Cape Egmont - Images by Marcus and Jennifer Schoo
This is a beautiful spot that looks upon one of New Zealand's most iconic mountains. It is far enough out of the way to be quiet but still easy to get to by car. Cape Egmont marks the westernmost point of the Taranaki region of New Zealand. Standing guard over it is the Cape Egmont Lighthouse that was originally built on Mana Island near Wellington but was relocated to Cape Egmont in 1877. Behind the lighthouse stands Mount Taranaki (aka Mount Egmont). Mount Taranaki's solitary volcanic peak dominates the geography of the entire Taranaki region.
Best Times
Time of year : All year. June - October for a snow capped Mount Taranaki
Time of day : In the evening one hour before sunset through to a half hour after sunset
Time of day : In the evening one hour before sunset through to a half hour after sunset
Directions
From New Plymouth take state highway 45 south through Oakura and Okato for about 40 minutes. Turn right onto Cape Road and follow it for 4.7km till it reaches the small dirt car park at the coast. A rough track leads north along the coast from the car park and provides good views back toward Cape Egmont Lighthouse and Mount Taranaki.
Photo Advice
Walk a few meters along the rough track to frame Mount Taranaki with Cape Egmont Lighthouse to its left and the small farm house to its lower right. A few meters further along there is a small mound to the left of the track. From atop this mound you can frame Mount Taranaki with Cape Egmont Lighthouse to the right.
To frame the mountain and the lighthouse you will be looking at using a lens of about 110-130mm (70-80mm on APS-C). Try and use the smallest sharp aperture you have at your disposal to keep the lighthouse and the mountain in focus, think f/16 or smaller. Use a polariser to reduce glare and increase saturation. The effect is minimal as you will likely have the sun directly behind you at sunset but its still there. With late light and narrow apertures, shutter speeds will be slow so use a sturdy tripod and a cable release. At this medium telephoto focal length mirror slap can cause a little softness so use mirror lockup if your camera has this feature.
Give yourself some time here. The light changes dramatically over the 90 minutes around sunset from early golden light on the lighthouse and mountain to a late purple sky behind them.
To frame the mountain and the lighthouse you will be looking at using a lens of about 110-130mm (70-80mm on APS-C). Try and use the smallest sharp aperture you have at your disposal to keep the lighthouse and the mountain in focus, think f/16 or smaller. Use a polariser to reduce glare and increase saturation. The effect is minimal as you will likely have the sun directly behind you at sunset but its still there. With late light and narrow apertures, shutter speeds will be slow so use a sturdy tripod and a cable release. At this medium telephoto focal length mirror slap can cause a little softness so use mirror lockup if your camera has this feature.
Give yourself some time here. The light changes dramatically over the 90 minutes around sunset from early golden light on the lighthouse and mountain to a late purple sky behind them.
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