The Unspoken Rule of the Information Kiosk: Is it just me, or when reading a faded, sun-bleached outdoor information plaque about a town or a walking track, do you feel a subtle social obligation to stand there squinting at it for at least thirty seconds longer than it actually takes to read? Just so passing locals think you actually know what you’re doing, rather than simply being confused and lost.

Daily Photo – Reflections of Otago Harbour

On a lovely bright winter afternoon, I was driving along the Otago Peninsula Road between Broad Bay and Portobello when I rounded a point and the road dipped into a bay. I pulled the car over, got out, and crossed to the cycleway that runs along the edge of the harbour.

The Otago Harbour and Peninsula are wonderful places and, if you stopped at every interesting or captivating sight, you wouldn’t get anywhere at all. Most of the time, you simply drive on and enjoy the scenery as it slips by. On this occasion, however, what made me stop was the fact that the harbour was so perfectly still it looked almost like glass. Rarely have I seen reflections on the harbour look so remarkable.

Seemingly having the road all to myself, I’d been resisting the temptation to stop and take a few photographs for some time. Yet when I reached the edge of Latham Bay, I could no longer resist it.