‘Eighth wonder’ digitally reborn

One of New Zealand’s long-vanished natural wonders is being brought back to life with some help from augmented reality. The Pink and White Terraces, geological formations that were wiped out by the devastating Mount Tarawera eruption of 1886, can now be enjoyed again through an app developed by Waimangu Volcanic Valley, an ecotourism experience. Vintage paintings, old reference photos and recorded work by early explorers and scientists have been used to recreate the terraces, which were formed over thousands of years as silica-rich water emerging from springs and boiling geysers crystallized into giant tiered staircases.

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO Hyams Beach, located 180 kilometres south of Sydney, has gained fame for reportedly having the whitest sand in the world, attracting thousands of visitors to the site.