A beautiful morning

Sunday morning was a great morning for photography. I woke early , around 4:30am, and saw that the mountain was standing clear with the moon close to setting so I set off to do some early morning photography. First stop was Port Taranaki to get some  early dawn/night shots of the mountain rising above the harbour and the coastal city lights. It was a cold spring morning but stunningly beautiful. Then I headed out to the Waiwhakaio river mouth to see what birdlife was about getting some great shots of a yellow hammer that came and sat right next to me.

Predawn glow on the horizon,
city lights on the coast,
mountain standing clear.

Beauty rising up in the
still morning air pouring itself
into the cup of existence.

In the silence of this moment
a soul slips free from its constraints
to expand out into the vastness.

Time loses its relevance
stalling on the edge of soul expansion
while the sun rises up fully into awareness.

Taranaki from the end of the Lee Breakwater at Port Taranaki.

The harbour lights with Paritutu and Moturoa 

A greenfinch warming itself in the light of the early morning sun.

A dunnock (hedge sparrow) foraging in the scrub behind the dunes.

This yellow hammer came and sat in the box thorn  right next to me, singing away quite happily.

Another yellow hammer, singing away oblivious to my presence.

A skylark hovering just above the tussock

A variable oyster catcher (torea pango) foraging on the beach

A black shag (kawau) drying its wings at the river mouth.