Cape Saunders, New Zealand
When did I visit: Early February, late in the evening at sunset, around 9-10pm.
Track distance & time to complete: No walking required to see the lighthouse, it’s a lookout next to the road. There is a track that leads to the lighthouse itself, but you’d be stepping into private property.
Temperature: Windy and cold, around 10-12 degrees Celsius.
Parking: Not much of a carpark, it’s a dirt road (leading to a private property).
Exact location: Cape Saunders, New Zealand on Google Maps
We were lost.
Our GPS was confused, but we knew Cape Saunders was supposedly somewhere ahead of us. It was already getting dark and there was an incoming storm. Plus we hit a fork in the road and had no idea which way to go. So we did what we kind of always do.
We chose a completely random option and just kept driving.
To be honest, I had no idea what Cape Saunders was supposed to look like. It was a last minute decision to go and visit it since we were already nearby, so I didn’t know what to expect. I only hoped that it’ll be worth driving in these poor conditions and strong wind. Wind so strong that it had forever changed the shape of the trees along the road and made them look like they’ve come out of a cartoon.
Both us and the trees were now windswept. But there was no turning back, we were so close and weren’t about to give up. Just a few more minutes.
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Apparently we got so carried away staring at the trees, the scattered sheep and the clouds closing in on us, that we didn’t even notice how far away we drove and where we got to. Thing is, there is a lot of private land in New Zealand, pretty much everywhere.
So when we were finally forced to stop, there was a gate in front of us with a sign on it.
We’ve reached private land and there was no going forward.
So we drove back for just a few minutes and decided to step out of the car, even though the wind was really pushing us backwards. A bit of scrambling through some uneven terrain, weird looking plants, and *allegedly* jumping over a fence. There it was.
The view we were hoping to experience.
It was stunning. I felt teleported to Scotland, Wales, Faroe Islands and Iceland rolled all into one. But our feet were firmly standing on New Zealand soil. What a fascinating country and region.
In a race against time (and darkness, and weather), we grabbed our cameras and started looking around for the best angle and perspective to capture all of this beauty. In reality though, every single shot was stunning, regardless of composition or where we were standing.
Rugged cliffs of ginormous size, towering over the never-ending ocean. And the lighthouse being dwarfed in the far distance.
Taking so many shots in the strong wind, our eyes became really watery and there was no more light. It was time to head back and leave this otherworldly place.
New Zealand, your nature and landscapes never cease to amaze me.
Thanks for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed the story and images of my journey.
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