More from down under- Concetta

Both these pages from my sketchbook were done in Rotorua, a geothermal town on the side of the omonymous volccanic lake, in the North island. A very interesting place, with an old Maori village still standing and lived in, and sulphureous vapours coming out of every drain and crack in the pavement. The lake itself, in the green  area of the map where we were, bubbles and steams.
The first watercolour depicts a detail of the Governor's Gardens, in perfect British style. It hosts famous baths and cricket fields. Pukekos, the large gallinaceous birds that look just like our Sardinian - and rare- Porphyrio porphyrio (the tricks of evolution!) forage on the perfectly mowed lawns. The white flower belongs to Manuka, a tall shrub that forms, with the similar Kanuka, most of the bush's canopy. Honey produced from Manuka has healiing property and is very valuable.