The Forestry Forum

Outdoor topics => Travel Guide => Topic started by: Ianab on January 10, 2022, 03:51:34 AM

Title: Wilkies Pools / natural waterslide.
Post by: Ianab on January 10, 2022, 03:51:34 AM
Had a niece and nephew here for the weekend, so lets show them some local fun. 

This is Wilkies Pools, it's a volcanic lava flow part way up the Mt, but its eroded into a natural water slide. 



(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10460/20220108_151118.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1641803135)



(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10460/20220108_152355.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1641803582)
 

Kids are checking out the plunge pool. Was a warm day, and the water wasn't ALL snow melt, but it was "refeshing". 

Lara has done the drop before on Primary School Camp, so led that way 


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10460/20220108_153149.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1641803768)
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(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10460/20220108_155736.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1641803920)
 

Plunge pool is both is both Deep and Cold.  :D Nephew's video clip was 9 seconds from top to climbing out of the pool, and 1/2 of that was "cold..cold..cold "

Downstream there is a bigger lava cliff, more water, and real waterfall. 


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10460/20220108_164925.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1641804285)
 
Title: Re: Wilkies Pools / natural waterslide.
Post by: WV Sawmiller on January 10, 2022, 04:47:15 PM
Ian,

  That's pretty neat and I am sure the kids enjoyed it but are you sure you're not just encouraging tourists to come visit and feed them to the eels in the pools at the bottom of the Falls? :D
Title: Re: Wilkies Pools / natural waterslide.
Post by: firefighter ontheside on January 12, 2022, 07:51:58 AM
That looks very nice.  I'd love to see it.
We have something very similar to that not far from where I live called Johnson's Shut-ins.  It is also volcanic with water slide like chutes.  It was also the site of a huge landslide and flood about 20 years ago.  The local power company operates a hydroelectric site at a man made lake at the highest point in MO.  The earthen dam gave way and the whole lake flooded the shut ins.  Luckily it happened at night and there was no one in the river, but it did flood the campground.  Luckily no one was killed.  The campground was re-located in case it ever happened again.
Title: Re: Wilkies Pools / natural waterslide.
Post by: kantuckid on March 09, 2022, 11:45:23 AM
Thats one neat spot in NZ!!! Hope life gets me there soon while I can still do stuff.

In the USA, not far from Ashville, NC & Brevard, NC in the Pisgah NF, there's a public, beside the roadside, water slide rock. It's called Slideing Rock and just down the stream is a falls called Looking Glass Falls.  The stream is a clear rocky not so deep one thats popular for tubing. I took my boys there when my wife had a business meeting at the nearby Job Corps center years ago.
In that area is the Cradle of Forestry as well.
In 1990, on a trip to Jamaica, we visited the jungle waterfall featured in the Tom Cruise flic-"Cocktails"-he was a bartender as I recall. 
That bar was at our lodging spot in Port Antonio, Jamaica 
The natives (also the local weed & trinkets salesforce) told me that waterfall was modified by the French film director so more water was focused on certain spots making for a better film session. Me and the kids went over it and into the deep pool which I never saw the bottom of. I'd guess maybe 20-25 feet deep.