Acland Falls Revisted

Today I decided to return to Acland Falls, this time with long exposures on my mind.

Instead of climbing up from the gorge road, I headed up the road to Te Wanahau Flat and walked up towards Allan's Track, joining up with the Acland Track at the junction where there's a convenient placed bench.

I say convenient, because the slog up the hill towards the falls - no matter which route one chooses - does give the lungs a workout for all but the fittest. I think it's safe to say right now that I am in no way the fittest!

Once you arrive at the falls though, the walk there definitely feels worth it. Whilst the waterfall itself is quite modest (it's only around 14 metres tall) the setting is just charming; the rock walls are soaked with moisture and ferns and lichens thrive. The tanin stained water is clear and there's a tremendous feeling of being at one with nature.

Getting to the falls reasonably early I was lucky to have them to myself too. Which was exactly what I needed having shot this image with a 10-stop neutral density filter and a circular polariser, allowing me to make a 250 second exposure to smooth out the water and the splashing in the pool.