I spot this amazing place weeks ago before leaving to NZ, but I finally had only 1 free day to hike here, so only one chance to get perfect conditions. I started the hike around 2pm, but all the mountains were completely surrounded by the clouds with no visibility. I met a few hikers on their way back down, same reply: summit is invisible and hidden behind the clouds. No way ! I crossed the fingers and followed the hike, as weather may change very quickly over there. When I finally reached the spot around 4.30pm, the summit was half covered by clouds, but at least visible. Tripod in position, camera ready, I made a few shots. I was really excited, seeing clouds moving until having an absolutely clear overview. I finally decided to wait until the sunset, despite the long way back to return. This has been very rewarding, some high clouds appeared, and the light became absolutely stunning. I did not see anybody of the whole afternoon, without any sounds than my camera. Just a really magic moment I will probably keep in my mind for a while. The way back down was a bit less exciting, with no torch (forgot in the car) nor phone (no more battery￢ﾀﾦ) to light the path. I ran as fast as I can during 30 minutes until the dust, but an additional hour in a total dark (no moon) through a very dense forest has been necessary. I finally used my camera's LCD screen as a torch to finish the hike around 10pm￢ﾀﾦ Really, I won't forget this day. --- Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM @21mm, f/10, ISO 100, 1/4 (DRI from 5 raws at -2/+2IL)
Sunset on Taranaki
