A Follow Up to My Previous Post:

I found myself with a friend on a short road trip to a small town called Tolaga Bay. It was a holiday weekend but I can't remember which one. I do remember we wanted pancakes and the restaurant we were trying to get to was about to close for the day. I was driving as fast as I could through the green hills of New Zealand so I could start my day off right. I wanted doughy, fluffy, syrup covered pancakes and I wasn't going to take no for an answer.

We made it. And although I'd like to say the pancakes were some of the best I've ever had, they weren't. In all honesty I quickly regretted inhaling all that sugar before setting out on a hike across sheep pastures and bush covered pathways. I hadn't thought that one through all the way. But what's done is done, it was going to have to last me the rest of the day.

First we approached the Tolaga Bay Wharf. There were plenty of people due to the bank holiday but not enough to stop us from walking to the end and launching our drones. The wind was strong that day, a sign to usually stay out of the air. But after many flights just like it, I've come to realize a good drone can withstand almost anything short of a hurricane. The initial fear of flying over windy waters faded long ago. And so we flew, much to the amusement of those around us.

Once I had gone up and down the pier several times, I was ready to leave. I wanted to get in a better position for the sunset. We packed up, returned to the car and drove around the corner to a path that took you to Cook's Cove. This was where Captain James Cook had landed his ship while circumnavigating New Zealand to stock up on supplies and repair his damaged vessel. The rock formation had apparently caught his eye and after visiting it myself, I can understand why.

Getting there was a bit of a struggle. First it was through a forest and then across rolling green hills covered with sheep. Every so often, in order to continue along the path, you would have to climb a set of stairs that were placed on either side of a fence; gates were apparently not an option. Once at the top of this hill we reached a platform. This was the highest point and best lookout location but we wanted to see more. So after very little contemplation, we started down the backside of the hill.

It took us a while but the path was clearly delineated. At the bottom we quickly found the Hole-in-the-Wall. The first thing I did was fly my drone through it and the timing couldn't have been better. The sun was just starting to set but it was still high enough to be seen at ground level. I gingerly flew through the opening, hoping the wind wouldn't pull my drone into one of the walls. After passing through two or three times, I took a few photos and hurried to get the remainder of my shots. With daylight fading and the golden hour afoot, I flew up and over the mountain, across and around the cove and captured as much of the surrounding area as possible.

We shot for about an hour before calling it a day and then promptly made our way back up the hill with what little light that was left. Approaching the top we managed to see a glimpse of the sun just before it disappeared below the horizon.

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