In a rather strange decision we spent Keryn’s birthday weekend at Castlepoint. It was strange because Keryn made the choice (I wasn’t complaining) to take part in a Wellington Photography Meetup Group overnight photography trip, so we’d be spending the weekend with a bunch of people we hadn’t met previously. Keryn did point out that we had basically been doing this for years with birthdays often coming around while we were on trips in far flung countries, so its almost tradition now.
The group met up at the Porirua Train Station carpark and from there we all travelled over to the Wairarapa, stopping in Carterton to have brunch at the Wild Oats cafe. From there we drove on to Castlepoint. We were staying in a rented house, Keryn and I managed to get a room to ourselves which was nice. The afternoon was spent walking around the beach and Castlepoint lighthouse with a later trip back to the beach to catch the evening light and hopefully a sunset. We got lucky with the sunset, dramatic light firing the clouds in orange and purple and reflecting nicely in the water of the bay, though the ever present wind made the photography a little tricky.
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
We had a BBQ for dinner with shared salads and other bits and pieces. I had bought a cake the day before from Janus Bakkerij in Lower Hutt and this made a good desert. We were then all picked up by a courtersy van and drive to the local pub where we watched the All Blacks beat France in their Rugby World Cup pool match.
The following morning Keryn and I got up before dawn and headed back to the beach where we climbed most of the way up Lion Rock to watch a damp squib of a sunrise. We watched a seal come into shore and found a few more lounging on the rocks. After breakfast back at the house we got a group photo and then started back for Wellington.
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
we all stopped at the small town on Tinui for a small walk, taking photos of the small church and walking through a craft shop and museum. There was a final stop back at the Wild Oats cafe and then we were heading back to Wellington where I had some time to rest before heading to work that evening. I was tired that night, more so than usual for some strange reason.
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
