Thursday, December 19, 2013

Windblown

Someone once told me that in the Catlins it rains nine months of the year and it's Winter for the other three. Being so close to the coast and not too far from the Antarctic there can also be some strong and persistent winds. This Cabbage Tree was putting up a balletic resistance.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Hedge

Macrocarpa hedges are a popular option for shelter belts on many southern farms. Their ability to form a dense living mass helps to keep the wind down, allowing stock to take cover from severe weather. This one appealed because of the strict, almost military precision trimmed bottom section and the left to its own natural growth top.
Decades ago when I was first getting into learning about influential photographers, I was most attracted to the snaps of Edward Weston. He lived and photographed in Carmel on the West Coast of the USA.
Many of his photographs included trees he romantically referred to as Monterey Cypress. Turns out it is what we call Macrocarpa. This part of the states also gave us Pinus radiata, the basis of our modern timber industry. Sadly the only advantage of pine is that it grows very fast here and gives the plantation owners a quicker profit. Macrocarpa is a far more interesting wood.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Omaui



As you head down the road to Bluff one of the few side roads on the right will take you to Omaui Bay.
It's the entrance to an estuary. It was quite windy when I was there and patches of partly damp sand had been blasted into the fried egg like patterns as in the first two pics. At the northern end was an out crop of rocks, basalt I think, which has been burnished over many many years by the actions of sand, sea and wind. This has given them the look and feel of metal.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Water Tower

There's a lot of concrete in Southland, this landmark water tower dominates Winton, and is made of many tons of the stuff. Everytime we're in Winton, I'm drawn to the towers' brutal beauty. It would make a great home or even a camera obsura.

Toilet

Sadly some people don't respond to politeness these days. This is how I found it. I think the Thank you was added later by someone else, the hand writing appears to be different.  Was this a spontaneous act of community spirit or was the task thrust upon some poor soul who would have had to get down on their knees with a permanent marker and diligently apply the plea.