New Zealand: One second in the life of the surf at Mount Maunganui
Thanks to my camera’s burst mode, these four consecutive frames cover approximately one second in the breaking of a wave on the coastal rocks at Mount Maunganui on February 25th.
© 2015 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Absolutely stunning shots, Steve. Lovely!!
Isabel F. Bernaldo de Quirós
June 17, 2015 at 5:42 AM
It happens so fast that I felt several pictures would tell the story better than one.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2015 at 6:28 AM
Your feeling was right. Fabulous.
Gallivanta
June 17, 2015 at 7:05 AM
Thanks for validating that feeling.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2015 at 7:12 AM
GORGEOUS!
Rana Sanders
June 17, 2015 at 8:31 AM
New Zealand has great coasts, no doubt about it.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2015 at 9:01 AM
I haven’t been to Maine’s coast in two years now, so I miss the ocean and the breaking surf on the rocky shore. Nice burst capture. It’s the only way to go for these. Timing them works but takes a lot of tries.
Steve Gingold
June 17, 2015 at 5:53 PM
Sounds like you’re overdue for a trip to the Maine coast. I was at the Gulf of Mexico a few weeks ago, but it’s nowhere near as scenic as the coasts of New Zealand and Maine, and not at all rocky.
I took a bunch of burst sequences at Mount Maunganui because the process is so hit-and-miss.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2015 at 8:16 PM
I know I shouldn’t have laughed, but the irony of you posting water photos today is just too much. I think I remember you saying that your home’s high enough not to be in danger, but I do hope all of your friends and etc. are faring well. It sounds like it’s still a mess over there.
The water is beautiful. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such clear, pure spume. And what a great idea, to post the series. Each photo has a little something different to commend it. They could stand alone, but they’re especially nice together.
shoreacres
June 17, 2015 at 5:54 PM
As far as I’ve heard, there hasn’t been any new flooding in Austin, even after a few inches of rain in some locations.
Having rocks and real waves breaking on them was one of the delights of the New Zealand coast. I reveled in that and took many miniseries in bursts, of which this was just one. I don’t believe I’ve ever posted a rapid-fire series before.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2015 at 10:41 PM
Wellington has just been hammered by some large waves.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/69381409/wellington-south-coast-roads-threatened-by-waves
Raewyn's Photos
June 17, 2015 at 9:06 PM
Thanks for letting me know about that. The article you linked to mentions Lyall Bay and Moa Point, places where I drove on February 20th:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/rough-and-roughly-pyramidal/
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/pied-shag/
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2015 at 10:49 PM
You’ve got me with anything involving waves and rocks, Steve! I’ve spent many, many hours just staring at these sorts of scenes in my youth. I find waves so hypnotic. Even when the surf is rough there is a sense of calm that befalls me when I sit and watch the waves pounding the sand and rocks. Mind you, I am sitting safely on the shore, not out there in a boat! I enjoyed these consecutive frames of images that we can’t separate and hold onto when we witness the overall event in person. Thank you.
Jane
June 18, 2015 at 1:35 AM
You’re welcome for the rapid-fire split-second waves. You’ve put it well in saying that normally we can’t hold on to them, but technology comes to the aid of our senses.
I wish I lived closer to waves and rocks so I could spend the kind of time you recall spending in your youth. I grew up about half an hour from the Atlantic Ocean, so we had waves, but the south shore of Long Island (New York) hasn’t any cliffs or rocks. New Zealand is quite different in that respect.
Steve Schwartzman
June 18, 2015 at 8:21 AM