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There is a lovely swimming hole at the Riwaka resurgence. Here the water bubbles up out of the rock as sweet and clear as can be. Only problem is the water is cold. With a capital C.

One can contemplate swimming in thru the opening in the rock but....




nah, too scary really. I now learn that people do dive this place. But I reckon any diver would have a wetsuit and, as they say in the text, the water is more suitable for polar bears. A fairly constant temp in the low fifties apparently. The two D's decided yes on the toes, but no on the full swim. Not on this day.

B&A decided yes.




B describes the experience as somewhat painful, so one might ask why one does such things. Then again one might also ask, how does she keep her hair like that while swimming? Let's look closer.... but no, somehow it still holds up.

In case you were thinking this is a serene spot for a bit of solitude in the woods, not so. At the main pool, thrill seekers abound, egging one another on to make a quick jump and exit, scrambling out to the nearest rock. This makes for a good spectator sport, and provides a lesson in peer pressure. I guess there's worse things to get goaded into than jumping in the river.