It is autumn, but southerly storms bring "instant winter" to Wellington at any time of year and with them there is a big drop in temperature. But the compensation for the cold is the drama of the clouds and waves, and the contrast of storm times with the in-between times. At Te Raekaihau Point, at sunset at the end of an unseasonably warm and gentle day, a southerly front was approaching - the clouds a soft pink, the sea still calm and baby blue...
Two people walking on the rocky outcrops were dwarfed by the scale of sea and sky. The calm mood of the pretty scene was somewhat disturbed by the sight of rain falling from the approaching clouds, the beginning of a southerly storm front.
Awareness of weather is very much part of living on the south coast for me. The fluctuations we experience are a profound reminder of how vulnerable we living things are to changes in the movement of wind and water, and that reminds me of climate change and the challenges we all face on this precious earth.