Even without the movie representation of Lord of the Rings there is no doubt that the natural beauty of New Zealand evokes imagination, magic and mystery in a way that other places I’ve visited never have.  It’s majestic landscape really punches above it’s weight for a small island in the middle of nowhere.

It doesn’t matter where you are in New Zealand you can always find a spot of magic.

Sometimes the quirky kiwi ways seems like a corny magic hat trick but nevertheless you can’t help to love it for it’s youthful innocence. After all New Zealand is the youngest country in the world.  Out in the country there are far more mysterious forces at work.

When out with the bassets yesterday we wandered through the bush in Tunnel Gully and once again I was struck by the magical atmosphere of New Zealand bush.  The dark and light, the textures, the atmosphere that sparks off an overactive imagination. Especially when you have a photographic record to mull over after the event.

This photographic mistake summed all this up for me.  Maybe I’ve been taking too much cough medicine but it shows light, texture, dark and evokes a question – why? What?

Is the magic working yet?

The way the light streams in through the dense tree canopy creates pinpoint light and deep dark shadows.

When you look up through the fern tree canopy the blue sky is tantalisingly close yet so far from the reach of the forest floor.

When the light does penetrate the trees it gives a warm glow amid the dark.

Sometimes it’s just like a spotlight set up specifically to illuminate a fern.

Most of all I like the light when it floods through to give a shimmering effect.

One day I’m going to remember to take my tripod with my camera and my photographic book and spend some time really playing with the camera to capture more clearly the magical invisible forces at work.  I so enjoy photography in Tunnel Gully – every time I visit there is something different to see.