New Zealand | An Ongoing Pictorial

[huckbucket]

Totally agree. I revisit this thread once and a while just to smile.

[Fuzz]

It's been a while since I checked this.... but holy shit. There are some abso-fucking-lutely outstanding images here. Great work.

Totally agree. I revisit this thread once and a while just to smile.

Thanks. It's a lot easier when the landscape is so obligingly pretty.

[smmokan]

You're making it tough to stay away.... NZ is definitely at the top of my list for places to visit soon.

[philth]

Wow..I lived in NZ for a year. Dated a kiwi for a long time. Relationship…not so good ( nice girl though ). New Zealand on the other hand…one of the best experiences of my life. Your pics are bringing back some great memories. Can't believe I just found this thread. Nice work.

[Doughnuts01]

wow! and thank you

[Fuzz]

You're making it tough to stay away.... NZ is definitely at the top of my list for places to visit soon.

It is a bit hard to get to, but that also means very little crowds.

Wow..I lived in NZ for a year. Dated a kiwi for a long time. Relationship…not so good ( nice girl though ). New Zealand on the other hand…one of the best experiences of my life. Your pics are bringing back some great memories. Can't believe I just found this thread. Nice work.

It feels quite surreal living here at times. Everything feels so westernized, but then you realize you're at the edge of the world (so to speak) and so far from everything else.

wow! and thank you

Thanks.

Had a free weekend and drove down to Aoraki/Mount Cook (3 hours away) with a friend for some photography. It was an exhausting weekend, but the weather was good.

161. The drive to Aoraki takes you past Lake Pukaki. The views along here are jaw-dropping, not just for the peaks in the background, but also for the colour of the water. The almost-neon colour is due to "rock flour", ground up by the glaciers.

Aoraki blue by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

162. We caught sight of a lavender field on the way, so had to stop and take some pictures.

Lavender by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

163. As you get closer, Aoraki looms unmistakably higher than anything else.

Aoraki/Mount Cook by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

164. The landscape is quite dramatic -- the valley is very flat, and then the mountains rear up almost vertically.

Road to Aoraki by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

165. We got there just in time to catch sunset from the village.

Fading light by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

166. The next morning, we woke up to a 4am alarm and set off on a 5km hike through Hooker Valley in order to catch sunrise over Aoraki at Hooker Lake (the terminus of Hooker Glacier). It was still completely dark when we set off, and walking under the brilliantly bright stars was magical. We got to the lake just in time to choose our spot and wait for the sun to strike.

First light by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

167. Panorama of Hooker Lake. Unfortunately, this being summer (and a very hot one so far), there were not ice chunks floating near the shore. So no fantastic crystalline foreground objects.

First light by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

168. With the sun up, we could shoot some of the trail (or track as they call them here) on our way back.

Hooker Valley by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

169. This is a shelter about 2/3rds of the way in.

Hooker Valley by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

170. Later that same morning we hiked to Tasman Lake. That piece of ice on the left broke off quite recently (like in the past week or two).

Tasman Lake by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

171. And speaking of that piece of ice, to get a sense of the scale, here are some kayakers next to it.

Tasman Glacier remnants by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

172. We saved the hardest hike for the last. Sealy Tarns is a ~2,000-ft hike almost straight up the mountain. Not kidding about the straight up part, since it is basically 2,200 steps built into the hillside. Given the already long and tiring day we'd had, cramps unfortunately forced us to abandon the hike. Not before we got some nice views though. Just means we'll have to come back to finish it some time. The view of looking up Hooker Valley is fantastic, with Mueller Lake/Glacier in the foreground, and Aoraki and Hooker Lake/Glacier in the back.

Hooker Valley by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

[GBB]

This thread is unreal. Thanks for keeping this thread updated.

[Natedogg]

A few impressions of NZ so far...
- NZ seems to be a mix of Iowa (the farmlands) and Switzerland (the mountains rising straight up from the ground).

So much variety in such a small space.

I was gonna say, I think you missed some of the variety in your first quote. Sounds like you found the rest of it during your time there. I always tell people the same exact thing as you say in your second quote--the South Island is like taking every environment/biome in North America and squeezing it into New England. So amazing. Your pics do it justice--they are stunning! Please keep it going!

Did you find Cave Stream? Near Castle Hill?

[smmokan]

I really dig #169.

[Fuzz]

the South Island is like taking every environment/biome in North America and squeezing it into New England.

Yes, that's what I tell people. Except for deserts I think? Haven't found any deserts yet.

Did you find Cave Stream? Near Castle Hill?

Have heard of it from a friend, but haven't made it up yet -- was waiting for warm weather (on suggestion of said friend). Now that it is summer, might make a trip up there.

I really dig #169.

Thanks. It is a very popular trail, but not busy at all that early in the morning. So got the nice serene landscape to ourselves.

[Fuzz]

Lots of stuff going on in the summer here.

173. The Kite Festival is big here. Peter Lynn, a kitemaker who makes the largest kites in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records), is based here in town, so he always brings out some big ones. The big ones were about 100 feet long. I loved this one the best -- the Pegasus (measuring at about 40 feet long) -- it looked very life-like, the way it twisted and turned in the wind.

Ashburton Kite Festival by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

174. Next up was Waitangi Day, celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and the Maori. It is a public holiday in NZ and the weekend is filled with events. Among the several held here, one was a Fly-In, where (small/light) airplanes/gyrocopters fly in and out of the local "airport" (more like a grass strip). While it was nothing like the airshows in the US, it was still quite cool to walk right up to the two or three dozen aircrafts and peek into them. Very low-key affair -- the airplanes would taxi next to and across the pedestrian paths to get to/from the runways.

Waitangi Day Fly-In | Ashburton by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

175. It had been a while since I'd gone out for some night shots, but the roadscape MPC made me go out and shoot an image I'd had in mind for a while. This place is about a 15-minute drive outside the town limits, among the farms, and about 10 minutes from the Pacific. Pulled over to the side and set up my tripod in the middle of the road.

Stellar highway by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

176. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the awesome night skies here.

Power to infinity by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

177. One scene I wanted to shoot was of the rounded hay bales. I'd seen some at this one farm, but when I returned a few days later with my camera, they were all gone. I had to make do with the farm irrigators going.

Evening sprinkle by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

178. But a few days later I did manage to find my hay bales.

Morning on the farm by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

[Fuzz]

179. Next up, we went to Oamaru for a weekend getaway. The famous Moeraki Boulders are nearby. A bunch of boulders on a beach sounds kind of boring, but they are anything but. They are almost perfectly spherical, ranging from the size of a basketball or 5 or 6 feet across. They are ancient, with the large ones about 5 million years old. They are very intriguing. Some of them are so smooth.

Moeraki Boulders by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

180. The big ones are impressive.

Moeraki Boulders by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

181. A lot of them very intricate patterns and designs.

Exploring Moeraki Boulders by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

182. The next morning brought home to me the random nature of photography. I had planned to shoot the boulders at sunrise. When I woke up at 6am, it was completely overcast and raining. I still decided to make the 30-minute drive to the beach. And boy was I glad I did. The eastern sky had some gaps through which the sunlight shone through. And the boulders were out of this world. The calcite crystals growing in the cracks simply glowed in the light. Completely surreal. In order to keep my camera from being knocked over by the waves, I had to stand in the water, with the waves coming up over my knees. But it was worth it.

Break upon this fortress like water upon rock by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

183. Oamaru is also home to Steampunk HQ, a gallery of everything steampunk. Unfortunately, we had to leave town before it opened in the morning, but the exhibits they had outside were pretty cool.

Steampunk HQ by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

184. Back at home, I got an alert on my phone one evening that a solar storm had been noticed and there was a high probability of aurora. I packed and went out to the beach. Also took my telescope out for some viewing while waiting for the aurora.

To the stars by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

185. One of my rare selfies! Seeing the Tarantula Nebula, a stellar nursery in another galaxy (the Large Magellanic Cloud) was an absolute treat.

To the stars by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

186. Eventually, the aurora showed up. It was too faint to see with the naked eye, but as I was shooting, I noticed a purple glow on the camera back. I quickly shot off more shots to try and capture as many as I could. Out of the 50 or so frames that I shot then, only about 4 or 5 of them had good/strong enough aurora.

Aurora Australis by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

187. The weather at this time of year is quite variable. Hot one day, cold and wet the next. So it proved, as I woke up to heavy fog one morning. After dropping off my son at school, I headed to the local park. In NZ, every town has a big central public park, called a domain. Ours is quite large, with large trees and many tree- and flower-lined paths.

Ashburton in the fog by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

188. Morning fog

Ashburton in the fog by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

189. Finally, we come to yesterday. I'd planned to go shoot at a pier with some friends. When we left town at 5am, it was pouring rain. We were not very hopeful of good photographic opportunities, but my Moeraki Boulders experience led me to be cautiously optimistic. And so it proved, as we arrived at New Brighton Pier with a lightening eastern sky. There was a slight hint of colour through the clouds.

Cloudy with a chance of radiance by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

190. Until finally the sun shot through the clouds for a brief spell.

Cloudy with a chance of radiance by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

191. We were not the only ones out so early. Given the high waves, lots of surfers were out too.

Morning surf by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

192. There were also some rowers from the local club practicing their moves.

Kiwi Five-O by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

193. When we came back home, we noticed a vintage car show going on at the domain. Naturally, we had to stop. It was a show specializing in American cars. For some reason, vintage American cars (including muscle cars from the 60's and 70's) are very popular in NZ. Lots of Fords and Chevys.

Ashburton car show by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

194. This was a really cool custom steampunk car. Everything about this car was steampunkish. Very cool.

Ashburton car show by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

195. All the cars were in superb condition, obviously meticulously cared for by the owners.

Ashburton car show by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

[Lonnie]

182. The next morning brought home to me the random nature of photography. I had planned to shoot the boulders at sunrise. When I woke up at 6am, it was completely overcast and raining. I still decided to make the 30-minute drive to the beach. And boy was I glad I did. The eastern sky had some gaps through which the sunlight shone through. And the boulders were out of this world. The calcite crystals growing in the cracks simply glowed in the light. Completely surreal. In order to keep my camera from being knocked over by the waves, I had to stand in the water, with the waves coming up over my knees. But it was worth it.

Break upon this fortress like water upon rock by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

I've studied photo locations like this from all over the world. This could be the very best picture I've ever seen of the Moeraki Boulders. Period.

[::: :::]

fuzz, that is some ridiculous good work

[From_the_NEK]

I've studied photo locations like this from all over the world. This could be the very best picture I've ever seen of the Moeraki Boulders. Period.

Agreed 100%. That looks like it could be from a different planet. I bet you could easily get that published.

[Fuzz]

I've studied photo locations like this from all over the world. This could be the very best picture I've ever seen of the Moeraki Boulders. Period.

fuzz, that is some ridiculous good work

Agreed 100%. That looks like it could be from a different planet. I bet you could easily get that published.

Thanks, guys. I've really been lucking out with the weather recently. I could spend years visiting most of these places over and over again to capture them in different moods.

[supermodel159]

SOLID shoots Fuzz. Impressed.

[shroom]

this is out of control

[Name Redacted]

I keep forgetting about this thread then coming back to it. Nice work! That pic of the boulders should be in a gallery.

This thread reminds me of how much I missed when I was down there. Can't wait to return someday.

[Edgnar]

The boulders shot, #182 is the coolest photo I have seen in a long time. Nice work Fuzz!

[BaNosser]

500px

[Fuzz]

SOLID shoots Fuzz. Impressed.

Thanks.

this is out of control

I'll take that as a compliment! :-)

I keep forgetting about this thread then coming back to it. Nice work! That pic of the boulders should be in a gallery.

This thread reminds me of how much I missed when I was down there. Can't wait to return someday.

Thanks. Got very lucky with the conditions on the boulders. It's hard to take a bad picture in NZ, at least on the South Island.

The boulders shot, #182 is the coolest photo I have seen in a long time. Nice work Fuzz!

Thanks.

500px

Yup, that's me.

[BaNosser]

looking forward to more

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

This honestly is the best thread on TGR - love coming back in here every month or so. Fuzz - you are an amazing photographer and the landscape in NZ is unreal. Keep them coming.

[Gerome]

This honestly is the best thread on TGR - love coming back in here every month or so. Fuzz - you are an amazing photographer and the landscape in NZ is unreal. Keep them coming.

So true! This thread makes me want to return to N-Zed soon! The photo of New Brighton Pier reminds me of the night the university surf club set flood lights up on the pier so that we could night surf. There was a rock band playing on the pier that night as well.