Sunrise at Kawaha Point, Rotorua

Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the North Island. The lake itself was formed from the collapsed crater of a volcano that last erupted around 250,000 years ago. The lake is very shallow and can become discoloured in rough weather. The town of Rotorua is build on its southern end. The lake and surrounding Rotorua area is a very busy geothermal area, with several areas of geothermal activity on the lake itself. This jetty is a popular one to photograph, located in western Rotorua at Kawaha Point.

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This photo was taken on New Year's morning, 2020. Little did we know at that point what lay ahead for us in 202 with Covid-19. It's surreal to think back to this peaceful moment on the lake and how life changed shortly after. While taking photos, we had to be very patient while a heavily intoxicated man spent some time at the end of the jetty enjoying nature, before he headed off home to bed! It can be tricky to get very still weather on Lake Rotorua due to the size of the lake, so we felt really happy with the conditions on this morning, even though the sky didn't light up quite as much as we would have liked.