My sense of adventure compelled me to rent a car so I could visit the Waitomo Caves (3 hr drive). They like to drive on the left-side of the road, so I had a bit of a learning curve.

Beautiful green countryside

Otorohanga – a quaint town

A nice little town cafe with a variety of pies and snacks

Meat pies are a common and tasty snack

A furry rabbit before shearing

Rabbit after shearing

Ruakuri Bushwalk – a nice hike through the rainforest

The real reason I wanted to visit Waitomo- the Black Abyss cave tour

Crawling up waterfalls in the cave. The water was indeed cold.

A motocross race I stopped by

Kiwi Paka cabin where I stayed

This is page 2 of 10 for my New Zealand / Australia trip.

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As the trail just reopened yesterday, I embarked on a hike adventure to Lava Canyon today. The weather was perfect- sunny and warm.

Of the hundreds of hiking trails I’ve been on, this is my favorite. It has unusual geological features from the volcanic mudflow, diverse scenery, 5 or so waterfalls, and has technical parts of the trail, including narrow paths near cliffs, 2 ladders and a suspension bridge. You might feel a bit like Indiana Jones while you’re there.

A nice view of St. Helens from the Lahar Viewpoint on the way to Lava Canyon.

The Muddy River canyon

The suspension bridge

A hiker walls along the cliff (the trail). The waterfall is impressive and you can see the suspension bridge in the background.

More waterfalls, as seen from ‘The Ship’, a big rock island.

Remains of a washed out bridge

The trail is quite sketchy and treacherous in places as you can see. Several parts are narrow, rocky, and beside cliffs. One slip could be your last.

Images of Comet Falls and surrounding area- a very scenic place.