The C-Spot: A Photography, Travel and Culture Journal

There's something about trees and sunsets and lakes that always mesmerizes me. I can't explain it. So I just let my camera do the talking. These couple of shots were both taken on lakesides but on two different lakes. One was taken in Rotorua and the other in Taupo. Both were taken at about the same time but the hues were very different. Perhaps it's because one was taken looking towards the east and the other towards the west. I am always awe-struck by the simple, serene, yet powerful beauty of sunset. Somehow it seems like a daily sign, constantly reminding me to stay still, close my eyes and pray the Angelus, just like when I was in school when I hear the pealing bells at around 6 o'clock in the evening: "...Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the s...

Huka Falls is actually a body of water running through a fracture on the earth surface. It's not as gigantic as the Niagara Falls in Canada, or as mystical as the Angel Falls in Venezuela but it is beautiful and breath-taking nonetheless. From Wikipedia: "The Huka Falls are a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River that drains Lake Taupo in New Zealand. A few hundred metres upstream from the Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from roughly 100 metres across into a narrow canyon only 15 metres across. The canyon is carved into lake floor sediments laid down before Taupo's Oruanui eruption 26,500 years ago. The volume of water flowing through often approaches 220,000 litres per second. At the top of the falls is a set of small waterfalls dropping over about 8 metres. The most impressive, final stage of the falls (pictured here) is an 11 metre drop. The drop is technically six metres (cliff beneath the water) but the water flow raises the level to 11m. The falls ar...

* Mt. Ruapeho - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ruapehu If one wishes to travel between Wellington and Taupo in the North Island of New Zealand, one of the more scenic routes is via the Desert Road. Whether coming from or going to either of these two wonderful locations in the south-central part of New Zealand's North Island, the view is spectacular particularly in that part where a magnificent view of Mt. Ruapehu can be seen. Viewed from thousands of miles above the earth, Mt. Ruapeho does not appear to be all that majestic. Photo below is courtesy of Google Earth. But viewed from the ground, where most humans normally view mountains, Mt. Ruapehu is truly such a sight to behold as shown in the four photos below. Its snow-capped slopes glisten in the mid-day sun that seem to enhance it's brightness even more. Its sparkling beauty seems to refresh the weary traveler as he passes through a parched wind-swept dry land almost devoid of greenery and freshness. ...

Lake Rotorua - http://www.newzealand.com/int/article/lake-rotorua/ Walking along the the shores of Lake Roturua, I just spent sometime looking around and saw the trees which have been laid bare by the recent winter. Bare as they are, they exude a certain beauty as they lift their arms to the clear blue skies as if in homage and gratitude for the return of the sun. In time they will be coated with thick luxurious foliage that will glisten in the afternoon spring time sun as if they never have shed them at all. A naked tree In full-color Black and White Full-color And the romance between the sun and the sky that has sprang in spring will be lovingly nurtured till it gracefully grows through the seasons. Young love Timeless Love

*From Wikipedia - Rotorua is a major destination for both domestic and international tourists; the tourism industry is by far the largest industry in the district. The city is known for its geothermal activity, and features geysers – notably the Pohutu Geyser at Whakarewarewa – and hot mud pools. This thermal activity is sourced to the Rotorua caldera, on which the city lies. We arrived at Rotorua, about an hour and a half drive from Taupo, at around 4:30 PM. As we were looking around to book a place to stay for the night I saw this beautiful golden sunset at the distance. This is how it looked from where I was standing Using my camera's zoom function, I shot this: And using the maximum zoom capability of my point and shoot camera, the sunset looked like this photo below: It looked like the sky was on fire!

The internet (via Google and other popular search engines) is replete with images of the sun setting in the Great Lake of Taupo at the North Island of New Zealand. The photo below is yet another one of those images. But the unique thing about this photo is that it is one taken by me on September 3, 2011 at around 5:30 PM at the corner of Lake Terrace and Tui Street. I took the photo with an old trusty point and shoot Canon Ixus digital camera which has been with me for many of my travels in recent years. Sunset at Lake Taupo LAKE TAUPO is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of 616 square kilometres (238 sq mi), it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray (Papua New Guinea). Lake Taupo has a perimeter of approximately 193 kilometres, a deepest point of 186 metres. It is drained by the Waikato River (New Zealand's longest river),...