This is my long-suffering husband Ben. Before Ben, it was my mother who was the subject of my many random photos over the years. Thank you!
This time I was testing a new lens at White Rock, a rock formation at an epic volcanic beach in the Wairarapa. It's roughly a 1.5 hour winding drive south of Martinborough. It's north along the coast from Cape Palliser, the iconic areas separated by Aorangi Forest Park including some big mountains.
This was our first visit but it certainly won't be our last. We love going on adventure drives to as yet unexplored corners of the Wairarapa. The other reason I wanted to go was I'm photographing a gorgeous couple here in a couple of weeks for their engagement session. White Rock has a lot of meaning for them and is a very special place.
We drove through fields full of sheep and cattle with a plethora of spring lambs and calves. Their tales were going a million miles an hour and were so cute! We also spied from the car Kindfishers (kōtare) and sweet little introduced Yellowhammers.
The winding, steep road changed from bitumen to gravel as we got closer to the coast.
Upon arrival we were greeted with atmospheric grey clouds, contrasting with the pure white waves crashing on the black volcanic sand beach.
The white rock really does stand out and make a dramatic focal point of the valley. On the beach we were joined by Variable Oystercatchers (tōrea tai); a juvenile Pied Shag (kāruhiruhi) and a lone lost seal pup (kekeno)! We really hoped he found his way to the right beach further south...
I hope you enjoy my adventure drive photos. You can see some of my adventure engagement portraits here :)
PS: I love my new 50mm 1.8 lens and can't wait to share it with my engaged couples at their portrait sessions soon. The super low depth of field is delightful!
