The Peak

We recently embarked on a short film project for the Hope Church Oceania Convention in 2016. We hiked up Mt Ngungun to film the climax of the teaser, where the main character hits a point of desperation and loss. We had been struggling the day before to find the perfect location to capture these emotions, but reaching the top of Mt Ngungun we knew that it offered what we needed.

I am captivated by rock formations, and so among all the hiking trips I’ve been on, Mt Ngungun still stands as one of my favourites. The peak of Mt Ngungun is covered in rock, and you are unbarred from its precipices, which is thrilling, but do exercise caution. We made sure we did when taking shots like this.

The view from the top of the mountain really took our breath away. With many of the other mountains I have hiked up, you don’t quite really get to reach the absolute top, or your view is limited to a certain scope, blocked by trees round the other side. But Mt Ngungun offers a 360 degree unblocked view all around, because you quite literally can stand at the apex of the entire mountain.

The shoot went very well, with weather and lighting on our side the entire time. Golden light filtered through the trees on our way up and peered shyly from in between the mountains in the distance as we filmed the final scene.

We spent a good couple of hours on the peak. I loved just standing on the rocks, gazing over the earth as the silent, cool breeze whipped around me. Places like this really give me a fresh perspective on my life as as a little dot on this vast planet. Not that we are all insignificant in comparison to the greatness that surrounds us, but rather the contrary. That despite the fact that we are so small, yet we are each individually seen and loved by God and that we can give love, receive love, and be of such great significance in the lives of the others that surround us.