The eighth natural wonder of the world may not be lost after all

June 12, 2017 1:38 PM

New Zealand's Pink and White Terraces (Te Otukapuarangi in Maori) may not be lost after all. Hailed as breathtaking, the enormous silica sinter deposits were on either side of Lake Rotomahana. Assumed lost in the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886, a geologist's long-overlooked diaries indicate they may be in a different location than was believed... and researchers say they may be simply covered in ashes and mud. An excavation is being planned.
posted by DirtyOldTown (3 comments total)

A more pessimistic take:

It’s not the first time researchers have announced that they’ve found the terraces. In 2011, scientists said they had found the remnants of the Pink and White Terraces deep in Lake Rotomahana. After five years of investigation, New Zealand GNS Science backtracked on the claims, and said they came to the “inescapable conclusion” that most of the Pink and White Terraces had been destroyed.

posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:46 PM on June 12, 2017

They would have been awesome to see in person, but NZ's geothermal features are still pretty fantastic.
posted by MillMan at 2:31 PM on June 12, 2017

It's not nearly as dramatic, but there's a similar geological feature in California at Bumpass Hell in Lassen National Park. Up north. Beautiful park and the sulfurous pots in this little valley are really amazing. They've made some terrace-like features although nowhere near as grand a scale as the paintings of Te Otukapuarangi.
posted by Nelson at 7:38 AM on June 13, 2017