I spent a couple of days in Queenstown, for work. Lucky me. Much of the trip was inside but I was able to get out for a wander about. Fortunately you don’t have to walk far in Queenstown and surrounds to see the awesomeness. Herewith, a couple of snaps while I had a moment to take them. This can be a travel blog thing. For people who like to travel and read about travelling. I think it qualifies as a travel blog because I took photos of a tourist destination.
The obligatory wing shot on the way into Queenstown.The mountain range is called ‘The Remarkables’. Can’t imagine why.Same mountains, different day. Those awesome clouds go by the name of ‘Lenticular’.Sunset over Lake Wakatipu. Looking South if you are interested in that sort of thingSame view, slightly different spot, different time of day.On the hills above Arrowtown. I thought the colours and textures of the trees were cool enough to Photograph. It’s my camera, I get to choose that sort of thing.That’s a New Zealand Falcon, not the Swamp Harrier. The Falcon is pretty rare and even harder to photograph. This was a good day.Because who doesn’t like a photo of an old derelict cottage?Chinese Gold Miners huts in Arrowtown. Small.I liked the juxtaposition of Spring blossoms and snowy peaks. Arty and all that.There’s a famous tree in Lake Wanaka which everyone with a camera feels compelled to photograph. This isn’t it. This is a small Willow tree beside Lake Wakatipu which I’ve decided can be ‘That Queenstown Tree’. It looks striking early in the morning with the sun on it. Which is superfluous explanation really.
Queenstown, probably New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. It’s nice there.
I’m going to try to create at least one blog post a month. I’ve been slack, well only in writing blog posts. I’ve been out and about an awful lot and taking a lot of photos. But have been neglecting this bit.
The big news is that I finally have my dream gear. Anyone who takes photography reasonably seriously will know that the right gear is important, they also like to have a lot of gear. The ability to ‘see’ a photograph is actually more important, all important. But you need the good gear to be as awesome as possible.
So camera gear is really important to keen Photographers. I actually don’t have much though. My thing as you should know by now is ‘minimum gear, maximum impact’. I still need a tripod. As an observation, the WordPress Blog Website sucks a bit of the awesomeness out of the shots, you really do need to click on each photo to see the best quality.
Back to the gear. My needs/wants were quite specific. I needed the ultimate multi-purpose but best quality lens for the landscape and shooting on the move stuff. I also wanted a good quality telephoto lens for wildlife and sports. Finally I really wanted a Full Frame camera. I now have all three. I should still get a tripod though, I have my eye on one. The details on the Camera and lenses if you are interested are:
Camera – Canon 6D
Telephoto Lens – Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
General Purpose lens – Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS
So…What can one do with the good gear? Let’s have a look.
That’s a Kaka. A New Zealand Parrot. It’s a cool characterful bird less well known than our most famous Parrot, the Kea. But look at the clarity and colour.Saint Gerards Monastery above Oriental Bay in Wellington. I don’t think there are any monks there anymore.The Blue bow of a boat. The boat is a cafe, Wellington has a lot of cafe’s.Looking across the sea to the Kaikoura Ranges in the South Island from Island Bay in Wellington. About 230 kilometres away. You’re supposed to also notice the calm reflective rock pools in the foreground.Derelict Piers at Miramar in Wellington. Mostly used by Seagulls.State Highway One approaching Waiouru at 8:00am on a Sunday Morning. I was just passing through. That’s frost on the ground, not snow.Barn, Wairarapa. Needs work.I don’t think the Railway Escarpment Nature Reserve is out there. I could be wrong. I might have been standing on it.Mt Ruapehu, reflected in a puddle to add a little something to a hard mountain to photograph.That’s a Saddleback foraging, shot in quite dark woodland. fast moving bird, in the dark forest. Looks like daytime.I didn’t really want the pink polar fleece clad local in the shot, but it’s her shed. Boat Sheds at Titahi Bay.That’s what the classic Nor’Wester looks like. Just like that.Handheld shot of Wellington from the Interislander Ferry. Taken in the dark, without a tripod. Tripods are useless on the ferry.You should have seen what happened about 5 minutes before I took this photo. Put it this way, this was almost a news story rather than a photograph.Bridge. That’s all you need.That building on the left is a Cafe, in Nelson. This is Tahunanui.Early in Marlborough. There are 5 Alpaca’s just out of shot to the right. They are cute, they are not locals as a general rule so I excluded them as they made the simple photo require too much description. Alpaca’s would not have enhanced this photo.Wellington waterfront. from the ferry. I like lights on the water.This is a boat called Click in Nelson. With snowy mountains over there.The Royal Spoonbill. You don’t see a lot of those about.This is from the top of my street at night. Well early evening to be precise. Had I mentioned I have moved to Wellington?Finally, I did mention sport, this is my nephew, scoring a goal for his soccer team.
I’m in love with my new camera gear. I still need a tripod though
One of the great things about New Zealand is all the awesomeness, everywhere. In many countries you have to travel to see cool stuff. Get in a vehicle and make a special trip. We have that awesomeness everywhere. Right there beside the road. Part of my photographic ‘thing’, is that none of the photographs I take require any special equipment or even robust footwear. All the photos on this blog were taken near the side of the road except the one where I went for a bit of a walk. Theoretically you could take any of these photos with your phone camera while wearing a pair of jandals. All I did for each one of these shots, is pull over as I was driving past. We see this stuff on the way to the shop.
Charolais Cattle first thing in the morning. I do like a nice cow. You may have more photos of cows to follow. Manawatu.Old cottage and Macrocarpa trees, we have a lot of derelict cottages about the place. Horowhenua.Clean green New Zealand, get’s a bit dry in the summer sometimes. This is Hawkes Bay. Looking South from Te Mata Peak. You can drive up there.Almost good enough to eat, but I think they make beer with this lot. Manawatu.The Clydesdale War Memorial Hall, Manawatu. I don’t think it sees too many parties anymore. Manawatu.Sheep know a shady spot when they see one. Well most of them do. Manawatu.Rail bridge over the Ohau River looking towards the Tararua Ranges. This is a common sight in NZ. Rail bridges of this type that is. The Tararua Ranges aren’t a common sight unless you are in the vicinity. Horowhenua.That’s where Hawkes Bay starts. Looking North from a prominent view spot.Misty Mountains, that’s not their name though, they just are sometimes. Manawatu.Whanganui River Valley. One of the best drives in New Zealand. Almost nobody goes up there.Bit of driftwood in the Foxton Estuary. Looks a bit moody. Horowhenua.I like an old corrugated iron shack as well. This is at the end of Heights Road. Nobody goes up here either. You can walk into the Tararua Ranges from the end of this road. Horowhenua.Remember I mentioned being on the way to the shop? This was on the way to the shop. Horowhenua.Cows and mountains. Perfect photographic combination. Well one mountain. That’s Mt Ruapehu. Manawatu.Down on the beach, Himatangi Beach. This is about 200 metres from my front door. It can be quite scenic in the evening. Manawatu.This was a while ago, bit of snow there on the Ruahines. Manawatu.This scene appealed to me. That’s the main New Zealand rail line. Just there. Manawatu.Pastoral, this is also on the way to the shop. Clothes shop rather than food shop, but a shop nonetheless. Horowhenua.Taken a couple of paddocks down a few days earlier than the last photo. The one below. I like a fetching paddock scene. Manawatu.Dairy cows in Manawatu. Making milk. Looks a bit like a painting this one. It isn’t though.
Most New Zealanders simply pass by this stuff everyday, taking it for granted. I am constantly amazed at the natural beauty, wilderness and amazing pastoral imagery all around me. Maybe you have to go away for a while to appreciate it here. I know I view New Zealand differently since I’ve been back after so long away.
My happy place is in my car, on the road. I love driving around New Zealand as often as possible. If things are a bit dull around the house, I’ll go for a drive. I don’t have to go far to see epic things as luck would have it because I live in New Zealand. Epic is just around the corner. Last week I went for a slightly longer drive. Down to Christchurch, over Arthurs Pass to Franz Josef, down to Lake Matheson, up to Westport and back to Picton via the Buller Gorge and the Marlborough Sounds. This was my delayed Christmas holiday. I took a few photos along the way.
Sinclair Heads from Cook Strait. That’s the last bit of the North Island you see as you cross to the South Island.
Looks like someone’s in trouble. Seals in Kaikoura.
The Road into Arthurs Pass.
Arthurs Pass Highway. It’s a bit barren up there. A lot of tourists though. There are only 3 roads that cross the South Island. This is the middle one.
Awesome clouds above Arthurs Pass
The amazing Waimakariri River Valley at Arthurs Pass. Mid summer. Bit of rain must be due?
Glacial Water in the Whataroa River. It’s very cold.
That’s where the White Herons nest in New Zealand. Just there. Only that little bit of forest, nowhere else. It’s quite amazing really. When I say that bit of forest. Just that little bit there. That’s all of it, their entire nesting area.
Young pair of White Herons.
Lake Matheson in the pre dawn light. The clouds rolled in and covered up the mountains quite quickly. So you only get a shot in the dark on this particularly day.
Lake Matheson with Mt Cook visible in the gap in the clouds. Mt Cook is Aoraki, the cloud piercer. True story, see?
Morning dawning near Fox Glacier
In that gap in the mountains is Fox Glacier. There’s probably less of it than there used to be
Punakaiki Rocks. Like stacks of pancakes
That’s the ‘West Coast’. Near Punakaiki Rocks. The entire West Coast of New Zealand is the West Coast, but this bit is called the West Coast.
Looking north up the West Coast. It’s rugged and remote. I like it here.
Buller Gorge. You can probably fish in that.
The Buller Gorge. Better than the Manawatu Gorge if anyones asking.
Buller River.
This is Te Mahia Bay in the Marlborough Sounds. It’s nice here.
Crossing through the Tory Channel from Queen Charlotte Sound into Cook Strait.
So that’s just the top half of the South Island. I didn’t take any photos of the Kaikoura Coast on the way down apart from the seals as I have a load from the last time I was there and the sky was pretty gloomy on this trip. Bonus seals though.
Happy travels…Just watch out for tourists paying more attention to the scenery than the road.
Luckily for me, I live 200 metres from the sea front on the Western Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. I can wander down to watch the sunset any day of the week. These are a selection from just three nights. Three nights from the last week. It’s mid summer here. So these were taken between 8:30 and 9pm. That short window when the sky really kicks off. Often the best light is after the sun has set. As you can see.
Heading down to the beach, this is a little rivulet which empties into the sea a few metres to the left of this shot.
People make piles and structures out of driftwood, it helps me take a photo straight at the sun.
I don’t usually have people in my photographs, but since I referenced people in the last photo, there are some. They’ll be making a driftwood sculpture later no doubt.
That’s a cloud bank developing, about to block out the sun.
Going….
Going…..
Almost gone…
Gone, now the good stuff really kicks off…
See? Lavender? Lilac? Pink? You choose. looking down the beach to the South. That’s Kapiti Island way off in the distance. You can also see the South Island from here, just not in this shot.
Hard to believe that’s the same evening as the previous shot, but it is. That’s Kapiti Island.
More cool stuff assembled from driftwood. Helping me take photos.
You could stand and look at this all day, except you can’t as it’s nearly night time.
Saving the best till last? Quite possibly. I do like this. Low tide, post sunset. Awesome New Zealand.
There were two things that weren’t going to happen today, but both did. I wasn’t going to go for a walk in the rainforest and I wasn’t going to create this blog post. One thing pretty much lead to the other. I’m putting this post up though, because it is kind of amazing and I’m quite pleased with how some very hard photos to take turned out.
First things first. How did I end up in the rainforest? Well it’s not really a rainforest, this is simply a decent sized piece of New Zealand native forest, or ‘bush’ as we call it. The bush is a stand of coastal swamp forest not far from where I live by the sea.
The thing here is that I was simply on my way to the shops, a small supermarket in the next town on a Saturday morning and thought I’d go for short walk beforehand. This is one of the many reasons I love New Zealand. The distance from my house to the shops is just 10 minutes by car. I parked up at the Omarupapako Scenic Reserve which I hadn’t even noticed before despite driving past the signs several times a week.
Then I walked in….It was like walking into Jurassic Park. It’s very hard to take photos of the forest when you are inside it. The darkness means having to have the ISO setting up to as high as 800 at times with a shutter speed as low as 60 and the aperture down at 5.6 or lower. I spent about 2 hours walking through this extraordinary forest. Only a few hundred metres from the sea. I live by the sea remember?
The bird in the photos is a Fantail. A fast moving, small and characterful New Zealand native species which rarely sits still. Almost impossible to photograph in the deep forest on the settings required to cast any light into the camera. So I was thrilled with how these turned out. Enough words.
There is a path through, easy to follow
The way is clear, and easy to follow….
Well when I say easy to follow….
It’s a bit of a Jurassic path
Light does get in, sometimes
Very young Fantail, about to fly off
See, they do occasionally sit still, but not for long, moments only. You can also make out a strand of spider web behind the young Fantail
Fantail, fanned and singing a little Fantail song
If you live in New Zealand, go for a walk in the ‘bush’. If you are going to visit New Zealand, make sure you do. It’s like a spiritual place, a land time forgot, like walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs which is actually what you are doing, without the dinosaurs. Except we had one and it’s still here, living in our remote forests and offshore Islands. The Tuatara, look it up. We actually have the oldest forests in the world. They look like something from Jurassic times, or older
This is a single photo post as it’s important to me. The Tui is my personal favourite of our native birds in New Zealand. They aren’t particularly rare but they are particularly beautiful and full of character. The song of the Tui is one of the things most missed by New Zealanders abroad and is one of the defining sounds of New Zealand. Given the range of sounds the Tui makes, you can’t really call it a song as much as a vocalisation.
The challenge in photographing a Tui is capturing one in full sunlight, with the sun on the Tui’s back. Then you can see the extraordinary colours and plumage of what I believe should be our national bird rather than the Kiwi. Surprisingly, many New Zealanders and visitors to New Zealand still think the Tui is predominantly black with just a white tuft of feathers under its chin. The Tui is not black.
This is the photo I’ve been trying to get for years. The Tui in full sun with the added bonus of a beak full of nectar from the flowering flax they love so much.
Well not all the bays, the bays out past the Airport. Wellington is the Capital City of New Zealand. It’s perched in a little bay with all the houses nestled into a load of hills behind it. Most people think it’s quite a pretty little city. I was visiting a friend but was early, so decided to take the scenic route round the Miramar Peninsula rather than simply drive across town. I’m pleased I did because look!
Ok, it’s not a bay, but this is one of those ‘classic’ shot’s of Wellington and is as good a place as any to start. Plus there is a bay, down there.
The Wellington Waterfront from Oriental Parade. The beehive looking building on the far right is called ‘The Beehive’. It’s where we store our politicians.
From Oriental Parade, no idea why it’s called that. People from Wellington like to walk along here, or run wearing lycra, earphones and carrying a water bottle.
Evans Bay boat sheds. Cool.
Broken pier at Shelly Bay.
Another broken pier at Shelly Bay. Looking across towards Mt Victoria. It’s not really a mountain. That bit of Wellington on the hill that isn’t a mountain is called Haitaitai.
The Point Halswell Lighthouse on the tip of the Miramar Peninsula.With a guy fishing off it.
A busy sunday morning in Wellington. Heading into Kau Bay along Massey Road.
Karaka Bay jetty, complete with old working phone booth.
That’s still the Karaka Bay jetty, or pier. I like a nice jetty, or pier.
Those are the pinnacle rocks looking across towards the Wairarapa from Breaker Bay. It was out there that inter island ferry, The Wahine, sunk in 1968. 53 People died.
Flax Bay, over there is the very bottom of the North Island.
Upside down boats lend a pleasing aspect to a coastal scene. Flax Bay
In the distance is the South Island, the Kaikoura Ranges about 250 kilometres away by ferry and road. Taken at Moa Point. That ship is a Cook Strait ferry, the Interislander
Air New Zealand arriving int0 Wellington, flying low over Moa Point. It can get a bit hair raising flying into wellington on a windy day. It’s often windy, mostly.
New Zealand is a long but fairly narrow country. It’s 2,086 kilometres from one end to the other, but you are never more than 120 kilometres from the sea. What this means is that you can often see the mountains from the seashore, or the sea from the mountains. Which is nice. This gives many fetching photographic opportunities, such as these.
Rocky Beach, Kaikoura. It’s not the name of the beach, merely an observation.
Fishing boat in front of the Kaikoura Ranges. New Zealandness at it’s most scenic, with a fishing boat.
I could call this ‘Chimney Seal. You may notice a loafing seal at the base of the old chimney. Looking across to the Kaikoura Ranges. Well I am looking at the Kaikoura Ranges, the Seal is not.
Those mountains are an awfully long way away from where I took this photo in the Wellington Harbour from the deck of the Interislander Ferry
The newest Ferry in the Interislander Fleet heading North for Wellington, this is how we get from one island to another. You can fly but this a nicer way to go about it. That’s the Kaiarahi. I took this from the ferry I was heading South on, towards Picton.
On a rough crossing in Cook Strait, the large bit of water between the North and South Islands you sometimes get these sea spray ‘rainbows’. You have to be quick to photograph them as they come and go. Plus you risk a salt water soaking of your camera. You decide if it’s worth it.
After a rough crossing of Cook Strait, turning into the Marlborough Sounds through the Tory Channel is like walking into a library off a busy street. A giant outdoor nature library on a sunny day sort of thing.
Once you’ve left the ferry in the South Island, the main road South is this one. That’s New Zealand’s main road. State Highway One. The rail line beside it is the main rail route south. This is how we get about.
Taking the Train in New Zealand is slow but scenic, this is the ‘Coastal Pacific’. I reckon Kiwi Rail named the train ‘Coastal Pacific’ because it follows the Pacific Coast but I’m just guessing of course.
On the subject of trains, This the train that runs up and down the North Island. Kiwi Rail creatively named this one ‘Northern Explorer’. I can’t think why though. In the title of this post I made reference to mountains and that’s the biggest one in the North Island. Mt Ruapehu. It’s quite far from the sea.
Inland, far inland. But still less than an hour’s drive to the ocean if you head West.
The Ruahine Ranges, on the other side of them is Hawkes Bay.
Rainbow, kicking off an early morning, inland.
Early morning Manawatu. I drive past this sort of thing from time to time. Manawatu is mostly flat, lying between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges and the Tasman Sea.
One day when I can afford better camera equipment than I have. I can capture this sort of amazing early morning scene better. Between the mountains and the sea. The Mountains are half an hour drive in front of me here and the sea is 15 minutes drive behind me.
What better way to finish than with the sun dropping beneath the Western Horizon. I’m standing just feet from a public highway here and barely an hour from a mountain range behind me.
One of the best things about New Zealand is how easy it is to hop in a car and go. Driving from A to B in New Zealand is generally a pleasure rather than a mission as it can be in so many countries overseas. I say generally because while the roads outside Auckland are mostly empty, the roads in Auckland are not. Still, this is about the wide open spaces beside the road in the central bit of the North Island. Time to hit the road….
The Roadhouse, perfect Roadhouse blues setting. Middle of nowhere Manawatu
That’s a road, there’s a speed limit, see?
A bit of driftwood beside the road at Himatangi, the beach is a road remember?
I call this ‘Angel’. You’ll never guess why
Manawatu, from the road, old hay barn. Tararua Ranges. nothing to see here…
From beside the Manwatu River Estuary. It’s Whitebaiting season. There’s one. A Whitebaiter that is. Don’t think it’s Beaver.
You know what that is? That’s an unremarkable view from the side of the road in New Zealand. I bet nobody has ever taken this photo before.
Old barn, farm paddocks and the Ruahine Ranges. Stark light, morning tea time.
The light was rubbish, photographers would say don’t take photos in this sort of light. I don’t care.
One for the DIY enthusiast, after a heavy rainfall, in the King Country
Looking south down the Waikato River from the Glen Murray Bridge. I have no idea if that’s the name of the bridge, but that’s roughly where it is.
Road trip south, Eastern side of of Lake Taupo, SH32. 1st sighting of the Volcanoes of the central plateau.
Lake Taupo is actually a giant volcanic crater, still, looks peaceful enough today.
Boating on the crater of a super volcano sounds more dangerous than it looks, Southern end of Lake Taupo seen from SH32
Classic Kiwi Road Trip shot, from beside the Te Ponanga Saddle Road. Which is a cool name for the road from Turangi to National Park, SH47.
Lake Rotoaira, looks beautiful, it is.
Looking up a Mountain Stream towards Mt Ruapehu. Near National Park
Mt Ngauruhoe is about to disappear under the clouds.
Finally, this is also a photo I’m confident nobody else has ever taken. A paddock and some trees beside the road half way between Palmerston North and Himatangi Beach. I think it’s the sky that carries it though, to be fair.
See? That’s just a short there and back trip. Come to New Zealand, go for a drive
I’m going to try to create at least one blog post a month. I’ve been slack, well only in writing blog posts. I’ve been out and about an awful lot and taking a lot of photos. But have been neglecting this bit.
Sandy's Views - Photography 