Travel: When the sun shines it will shine out the clearer diamonds in the sky ☀️

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Last night it started raining again so we decided to start the day a little bit lazy. What a better place to wake-up then the hot spring we ended last night! I even skipped my coffee ritual otherwise it wouldn’t be waking up under a waterfall .

Waterfall shower

Last night we enjoyed the crowd, this morning we did have the hot ‘n steamy paradise all to ourselves! While enjoying the warmth we did get surprised by a hord of tourists. We felt like monkeys in the zoo as they took pictures of us enjoying the river without jumping in themselves. Kinda weird experience I can say .

After they left we left the pool as well, meanwhile it had started raining cats and dogs and the water was not that warm anymore. Back at the van I did have my coffee, while the rain took care of our dishes. They all got clean! The weather forecast only showed more and more rain for the Taupo area. We asked ourselves, take the risk for maybe a little bit of sunshine at the end of the day or chose a new adventure somewhere else? We chose for another adventure. No more Taupo horizons at the lake for us. And oh boy I’m so happy we did this, because we found a little gem along at the east coast!

Waterfall pr0n

Sorry for my title, but I can’t describe this waterfall in any other way. We found this exceptional waterfall in our guidebook. The author mentioned this as a hidden gem, and he wasn’t lying. We’ve seen a few people at the track but at the waterfall, we were alone. The fun already began at the carpark for us, as the sun was back again.

The track does cross private land first, through a limestone crags paradise over the first part of the track. The second part goes through dense jungle and while getting closer to the waterfall the joy of listening to the rushing stream symphony starts. The forest makes this waterfall exceptional, as slowly reveals it’s beauty after crossing the final bridge.

Undoubtedly this is the best waterfall from New Zealand for me, it’s pretty, spectacular, ravishing a symphony of nature. This kind of music soothes the savage beast yeah! I think the fall is approx. 60m high. The water isn’t falling over the edge, but it moves gentle over the rocks, creating this smooth sound. That’s why the pool underneath is real sand instead of rocks. A pleasure for your feet and a great opportunity for a swim. Ok I admit, I did get under a second waterfall today couldn’t resist. But this is real waterfall porn, it can compete with the finest falls I’ve met on Iceland. So, who could resist?

While enjoying this exceptional beauty we lost track of the time. Oops we only did this waterfall today (and a lot of driving). We needed to find a place to sleep near Rere, because some more waterfall fun is coming by tomorrow! We found a nice camping spot at a beach south of Gisborne. Finally, we could watch the stars again! I really do love places without rain, promising even more sunshine the day after. Goodnight all.

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