Using a superior spell, Ngatoroirangi caused Tama-o-Hoi to sink into the ground. He then continued on his journey. The great eruption of Tarawera Mountain in 1886 was blamed by some on Tama-o-Hoi who, it was claimed, was so enraged at having been so long confined underground that he gave vent to his feelings by causing the disaster.
It is believed, even today that the image of Ngatoroirangi rising in spirit is displayed through the hot springs of Rotorua, where he continues to tell his story to anyone who can hear him.
The Strangest Land
Today, a day of transport as 4 hours were spent moving from North to South as the journey takes me toward Christchurch, South Island. On the way, odd and wonderful sights to be seen were the Black Swans of Lake Rotorua and the dead tree filled with birds, weird birds that just sat there in contrast to the Sulphur Blue lake in the background.
Tomorrow is a new day, more to see, more to do. The weather is HOT here with no sympathy from my loved ones back home in frigid conditions, makes moving around a little harder.
By the way, the above photo was processed in Topaz Texture Effects and was a lot of fun to do!
More tomorrow….
