Like a lot of people, I like to take photos of the moon. Not just the moon though, the moon with other stuff in the photo. Otherwise it’s just a photo of the moon. I don’t have the high powered telephoto lens to get the close up shots, nor am I an Astronaut. I also don’t do astrophotography. I just like to try to get a nice snap of the moon when it’s showing off a bit. No point giving too much explanation with these photos as is my usual thing. Each one is a photo of the moon, with some other stuff in the frame. I’ll just tell you where I was when I took the photo. Oh, and it’s harder than you think to photograph the moon. None of these were taken using a tripod. So there.
The moon, way up there, I know. But it’s a big sky. Foxton Beach. Mt Ruapehu 230 kilometres away on the horizon. The moon is farther.Full Moon at Muriwai BeachThe Moon setting in the RangitikeiPower lines, moon, etc. Near Halcombe in the ManawatuI got out of my car to take this beside the road. The road being State Highway One in the Rangitikei.Half moon in leafy Surrey, EnglandNot a blue moon. Early evening moon rising. Hunterville.Same moon, a bit earlier.Misty moon. Ok I’m stretching the other stuff in the frame here as the other stuff is just mist. Hunterville.The moon and a balloon. Surrey, EnglandDawn, early moon in Rangitikei. With a derelict cottageAmazing clouds and full moon. Kawau Bay.Moon sinking into the clouds, Rangitikei at dawn.Yachting by moonlight. Kawau Bay at Dusk.Moon rising over State Highway One. Near the Vinegar Hill SH54 turn off.Let’s face it, this looks like the end of the world. Amazing clouds with accompanying moon over Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
So, the next time I post anything on here. I will have upgraded my camera gear. I’m not sure when that will be. Keep an eye out. I hope you enjoyed the moons
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 FerryThe 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 ManawatuThat’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 whyManawatu, 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 CountryLooking 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 SH32Classic 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 ParkMt 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 don’t like the phrase ‘at the end of the day’ when used to finalise an observation made, if that makes sense. It annoys me. So I’m going to reclaim the end of the day, show some images of the day’s end. So when I hear, ‘at the end of the day’ I’ll think of exactly that. Dusk, that wonderful light before sunset. Having said that, the odd photo of the Sun actually setting might sneak in among the dusk photos here.
That barn isn’t there anymore, shame, it was a nice barnFull Moon, dead tree, moody eveningBlue Mountains, pink hues, cool dusk tonesWalking up to dusk, 200 metres from my front doorClouds trying to hide the sun. Sun winsLooks like Summer, it isn’t. This is WinterOn the horizon, in the distance is Mt Taranaki, 210 Kilometres distantPassing people, golden glowKite Surfer walking in, had enough for the eveningLast sighting of the Sun on a Thursday
I’ve moved, moved to the beach. My new place is a small rented cottage on the Western Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. North of Welington, South of Whanganui. I love going to sleep with the sound of the sea outside. I can walk up to the dunes from my front door in a few moments. I decided to take a few photos. All these taken round my immediate vicinity. It’s currently winter time here in New Zealand.
This is the road to my place, ok, it’s not the only road, but it is a road.Who doesn’t love a patchwork of sun shadows, late afternoon on an old woolshed? I know I do.Do-er upper, this is on the way home, or on the way out, depending on if I’m coming or going. I like a wonky shed in the evening.Sunday evening, that’s a bit of weather out in the West.Sunday evening, my place. It’s awesomeCool, no other description required reallySee those photos of the sea? I just simply turned around and photographed this. Those are the Tararua Ranges, they are the backdrop to my place. The wild Tasman Sea in front and the Epic mountains behind me. I like that.My backdropWalking up to the sunset after work, on a TuesdaySame Tuesday, the clouds have eyesWhile looking out to sea, I can look right, up the coast, that’s the way NorthMoments after the sun sank beneath the horizon, Tuesday evening at my place.This was a Sunday, any other Sunday, every Sunset is different of course. The clouds look a bit angryIt’s the last hurrah of a Sunday. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to look directly at the Sun?If you don’t look directly at the last light of a Sunday, you can look at the sea shore instead, which has it’s own meritsAfter the day has gone, just after, the light changes again, and some sea birds happen by.Finish with a bang. I spent ages trying to decide what to call this, I decided to call it WOW! Frosty morning, a few minutes up the road on the way to the day job.
One of the fantastic things about New Zealand is the epic vistas we have all about us. A vista being a large piece of scenery although I’m not sure that description would stand up to examination in a dictionary. I think vista is actually a distant view. What I’ve put together here is a selection of some of the amazing sights you see when you travel from A to B. Like my other posts, no special trip required, this is the scenery we see every day if we leave the house. It also helps if we leave the city but it’s not a long journey from anywhere to this stuff. Once you travel to New Zealand that is. This is winter time round here.
That’s a farm paddock, not a golf course, this is where we grow your Sunday Roast lamb. This is winter, those are the Ruahine Ranges.Sheep, four of them avoiding the oven. ManawatuIt’s a hay barn, but I call it a high barn. Manawatu Hill country, Ruahine Ranges backdrop. Most people think the Manawatu is flat. Taken from the Waituna-Tapuae RoadThe photo is straight, the trees and power pole are on a lean. Rangitikei farm landLate afternoon, looking across the Rangitikei from Kauangaroa Road. It’s the road from Hunterville to Fordell.Looking down at the Rangitikei River cliffs from Otara road. There is an Otara in Auckland, it’s quite different to this Otara.The Ruahine Ranges looming large over a fetching piece of farm land. Manawatu High country. There is high country in the Manawatu contrary to popular opinion.That’s a ‘Southern Cross’ Windmill. I think it’s best days are behind it, as are the mountains.Low cloud, early morning in the Rangitikei River Valley. Makes for a cool island in the cloudThat’s the Kiwi Rail Northern Explorer, passing through the Rangitikei. The only passenger train that runs between Auckland and Wellington. It runs each way, every second day. We aren’t really a nation of train travellers.Mt Taranaki through the trees. Those trees are just in front of me, Mt Taranaki is over 180 kilometres awayRangitikei landscape. Lots of it.Look! It’s New Zealand, all of it in one photograph. Putorino Road, hardly anyone will know where that is but every one who has driven from Taihape to Bulls has driven past it.A green barn with no doors at a place called Silverhope.Mt Ruapehu 130 kilometres away from here. Here being Fordell in this particular instance.Let’s have a closer look. That’s still Mt Ruapehu 130 kilometres away from Fordell but I used the zoom lens a bit on my camera. I don’t have a big zoom lens, just 200mm. Luckily Mt Ruapehu is massive.
It’s Winter time but spring is coming already. See you when it’s warmer.
New Zealand has a lot of water, we’re the country most surrounded by water of any country on earth. Make some sense of that. We have loads of lakes and rivers, lakes within lakes and lakes with volcanoes underneath. I’ve posted about our coastal awesomeness before. Those images were mostly in the far north. This lot were taken a bit further south. Southern Central North Island
Looks pretty, it’s disastrous, those are flood waters. Manawatu flats under water. The Manawatu river is a long way from here.Rangitikei River, near Utiku, looks calm enough now, you should have seen it a few weeks ago, washing away bridges it was. Not this bridge though.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I like a nice valley. This is one of my favourites. The upper reaches of the Rangitikei River. Seen from Toetoe road. I know it’s a funny name for a road but it’s a splendid view. Toetoe is pronounced toy toy and it’s a sort of pampas grass kind of thing.Whanganui River, with Mt Ruapehu in the distance, 120 kilometres distant. That’s a 9,117 foot high volcano, 120 kilometres away.This is here because the water in the watercourses down there is orange, which is cool.Along the coast from Himatangi to Foxton beach these little rivulets flow across the beach and out to sea, see?This is at the Manawatu River mouth, Foxton Beach. Looking inland at the Tararua Ranges. They’ve got snow on them under that cloud. I was hoping to get some snow in the shot as well. Not today. That stick is like a local version of the Lake Wanaka tree.That’s looking out to sea across the Manawatu River. Fishing net with attendant Seagull beside the beach.If you showed this photo to someone and said this was the Mouth of the Manawatu River at Foxton, they wouldn’t believe you. Go on, try it, ask someone.The early morning stillness of Himatangi Beach. Looks very calm and beautiful. It is. Most people don’t give Himatangi a second or even first thought. That’s fine with me.Frost on the sand at Himatangi Beach. Himatangi is on the lower half of the west coast of the North Island. The beach is also a road, I love a beach that’s a road.Driftwood beside the outlet to the sea at Himatangi. It’s all free, help yourself.The road from Himatangi Beach to Foxton Beach. It’s not the only road, but it’s the best one. Speed limit is 30 Km/hLake with a Volvcano underneath. This is Lake Taupo, a 616 square kilometre crater for one of the largest Super Volcanoes in the world. True story. This Volcano goes up, you can expect flight delays, for the rest of time.This is also Lake Taupo, looks pretty, can be catastrophic. Those fluffy flower things are Toetoes.
Because who doesn’t like to look at some epic cloud formations? Don’t ask me to go all scientific on you. I’m not a cloud geek, I don’t know what the clouds are called. I just like looking at and photographing some cloud action that’s worthy of capturing. I’ve already put a few photos throughout the blog which feature cool clouds, but they were incidental to the view. These ones are the reason I took the photo. It’s the subtle differences. If you know the names of the clouds, please comment and enlighten us all.
Southern Central Hawkes Bay, the day before the ‘great flood’ turned up in other parts of the country. Waipukurau, the nearest town to here was unaffected. The clouds were weird throughout Hawkes Bay that dayLooking North-East across Waipukurau in Southern Central Hawkes Bay. Storm brewing, but not here.I call these ‘God rays’, they are actually called ‘Crepuscular Rays’. Which sounds meteorological rather than awesome. These are over the small Rangitikei town of Hunterville, which few would describe as awesome.Rangitikei river valley, full of fog, love this stuff. There’s a river down there, I expect it has something to do with the valley hugging foggy clouds.I put a lot of care and thought into naming my images. I call this ‘Yard Rays’. I know.South of Napier, Hawkes Bay. Storm front brewing but the storm wasn’t here. Still, as you can see, the beach is not one for sunbathing so that’s good to know if you’d ever considered such a thing and felt a special trip to Napier might be in order. Make the trip by all means. Don’t swim or sunbathe, drink wine.Looks like a Tornado brewing over Napier in Hawkes Bay. It isn’t.Rays punching through the clouds above Lake Taupo.This is an unremarkable place in the Manawatu. Made interesting only by the sun striking through the clouds. I’m sure there is also lots of local history the local people are very proud of though.Cumulonimbus. I know I said I wasn’t going to name any clouds. But this is amazing. The entire top of the Whangaparoa Peninsula obliterated by a nuclear explosion, is what a Cumulonimbus looks like in this instanceOver there at the bottom right is Rangitoto Island to give some perspective to this epic cloud formation. Early morning in Arkles Bay.Same place, different day, slightly different angle. Big skies up there.Rangitito at Dusk, with a boat heading out to sea. This is the sort of thing you want to be looking at of an evening rather than the telly. Just saying.
So that’s it. When people say ‘it’s all cloudy’, that’s a good thing. See?
The centre being the central North Island, rather than the coast. So many people take wonderful photographs of the sun coming up over the sea. That’s easy to do, all you need is an alarm clock and to point your camera East in the morning. Inland it’s a bit more of a challenge. There are hills and stuff in the way. Here are a handful of local sunrises I’ve been lucky enough to witness.
Cold cows, earlyHalcombe, 7 am or soRangitkei River. Steam off the water looks coolDerelict house, early, the ghosts aren’t even up yet.Manawatu Morning7am or so, from the Feilding-Halcombe road7ish, looking across the RangitikeiStill 7ish, bit of a theme of the hour in the morning setting in here.Mt’s Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe, about 120 kilometres away7am over Feilding. ManawatuRuapehu again, over there, miles away in the morningYou’ve heard of the Verve song, ‘The drugs don’t work’? This is the rural version ‘The cows don’t care’. Sunrise in the Manawatu.
It’s the first official day of Winter in New Zealand on the 1st of June. I took these in the last couple of weeks, round my way. You don’t have to go to the South Island to see snowy peaks and mountain ranges. These were all taken within an hour of my place in the Rangitikei. Southern Central North Island.
I call this one, ‘Top of the Mountain road’. I’ll let you puzzle over the hidden message in that title.I call this Ruapehu Space ship clouds. Took me ages to think that upThe New Zealand Main Trunk rail line, heading north towards Mt RuapehuI call this ‘Mountain Road’. Because I took it on the Mountain Road. No need to make up names when the actual name is cool enough.The open road, literally. The sign says so.The Ruahine Ranges again, looking across the Rangitikei River Valley. Snowy and sunny. A perfectly photogenic combinationWho doesn’t love a derelict barn with a tree growing out of the window on a remote country road. Just a hint of the Ruahine Ranges in the background.Mt Ruapehu, looking awesome on a partly cloudy crisp autumn day. For those unfamiliar with Mt Ruapehu, it’s a 10,000 foot high active Volcano in the middle of the North Island. 10,000 feet sounds more impressive that just shy of 10,000 feet which what it actually is. 9,177 feet in actual fact.Mt Ruapehu again, from Wanganui, or Whanganui if you preferNo snow here, but it’s not far away. This is beside the Moawhango Valley Road, not a road you are likely to find by accident. It’s up behind Taihape, in the middle of nowhere.Take extra care, like the sign says. Also the Desert Road isn’t really across a desert. It’s an Alpine Environment and quite un-desert like.This is also high in the Rangitikei Hill Country, an old woolshed looking cool in the snowy morning sunThat’s the mighty Rangitikei River Valley with a bit of snow on the Ruahine Ranges in the distance. Epic views across the lower North Island.We had a light dusting of snow in the Rangitikei hill country, I loved how the shadowed side of these hills took longer to thaw giving this cool effect on the landscape
Sandy's Views - Photography 