Stormy weather

Lil' old NZ is currently covered by a huge storm. I do so love a good storm. The only problem with this one is that Canterbury is still recovering from the earthquakes, and here in Taranaki, it has not stopped raining for, what feels like, MONTHS. So we would have preferred a Sun Storm (does such a thing exist?) But, oh, I do so love a good storm.

Breakers at the port. Would be a good shot if not so blurry. I have camera shake at the best of times, but the wind was really buffeting me around (far to windy for tripod, would have just blown it over)

Being the super intelligent human being that I am, I decided to head out to the coast to check out the sea. Forecasts had the swells at around 7 metres (and reports recommended that we DIDN'T go to the beach - yes I am one of THOSE people), but they weren't that big. The sea was pretty choppy and rough though, and the wind was HOWLING! (As evidenced by the video below).

The video is pretty ugly, I did it on my little point n shoot, and I was getting SOAKED. But you can hear the wind noise pretty clearly, it was LOUD. And the rain STUNG my face, like needles. And did I mention that I got SOAKED. Biggest problem was I was only half way through my coastal drive, but I had to get home because I was SOAKED.

And then, at some times, the sun came out, but I was still being blown around.

Ahhhhh, west coast black sand shores.

Hopefully I can head out again tomorrow, or Monday, and finish the coastal drive. With any luck the storm might have subsided, and I can just get some landscape and 'art' shots.

I travelled down one road to the sea (just prior to getting soaked), and there would have been about 5 of these old chimneys standing proudly in the paddocks there. I plan to go back on a less windy day, set up the tripod, and pray for blue skies. I have a passion for anything that has been neglected.