Te Mata Peak has an amazing story to tell: many centuries ago the people living in a pa (fortified village) were under constant threat of war. At a gathering a wise old woman suggested that the leader of the Waimarama tribes, a giant named Te Mata, could be made to fall in love with Hinerakau - the daughter of a chief - and turn his thoughts from war to peace. Te Mata fell under the spell of the beautiful Hinerakau. However the people of Heretaunga had not forgotten the past and wanted revenge. They demanded that Hinerakau make Te Mata prove his devotion by accomplishing seemingly impossible tasks. His last task was to bite through the hills between the coast and the plains. Te Mata died while eating his way through the hills - today his half-accomplished work can be seen as Te Mata Peak
Photographed at sunrise the morning before torrential rains broke a drought on the east coast of New Zealand.
2 x 11 stitched hdr (-1, 0, 1) tone mapped in Photoshop
Aspect Ratio 3.5:1
64 x 18" (164 x 46cm)
Set style: Dark // Light
Copyright © 2010 Andrew McDougall. All rights reserved. Account login.