Dusk at Blackhead Beach

Now, I know I might be completely biased here, but New Zealand has some wonderful beaches—and Dunedin’s are some of the best. They’re long, unspoilt, full of wildlife, as moody as they are imperfect—and I won’t hear a word against them!

On this occasion, I spent the evening watching the waves at Blackhead Beach roll in a steady rhythm, catching the last colours of dusk as they swept over the rocks as if in time with a Mozart symphony. Offshore, Green Island sat quietly beneath a lavender sky, as if it too were patiently waiting for night to return. I lingered for a few moments, watching the colours of the sky fade as evening took hold.

Breaking wave at Aramoana

I’d parked at the informal carapark off Heyward Point Road, on Dunedin’s northern coast. From there, I followed the well-trodden track that led me through open farmland, a gentle incline that soon delivered me to the edge of the cliffs. It was an easy, steady walk and before long, I’d reached a vantage point that was quite splendid. 

The view opened up dramatically, revealing the Pacific Ocean in full splendour, with Aramoana laid out far below. I stood for a while, watching the waves roll in and out along the curve of the beach. Further out, ‘The Mole’ cut a line into the sea, stretching 1200 metres into open water. Behind it, Taiaroa Head and the entrance to Otago Harbour framed the horizon, rugged and timeless.

St Clair Esplanade at daybreak 

I began the day with a walk along the Esplanade at St Clair. It’d been my intention to walk along the beach, however I completely misread the tide times. Instead of finding the beach at low tide which would have allowed me to walk out a distance and see the streetlights from a different perspective, I discovered it just after high tide. This is something I wasn’t expecting.

So, instead of a leisurely morning stroll on the beach, I settled for walking the nearby streets looking for interesting views and vantage points.

Summer change at Lawyers Head

The warmth of the afternoon that had seemingly lingered forever, finally gave way late in the day. The clear blue skies had been engulfed by a dark, mood bank of cloud that had rolled in, bringing with it intense wind gusts that seemed intent on battering everything in its path. The once calm and peaceful blue ocean had been transformed into a brooding, angry mass that was beginning to churn and swell into the rocky shoreline of Lawyers Head and beyond to St Kilda beach. Far off in the distance the gathering clouds gave an ominous prediction of heavy rain. The once lovely summer’s day had suddenly changed, almost as if by the flick of a switch. 

Low tide at St Clair

The light melted into the horizon, as evening hues spread across the calm, mirror-like ocean. I waded in the still water, the lingering warmth of the day remaining present for a few minutes. The shoreline curved gently, its silhouette darkness against the glow of the setting sun. Waves lapped lazily around my ankles, the world quieting with each fading ray.

Dusk in sand dunes at St Kilda beach

The evening light set the ocean alight with warm hues of orange, yellow and blue as I walked through the dunes. Nearby the gentle swell rolling toward the shore. It was early summer, and the air, filled with salt, carried the last traces of the day’s warmth. Silhouetted hills loomed in the distance while sea grasses swayed lazily on the dunes. The quiet beauty of the sunset fading as the light dipped.

Sunset beyond St Clair

The ocean, alive and golden, shimmered like glass as the sun sank behind the hills above St Clair. I floated, suspended in water that glowed with the kind of warmth only early summer knows. Waves rolled gently to the shore, while clouds blushed a deep, contented orange. The world, caught between day and night and for a fleeting moment as the last of the daylight  shimmered on the horizon.

Sunset on St Kilda beach.

Here in Dunedin it’s getting to that lovely time of year when the sun rises early, the days are warm and the light lasts long into the evening. At this time instead of the sun setting behind the hills, it dips below the horizon far down the coast. Meaning from beaches like St Kilda, you can sit on the beach deep into evening and watch it fade from sight with the hypnotic rhythms of breaking waves acting as a backdrop.

Real Fruit Ice Cream

Welcome the first day of summer here in Aotearoa! Here’s a typically kiwi scene, ice cream at the beach on a stunning Dunedin day.  

Evening surfer at St Clair

It’s the simplicity I like about this image, two colours and surfer – that’s it! A bright orange sky lighting up the horizon, late in the evening after sunset while the ocean rolls in a deep hue of blue. There are different tones within both of these colours while a surfer patiently waits, looking off into the distance. It’s so very uncomplicated yet full of complexity, both at the same time. 

St Clair from St Kilda Beach, Dunedin.

The day was fine and clear, the wind had dropped away and with summer only a few weeks away, the daylight was going to run deep into the evening. It was what locals call a stunner of a day with the temperature sitting at a warm 16 degrees. Throughout the day, the beach had been a popular place and as late afternoon started to turn to early evening, a peaceful calm had settled along the coast.

Blackhead Beach

It was like I was standing on the edge of the world, staring out over a restless sea as dark, brooding clouds gathered overhead. The water was an intense shade of turquoise, calm at the shore but stirring further out. Small waves, gentle yet insistent, rolled toward the beach, their white crests gleaming under the dimming light. There was a weight in the air, a tension, as if the ocean itself was holding its breath, waiting.

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!