On a nearly fine day in early June, I spent 2.5hours walking a meandering loop around an area of the Denniston Plateau, near my current home in Buller, NZ. I have visited the area previously, its broken land forms and industrial remnants offer interesting material for the camera. I was specifically looking for a water fall I'd photographed from a distance, on a rainy afternoon. I decided not to take the most direct route, instead spend some time looking at other aspects of the land on my way there. The waterfall, once found was an anticlimax. It proved to be highly ephemeral, and the distant view, which suggested a decent drop was a trick of perspective in an unfamiliar landscape.
Despite the lack of spectacle offered by the waterfall, the walk was good, the quality of light was good, and the terrain interesting. The more distant areas of the plateau await more meadering.

Exploring the details of place, the strata, the biodiversity and the human constructions.

Walking local, exploring around the bend in the road and twist in the trail,  the boarders of familiar places extended.

I'm still walking with my camera and photographing frequently, but with other things taking higher priority in my life, photos are waiting in my camera longer between downloads than usual.
The upside is that there is a diverse range of images in each set; the downside is that each experience is diffused, and each set is less defined. And the memory of the walk is less focused. I've known for some time that the download and editing of a session of photos is part of my process, the consolidation of an experience of place. Walking the land engages the senses and opens the mind and body to the place, but editing and output of images is crucial to the longevity of the experience and visual memory cues.
While my current photography is not directed to a specific project or outcome, the process is important to consider going forward. Revisiting these places periodically will also allow me to absorb more.

There was a long pause on the blog and intentional photography over the summer. Moving house, changing job, stormy Christmas weather and distractions all over meant that the camera has had a lot of idle time.

As we move fully into the new year, I'll be working full-time, and Photography is still likely to be slow, but I'm hoping to develop some strong themes and concepts to maintain creative focus.

Cyanotypes of sme kind of sun prints will bubble along too.
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This post got delayed. I received a good but distracting email when I returned home from this walk, and I only just remembered to post some images and thoughts here.

Charming Creek walkway offers a lot of mental and visual stimulation; the path is primarily the bed of a mining and milling tramline. Charming Creek is noticeably mineralised by leaching from old mine workings. 
The orange-tinted waters meet the Ngakawau River in a stunning gorge near the Mangatini Falls; sadly, more historic mine runoff enters the waterway via the falls and other streams that drain the Stockton Plateau.

In contrast to the waterways, the forest along the walkway seems to be healthy and recovering from the historic forestry activity of the area. The various southern beech tree species were vibrant in the spring sunshine. This is a walk I look forward to revisiting.

Spring is always rough on the West Coast; the seasonal change from cool to warmer weather brings new growth but also wild weather. Big storms and swells, a reminder of the Earth's rotation and continual change as atmospheric pressure zones swirl across the oceans.