Daily Photo – Dawn in Dunedin

In the morning I woke early and peered out the window from between the curtains to see what kind of day it was – and it was a good one. Through the darkness, pockets of light were emerging on the horizon, with splashes of colour delicately sweeping across the clouds, as if brushed by an artist’s hand. I switched on the TV for some background noise while I got ready. One of the major networks was running its usual morning show with two perky presenters trying their best to jolly viewers along through their morning rituals. On this occasion, one was engaged in an in-depth discussion about children’s birthday parties and how much to spend on goodie bags – enough to please the masses, but not enough to require a small bank loan. Clearly, he’d been stingy and was hoping his co-presenter would defend him. She did not. Between this high-level debate came updates about the 80th anniversary of VE Day in the United Kingdom and something about the US President saying or doing something stupid. Moments later, the conversation was back to arguing about whether glitter was appropriate. Clearly this was quality morning television at its finest.

After ten minutes of this enlightening broadcast, I went in search of something more uplifting. I was heading for a few beaches on Dunedin’s northern coast, but on the way, the sky burst into a fiery sunrise over the harbour. I stopped at a nearby railway overbridge, where the tracks led straight toward the glowing horizon. The sky blazed hues of orange and yellow that seemed to dance on the still water below –  the quiet coastal suburbs basking in the warm light of a new day.