Where There's a Tree.......

I'm never far from a tree

(with camera in hand)

Especially if said tree is enshrouded in mist.

I took these photographs one misty morning in South Wairarapa on my recent trip around New Zealand researching the 1st edition of the all-new, full colour Frommers New Zealand Day by Day 1st Edition, which will be published in 2011. I'd been staying in the far south and left early, to take the winding drive around Lake Wairarapa on my way to Wellington. I'm not quite sure what it is about trees that evokes such a strong emotion and aesthetic response in me. It's always been that way regardless of the creative medium I choose - some element of the tree is invariably present. It's as if my creative psyche is somehow entangled in the branches and leaves. I always feel them 'almost human' somehow, imbued with a presence. I don't suppose I'm alone in that, after all, many ancient civilisations worshipped trees and for many, Maori for instance, the tree is still culturally important. And then there are the literary greats and their passion for trees: "I never knew how soothing trees are - many trees and patches of open sunlight, and tree-presences - it is almost like having another being." D.H. Lawrence.