Believe it or not

Imagine walking through remote depths of pristine New Zealand bush. It is silent but for the chatter of a fluttering fantail, the crunch of leaf cover underfoot, the swish of ferns as you emerge in a rocky clearing to find… flames. Not the beginnings of a bush fire, but flames emerging from the earth.

This is a natural curiosity that can be found in the bush near Murchison, in the Tasman region. In the 1920s oil prospectors were exploring the beech forest and discovered a dried-up stream bed with the unmistakable smell of natural gas. They dropped a match and the flames have been burning in this spot ever since.

While situated on privately owned land, people can take a tour with Natural Flames Experience, which includes tea and pancakes cooked over the perpetually dancing orange flames.