More from my recent trip - fresh water for a change.
Rainbow Falls (Waianiwaniwa) near Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands can be approached from above or below. A 3.5 km walk (for a number of keen exercisers it was a run) from the Kerikeri Basin leads to the base of the falls. It was a refreshing sight, framed by the bush - totara and kauri trees, manuka, treeferns - the textures and shapes contrasting with the brilliant sparkling cascade hurtling into the water - a popular swimming hole - at the base. Two young men provide scale, as they have fun on the slippery rocks behind the falling water. The droplets of the mist create rainbows by refracting light when it falls on them at the right angle for this to happen - late afternoon I believe. Another time!
The pattern of falling water, constantly shifting and changing, sparkling and churning, is for me a calming almost hypnotic delight to watch.
This waterfall is 27m high, and is of the Kerikeri River. It is apparently unusual for a New Zealand waterfall in that while most have formed when water has worn away soft rock, this water flows over hard basalt. I'm pretty sure that columnar basalt is evident at the base where the men are emerging.
They look tiny, but I assure you they were of normal stature. Its a reminder of how we humans are pretty small in the scale of things.