Can the Sun be Lanced?

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
Buddha

One of the oddities in New Zealand's forest is horoeka - the lancewood (Pseudopanax crassifolius). Beginning life as a single-stemmed plant with one-metre-long stiff, drooping leaves, it changes when its growing tip is about three metres above the ground. The adult tree grows to about 15 metres tall and supports a many-branched, rounded crown of short, leathery leaves.

So, this tree by my drive, is an adult lancewood, which is silhouetted here against the sunrise. I had to climb up on the concrete wall to capture this image, and I'm sure it would have looked hilarious to any onlooker, especially as my knee causes extra inelegant contortions. I really did want to see if I could make an image with the lancewood silhouetted against the sun - this is the first attempt. There may be more, seeing it was a pine tree that made it this time.

It was an arresting sunrise too, with deep salmon pinks and oranges. It promised a southerly change, which had us all shivering later this afternoon. I've got the curtains pulled and the fire on. Welcome Autumn!

Lens is Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC HSM OS macro