Trees

I was due to shoot a property early this morning further south from my home and the agreement was to check the weather first. Forecasts indicated rain, but you can never tell in Auckland. Looking out the window the sky looked amazing with some wonderful cloud shapes and colouration from the rising sun. I had to get to the park and see how the sky looked with the trees. Needless to say, by the time I got there the sky was a pretty uninspiring grey. The trees, however, looked magnificent. The first shot in this post is of a Totara quite close to the carpark at Totara Park. When I saw this tree I thought of a black and white image; great shape to the tree and the texture in the bark is so lovely.  We’re very fortunate to have so many beautiful native trees here at Totara Park.

Lichen laden Totara Park tree.
Lichen laden Totara Park tree.

Stepping into the bushwalk the rain started.  Besides getting me somewhat damp it did have the effect of washing the foliage and providing a glisten to the palm fronds.  So many shapes and textures here.  Next time I’ll dress appropriately!  Cameras were getting wet as was I, so I decided to head back home and contact the agent to check on the weather further south.

Rain washed palms and tree ferns
Rain washed palms and tree ferns

One more shot before I left. I liked the contrast between the bark on the tree and the soft fronds of the tree ferns alongside. This contrast needs more time to explore, but I was keen to get somewhere dry! Maybe tomorrow?

Tree ferns
Tree ferns

Back in the bush …

Well, this morning was quite different to yesterday morning. Today was rather more overcast and the light intensity was much lower. A more diffused light, so I failed to capture what I was looking for. Yesterday the sun poked its rays through the tree canopy and illuminated small areas in a very special way. No such luck today! Even so, the bush remains a wonderful place to walk and look and listen.

The entrance to the bush walkway
The entrance to the bush walkway

The bush area I was walking through was in Totara Park and there’s some really lovely large specimens of native trees. The next photo shows a lovely Puriri tree. The branches seem to spread out for ages and the main trunk has such lovely texture and form. A bit of a favourite for the kereru for the berries. We didn’t see any kereru today, but we could hear them. It struck me that the next time I go into the bush I should record the sounds and play them as a background track to the blog post. If I can get up in time tomorrow I might just try that.

A rather splendid Puriri tree
A rather splendid Puriri tree

I’ve always been fond of the tree ferns, not just their huge fronds as you can see in the final photo of this post, but the patterns in their trunk. This next image shows the trunk of a tree fern with the textures accentuated by moss and lichen.

Lovely patterns on the trunk of a tree fern.
Lovely patterns on the trunk of a tree fern.

Final image for this post is looking up through the fronds towards and brightening sky. It was quite noisy standing here taking this shot. Not from sirens, vehicles, aircraft, loud music or people talking, but from the cicadas. And then the whoosh of a kereru flying above. Quite a special place and well worth getting out of bed to enjoy if you get the chance. So much better than sitting in a queue on the motorway!

Looking up through the tree ferns.
Looking up through the tree ferns.