Corner of Marine Parade and MacLean Street
This is an image I took while I was in Paraparaumu on one of those typically hot, North Island summer days. When I processed this image I was in a mood to be a bit creative, so I added a preset. Lightroom presets are great, I use them all the time. IN case you don’t know what Lightroom presets are, they enable quick additions of filters during photo editing. They’re really useful, super easy and fun to make. This particular preset is called ‘Ali Is Smiling’ because I made it and a whole bunch while I was watching the famous Thrilla In Manila boxing match between Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier III from 1975. I also added a Fisheye Lens effect to mix things up a bit.
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.
Long grass in summer.
The long grass of summer, lit up by the sunshine at Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast.
Kapiti Island & Paraparaumu Beach
Kapiti Island from Paraparaumu Beach on a stunning summer’s day for you to enjoy.
Somewhere I don’t know!
There are some things I can tell you about this photo and there are some things I can’t. For example, I can tell you that I took it in the North Island of New Zealand, that it is somewhere near Paraparaumu or Waikanae and finally that it was a misty, rainy afternoon. What I can’t tell you is its exact location as I can’t for the life of me remember! I was hoping that if I looked on a map it might jog my memory, however that didn’t help at all!
Pōhutukawa Tree
Missionary Henry Williams (who was given the task of translating the english version of the Treaty of Waitangi into Te Reo Maori in one night) once described holding a church service under a ‘‘wide spreading Pōhutukawa Tree’ back 1833. Since then, The Pōhutukawa Tree has become an iconic symbol of both summer and Christmas in Aotearoa.
Paraparaumu Beach & Kapiti Island
I decided that it was time to get an updated photo of Kapiti Island. So, while recently in the North Island, I detoured over to Raumati Beach before heading the short distance along to Paraparaumu. It was one of those hot summer days that I’m reliably informed is typical of the Kapiti Coast in late December and early January. So, after successfully dripping ice cream all over myself, I went in search of views of Kapiti Island from the beach.
Kapiti Island Reserve – Buy
During the 1840s, the whaling trade/industry around parts of New Zealand had started to fade away. Kapiti Island was one of these locations. At this time, much of the land on the Island was cleared for farming and sheep, goats, pigs, deer, cats, and dogs were introduced. For the next forty to fifty years, the island was farmed until around 1900 when the government purchased most of the island and developed it into a predator-free, bird sanctuary.
Kapiti Island – Buy
Accessible only by specific ferry companies, Kapiti Island is a wonderful place to spend some time. These days, the predator-free Island is managed by the Department of Conservation however back in the mid-1830s, there were up to five whaling stations on the island. At the time, European traders and whalers were populating the coastlines and so local iwi provided them with land, pigs, potatoes, dressed flax and women in return for guns, tobacco and alcohol.
Paraparaumu Beach – Buy
Here in Aotearoa we have some wonderful beaches. There are occasions when I don’t think we realise how lucky we are with the beaches we have. They really are various and distinct. From being able to swim and surf to using them for walking and running to everything in between. There’s even more and more wildlife appearing all year round.
Paraparaumu Beach – Buy
My intention was to photograph the sun setting beyond Kapiti Island on the West Coast of the North Island. It was a lovely clear evening and to the north the coast stretched up all the way up to the coastal communities of Peka Peka, Ōtaki and Waitārere Beach. To the south, in the distance the coastline reached Raumati South, Paekākāriki before linking into Pukerua Bay.
Paraparaumu Beach – Buy
After spending the day in the small North Island coastal town of Paraparaumu I finished the day with a walk on the beach. Feel quite content having been fed and watered at local restaurant, I let the meal digest over a beer at a nearby bar before wandering back to me accommodation via the beach.
Kapiti Island Shoreline – Buy
Some years ago, I had the pleasure to spend a day on Kapiti Island. Being a nature reserve, it lies 5 kilometers off the West Coast of the North Island, at Paraparaumu. Often visited by Maori, before europeans sailors arrived, at one point it was a busy whaling and sheep station that was then turned over to the government and made into a predator-free, bird sanctuary. For over 100 years it has been managed by the New Zealand Government in order to protect its flora and fauna.
Paraparaumu Beach and Kapiti Island – Buy
Looking out from Paraparaumu Beach, across to Kapiti Island and the setting sun, I recalled recently reading that back in the 1830’s, whales migrated with their young through the channel between the Island and the shore. It would have been marvellous to see. I also recall reading that the channel provided a sheltered anchorage for ships and several shore-based whaling stations operated near-by, which explains why you don’t see whales in the area any more!
Paraparaumu Beach– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery
As far as good beaches for walking goes, Paraparaumu Beach has to be right up there. On a warm evening as the sunset’s beyond the horizon with the tide out you can walk with no particular purpose admiring all the colours in the sky.
… from a Small City. My daily musings from Ōtepoti to get you inspired. Read the blog, view the photos, embrace the creativity.
