Our weekend in the Rotarua area was WET (see our blue-tarp shelter off the back of the car - the envy of backpackers all over NZ). We stopped to see the Ohau Channel diversion wall (see pics) in the Kaituna Arm of Lake Rotoiti that diverts warmer water from Lake Rotarua into the Kaituna Stream outlet of Rotoiti thus protecting Rotoiti from degraded water quality. This has, according to Matt Osborne of Fish and Game (Bay of Plenty), and Dr. Brendan Hicks at the University of Waikato, worked to protect the Rotoiti from the effects of eutrophication that have plagued Lake Rotarua.
Next we were off to the Lake Tarawera outlet to camp at a Department of Conservation campground there. This is an important spawning and rearing area for Tarawera's rainbow trout, and there is a 150 m spawning sanctuary there at the outlet (see pic - the large rainbows spawn at the lake outlet and the juveniles move upstream into the lake itself). Gret and Ari took a hike to Tarawera Falls some 3.5 km below camp, and Rio and Dave hung out in camp under the blue tarp. We followed up our visit to Tarawera at Kawerau's public pool (free) which features a natural geothermally heated hot pool for soaking. Nice!
Now, some 200 km away near Taumarunui at another DOC campsite, we're on the Forgotten World Highway on the Whanganui River (muddy after the rains) and catching up on work at the public library which features the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa that provides free internet and broadband wireless access to the public as a part of the NZ Digital Libraries project. Rio is wrapping up his studies before Spring Break begins for him in a week, and we have sunny skies again! Until later, Cheers All!
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