Some moody autumn photos, a formal, plus a flying boat

This week is a wet one - last week was more the typical autumn type, and one afternoon needing a break I took a walk along Lake Wanaka's Outlet track. The colours were delightful as was the peace and tranquility of the setting.

Looking down the Clutha River...




Looking back upstream...


Being my son's final year at College here in town, I especially fronted up at the school Formal on Sat. night.

Here he is with one of his oldest friends Anna as partner. Both are an awesome couple of people and I found it all a tad emotional for a few moments. They'll probably both be away at Uni. next year so I made a mental note to self to continue to "let go" as a parenting strategy...


Lastly and totally unrelated this Catalina flying Boat has been parked up at the airport since the airshow at Easter and although I'm far from being an aviation nut, I've been quite taken by it shape and form...

Roger and Kara's wedding photos

My good friend and fellow landscape photographer Roger married Kara yesterday here in Wanaka. As groomsman part of my task was to make sure his camera and tripod ended up in the right places, such as the final staged photo shoot up on Mt Roy [via heli] in the evening, but I had enough free time to follow the event and the official photographer with my own camera.

We went to the standard wedding photo locations first, and I must say they do provide memorable settings...


Roger's mum, a very special person to me, came out from the UK . It was lovely to see her again, and she was one of the first in the church - a very top day for her especially...


Plans of a musical nature are hatched pre ceremony...


Anna the official photographer readies Roger's nephew Chris [US], for a photo...


As nearly all parties in the ceremony are professionals in the medical world, an ambulance was used at one stage to ferry us to the photo shoot locations. Roger's sense of humour is obviously alive and well...


Roger and Kara's dog Mylie was a bit of star, but all became serendipitous when another wedding arrived at one of the locations, and then a family out walking arrived, and all had the same breed...


I wish them well in their commitment of love...


Thanks Roger and Kara, and families, for a most memorable and fun day

PS See Roger's landscape photography work here

PS 2 Mon. 19th Apr: it seems this blog is now being used by family in the UK etc. so here are a whole bunch of extra photos:

The Clutha in autumn colours and a butterfly

It's that time of year again when I'm likely to be seen down the river as the sun peeks over the Grandview mountains over Hawea way. The next few weeks will see lots of dawn river mists, as winter approaches.

The Clutha with the confluence of the Cardrona river on the left, along with a nice new walkway that heads downstream towards Luggate...


Mt Gold and Mt Burke...


The mist makes for interesting effects...


Meanwhile back home I've been having a new experience hosting the swan plant that has been hosting a forth-coming Monarch butterfly - it's all been quite intriguing, but I missed the emerging beauty and for whatever reason Mr. B. only survived for a few hours. Maybe it was just too cold...


A few good links to finish this post:

Client/acquaintance Peter is flying a Tiger Moth around NZ for a holiday... more>>

A moving presentation on the emotion behind invention... more>>

Friend Ken releases his second book on moose in Fiordland... more>>

Easter follies

Recently one of my good friends invited me to her birthday party, and she said it was to be at Easter time at Peak Valley. "Peak Valley" I thought... sounds like a soap! However a question or two revealed I'd been there nearly 25 years ago to climb Totara Peak. A solitary peak just north of Omarama and on the south east edge of the MacKenzie Basin. In short a magnificent viewpoint, and if I recall I've enjoyed the vista on two occasions from different approaches, so I was intrigued to see how I'd find things after so long - not only the landscape, but how I perceive it now v. my memories.

To get to the very remote Peak Valley, a high country run, the private road contours the western shores of Lake Benmore and you head in a southerly direction. It's amongst the distant trees up the valley on the right...


After I arrived the high tops beckoned as the day ended, and here we see a sight all too common around Lake Benmore, a hydro lake of considerable capacity - a power transmission pylon...


Peak Valley is under relatively new ownership, and although I could see the previous owners had tried hard dealing with a desert like landscape, it's run down in some regards. The central part of this cottage was probably originally a rabbiter's house - I've seen the "look" before: rough cast and steel window frames, and as no one ever lived in such places full-time any gardens planted simply didn't survive the harsh shady winters and the low low rainfall. Anyway this was the party venue, and it was great, and with an old fashioned coal range and modern log fire, we were cosy as we celebrated - especially around midnight when a wicked southerly front arrived...


There are surprises in these harsh landscapes though...


Kim the birthday girl 2nd from the right...


And the memories v. the present perception: this time around, although I'd not even got remotely near the 7000ft top of Totara Peak, I think I saw more! But this just engenders that old feeling that I seem to know very little about not very much, as I follow my journey in life.

Thanks for a great party Kim and Family - the food was amazing as was the setting inc. the candle light outdoors!

You can see Peak Valley on Google Maps - it's just north of where it says "Lake Benmore"

So... I've once again escaped the bi-annual Easter Wanaka Airshow madness and noise. Most like it, but I'm sort of "over it".