According to Maori folklore, Mount Taranaki lived peacefully in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand with three other mountains - Tongariro, Ngaruhoe and Ruapehu.
Nearby stood Mount Pihanga, whom all the mountains were in love with.
Taranaki dared to make advances to Pihanga and Tongariro rebuked him, with a battle ensuing.
When the battle ended Pihanga stood near to Tongariro and Taranaki, wild with grief and jealously, tore his roots from the ground and weeping left the other mountains, heading toward the setting sun. As he went he gouged a deep trench which filled with his tears and is now the Whanganui River.
Eventually he made the coast and stumbled Northward, stopping to rest - as he slept that night the Pouakai Ranges (on the right of this shot) snared and trapped him and he is bound there to this very day, brooding and planning his return.
This was taken from Lake Mangamahoe, which has no bearing on this story but is fun to say.
I am a confirmed and certifiable nutbar with a penchant for skulls, bones, blood, guts, fire and anything slightly peculiar and mostly bizarre. I also...
Never been a better looking mountain in the snow! That reflection is spot on! Fave. Sorry been slacking with my comments, only seen this as I'm up in the night!
@dawnee Thank you very much :) @rosiekerr Thank you very much - it's this sort of landscape that makes it a difficult place to live ;) @golftragic Thank you very much - every day is a school day! @aecasey Thank you very much :) @happypat Thanks very much - if I was a hopeless romantic it would probably be a favourite story, but I'm not (as I'm repeatedly told), so it's not ;) @northy You know I tried it in B&W...of course I did. And thank you. @kali66 Any mirror is perfect if I'm not in it ;) @karlow75 Thank you kindly good sir :) @jporcaro Thank you very much :) @888rachel Thanks very much - it's a good yarn ;) @777margo Thanks very much :) @spanner Thank you - I've been waiting for a clear calm day, which is why I was mildly offended when you posted your shot yesterday ;) @alophoto Thank you very much - the shot ain't bad either ;)
Gorgeous shot and I like the story you've told. It's likely that he will escape sooner or later, although the attempt could take him - and everything around him - down! Fav
@rosiekerr Thank you very much - it's this sort of landscape that makes it a difficult place to live ;)
@golftragic Thank you very much - every day is a school day!
@aecasey Thank you very much :)
@happypat Thanks very much - if I was a hopeless romantic it would probably be a favourite story, but I'm not (as I'm repeatedly told), so it's not ;)
@northy You know I tried it in B&W...of course I did. And thank you.
@kali66 Any mirror is perfect if I'm not in it ;)
@karlow75 Thank you kindly good sir :)
@jporcaro Thank you very much :)
@888rachel Thanks very much - it's a good yarn ;)
@777margo Thanks very much :)
@spanner Thank you - I've been waiting for a clear calm day, which is why I was mildly offended when you posted your shot yesterday ;)
@alophoto Thank you very much - the shot ain't bad either ;)
@pasttheirprime More than likely...you know how I work ;)
@humphreyhippo Thanks very much :)
@gizathecat It does a bit - it was stunt double for Mt. Fuji in a movie as well.
@kerosene Thanks very much :)
@dide Thank you very much :)
@nickspicsnz Thanks very much :)
@photographynewbie Thank you very much :)
@yaorenliu Thank you and yes, he cried a lot
@yrhenwr That's what we're all waiting for...and thank you
@susale Thank you very much :)
@anazad511 Thanks very much :)
@jerome Thanks very much :)
@barb_b Thank you kindly ;)
@cmp Thank you very much :)
@joemuli Thank you kindly :)
@lorenaavalos Thanks very much :)
@jack4john I wish I could have been mine as well...
@olenadole Thank you very much - just so you know, it's not all this "normal" in my project ;)