The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Cracked Ink
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Emma Francesca
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Emma Francesca
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Jonathan Waters & Cab Nov
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Jonathan Waters and Cab Nov
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Devon Smith
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Devon Smith
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Jon Thom
Art Toitu Museum – Artwork by Jon Thom
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Be Free
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Be Free
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Bruce Mahalski
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Bruce Mahalski
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art On Bond Street
The Dunedin Street Art Trail
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Summer Change At Lawyers Head
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
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 The Dunes
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.
Dunedin Evening Light
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.
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.
Flooding In Ross Creek
Flooding In Ross Creek
Back in October Dunedin had its wettest day in over a century. Three times the usual rainfall expected in October fell in the city in just 48 hours. 38 roads were closed including State Highways to the north and south of the city, communities were cut off and suburbs were flooded. A state of emergency was put in place and all over the region there were landslides and rivers bursting their banks.
An Early Dunedin Morning
Early morning in the Exchange
I found myself on an early Dunedin morning, ambling into The Exchange where I spent a few minutes watching the city come awake. The air had a fresh untouched feel to it as the soft orange hues that appeared with the break of day were hit with sunlight. That’s what I love about mornings, they have a fresh, new, anything is possible feel to them. Unless of course you’re wildly hungover. Fortunately I wasn’t, so I savored watching the city stretch and yawn. I sipped my coffee and admired the urban patchwork stitched together by time and light.
Hayes Engineering In Oturehua
Hayes Engineering in Oturehua
The Hayes family homestead and engineering works really is an intriguing place and tribute to the term ‘No 8 wire thinking.’ The best thing about it is the fact that it hasn’t been modernised in the way that a lot of tourist attractions are these days. It’s presented in just the way it was used, as a backyard shed. In fact, an argument can be made for Ernest Hayes to be one of the original backyard Kiwi innovators (even though he was actually English!). Set amongst the rural backdrop of Oturehua in Central Otago, Hayes set-up his home and engineering workshop around 1895 where he invented all manner of agricultural tools, rabbit bait cutters, wind turbines and a patented wire strainer for applying tension to wire on farm fences. Which is still in production to this very day.
That Wanaka Tree
New Zealand’s most photographed tree in Lake Wanaka
That Wanaka tree is a determined wee thing. It started life growing from a fence post line that ran into the water around 1939 and has been going strong ever since. While locals remain somewhat confused about its popularity, the tree has been described as “New Zealand’s most famous tree” and “one of the most photographed trees in all New Zealand”. Unsurprisingly, it has become a tourist attraction in its own right.
Second Beach in Dunedin
Second Beach in Dunedin
Made up completely of rock, Second Beach is nearly impossible to walk on without your feet sinking into the stones. Years of consistent wave movement have created great drifts of raggedly oval stones worn to a polished smoothness. At the same time, the sea crashes into the shore creating a seemingly endless musical score of stones clattering on the shoreline while the air is filled with the smell of seaweed and spray from saltwater. It has tidal rock pools, unstable cliffs, disused quarry structures that are nearly eighty years old and occasionally you’ll see Sea Lions or Fur Seals basking on the shoreline. It’s one of the most glorious places in Dunedin.
Lake Wakatipu Towards Glenorchy
Lake Wakatipu towards Glenorchy
In the past ten minutes since leaving Queenstown the wind had picked up and was now a decent gale! I was heading for the township of Glenorchy further up Lake Wakatipu and that was exactly where the dark, moody weather seemed to be heading for. Beyond Pigeon and Pig Islands which sat further up lake the distance, the peaks of Sugar Loaf, Mount Nox, Mount Chaos and both the Routeburn and Beans Burn Valley’s were disappearing under a heavy squall of wind and rain.
Bluff Street Art
Street art in Bluff
On my way through Bluff I stopped at a food truck to grab some lunch. After ordering and while I was waiting, I went for a walk and looked at some nearby street art not too far away. The thing was, despite the weather being pretty bloody miserable, there was something quite appealing about the town, in a confusing sort of way.
Haybales In Middlemarch
Haybales in Middlemarch
As I journeyed across the open, endless plains where the wind seemed to roll with freedom, I found myself surrounded by a landscape that felt both vast and intimate. Bales of hay stood stacked high in an orderly silence, waiting patiently for the coming of winter. The grass, dry from the summer heat, whispered secrets as it rustled in the breeze, and nearby a barbed wire fence hummed softly, as if intune with the rhythm of the land. All the while, overhead a pale blue sky stretched endlessly into the beyond, a playground for the wild seeds that danced in the wind.
Textures of the Haast River
The Haast River with Textures
This is one of my latest images, again it’s another one with textures. This time of the Haast River in the South Island here in New Zealand. Due to the weather (which was terrible) the sky was a mix white nothingness while the river and surrounding banks were wet, dark and gloomy. So, I went with stone textures in the sky and carried them around the edges where I also added a little vignetting to add mood. All up it took about an hour, which is a lovely relaxing way to pass the time.
Roaring Meg
Roaring Meg and the Kawarau River
There are many fun and colourful stories from Otago’s gold rush past, and one of them is the name Roaring Meg. These days Roaring Meg is the name of the local Power Station, however it was once the name of the turbulent stream that connects with the Kawarau River. Just how it got its name is debated until this very day, but there are two stories that are often referred to. The first story tells of a red-headed barmaid named Maggie Brennan who kept the peace in grogshop by way of having a short-fuse and an extremely loud voice. Such was the strength of her personality that the local diggers named the stream after her. The second story tells of a high spirited, fun-loving young lady called Meg who lived in the area. After a particular festive time at a dancing saloon, Meg and her friend Annie joined a group of diggers. Upon leaving the saloon they eventually reached a large stream which the young lasses would have to be carried across. The first made such a fuss that they named the stream after her, ‘Roaring Meg’. In comparison the other was so calm and peaceful that the next stream was called ‘Gentle Annie’. I’ll let you decide which version you prefer!
Dunedin Street Art – Team Hoiho
Yellow-Eyed Penguins Street Art by Bruce Mahalski
If you’re looking to do something a little different in Dunedin then checking out the street art is a great place to start. There’s so many these days that it’s pretty easy to simply wander the inner city, you’ll find them eventually! However, if wandering isn’t your thing, then there’s a Dunedin Street Art map that can be downloaded. Be warned though, it’s a few years old and there’s been many additions to the local street walls since it was last updated. This one is by local artist Bruce Mahalski was added to Burlington Street in 2021.
Textures of East Gippsland
Textures of East Gippsland
This is a very fun and creative thing to do if you have interesting subject matter in your photos, but some parts are a little boring. Adding textures is a great way to add a different dimension to a photo while engaging your inner creativity. For these textures, I went for an old torn and damaged paper effect with a little tin rust added into the layers. It reminded me of what you might find in an old box at the back
Chasing the Thin White Cloud
Dunedin Street Art
Near the heart of Dunedin, vibrant murals have transformed some of the urban walls into a gallery of wonder. One titled ‘Chasing the Thin White Cloud‘ by Fintan Magee is a stunning five-storey mural, while another by the artist Bezet is an amazing three-story creation of a young woman lying in a bed of flowers in a forest. With a backdrop of historic architecture, the art street scene has added a creative soul into the city’s urban identity.
Wellington Waterfront
Wellington Waterfront.
I like Wellington, I think it’s the waterfront that grabs me the most. Whenever I’m in there I always make a point of having at least one wander along and around the harbour area. They say you can’t beat Wellington on a good day, and this certainly is true. When the weather is fine, and the wind is calm it’s one of my favourite places to amble. There’s always a pop-up store or two to enjoy, various markets and a wide variety of funky art installations to capture the imagination.
The Alexandra Town Bridge
The Alexandra Town Bridge
As I passed through the town of Alexandra, I detoured to look at the former town bridge, a structure that is a true feat of skill and engineering. Built in 1882, the remains sit right next to the newer version that spans the Clutha River. The bridge, like the clock on the hill, is a bit of an icon. While the newer version of the bridge is the one most people are familiar with, it’s the remains of the previous bridge that is the real monument. When it was built, it was one of the country’s most glorious structures and a true feat of engineering. These days, the surviving piers and towers are a testament to its wonderful construction, having withstood the force of the Clutha river for more than 140 years.
Palmerston North
Palmerston North, The Square
I arrived in Palmerston North under bright sunshine, something I hadn’t seen in some days on my trip through the North Island. After leaving Waiōuru I drove through Taihape, Mangaweka, Cheltenham and Fielding, arriving in Palmerston North in the early afternoon.
Upon arrival in the centre of town, I stopped at The Square and went for a walk around. Located in the very centre of the city, The Square is 17 hectares of land that features monuments, fountains, art work and picnic areas. At one end was a large Plaza while the other end featured the usual arrangements of shops that you might expect to find in a city centre. The Square was large with small pockets of people scattered around enjoying the warm, sunny day. For a long time, I couldn’t work out what it was, however something didn’t seem right. Then it struck me, that was exactly what was wrong. It was large and open but there simply wasn’t anyone there! In a larger city, it would be filled with people but here in Palmerston North it almost seemed too big. Almost as no one was really sure what to use it for.
For a short time I walked the streets surrounding the Square before deciding to find my accommodation and a bite to eat.
Welcome to Summer
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.