Winter is becoming real.
Kapiti Island from the Paekakariki Hill Road lookout
The phrase “icy blast” is appearing in the media more often. Of course, by North American standards, our winter storms are mild. Nevertheless, our winters can be miserably uncomfortable. The combination of damp and wind suck much of the joy out of life. I went seeking birds yesterday, and found nothing that I wanted to photograph, so I looked instead for landscapes along the Paekakariki Hill Road. Dismal grey drizzle and few places to stop the car safely suggest that wasn’t a great idea in the circumstances. Nevertheless I got to the lookout above Paekakariki and was rewarded with a moody view towards Kapiti Island, dark and brooding in the distance.
The Northern part of the Cook Strait under a threatening sky
For a brief moment, the sun broke through the clouds to the West and the sea lit up nicely for me. Of course the wind was still cold, but the view was warming.
Paekakariki to Waikanae with the South Taranaki Bight beyond.
Three shots from the same spot is more than I usually expect, but the view to the North was unexpectedly clear. Paekakariki is in the foreground, while Paraparaumu and Waikanae jut out to the top left.
Ration Creek
I decided to return the same way rather than mixing it with weekend traffic on SH1 and saw Ration Creek glittering under a striking tree as I got near to Pauatahanui. I stopped at the first available piece of roadside gravel and had to walk a long way back to get the view I first saw.
Enough for now.
I love the moodiness in these pics, Brian. When the winter gloom gets me down, I find some moving water and play with time exposures. That always helps.
Thanks Lawrence … I must pick your brains about post processing at some stage.