Down streaming ...

A little further downstream from yesterday’s post and the view across the Karkloof Stream down towards the falls gorge becomes less pastoral and somewhat more dramatic. With lichen covered rocks casually strewn by nature forming small pools and islands and the natural wild African grasses contrasting with the man-made forests of pine and gum the colour palette is subtle and appealing. On one of the small rocky islands were the ashen remains of a small impromptu braai-pit, and I can only imagine how atmospheric the event must have been on a clear summer evening – Midlands life at its most relaxing.

I did take an alternative shot to this using yesterday’s framing suggestion, but I feel that there are occasions and views, such as this one, where not using that technique better conveys the open vistas and vastness of the great outdoors, especially when using a portrait image orientation. The pool and grasses in the foreground create enough visual interest to allow the framing rule to be broken.

Up Streaming ...

The Midlands area has been endowed by nature with a number of waterfalls, the most well-known of these being the Howick Falls (and its gorge) which were the subject of a few earlier posts (check the archives to the right). I’m trying to get around to visiting them all, and most recently took the road through the Sappi Forests to get to the Karkloof Falls. The road is well signposted from the Karkloof Road outside Howick, and whilst not strictly a 4X4 track, sections of it do require careful negotiation and a fairly high ground clearance in an ordinary vehicle. It is worth the effort, with the Falls being as magnificent (some say more so) than the better known Howick ones. Of equal attraction are the streams and rivers flowing through the gorges and valleys that give rise to these falls. (falls? rise?) Sappi has generously provided well-kept picnic areas around the site of the falls, and it’s a great place to take a leisurely break when motoring around the area. (The provided toilet facilities were out of order due to theft of the copper piping – only in South Africa!!!!). Here we see the Karkloof stream coursing its way to firstly the smaller Woodhouse Falls then immediately into the considerably higher Karkloof Falls.

I usually look for something in the foreground to frame or add depth to a landscape image, and here two lumbering adjacent fir trees did the job beautifully.

Green Door

What’s that secret you’re keeping? Behind the green door....So went the lyrics of a song I remember from early childhood.

There is a lot of artisanal wood furniture manufacturing done around the Midlands, with outlets such as Homewood (my personal favourite), The Good Furniture Company, Corrie Lynn, and Furniture for Life all being part of the Midlands Meander craft routes. On the district road between Curries Post and Lions River I had seen signs for Swiss Furniture and Flintstones Furniture and decided to follow the bumpy dirt track signposted as the road to their displays. They no longer operate, the signboards proclaiming their whereabouts remain as their tombstones, and the farm on which they were situated is now for sale. That bumpy piece of track leads to a derelict couple of buildings, one being the sad bones of what must have once been a grand Victorian country house. A somewhat aging handwritten notice simply says Farm for Sale, followed by a cellphone number. Judging by the notice’s now greening fungal state this farm too is a victim of the current slump in property markets. A characterful tenant from one of the farm outbuildings greeted my coming (well in truth he ambled out inquisitively some ten minutes after my arrival) and told me that the building dated from the late nineteenth century, but had been unsympathetically altered over the years almost beyond recognition as the grand old lady of early photographs.

I just checked up on that song and I see it was a #1 hit for singer Jim Lowe (who?) in1956. It has had a number of revivals in the years since - becoming yet again a #1 chart topper for Shakin' Stevens in 1981 and even a Spanish hit version in 1986.

How does one capture so much sentiment in a single shot?  I photographed the house from countless angles. I tried my camera’s sepia tone setting. I went to black and white. But looking through all of these images somehow the one that best tells the story is this simple picture of the green front door - keeping all of its secrets.

Safe as Mountains ...

Having grown up in a mountainous region of Southern Africa – in fact on a farm whose name translated as ‘the valley of hills’ – I didn’t realise how much I had missed having real mountains around me during my ‘Johannesburg decades’ when, apart from the Melville and Kensington Kopjes, mine dumps were about the best substitute around. Someone once said to me that the nicest people come from areas where there are mountains, and the friendliness of Midlands folk tends to confirm that theory. I’m pleased therefor to see that some of them think of mountains as important enough to be kept safely behind lock and key! This appealing outcrop formation lies next to the Karkloof Road just beyond the Crammond intersection. And with a windy cold front and cloudy grey skies having settled over the area today, it seems that winter is finally taking over from an enjoyably mild autumn season.

For a second time I have featured one of the many rusted old gates that dot the Midlands landscape. They often make a fascinating composition, and I intend trying some black and white studies of them in the near future.

Making a break ...

You’ve heard the saying ‘fighting fire with fire’? Well, here we see it in action. As the last official month of autumn draws to a close, and winter moves in to finally decimate the last vestiges of green in the long wild grasses of the countryside, a new threat arises – the bushveld and forest fire. In an area so dependent on timber and forestry to keep its economy turning that is a very serious threat, and many locals will recount with horror the great fires of September 2008 in which some 34 local lives were lost along with countless hectares of blue gum and pine forest. Ironically, warnings merely hours before the event reported that only a few days of the dry weather conducive to veld fires remained. Rain had been forecast. In daytime temperatures of thirty six degrees local fire fighters were called to some 165 fires in the first nine days of the month. The controlled burning of fire breaks was banned – sadly a case of too little too late. The National Veld and Forest Fire Act mandates that landowners prepare and maintain firebreaks in areas where fires occur - such that they have a reasonable chance of preventing fires. I was pleased to see that a neighbouring farm was doing just that yesterday.

The obvious image to have captured would have been the colourful drama of the leaping orange flames, but I wanted to record the human effort and the smoky conditions in which they work to keep our countryside safe. As a firelighter with his gas flamed trace-lighter moved ahead, the team that followed were the driver of the mobile water tank and pump, and the hose handler extinguishing the well-controlled line of flames after it had done its job. In the rear was a final patrol ensuring that all embers had been extinguished. We should be safe this year.

Twilight time …

I’m sure at some point in its life every camera gets aimed at a sunset scene – they’re the kind of settings that, like snow covered land or cityscapes, somehow create the most magical and dramatic pictures from what would otherwise be the ordinary and the everyday. Add in a silhouette, or water reflecting the light and you have an instant subject. Last evening, after a strangely cloudy day (it had been a beautiful clear and sunny late autumn weekend), I looked out from the patio at the Midlands landscape that is my daily inspiration and noticed the first tinges of pink starting to highlight the clouds. I must confess – I have never really done sunsets before – somehow they’re too predictable a subject. As iNhlosane became a mere outline (my silhouette) I fetched the camera.

I learned yesterday that with sunsets, when the light strikes just right you have to seize the moment – and pronto. Hardly had I had time to check the lens (an atom of lens dust can ruin a shot that depends on lighting), and camera settings – ASA, exposure compensation, sharpness, white balance, F Stop, focal length (infinity), colour depth (vivid) – when I knew it was time to shoot. After a mere ten minutes the sky had darkened, and the moment was over.

Farmers Markets ...

Every Saturday morning, in halls and fields from ‘Maritzburg to Mooi River, you’ll find people gathering for their local weekly Farmers’ Market. Stalls abound offering produce from fresh fruit and vegetables to organic herbs or meat and poultry - alongside home baked treats and confectionery. And at many a market you’ll also find local crafts folk, potters and needle-workers, selling their wares. So much a part of country life have each of these markets become that they’re now a favourite social event where townsfolk gather to catch up on the latest news and gossip almost making redundant the ubiquitous community newspapers. Enterprising caterers arrive and set up kitchens early in the morning to serve robust healthy farm breakfasts, usually the busiest part of the place. Informal tables and benches give one the opportunity to meet and greet the neighbourhood, and the community spirit is palpable – something I never experienced in forty years of big city life. They bring to mind latter day versions of those colourful Brueghel paintings of rural life (with more blues).

I found it quite a challenge to try and capture the colour and the atmosphere of our local market. Overall one gets the buzz of the busyness, yet the scene is made up of many smaller pastiches of social activity that captured individually and statically somehow don’t convey the air of the occasion.

Lucky sign …

Waiting outside a local shopping centre, yet again admiring the colours of another row of liquid amber trees, I looked down to find I was literally 'standing in clover' – lucky me. Two questions came to mind – firstly is clover an indigenous plant? (There’s certainly plenty of it growing around the countryside, but then so is there of Cosmos, a decidedly imported exotic plant). The second question - do four leaf clovers really exist? Or are they a figment of a leprechaun’s imagination?. The first answer is that there is indeed a single variety of indigenous African clover, Trifolium Burchellianum - and this is it. The common weed Oxalis, sometimes grown for its decorative pink flowering variety is often commonly thought to be a clover due its similar trifoliate leaves, but it is not in fact of the same genus. So, on to the second question which I guess then becomes can a trifolium ever produce a quadrifolium? Look closely at the picture (click to enlarge if necessary) and like me you’ll find your answer. It must be your lucky day!!!

Amongst the settings on my camera is a macro-zoom “scene” setting (it’s  the single reason I bought this particular compact). Going well beyond the capabilities of the normal macro setting of other makes it is remarkable in the detail it can capture with incredibly good resolution even as close as two to three centimetres from a subject. I used it for this image and am delighted with the result.

Paradise Road …

I have mentioned a couple of times how beautiful the autumn colours are in this part of the world, and at the risk of becoming boring, or repetitive … or both, I have a few more images that simply beg to be shared. Today’s shot is of the main road (imaginatively named Main Road) into Howick from the N3 highway Tweedie offramp. The trees lining the roadsides are the ubiquitous Liquidambar Styraciflua (imaginatively named Liquid Ambers ;-) which along with London Plane trees seem to thrive in the area. Natives of eastern North America these trees grow up to forty metres in height, and are sometimes incorrectly identified as Maples due to their very Maple like leaf shapes. The Latin name comes surprisingly not from their amber autumn colouring, but from the gum resin they yield which is a decidedly amber like substance when solidified; this also gives the tree its common American name of Sweetgum. The location of plants will cause some variation in the seasonal colouring which is partly affected by factors such as light conditions, watering and even wind, but there is also a wide variety of cultivars selectively propagated for their varying hues from burgundy through reds and oranges to pale yellow.

For a second time I was caught ‘parking’ in someone else’s driveway while I searched for just the right angle to shoot. Amazing – two autumn tree studies, two coincidental driveway blockings – my propensity to be in the wrong place at exactly the most inconvenient time is incredible. Hopefully the drive owners would concur – the image was worth the small inconvenience.

Country Estate

In the Lions River area, on a trip to Nottingham Road (we’ll get there, we’ll get there) I looked across this magnificent panorama. It is a view across the grounds of the country estate of St Ives – a popular Midlands venue. It was here on St Ives Hill that the last remaining local lion was reputedly shot – the area having been a Zulu Royal hunting ground back in the early nineteenth century, when it teemed with elephants and lions. The name was given to the estate in 1862 when it was acquired by one John Day who named it after his birthplace in England. It became a notable horse stud in the early twentieth century. Every time I pass along this road I recall a silly childhood riddle and I idly wonder - with polygamy still a tradition in the Zulu nation - was this where it happened?

As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with seven wives,

Each wife had seven sacks; each sack had seven cats,

Each cat had seven kits:

Kits, cats, sacks and wives

How many were going to St. Ives?

I had tried to get a sweeping shot of the landscape from within the grounds of the estate, but the best I captured was taken from the roadside. The grounds secured by barbed wire fencing I held the camera above my head to exclude the fence’s intrusion, and without the use of a viewfinder in one single exposure this was the result. With lighting through the gathering rain clouds that would have inspired even Turner I think I now have a new favourite favourite!.

Old Crock …

I do try to cover a new or different aspect of life in the Midlands every day. But - there are a couple of images from last weekend’s Cars In The Park in 'Maritzburg that are too good to waste and so I’m about to change the rules (which I make up myself as I go along anyway :-) and do two consecutive posts covering CITP 2011.

One exhibit which caught most visitors’ imagination was this delightful old Plymouth (1938 P5??) wreck. The theme of the event was “restoration in progress” - and this old girl sure has some way to go! I don’t know if the owner has any intention of her ever becoming anything more than the curiosity she already is, but by the end of the day at least one dedicated preservationist had left a note on (what was once) her dashboard seeking to make contact*. Best of luck to you both!

The old adage about small things … came to mind while seeking the perfect angle to shoot Miss Plymouth. Amazingly she had been transported to the show with her mantle of overgrown brambles and cobwebs intact. Even more amazingly the spinner of the web was still in residence, and many a sceptical onlooker had trouble, and collectively they spent hours, trying to decide if the spider was alive or a planted plastic job.  Trust me – it was the real Incy-Wincy*.

* (see image 2 -click to enlarge)

I guess in allocating locations to exhibits, not a lot of thought goes into how easily photographers will be able to capture good images of displays. One of the most elementary things any future sharpshooter learns is to beware of capturing background objects appearing to ‘grow out’ of a main subject. With a bowling club hard at play behind her, and a modern truck parked left of the exhibit, framing the car was made extra difficult by a lamp post just to her right. All solved by just the right low angle and a bit of judicious cropping.

And now, as a bonus I have to sneak in a shot of the legendary E-Type Jaguar. Probably the first car to feature in my youthful recurring motoring dreams, incredibly it was fifty years ago this year that the world first saw the E-type, at the April 1961 Geneva Motor Show. I’m still dreaming!

Lotus Lane …

Although most of us Midlanders (old and new!) like to think of ourselves as strictly out-of-city dwellers, the closest I can find to an official map of the area broadly covers the area from Ixopo to Kranskop and Mooi River to Edendale. Which means that the city of Pietermaritzburg can rightfully claim a spot in our spotlight. And for today at least, that’s a good thing. An annual highlight of the city’s calendar is Cars In The Park – which after 35 years is the longest running event of its kind in South Africa. As a self-confessed petrol head, yesterday I was there. In the attractive grounds of Alexandra Park, from around 06h30 in the morning, car lovers from around the country came to see what enthusiasts had brought to show under the banner of “restoration – work in progress”, and no-one could have been disappointed. With over one thousand vehicles, and seemingly more than that in owner numbers, plus an exhibition by the local Model Engineers club, there certainly was something for everyone.

Naturally, an event like this had local photographers there in droves. The only difficulty I have had today was in trying to choose a single shot to try and sum up the event. With many marques largely grouped together, this colourful row of Lotus models captures the outdoor ambience, the glorious weather, and the crowds. Roll on CITP 2012!

Striped ...

I didn’t have to go too far to get today’s image – in fact no further than the edge of my front garden! I am fortunate enough to live in an eco-leisure estate and the grounds are populated with a variety of wildlife. They’re all classified as non-predatory, but don’t try telling that to the sapling King Protea bush that was transformed down to a leafless stump overnight. Zebras also roam equally freely in the neighbouring (and publicly accessible) uMngeni Nature Reserve along with giraffe, warthogs and many species of buck.

I have always understood the herds of zebra prevalent in most regions of the country to be of the Burchell’s variety and was not aware of the controversy about this name until recently. The facts are well documented on Wikipaedia, so I won’t repeat them here, but it’s an interesting (if confusing) story. Zebras are of course Africa’s best known species of the horse family. A dictionary I have had since my youth, and which due to its now politically incorrect title cannot be named, translated the word Zebra into a pseudo-African language known as fanagalo (=like this) as lo donkey funagalo football-jersey. That describes these beautiful creatures quite aptly (and they do sport the team colours of the much supported local rugby team).

I really didn’t have to do much to get this clear and close shot – these particular animals, although not truly domesticated are used to being in close human proximity. Heck, I could even count the eyelashes! I’m priviledged!

Lonely Bull ...

Amongst the most beautiful cattle you’ll ever see are the Nguni – a common sight around the Midlands, with arguably some of the best breeders in country located in the area. The Nguni, although originally a hybrid breed (Bos Taurus and Bos Indicus), are now considered indigenous to Africa, and are popular amongst the African farmers of the southern countries of the continent. It is believed they were introduced by the migrating black tribes from the north in around 600 AD. Known for their resilience to disease and their fertility they have long been seen by the black population, especially the Zulu nation, as a store and measure of wealth with many a bride’s lobola (dowry) having been paid in Nguni stock. Considered medium sized bovid animals, bulls weigh in at around five to six hundred kilos, with cows at around the four hundred kilo mark. A breed standard has been defined and adopted by the Nguni Cattle Breeders Society, but the infinite variety of their multi-coloured and patterned hides still singles each of them out as something special. These much prized hides vary in colour to include black, white, red, brown, cream and dun and frequently a well-blended combination of these colours. I have an often admired pastel artwork of these beasts by South African artist David Johnson, now I live amongst herds of the real thing.

Nguni, due to those patterned hides, are a popular subject for photographers – and hardly a local portfolio I have seen does not include numerous studies of them. I have a standing invitation from a nearby farm to spend some time photographing their magnificent Nguni stock – an offer I shall certainly take up. However, randomly encountering a small herd of grazing Nguni cattle roaming alongside a country road, the opportunity to get my first few shots of them was too good to pass up. This bull (not so lonely incidentally) must have been at the top end of that breed standard – I was relieved how unconcerned he was at my (and the camera’s) presence. I did however still do a precautionary check to ensure that I wasn’t wearing any red rags!

Coral Tree ...

I haven’t focused much (no pun intended) on the indigenous flora and fauna of the region so far, so today we’ll start to rectify that omission. Although richly planted with exotic species (as we have seen in the autumn colours of the area) the Midlands abounds also with beautiful indigenous specimens. There are certain varieties of animal and plant life endemic to the region and these will be a quest for me to seek out and show in later posts. Many gardeners (myself included) have taken on the challenge of developing the built environment with exclusively indigenous plants, and one popular choice that thrives in local conditions is the coral tree. Found naturally from Mozambique to the Eastern Cape (the broader Eastern coastline), there are a couple of varieties, including this dwarf species (Erythrina Humeana). With a rambling habit the most striking feature of the plant is the vivid red flowering heads produced from Spring to late Autumn reaching 300mm to 400mm long. These trees attract  birds (especially the sunbird species) to the garden making them a must for every small garden.

Against a grey cloudy sky, a soft fill in flash brings out the more subtle colours of the flowers of the coral tree without becoming the obvious statement in red used as illustrations in most botanical books. Different.

Roosters Rule ...

Local eateries (and drinkeries) seem to teem with characters. And, unlike city establishments there seems to be a somewhat more relaxed feeling about the presence of animals. As a lifetime bunny hugger and dog lover that sits quite comfortably with me – there’s something homely about a hotel or restaurant dog choosing you to give those soppy ‘just a taste please’ looks to. And it usually works – despite the owner’s admonishment to Rex or Ruby to ‘leave the guests alone’. THAT never works, and I’m sure they know it. I must admit that this little character was a first for me – for never before have I had that experience with a rooster.

Strutting around in the bar at an inn in New Hanover I guess the attraction here would probably be the peanut bowls. Whatever it is he certainly looked as though he gets his fair share. And with looks like that it was clear that the owner never sees him as the main ingredient for the next dish of coq au vin.

A typical English game bird, the iridescent colours of his plumage show well against the rustic oxide rubbing of the bare concrete floors. And if that’s not a beady eye, I don’t know what the expression means!.

Windthing ...

Mention a windmill in South Africa, and except for a few of us (any Hollanders in our midst?) this is what will come to mind. For almost as long as I can recall I have wondered why we insist on calling these towering objects windmills – for they never milled anything and never will. Windpumps? Yes! Now that would more accurately describe their purpose, but if I talked about a windpump nobody would have a clue what I was on about. No matter though, windmill or pump, these lofty workers are found throughout the South African landscape and they add great character to the countryside. They sit above our wells and boreholes – any underground water source - and provide water to our thirsty land. I may be mistaken, but their number seems to declining and so I was delighted to have found a few, still in operation around the Midlands area.

It is unusual to see a windmill in such a verdant setting, and I found the colour of the rust red bricks of the reservoir and the oxidised iron blades of the sail and its rudder added just an interesting touch of subtle colour to this composition. Not a typical SA windmill shot, and yet it couldn’t be anywhere else.

Picturesque (Craigieburn) ...

If you wondered where that country road took me, here (amongst other places) is the answer. The day was originally planned with a newfound friend as a trip to Greytown, with hopefully a picnic somewhere along the way. We did get there, kind of, but will do the town more justice with a later follow up visit. Making the journey a round trip from Howick to Greytown and back via Mooi River we passed Craigieburn Dam. Once a popular day venue, it seems to have lost public favour and is now one of the area's well kept secrets. This posting may just change that status, although I suspect not - and that's not a bad thing for the fortunate ones who do find their way there. Lunch happened a little later than we planned (OK we didn't really plan anything for the day other than to enjoy it), but his is the view that finally stopped us. At the side of the road we did what I haven't done since I can't remember when. We spread a blanket in an open field, and had a good old-fashioned Sunday picnic. Try it sometime - it's great for the soul.

In all the years I have been snapping photographs (if you remember Kodak Brownie box cameras you'll know how long that is) there are probably some twenty of my own shots I just cannot erase from my mind (there are plenty of other peoples'). Somehow sometimes everything seems to come together as if by magic. A sparkling blue dam, a small country chapel and its graveyard, grazing cattle, autumn coutryside colouring, distant signs of human settlement and a sky to inspire Pierneef. No further mixing required for the recipe. Nature had done that. This makes it twenty one shots.

Timberrrrr …

Large tracts of Midlands land are taken up by forests; predominantly these are owned by our two largest paper companies Mondi and Sappi. Open fields of saplings, trees in their teens, and mature and dense plantations liberally cover acres of Midlands' ground. And then, as seen here, you’ll come across stackings of fallen trees ready for transportation to their next stage of processing. Many a well laden timber lorry has been the cause of slow progress along a winding Midlands District Road. But who's complaining? 

Today, a simple image, but a favourite. Although this is raw unprocessed timber I like the warmth and simplicity it conveys - and I do love wood. Many photographers get excited about abstract and semi-abstract textural and pattern shots – and I am no different. Whether it’s the tracery of the twigs and branches of a winter tree, or the random patterning of multihued beach pebbles or shells there is something challenging about shooting textures, colours and natural pattern repeats. The rich hues and shades of a pile of sapele wood logs in the late afternoon light just begged to be shot. And so, with an exposure compensation of -1.7, I shot. 

Country Roads ...

They would eventually take me home, as the John Denver song suggests, but with the number of public holidays we’ve had recently there has been every reason to let them do just the opposite and take me to places still on the haven’t-been-down-this-one-yet list. Roads in South Africa are alphanumerated with national highways being Ns, major metropolitan freeways being Ms, and significant regional stretches known as Rs. I have now discovered that in the countryside we also have district roads – the Ds, and I’m changing a life of mainly Ms and Ns for one of predominantly Rs and Ds. It used to be that you would expect the rs and ds to be slightly blemished, but in line with the rest of the world it seems that the SPK (slaggate* per kilometre) benchmark is increasingly being set by the ns and ms. I also observe we seem to have a new road sign. It’s a red triangle surrounding an exclamation mark! Economical no doubt, is the missing prefix SH**? Or something stronger? Anyway the SPK rate of any stretch of M, N, R or D is a kind of inherent calming measure, and so a leisurely pace along our country byways is almost mandated. Not that I’m complaining of course. It gives you time to stop and smell the grasses.

A clear blue sky with slowly building clouds on the horizon (which changed dramatically within half an hour and fifty kilometres of this shot) a dry dusty road, and parallel roadside telephone lines to lend perspective make even an otherwise everyday mundane shot, a landscape. It does remind me of perspective studies from my art student days – maybe I’ll draw and paint again one of these days. But a camera is so much easier!

*potholes

'tis autumn

Someone in the Midlands must have made a killing selling London (or English) Plane Trees and Liquid Ambers to the community – yet another link for the last outpost to that British Empire. So ubiquitous are these trees in the area today that they give the Midlands its familiar autumn clothing – and fine clothing it is right now. Hardly a landscape in the area is not coloured by the distinctive multicoloured foliage of anything from a solitary specimen to groves of trees lining many a driveway. It is incredible how varied the leaves become as they lose their rich summer greens and prepare to shed, some turning to red and bronze, and others to various shades of gold, ochre and brown. It is no wonder the Americans call this season fall – for the carpets of plentiful dropped leaves add greatly to the beauty of the countryside. Growing some 30 to 50 metres tall they thrive in moist conditions, yet in cultivation appear also to handle fairly dry conditions too. Indigenously the Planes, known as the genus Platanus, are found only in the northern hemisphere, fossil records dating them back some 115 million years. The London Plane variety is actually a cultivated species, generally believed to be hybridised between the oriental plane and the American sycamore varieties.

Driving near the Midlands town of Mooi River on a bright sunny day this farm entrance driveway was a blaze of colour. The impossibly blue sky contrasted magnificently with the turning leaves. Having parked at the entrance to the road, a group of people was slowly wending its way towards me. Often accused of not including people in my photographs, I wanted to wait until they came into the closest of the sunlit breaks in the trees – and then, by unbelievable happenstance a visiting car pulled up behind me and I had to move away to let them in. Opportunity gone…..but it’s still a nice shot.

Howick Falls & Gorge 5

After a right royal interruption it's back to the falls and gorge one last time today.

If you want to know how worth the while it is going further down the gorge, rock hopping your way along the edges of the Umngeni River this is the terrain you’ll be crossing, and the sight you’ll see. Small cascades and waterfalls appear all along the route. After years of city life I appreciate the chance to get away and soak in a bit of country air – and it doesn’t get much better than this. Actually I seem to say that each time I find another place to enjoy, so probably it does! The basalt rocks seen here are typical of the area and in many places form a natural stairway to help you on your way. They can be slippery when wet and so, remembering that disclaimer signed on entry to the trail, soles with a good grip are a must, and do take care.

The deep slate grey of the rocks contrasts well against the white waters of the flowing river. Needing all four limbs clambering around the gorge, a compact pocket-able digital camera is the ideal tool to capture the occasion. In my opinion the image quality and zoom capability of today’s compacts makes the use of full sized DSLR’s obsolete for this type of photography.