Autumn colours and wanderings

Mostly folk around Wanaka agree with me that autumn is their favourite time of year, and it makes me wonder if this true of all over the South Island of New Zealand?

From a landscape photography point-of-view as the season deepens and the shadows with it we [photographers only I suspect] enjoy the onset of mist, fog and low tangental lighting. "Mood" in other words.

Reflections on the Clutha River...


Meg Hut near the river of the same name that becomes The Roaring Meg where it joins the Kawarau Gorge near Queenstown...


Looking up the Matukituki Valley towards Mt Aspiring...


An ancient landslip highlighted by low lighting in the Meg River area...


Meg Hut again...


Diamond Lake from the track to Rocky Top between the Matukituki Valley and the Matatapu Valley,

I've never seen one of these before, but I love the colour...


In autumn and early winter Lake Wanaka becomes quite moody...

A week with a few differences!

Every week I take a couple of large water bottles down-town and fill them with very pure public spring water from near Bullock Creek. I prefer to do this very early in the morning, and it's not a bad idea to take my camera for any landscape photography that may present itself by this corner of Lake Wanaka.

This sunrise was one of the most spectacular I've ever seen. Similar views were apparentlyexperienced in Queenstown and Dunedin...


Next on the agenda on the above Friday morning was to say goodbye to Dougal, as he headed off for his first year at University in Dunedin. Despite the obvious changes for myself, I'm quite excited as it'll be the "makings" of him...


Then after the weekend I had a wee contract job teaching river crossing techniques to DOC staff/friends based around Glenorchy.

Here my good friend Stu starts the practical sessions on the bank of the mildly flooded Rees river...


By the end of Monday the weather was warmer, but the river was coming up as we trained, and getting more raw by the hour. Some sun on our departure was most welcome for this shot...


It was good to be off the islands we crossed to, and head home to Wanaka leaving the wild little Rees to carry on what it's been doing for thousands of years. The sediment from Muddy Creek was making it like soup too - very interesting.

Aerial landscape photography, or what a lot of mountains in New Zealand

The end of this work week has been a little significant, and Friday will be a day to remember: I had two back teeth removed, after struggling for nearly a year to overcome a pocket of infection.

A few hours afterwards I was really chuffed to find myself flying around parts of Fiordland National Park.

Mitre Peak in Milford Sound once again evoked strong reactions in me, and is probably the most photographed mountain in New Zealand, so maybe I'm not alone in these feelings...


I once had a 17 day tramping / climbing trip in this locality, and it was memorable for two facts: we were fortunate to climb one of the remote mountains near this photo, and we only had 10 days food...

Landscape photography takes on a whole other perspective, with accompanying issues, when done from a plane or helicopter. Things like struts, rotor blades, and perspex windows make for challenges and reflections, so one answer is to take lots of images, then modify a select few in PhotoShop.

Cruise boats on Milford Sound...

This wonderful journey took me back, as I've walked a few of the valleys, passes and peaks we flew around and over. But that's another story.

And to finish on a note of just how diverse our New Zealand landscape is, this is the more unseen backside of Roys Peak, Wanaka...

A great day out on SAR training

The story this week is similar to one of a year or more ago: a local Search and Rescue training day on 4wd drive preparedness and deployment in typical and unique South Island New Zealand high country braided river bed terrain. A great day out with friends it was too!

This year a new Police 4wd was initiated into the training day. To me it seemed incongruous to see what is a common sight on our roads in this environment, but it's really such a good idea that the need has been recognised and resources committed...

Local farmer Mike on the left, whose life and livelihood integrates crossing the Makarora river on a daily basis discusses the line with my neighbour PC Mike [in orange] and our group...


After a deep immersion we examine where water got into which parts of the engine area, and where to watch and seal off so the vehicle stays functional [and intact!]


Since farmer Mike, apart from being a fundamental corner stone of our group, has a farm to run we took time to allow him and his dogs to muster some cattle...


They were a docile bunch, and the dogs had to work very hard to get them onto better food uphill...


Lunch just up the hill from the cattle. Head of Lake Wanaka beyond...


Looking down at the Nottingly River. Sadly John Sarginson a legendary run-holder of Mt Albert Station drowned in this creek. You can see a hut near by the large trees in this photo, and towards the right back from the lake by a poplar is where the original Mt Albert Station homestead used to be prior to being abandoned and subsequently burning down [1930 I think]...


Above mentioned hut... so awkward and remote to get to it's sometimes thought to be mythical


We travelled down the lake shore even further to an even more legendary, but seldom visited sheltered cove on Lake Wanaka to the site of an old wharf. By my calculations it's been 25 years since I've been here, and on that occasion with one close friend we were focused on getting to the East Matukitul valley on a 4 day tramping and mountaineering adventure. So this visit was very special to me, and that I had time to absorb this amazing spot and it's history. Sure you could get here by boat, but few do as there are no launching areas nearby despite the Haast/Wanaka highway just being across the lake. To have driven here by 4wd was rather unique as well...






The training continued though and we tested a new winch...




Mike poses by his Cruiser...


We head carefully home driving with the current rather than against it. These lighter vehicles tend to want to float too, so just like on foot, it's critical to go with the flow...


I made this shot out of the Land Cruiser's window! The Makarora is one big river...


Mountains and shadows [the upper fuzzy profile of ridges is the shadow caused by the setting sun highlighting the mountains behind the "real" looking ones, and the shadow is in essence projected onto the low cloud we suffered all day]

... and "yes" dear readers, the new camera is wonderful. I can't believe how the technology keeps improving so dramatically. Mind you learning all it's features may take me months!

A mixed week of different environments

Looking at the choices of photos to post here today it seems I've been about a bit including a trip to Southland that was work and friend related, yet I seem to have made what I've made while walking and not driving.

With less rainfall of late and more precipitation falling as snow the lake is dropping after the highs of a few weeks back...


Last week's south east storm sure drifted things in at the Snow Farm cross country skiing area...




Diamond Lake track is always worth a wander on a dull winter's day. No sign of ice though for skating...


A few of you are aware I've been kitting myself out with a new camera. The top most shot was made with it, and I'm really pleased with how it's shaping up. I always go for compacts figuring that the best camera is always the one I have with me. I'm pleased to say that now the output quality of such cameras has come of age. Learning to drive it fully though, will engage me for sometime!

Facing the Milky Way and myself

Sometimes on reflection I find I hold an idea or a concept for many years, then one day without much thought at all I act on it.

I decided one Monday morning recently to pack bivy gear and sleep out/see the sunrise from the top of the locally dominant Roys Peak [just across Roys Bay, which is the main bay and beach by the town centre of Wanaka]. I wanted also to descend east from the top and go over Mt Alpha and down into the Cardrona Valley to get home.

To begin the trip by walking up the normal tourist route I got dropped off mid afternoon [wishing to avoid the heat and conserve water].

The tramp up was uneventful. I did meet the last of the day trippers coming down but few were talkative. However the view compensated...


I did the last hour or two in the dark, and as I approached the top I contemplated whether to carry on onto the unknown ground, however I decided not to. So having found a flat area I dropped to my knees immediately striping off damp clothes that were next to my skin, while stuffing cold cuts of meat into my mouth so I'd be in the best possible shape to weather what was already a very cold night, followed by a biggish day.

I cooked my meal from the shelter of my bivy bag, and contemplated that trips this time of year require many hours in the sleeping bag to simply keep warm while waiting for daylight. And thus began a 12 hr. night.

I lay for many hours looking straight up at the Milky Way, with the Southern Cross almost directly overhead. It looked much darker than this shot from teara.govt.nz. The sheer numbers of stars is boggling, but what is incomprehensible to me is the space, the void, that they populate. I defy anyone to be anything but humble in it's presence...


Part of me felt very alone and even a little scared - the effect of staring into the heavens in the gaps between what could barely be described as sleep, made me wonder if the nothingness that is everything, was now the norm., and I'd never see or feel our sun again. The concept of the infinity above me made our daily view of the world seem totally insignificant.

Most times in a bivy I'd poke as little of myself out of my sleeping bag and make a brew, but not this morning. From 5 am onwards was something to be simply endured, and at first light I crammed all in my bag, and quickly made this blurry shot from the summit and headed east...


Sunrise minutes away...


At last some sun...


The first 10 minutes found me descending down a much steeper slope than I'd bargained for on frozen ground, that was as hard as the hobs... Sure I was stiff and cold, but I was awake enough to realise that I'd glossed over what may lie ahead. Namely all those rocks in the far distance that make up Mt Alpha...


This view down Waterfall Creek fascinated me, and I marvelled that while I was feeling apprensively alive, the everyday world down there had not quiet woken up yet...


The ridge was getting to feel decidedly lonely and alpine in nature - this had not been part of my expectations, especially it came as a shock being so close to town! A cold wind at my back was putting me off making a brew and breakfast too, but my not doing it may have had more to do with now being impatient and a little apprehensive to perhaps dig into myself for the goods to deal with whatever difficulties lay ahead...


Now in amongst the bluffs with my ever enduring companion, the route was about to unfold for us - it was to be on the totally unwelcoming shady aspects of Mt Alpha. The ground was rock-solid, but I was thankful there was no powder snow underfoot...


In the midst of the bluffs, there were a couple of sketchy spots, one in particular involved a careful few steps across a gully that feed straight onto some nasty slabs - one of those places best dealt with by taking a deep breath, honouring the presence of a drop-off but putting it aside, then employing decisiveness so that should the footing be misjudged momentum would save the day.

When all said and done though, what was really faced was ourselves, and the view in there of Mt Aspiring far away on the left, and the closer Roys Peak to the right was worth a little minor digging into the inner resources...


The self perceived difficulties and doubts are left behind as I reached easy ground and took my first sit-down breather and looked back...


A tele shot of the big A, Mt Aspiring...


A rock cairn and a plastic bird mark the entry of the descent for souls coming in the other direction...


The Clutha Valley in the distance...


My descent is looking easy as it curves south into the Cardrona Valley...


Looking back Aspiring is neatly framed by Mt Alpha and Roys Peak...


Still a long way to go - it's 10.30 and I finally brew up and breakfast using the last of the 4 lts of water I budgeted for the alpine flavoured section...


Unexpectedly the surroundings became quite interesting - this seeming ancient termination of a plateau with it's deeply incised gullies drops down into the head of Spotts Creek, and little did I realise that soon I'd be down there as well...


And down in the head of Spotts Creek... well the route was on a very dilapidated and steep 4wd track that had it's share of annoying vegetation, turns in directions away from where I wanted to be, and washouts with long un-called for grinds up hills. Somehow the urge to make photos dropped away from me, and besides my ride was waiting for me at 2 pm - it was time to turn up the speed!

Next day it was all but a wonderful memory as I caught up with Tigor for coffee and a muffin at Soul Food...


notes: The route for this trip is marked with poles. Mt. runners sometimes do it in short order much faster than my own ramblings. Trampers, the few I've spoken with comment it's a long way and don't seem to like it's drawn out nature. My total time travelling with photos and not inc. eating was 10.5 hours

One thing for sure is, like the DOC warning signs at both ends say: it's exposed to the weather [1500-1640 mts above sea level]. Personally should snow be lying in shady aspects of Mt Alpha that too would be a significant and time consuming hazard to be turned into a difficulty by applying technique.