Sunrise over Tomahawk Beach
Recently, there have been some extremely lovely sunrises here in Dunedin. While I don’t know the exact science behind what causes a colourful sunrise, I believe it’s all to do with light beams coming into the earth’s atmosphere and hitting molecules. Then, something happens with blue lightwaves becoming shorter while red, orange and yellow lightwaves become longer while moving through the atmosphere. Of course, I could always be completely wrong!
First light over Tomahawk Beack in Dunedin
Today marks a significant milestone for my daily photoblog from a Small City which I’m delighted to share with you. This is my one thousandths consecutive daily post. That’s one thousand days without missing a single day. One thousand days where at 6am (mostly) a different photo has been posted. When people ask what my blog from a Small City is about, my response is that it’s a photoblog about discovering small towns, forgotten points of interest and the curiosities of my island home. It’s about interesting and amusing stories told through words and images about life in Aotearoa.
In fact, when I started my purpose was to improve my photography through becoming a better writer. After all, it’s one thing to be able to take a photograph, it’s a completely different skill to be able to use words to create an ongoing narrative. I actually did a very rough calculation along with 1000 unique photos, I’ve written over 150,000 words!
So, to those people who keep coming back, thank you very much for sharing my creative joy and please share it among your friends. I sincerely hope you keep returning because I very much enjoy the creative challenge. It’s kind of like having 5 minutes of escapism every single day. Or to put it another way, 300 seconds escaping from reality or everyday matters.
The Esplanade Restaurant
For something different I set myself a challenge. So, I went down to the Esplanade at St Clair, picked a spot and let the world pass me by. The challenge was to see what photos I could create while staying as close as possible to a single spot. This is the entrance to the well known local Italian beachfront Pizza Restaurant & Bar ‘The Esplanade.’ It advertises itself as a piece of Italy perched on the New Zealand beachfront in St Clair, Dunedin.
Sunset on St Kilda Beach
The next day there was wind in the forecast and they were right! I was meant to be heading for a walking track on the Otago Peninsula, this time heading south-east instead of the north-easterly direction I began with the previous day. However, as my intended path passed by several cliffs, I decided it would be prudent to wait until the wind was scheduled to ease in the afternoon.
So it was that I found myself on the Otago Peninsula heading for the well known Karetai walking track and beyond to Smaills and Tomahawk Beaches late in the afternoon. By the time I reached the end of Tomahawk Beach, a distance of some 6 kilometres, I had the inclination to head over the hill to St Kilda Beach where if I was lucky, the sun might be setting and I could be in time to capture the sunset from the rocks at Lawyers Head. Several minutes later, having passed over a golf course, I arrived to find that the wind from earlier in the day had dropped to a gentle breeze carrying with it the scent of salt-air and seaweed. I stood and observed the varying swells that moved between the rock pools for a few minutes as the tide flowed back and forth. All the while, as I predicted, the sun was setting over the Dunedin hills. Setting my gear down, and having enjoyed my previous few days walking in the evenings, I set upon a decision. With nothing scheduled for the next several days at least, where possible I would headout to photograph the early evening sky.
St Clair Salt Water Pool
The thing about winter is that the daylight hours are shorter. Cold weather I can handle, however what I find difficult to accept is the lack of daylight. Every winter, there is always a point when I realise I’ve become something akin to mole. For me, it’s just been and so when Saturday arrived, I was delighted with the fact that it was daylight and I wasn’t at work! In celebration, I spent the first few hours familiarising myself with what the house looked like in natural light before heading out into the garden. Later, with the day sunny and still with all my holdhouse chores taken care of, I made up my mind to venture down to the beach. So, with my camera in hand, I headed out the door into a warm Saturday afternoon.
The Evening Tide
I watched the incoming tide for a few minutes, turned and headed for the far opposite end of the Esplanade. The whole area was quiet in the fading light as the street lights started to take hold. Reaching the end of the Esplanade by the Salt Water Pool, I paused beside a cafe that must have closed several hours ago. Once again I stood and watched the tide roll in, breaking against the rocks before receding out into the backwash. Every so often patches of sand became exposed, revealing leftover seaweed and driftwood that would shift and move with the tide. I took a moment to look out across the ocean. As the light had continued to fade, the sea had taken on a moody grey-blue complexion. Suddenly to my left the lights of the Hotel St Clair came on and drew my attention back to the Esplanade. In the blue hour of evening, I walked in the salty sea air as darkness took hold.
St Kilda beach at dusk
The other week, while the weather was calm and pleasant I spent a few evenings exploring the beach. On this occasion, the evening was warm as dusk took hold and colours from the setting sun lingered in the sky before disappearing from sight. In fact, the weather was so warm and settled that blossoms started appearing on trees around Dunedin and the MetService had to remind locals that ‘We’re not out of winter just yet.’ A few days later, snow appeared in the forecast!
St Clair Beach at Sunrise
The beach was still and calm as I looked out over the ocean. The sky was an exquisite blend of deep blues and purples, with streaks of orange and yellow near the horizon where the sun was first appearing. The reflections of the colourful sky on the wet sand created a mesmerising effect. To my left were stairs that led up to the Esplanade, illuminated by the warm glow of the morning light. In the distance, lights started to appear as people awoke, adding to the tranquil and picturesque scene.
Tomahawk Beach In Dunedin
When it comes to beaches, I seem to forget about Dunedin’s Tomahawk Beach. Maybe the reason is that it’s so close to home? I’m really not sure! It’s actually a lovely beach to walk along, when the weather is fine of course. Due to its location it can get a tiny bit windy however, on a fine day it’s a lovely walk. If you get your timing right, at low tide once you reach the end of the beach you can even continue around the point to Smaills Beach. Additionally, in 2018 Tomahawk Beach was used as a location for a British bank advertisement. It featured 20 black horses galloping along the beach in a commercial for Lloyds Bank which was called The Running of the Horses. Just how a British bank ended up filming on Tomahawk Beach is really quiet mind boggling.
Hotel St Clair & Tītī Restaurant
Without any real intention or set purpose, I returned to the Esplanade at St Clair. I’d been there only a few days earlier, only this time was different. On the previous occasion, I’d spent a glorious afternoon exploring the rock pools surrounding the St Clair Salt Water Pool at low tide. This time however, for reasons I wasn’t sure about and with no-set agenda, I needed to walk. Now, sitting in my car, I waited a few moments for a light rain shower to pass before strolling along the beachfront. I passed both the St Clair Surf Lifesaving club and the statue of ‘Mum’ (a famous local Sea Lion) and looked out beyond rows of sand sausages – massive long tubes made of mesh, filled with sand and put in place to help slow coastal erosion. I watched the incoming tide for a few minutes, turned and headed for the far opposite end of the Esplanade. The whole area was quiet in the fading light as the street lights started to take hold. Reaching the end of the Esplanade by the Salt Water Pool, I paused beside a cafe that must have closed several hours ago. Once again I stood and watched the tide roll in, breaking against the rocks before receding out into the backwash. Every so often patches of sand became exposed, revealing leftover seaweed and driftwood that would shift and move with the tide. I took a moment to look out across the ocean. As the light had continued to fade, the sea had taken on a moody grey-blue complexion. Suddenly to my left the lights of the Hotel St Clair came on and drew my attention back to the Esplanade. In the blue hour of evening, I walked in the salty sea air as darkness held. The lights from the hotel reflected off the road’s glossy surface, created from light misty rain that had recently passed through. The glow of the lights from the hotel revealed a cleaning crew packing up from the day while the restaurant was just starting to become busy. Occasionally, a passing vehicle would slowly pass along couples holding hands, walking in the calm and quiet night air.
St Kilda Beach at Sunset
Another beach image from Dunedin for you, this time back to St Kilda beach at sunset on a lovely warm and still evening.
St Clair Beach
Low tide at St Clair beach on a stunning Sunday afternoon in Dunedin.
St Kilda Beach at Lawyers Head
Back to the beach watching the tide in the evening on the rocks at St Kilda Beach, Lawyers Head.
Aramoana view.
To get to this vantage point its a bit of a hike. Not difficult, just awkward more than anything else. That’s because I had to slog my way uphill through dense sand dunes that were heavily overgrown. The problem that created was that I couldn’t always see where I was stepping. However, the uphill struggle was worth the effort because the views from the small rocky ledge were very rewarding.
Paraparaumu Beach & Kapiti Island
Strolling along Paraparaumu Beach in summer is a glorious treat. The sand stretches out into the horizon as Kapiti Island looms in the distance, while the crisp, salty breeze playfully lingers in the air. There’s a soothing murmur of the waves that lap at the shore and gulls wheel overhead prompting a momentary pause in the day’s ambling.
Bathing Beach Inlet on Stewart Island
Geographically, Stewart Island/Rakiura is the forgotten child of New Zealand. It is to New Zealand, what Alexander Hamilton is to American Politics. Everyone knows it’s there, and they know it’s kind of important but not really sure why! Ask anyone from either the North or South Island of New Zealand and they’ll most assuredly tell you it’s a wonderful place, yet ask them if they’ve actually set foot on it and you’ll most likely get an embarrassed shake of the head. Well, I can tell you that it’s a terrific spot with sheltered inlets, forested hills, rugged coasts, dunes, inlets and that’s only the start of its remarkable landscapes. It has a long history of Māori habitation, sealers and whalers lived there from around 1800 and its social history is as interesting as any other part of New Zealand. It truly is a most delightful place!
St Clair Esplanade
Feeling in a bit of a creative mood, I decided to have a little bit of fun with this photo I took of the sea wall at the St Clair Esplanade. Starting in Lightroom, I gave it an orange and teal feel before exporting it to photoshop. At that point I hit it with a kind of black and white-bleach effect that I washed over the top before finishing it with some old school scratches for a bit of texture. Of course, it took a lot longer to do than I’m making it sound but you get the idea. I hope!
Tunnel beach colours
I had Tunnel Beach all to myself the evening I took this which makes taking photos so much easier. It’s become a really popular spot so to get it all to myself was really something. I timed my trip so the tide would be out which meant I had lots of options and choices as the sun made silhouettes out of the rocks and bounced light off the sand.
Blackhead Beach in black and white.
A few weeks ago I spent the afternoon at Blackhead Beach. While most of my time was taken up with stumbling over stones and splashing through rock pools, I did find time to admire the local Sea Lions that were playing close by. I also spent time photographing the scenery, which is when I felt the inspiration to take a black and white photo or two. So, channelling the great American landscape photographer Ansel Adams, I switched modes on my trusty camera to black and white and set to work attempting to control the contrast between highlights and shadows.
St Clair Beach
I can think of worse ways to end the day.
Blackhead Rockpools
I ended up spending a delightful afternoon wading in rock pools at Blackhead Beach, just south of Dunedin. It was one of those warm, still, late summer days that reminded me with autumn on the horizon, days like this will be less and less common. So it was, I spent a few hours stumbling over stones and sploshing through rock pools as seaweed gently drifted on the tide. I have to admit, there’s something delightfully delicious about wading through rock pools in your bare feet on a warm afternoon.
The Esplanade (15.01.24 – 7:30am
This is St Clair at 7:30am this morning, isn’t it stunning? If you’re still on holiday then it’s one of those lovely Dunedin mornings that still, clear and fine. Perfect weather for being outside at the beach, a park or lazing around home soaking up the sun with a good book. Enjoy the day.