#855 Pink and White Terraces (Otukapuarangi), New Zealand

John Clarke Hoyte painting. Pink and White Terraces, Lake Rotomahana and Mount Tarawera. Watercolor and gouache on paper. ca 1870s. Hocken Collections. Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago.
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewImage.do?id=223993&aid=135809

This is an unusual one: The pink and white terraces are an amazing place -- however they no longer exist. Actually, they no longer exist in the form that made them famous.

http://www.buriedvillage.co.nz/pink_and_white_terraces/p/49

The pink and white terraces were two sets of beautiful geyser formations of silica terraces in Lake Rotomahana near the dormant volcano Mt. Tarawera, around 25 km south of the New Zealand town of Rotorua, but they disappeared during an 1886 eruption of Mt. Tarawera. 800m apart, it is thought they had different appearances because of the amount of sunlight they each received, with the white ones being the larger set, around 50 layers and cascading over 40m in height, and the pink ones being the preferred area for swimming.

"The journey from Auckland was typically by steamer to Tauranga, the bridle track to Ohinemutu on Lake Rotorua, by coach to Te Wairoa by canoe across lake Tarawera, and then on foot over the hill to the swampy shores of Lake Rotomahana and the terraces." (Wikipedia)

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/whiteterraces.shtml

The eruption at 3am on 10 June 1886 caused the lake floor to explode, showering the area with liquid mud, ash, stones and other debris, not only reclaiming the terraces, but burying two Maori villages, Moura and Te Ariki. After the eruption, there was a crater where the terraces had been, which was eventually filled with the water of the lake

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/waterbasins.shtml

In Maori they were known as Otukapuarangi, "fountain of the clouded sky" and they were a popular tourist attraction from the 1840s, especially after Prince Albert, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited in 1870, but were a source of racist resentment from the white (pakeha) New Zealanders because the Te Arawa tribe that owned them became wealthy from their control and ownership of the area (they even had their marae (meeting house) in Hinemihi made with gold florins instead of paua (abalone shell) eyes. After the eruption killed and displaced members of the tribe, the New Zealand government unfairly converted the area into crown land in a payment-for-relief-assistance system, although much of this (including 13 lakes in 2006) has been returned to the tribe in the past decades as part of the Treaty of Waitangi tribunal.

Lake Tarawera before the eruption and today -- the eruption enlarged the lake. A narrow isthmus separates lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana.

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/laketarawera.shtml#

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/lakes/rotorua/nz0277.shtml

I've been fascinated with the pink and white terraces since I was a girl and saw a beautiful painting of them. It was only after a while that I learned that they had been destroyed -- I had dreamed of visiting them!

In a marvel of modern science, the lowest two tiers of the pink terraces were rediscovered 60 metres underwater while mapping the lake floor in 2011, and it is thought that the rest may be buried under sediment, and the increased-level lake.

Sources: http://themeetingplacenz.blogspot.com/2012/07/pink-and-white-terraces-backstory-to.html 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_and_White_Terraces
http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Rotomahana

#948 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

A place that I've always wanted to visit, but prohibitively expensive and quite inaccessible: Kamchatka Peninsula. People tell stories of only being able to visit the remote volcanoes by helicopter, and that the number of active volcanoes is unmatched anywhere in the world, but these are just rumors of a place so remote and unvisited that people will say anything about it. Unfortunately, I haven't yet had the pleasure to visit, so I can't dispute any rumors yet, but I wanted to share this amazing place with everyone, so that you can add it to your bucket list, too!

You may have seen this incredible photo of a lava flow cave inside a glacier in email forwards and circling the internet. What a place!

From telegraph.co.uk where they advertise Kamchatka as being an option for a 'Blackberry-free break'!

The Kamchatka peninsula would have a similar temperature range to southern Alaska, and with only around 300,000 people in an area similar to that of Japan, it is easy to see why it is off the beaten path despite being an UNESCO World Heritage site. The Eastern side catches the storms and remains covered in snow even in summer, but in winter it is girded with ice and even has oceanic ice bracketing the ports.

Part of the Pacific's Ring of Fire caused by the tectonic plates' collision, in addition to its many volcanoes there is the 10,000 meter Kuril-Kamchatka Trench just off the eastern coast. Of the 160 volcanoes, 29 of them active, and 19 included in UNESCO's list.

I want to visit this spectacular landscape and see the amazing semi-arctic wildlife and landscape.

Note: Photos are not mine -- many are from Wikipedia.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamchatka_Peninsula

#984 Santorini (Thira), Greece

Ancient Thira road.

Very few islands in the world can claim the spectacular vistas and incredible history that Santorini does. A massive circular volcanic ridge, with the smaller islands of the newer volcano growing in the center, it is a beautiful island among beautiful islands in the Aegean Sea. History wise, it was the home to many cultures, from Dorians, Hellenists, Romans, Byzantines, and others! It's most famous moment in history was the cataclysmic eruption in 1650BC (the biggest eruption in recorded history) which caused several massive tsunamis across the Mediterranean that saw the beginning of the end of the Minoans culture in Crete (and also the burial of the Minoan settlement of Akrotiri on Santorini itself). Its many volcanic eruptions have changed it from circular to the moon shape it is today. To the north are the sunset viewing spots of Oia, the main town of Fira. In the central area are the resort towns of Kamari and Perissa with Ancient Thira on the steep mountain between. Further south along the caldera is Akotiri.

View from the hilltop city of Ancient Thira towards Kamari.

Main center of Fira looking toward Oia.

Fira atop the caldera ridge.

Small islands of Palia Kameni (left), which appeared in 197BC and Nea Kameni, which appeared in 1707BC with town of Fira behind.

Fira Skala landing point of cruise ships.

Looking toward Fira from Imerovigli.

Fira

Many tourists gather for sunset photos in Oia.

View of the other half of the volcano - the island of Thirasia (separated in 236 BC).

Source: Lonely Planet Greece

#990 Antigua, Guatemala

Nestled amongst several scenic volcanoes, in a hot earthquake zone (so hot the town was ruined so badly the capitol was abandoned for Guatemala City), Antigua is a beautiful mix of tourism, Spanish schools, churches, culture, history, nature, leafy courtyards, chic cafes/bars, foodie restaurants, and vibrant markets. 

Once the epicenter of Spanish power in Central America, it is now just a big town up the hills from the concrete jungle of Guatemala City. It's amazing because of it's rich history and ruins, because it's so beautiful and quaint, because there are so many idyllic streets and hidden spots to explore.