New Zealand: Views from Cape Reinga
On February 14th we drove from our base in Paihia to the northern end of the North Island. After stopping at the Te Paki dunes, we continued up to Cape Reinga. While not technically the northernmost point on the island, it’s close, and it has the virtue of a highway that takes you right there. You won’t be surprised to hear that there’s usually a brisk breeze at Cape Reinga, which whips up sea spray and makes distant places look hazier than closer ones, as you can confirm in the landscape/seascape above.
At a relatively bright moment, even with some clouds drifting low, I recorded a view of cabbage trees and flax high above a span of sun-saturated sea.
© 2017 Steven Schwartzman
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I had the oddest experience with that top photo. The longer I looked at it, the more the details of the land began to emerge. It was almost as though my eyes were adjusting to the fog, or the fog itself was moving. Combined with the implied movement of the surf, it makes for an extraordinarily dynamic photo. Add to the mix the way the colors interweave (as in the bottom left, where the pinkish sand shines through blue water) and — well, it’s one of my favorites of your trips.
shoreacres
May 27, 2017 at 6:32 AM
I appreciate your analysis of the first photo, and of course your liking of it. Had you been able to see this scene in person, I think you’d have watched the waves rolling in for a long time. If only I could find a place along the Texas coast that looked as good.
Steve Schwartzman
May 27, 2017 at 7:09 AM
Or Illinois…
melissabluefineart
May 27, 2017 at 7:12 AM
You know how museums borrow paintings for special exhibits. Maybe Illinois can borrow part of New Zealand.
Steve Schwartzman
May 27, 2017 at 7:27 AM
haha! In landscape design we speak of “borrowed views”. I think that would qualify.
melissabluefineart
May 28, 2017 at 9:15 AM
Something old, something new, the thing that’s borrowed is a view.
Steve Schwartzman
May 28, 2017 at 10:25 PM
Steve, for someone who specializes in beautiful macro photos, you have surpassed yourself with these landscape portraits. The first image is extraordinarily beautiful, with its painterly feel – bravo!
composerinthegarden
May 27, 2017 at 9:07 AM
Thanks a lot, Lynn. New Zealand was indeed a welcome chance to play with grand landscapes, precisely because there are so few in central Texas (and none with an ocean, of course).
Steve Schwartzman
May 27, 2017 at 8:56 PM