Otago Harbour Pier

Otago Harbour Pier – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

It was ten minutes to 10:00 in the morning and it was misty and cold. The previous night I had continued my research into the effects on my health and well being by watching rugby and drinking beer. Then, sometime before bed, since daylight savings time was due to begin at 2:00am, I had decided to put the clocks forward so that when I awoke, I would at least be on the right time. Now in the clear, sobering light of morning it appeared that I had only half finished the job and was left with the confusing calculation of not only finding out what the right time was, but having to ensure all the clocks were correct. A task that took longer than it really should have. Sometime later after awakening the senses with coffee, bacon, eggs and a few sausages, and waiting a suitable length of time before it would be safe to drive, I set off into the day.

Reversing my car out into the street, I decided that a visit into town would be the order of the day. It had been some time since I’d passed the time, casually strolling the inner city streets looking at nothing in particular. I manoeuvred my car into the world and disappeared into a murky, haze of cloud and fog. A drizzly rain hung in the air and it seemed to have settled in. Navigating my way through familiar streets that faded into a vast void of nothingness, occasionally a walker, jogger or cyclist would appear before mysteriously vanishing behind me. It was almost as if the Bermuda Triangle had come and settled over this very specific part of the city. I made my way down to the harbour shore line where thankfully the misty haze was just as thick. Before venturing into the city I had an idea for a photograph that I had been wanting to try and the conditions seemed ideal.

The visibility on the harbour was just as bleak as it had been in the hills. I placed myself in front of what used to be an old boat pier. Sometime back it had been deemed unsafe and dismantled and to really emphasise the point, a large sign had been put on it that read “Danger, do not use!” Not that there was much of it left to use, but that was clearly beside the point. As I began to set-up my camera, suddenly out of the mist and drizzle a windsurfer appeared before vanishing into the white veil. When I had set off that morning, photographing the old pier had seemed like a good plan, but now standing in the rain with the waves getting higher it seemed like a serious mistake.