Palliser Bay - South Wairarapa — Nick Crarer Photography

My goal right now is to rekindle my love of surfing and explore more of the Wellington area with my camera. I can’t surf well, I’m terrible at it but since I caught my first proper wave, 10 years ago now, I knew it would would be a lifelong interest. I don’t usually continue on with hobbies I’m not very good at, I’m very competitive, but surfing is about a feeling rather than the satisfaction of being better than other people. It’s similar to photography for me, I just want to be better than last time I went out.

When I moved back to Wellington from Melbourne in 2016 I left my core group of friends behind. We lived together, surfed together, played sport together and they were a big part of my life. Whilst I enjoy my alone time some days when I’m out taking photos, I much prefer the company of others for everything else.

When I arrived at the beach and saw some pretty decent waves I was initially excited to get in there but that gave way to a feeling of anxiety. I don’t like surfing alone, even if it’s just one mate paddling out with me that’s fine, but there were a couple of groups of surfers out there already and suddenly I just didn’t feel like suiting up and getting out there. I was a bit disappointed I felt that way but I had my camera with me so decided the trip would be about photography rather than surfing.

If you live in Wellington and enjoy photography then Cape Palliser/Palliser Bay is a must-do. This beautiful stretch of southern coastline is home to good waves, a fur seal colony, lighthouse, winding roads with dramatic evidence of cliff erosion, Putangirua Pinnacles (see final photo) and plenty of wildlife. The small fishing town of Ngawi, not far from the lighthouse, is rumoured to have the highest number of bulldozers per capita in the world! There’s no wharf so the bulldozers are used to launch the fishing boats into the ocean. This region is the southern most point in the North Island and can be very windy for prolonged periods of time but can also get stinking hot in the summer months. In the summer months there is a fish and chips caravan out there too which is an added bonus. I assume the fish would be fresh from the morning’s catch.

The campground at the start of the Putangirua Pinnacles walk is $8 per night and is where I set up my little 2-man tent for the evening. I slept there and then walked up the streambed for sunrise. As you make your way up the unmarked track the pinnacles tower overhead, and are really quite impressive. For photography I would recommend going a few hours after sunrise or before sunset and/or on a cloudy day. At sunrise the sky was beautiful, full of pastel colours but the foreground was so dark it made for tricky shooting. It would have been much better with a bit of sunlight hitting the pinnacles in my opinion. I think I missed shooting some beautiful seascapes that morning too because of my choice but I know for next time.

The few times I have done this walk it has been quite windy at the campsite but dead still and silent once you’re on the streambed. I took my big jacket but needn’t have done. The sound of Morepork (native NZ owl) accompanied me for the 45 minute walk, with one flying and landing in a tree just 15 metres from me. They are silent flyers and nocturnal so to spot one is quite rare but I managed to see two just prior to sunrise. One let me get quite close with the other seen flying in and out of the rock towers which was a beautiful sight.

I was in the area for two days and if you get good conditions then that’s probably all the time you need to capture some nice photos. I’ve photographed the lighthouse so many times in the past that I didn’t bother this time but there a so many great views from the bottom or from up the top of the 258 step staircase. Definitely drive all the way to the lighthouse to check it out.

Details

Origin: Wellington

Destination: Cape Palliser, Wairarapa

Driving time: 2 hours (139km)

Sunrise: 6:12am

Walking track: Putangirua Pinnacles