Punakaiki blowholes

From the roadside parking area, the hike is only a quarter mile one way, but plan to spend some time here because the scene is spectacular. The short trail descends a gully to a viewpoint where most people stop to look then turn back. Continue down the faint trail into the "acid warzone," an area of deeply pocked and utterly mangled lava rocks, under constant assault by the wind and sea. A terraced area offers good viewing of the blowhole from a safe distance. … [Read more...] about Kapalua, HI: Nakalele Blowhole

Half-Day Mount Aspiring National Park Jet Boat and Wilderness Walk from Wanaka Half-Day Kayak Tour on Lake Wanaka Classic Wanaka Wine Tour 35-Minute Helicopter Flight Including Glacier Landing from Wanaka Queenstown Crown Range Road, the road from Wanaka to Queenstown, is beautiful and the village of Arrowtown is the perfect stop on the way. Take a walk around the village, visit the Chinese Settlement and enjoy some ice cream at Patagonia Chocolate. … [Read more...] about Two Week New Zealand South Island Itinerary

Explore the reaches of beautiful Lake Rotoiti on a cruise aboard a luxury catamaran – visit natural hot pools on the edge of the lake that are only accessible by boat. See the famous ‘Buried Village’ of Te Wairoa before learning all about the amazing efforts going in to helping our national icon at the Rotorua Kiwi Encounter. Walk through Ohinemutu Village, a living Maori settlement on the shores of Lake Rotorua. Take a guided tour of the enchanting geothermal hideaway of Wai-O-Tapu, where bubbling mud pools and colourful silica terraces create an otherworldly and unforgettable landscape. … [Read more...] about 5 must-see locations in New Zealand

Scan a raptor flyway on this 6.8-mile out-and-back to a 3,124-foot Appalachian foothills summit. The route climbs 2,000 feet through a shady oak-hickory forest, but it saves the best for last, Stegenga says: Just beyond the summit, the trail ends at a granite gneiss shelf with a 180-degree vista into North Carolina. Watch here at midday for swirling kettles of migrating broad-winged hawks (peaking the third week of September) and a pair of resident peregrine falcons on the cliffs to the north. Trip ID940927 … [Read more...] about From the Field: East

End of good trail. A lone hala tree grows amid the ruins of an ancient coastal village. Follow the same route back to the trailhead. … [Read more...] about Wai’anapanapa State Park, HI: Shoreline Trail