Favourite Places - Hamurana Springs - WildLight Photography

Favourite Places – Hamurana Springs

tony
January 8, 2017
birds / Favourite Places / landscape / New Zealand

Water from the Hamurana Springs flows down to Lake Rotorua

In my previous Favourite Places posts, I covered 2 places that aren’t just on the doorstep, Tiritiri Matangi and Muriwai Gannet Colony. This one of my favourites places, Hamurana Springs, is closer to home being just a short drive along the edge of Lake Rotorua. There is a bridge across the stream followed by a gentle walk along the edge and up through a grove of towering Redwoods before reaching the source of the main spring and then meandering down the near side of the flow back to the car park. It is a short walk but we usually don’t get far before finding a photographic subject. The crystal clear water flowing over the white sand suspends Scaup, Swans, Mallards and Dabchicks above large trout between the waving water weeds while Welcome Swallows dip over the surface. The surrounding vegetation is thick with Fantails and Tuis as well as the introduced regulars like Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Yellowhammers, Goldfinches, California Quail, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes so there are no shortage of subjects.

The water from the spring is filtered during its 70 year journey from the Mamaku plateau through the volcanic rock and emerges crystal clear at a constant 10 degrees Celsius at a rate of approximately 4 million litres an hour. The main spring is Hangarua Spring where viewing platforms give a good look down into the depths. A little further along the track is the Dancing Sands Spring where the water rising under pressure from below creates mesmerising little plumes of sand dancing in the current.

A visitor stops to refill a drink bottle from the main Hamurana spring, Hangarua Spring

Rainbow Trout drift in the clear waters above the gravel bed. This one was photographed in the stream coming form the Dancing Sands Spring

A dense area of flax on the golf course side of the stream is a good spot for feeding Tui when in bloom. The Redwoods and ferns across the stream can make a good background.

A big stand of flax is a great spot for Tuis when in bloom.

The adjoining Golf course is popular with rabbits which, despite being an introduced pest, can make cute photo subjects.

All the photos in this post were made during a single afternoon trip just before Christmas. Having discovered these fledging Welcome Swallows we made a couple more trips around the Christmas break and I will share some more of those photos in a later post.