Behold the Pink Terraces

Scientists exploring Lake Rotomahana say they have found part of the famed Pink Terraces which were feared destroyed when Mount Tarawera erupted 135 years ago. The Pink and White Terraces, once described as the eighth wonder of the world, were a 19th century tourist drawcard. They were formed by silica deposits left from geothermal water sent cascading down a hillside near Lake Rotomohana. Using robotic submarines, a New Zealand and American scientific team has now taken photos of what it believes are two tiers of the pink terraces. The sediment-covered rock is 6m below the lake’s surface. Project leader Cornel de Ronde of GNS Science said the discovery came right at the end of the survey. “We weren’t expecting this at all. We started seeing these hard reflective structures and, bingo, this is what we found.” The scientists say they have found no evidence of the larger White Terraces.