Lookout on Maungawhau

When I got up this morning and looked out at the sky, it was heavily overcast, and I thought that there was little chance of being able to record my ninth Sunday Sunrise of 2014. Although tempted to return to bed, I decided to try my luck.

As it happened, the sunrise was very dramatic, and my choice of running to the top of Maungawhau turned out to be a good one. Heading up the track I took a number of photos, including some as the disc of the sun rose above the horizon. I was pleased with them.

On the way down again, I looked back eastwards, and saw that the sun was shining through the trees on the other side of the crater (Maungawhau is an inactive volcanic cone). The sky was perhaps not quite this orange.

As I approached the top of Maungawhau, I had passed a young man heading down carrying a camera and tripod. He had taken his shots from the very top by the Trig Station. To the right of the trees can be seen another visitor, standing on the lookout (which is a few metre lower than the peak) looking east towards the opening of the Waitemata Harbour into the Hauraki Gulf.

Even more dramatic seen large