Taranaki: A quick Trip

Taranaki at sunset from Lake Mangamahoe

For the last weekend of the Winter Term Break, Jarred and I had discussed making a trip for some astro. On Wednesday, the plan was to leave Friday after he got off work. On Thursday, the weather started to look better, so we talked, and the departure time edged toward 3:00pm. As Friday morning rolled around, with the weather still improving, suddenly we were leaving at noon! The drive down was uneventful, except for some yummy sushi in Otorohanga.

We pulled in to the carpark at Lake Mangamahoe about an hour before the gate was to be locked. We quickly got our gear and headed up the track to the spot. The walk was only 10 minutes or so, but the light was fading, and we were rushing to get to the top. Once there, the views were better than expected, with low-lying clouds and beatuiful colours on the mountain and in the sky.

At the top, we met a couple of guys shooting pics for the ‘gram. We had a short chat then got to making images. The wind was blowing strongly from the west, as you can see by the movement in the photo. Fortunately, I dressed for the weather and didn’t feel too much from the chilly air.

As is the norm, suddenly it was 6:00, and the gates were going to be locked. We made a mad dash to get the cameras put away and make it back to the car. Probably could’ve stayed a little longer, but we weren’t familiar with how strictly the schedule was kept.

Go visit Jarred at @jarredspec on Instagram or www.jtwilsonphotoworks.com and show some love.