Sandwiches and surprises

I've had a pretty good look around New Zealand in the last 15 years since I settled here, but it never fails to amaze me how many incredible new places there are to discover, even in areas you think you already know really well. 

On this occasion it was the Karangahake Gorge, near Waihi. I've driven through it many many times and even cycled the trail that runs along the river and through the old mining tunnels. So when a friend wanted to do some walks in the gorge for her birthday I thought why not, a nice day out, but I didn't really expect any surprises. Oh how wrong I was! So we had a few enjoyable hours wandering the trails, tripping over in the old mining tunnels (note to self, bring torch that works next time) and bouncing the swing bridge making certain people rather nervous! Time for lunch and Owharoa Falls was decided on as our picnic destination. 

I have no idea why I would not have visited them before, they were stunning. Not massively tall or wide, just a perfect fan shape. So I happened to have, ahem, a bit of photography gear with me... just the one camera body and one or two, ok maybe three lenses and a couple of flashes... and a tripod and a few filters! You know travelling light (excuse the pun). All justified I feel by the image I managed to capture, shown above. A long exposure made possible with a few filters and a bit of flash to open up the shadows.

So the moral of the story is to keep an open mind as there is always something new to discover, no matter how well you think you know somewhere. That and pack light and let the missus carry your sandwhiches! Cucumber sandwich anyone?