When the rain finally cleared earlier this week astro photographer Jack Burden packed his camera, hopped in his car and headed west.
The result - a spectacular shot of the Milky Way hovering above a flooded waterfall at McLaren Falls.
"After all the rain we have had I took advantage of the window of clear skies on Monday night and shot some astro photos from a spot in the Kaimai hills. On the way home to the Mount, we decided to stop at McLaren Falls to see how the Milky Way lined up with the waterfall and thankfully it was perfect, especially with the amount of water flowing over the falls."
The image that came from that night was made up of three rows of four shots - 12 photos in total all stitched together.
Being able to see the Milky Way was much easier towards the end of winter, "meaning mid-week astro missions are a little easier, especially with work the next day", he said.
Mr Burden works for an electrical company by day. By night, he and friends explore some of the Bay's most secluded and wondrous spots.
McLaren Falls was a "spooky spot" to go at night, he said. But he wasn't deterred.
"I thought it would be nice to get a shot that puts a positive spin on the area and I think with the stars overhead it makes it look very peaceful."
I thought it would be nice to get a shot that puts a positive spin on the area and I think with the stars over head it makes it look very peaceful.
Mr Burden was looking forward to sharing another shot of the Milky Way arching over Te Poi, taken from the top of the Kaimai Range.
He was also working on a time-lapse compilation taken over the past few months "featuring plenty of clips from the Bay as well as further afield".