The eighth natural wonder of the world has finally been discovered. Kind of.
For years, we have had to make do with just the seven natural wonders; the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, Villa Park, the cinematic output of Martin Scorsese, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
But now , researchers think they’ve discovered the exact location of the pink and white terraces of Lake Rotomahana, on New Zeland’s North island.
“Shiploads of tourists made the dangerous visit from the UK, Europe and America to see the 8th wonder”
The stunning terraces attracted wealthy tourists from around the world who’d travel to New Zeeland just to catch a glimpse of the wonder. However, 131 years ago, the terraces were buried following the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886, never to be seen by a human again.
But now researchers not only think they’ve found the exact location of the wonder, but also that it’ll be perfectly preserved under 15 metres of mud, ash, and rock.
Speaking to The Guardian about the lost terraces, Rex Bunn – one of the researches leading the discovery mission – said The terraces “became the greatest tourist attraction in the southern hemisphere and the British Empire, and shiploads of tourists made the dangerous visit down from the UK, Europe and America to see them”
“But they were never surveyed by the government of the time, so there was no record of their latitude or longitude.” added Bunn. Not ideal.