05 March 2010

Cape Palliser lighthouse

Worth the ascent of the 252 steps

The lighthouse at Cape Palliser, at the southern tip of the North Island. Reaching the lighthouse requires walking up 252 wooden steps (not as tough as it sounds). Part of the Kawakawa rocks, where I photographed the seal, is just visible on the right of the photo; the beach in front of the lighthouse was also occupied by many seals.

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

7 comments:

Relatively Retiring said...

How did you manage this shot?
Very tall step-ladder?
Helicopter?

pohanginapete said...

RR, the lighthouse sits on a spur running out from the hillside and it's possible to climb higher on the spur. Very convenient, and it makes this lighthouse much easier to photograph than most. Usually, the only options are to photograph from a long way off or to tilt the camera so the the lighthouse appears foreshortened and less impressive.

In general, I find linear things like lighthouses and lizards very difficult to photograph.

Relatively Retiring said...

How interesting!
I'd never thought of lighthouses and lizards as being similar!

Zhoen said...

I have always wanted to live in a lighthouse. Romantic notion, it would be very cold, inconvenient and isolated at times. Still, such beauty all around.

pohanginapete said...

Zhoen, I could probably handle all those except the cold, particularly with the compensations of living in such a place. But no lighthouses in New Zealand are staffed now; they're all automated.

Anonymous said...

I live in Canda and never thought much about other side of world since who has money to conquer all there is in the world. Many lighthouses here I have seen and taken shots of/done artwok on - I like the perspective youhave shown, wish I could see more of seals - perhaps take a shot from the perspective of the seals, if you could get one of the little devils to sit still.
Amy

pohanginapete said...

Thanks Amy. I've posted several shots of seals now — check the March 2010 postings. From a seal's perspective the lighthouse would look remote and tiny. It's perched at the top of 250-odd steps; plenty of people have photographed it from the base looking up, so I didn't bother working up a photo (I do have one or two sitting unprocessed in Lightroom, I think). Maybe I'll take another look at them. :^)