We're in the grip of winter now. I know this because I am excitedly awaiting our next snowfall and hoping to get a few hours on the skis in the backyard with the kids.
It seems like the winter had sneaked up on us though and I shake my head when I find myself out shooting the sunrise only moments before the school drop-off or the sunset colours just minutes after the city's workers begin streaming out of their workplaces. Yep, that sunset shot above showing Dunedin people streaming down Portobello Road to their cosy nooks on the Otago Peninsula was taken at 5:44pm on Wednesday and the sun is well below the horizon.
We get a lot of requests from those living on the Otago Peninsula (and locals who love this jewel of a landscape) to shoot a few more images in that direction. So this week we made a few trips up there and were suitably spellbound by the beauty. It's only a 20-minute drive away, but it feels like you're on your own little island. A drive around Hoopers Inlet and Papanui Inlet is always a great journey with a coffee and bite to eat at Portobello to top it all off.
The surf this week has been solid again and wild at times with stories drifting in of a few epic sessions in tucked away beaches. The gloves and hoods are on: the invasion of southerly fronts is keeping the temperatures right down.
Lots of surfers still making the most of the swells although I've heard stories of surfers who are "completely surfed out" – that's a state similar to that feeling you get when you have achieved a great goal and then enjoyed your favourite meal with your closest friends. Everything's golden for the surfed-out surfer.
If you haven't checked out our community page recently, make sure to jump on and see what's lost (wetsuit, gloves and hood), what's found (surfboard), which beach property is vacant and who needs a flatmate or flat.
We also have an interesting post by University of Otago student Aaron Edwards this week. He's conducting a survey to assess the management options for the surf breaks around Dunedin. He wants as many surfers as possible to fill in the survey to ensure he gets an accurate picture of the needs and thoughts of Dunedin's surfing community. Grab a coffee, take 10 minutes and fill it out the Management Options for Surf Breaks: Otago Region here.
Imagine Dunedin's coastline becoming New Zealand's first surfing reserve...
See you at the beach ...
–– Derek
