Cape Foulwind near Westport on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand is a headland, meaning it has rocky formations and is known for strong breaking waves as it is so exposed to the sea, and Cape Foulwind looks out over the Tasman Sea. As rugged and harsh as it is, it features beautiful coastal scenery.
Cape Foulwind is not called that for nothing. It is known for its high winds and dangerous seas and just one look at the rocks in the photograph would tell anyone that to try and swim in, or navigate these waters in a boat could potentially be a very bad idea. The wind is so strong and in some cases can be so damaging that although it is beautiful it can also be a deadly place to be. ... continue below the picture...
Abel Tasman first named this area Rocky Cape when he came across it in 1642; he was the first European to ever visit the area. Clearly James Cook did not think that Rocky Cape was a suitable enough name as in 1770 his famous ship Endeavour was blown off course by quite a way due to the high winds and the lack of being able to control any sailing vessel in those conditions - hence the name 'foul wind'.
Today the area has a few attractions however. It boasts the closest pub to Australia without actually being in Australia, and it contains a fur seal breeding colony that tourists can visit. This draws many people to the area and they are just cautioned when they walk the trail to the colony that they take care along the coast.
Cape Foulwind near Westport, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand.
Technical Information:
I photographed this photo with the digital SLR camera model Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, aperture of f/32.0, exposure time of 5/2 sec. on ISO 50, as always I used a original Canon Lens, the focus lenght for this picture was 160mm.