Craters of jade

Whether rendered in English or Māori, the name of these teal-tinted lakes hints at a verdant precious stone. On most maps they're called the Emerald Lakes, while the older name Ngā Rotopounamu references pounamu—a word for nephrite jade and similar hard, green stones found in other parts of New Zealand. It's not just the names here that bear a geological air: Set in the contours of Tongariro National Park—the country's oldest—the lakes are formed from extinct volcanic craters and surrounded by geothermal activity.