Patricia Prime

Fairy Falls

The sinuous trail winds between the river and the bush, a precarious aisle of mud and grass, where we stumble and trip over roots and rocks. The hungry swoop of a kingfisher startles us into laughter. It's a trek, more of an obstacle course than a walk, as we move closer towards the sound of tumbling water, with the sunlight a funneled glare through the trees. The path winds its way through rain-washed, listening greenery. We pass beneath kauri, rata and rimu arched and shining, towards the waterfall hanging majestically from the rocks, with a consciousness of muffled babbling striving to be heard from the whirlpool beneath. Sprayed by mist and drops of icy water, we sit on nearby rocks to bathe our feet in the cold water, while other braver people dive from the rocks into the pool that opens out below the falls.

tunnels in ivy
hold a mystery
a lone possum

A bower of fern and treetops reach for the fountainhead. In multi-shaded refuge from the glare, our eyes revive. The tumbling waters wash the topsides of rocks that offer edges to be polished. There's a quiet click of cameras as we try to capture nuances of haunting images.

defying the mist
a rainbow's
spectrum