You once told me Muriwai was home.

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As I drove out there, the closer I got, the more I understood why.

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Despite being known as the wild west coast, there was a simplicity to it. A sense of calm. The city slowly disappearing behind me as the roads became quieter, the landscape more open, and eventually, the sound of the waves began to find its way through the windows.

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I wasn’t quite sure what I was searching for in this photograph, but I knew that once I had it, I’d know.

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I wandered for a while, taking in the cliffs, the sea and the vastness of it all. The sun was setting just right, casting everything in that soft golden light that makes you want to stay a little longer.

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Above me, the gannets circled and flew between the cliffs, somehow making the whole place feel even more peaceful. I couldn’t have picked a better evening.​

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For a moment, I stopped looking at Muriwai as somewhere I had come to photograph, and started seeing it as somewhere you had once called home.

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I took the photograph, hoping that when you saw it, you might recognise a little piece of it too.