Lake Wanaka in the evening – Buy
Last week I shared with you an image I took of the popular ‘That Wanaka Tree’ in Wanaka. This is a different view of it showing some of the crowd that gathers every night. On this occasion the crowd was fairly small with only around two dozen people gathering near it at dusk. That’s a fairly small crowd as the numbers some nights can get extremely large.
The Kirkliston Range – Buy
Morning clouds loom over the Kirkliston range in the Hakataramea Valley. Tucked away in the Waimate District, the Hakataramea Valley sits at the foot Kirkliston range in the South Island of New Zealand.
Lothlorien, realm of the Elves. – Buy
Leaving Glenorchy and heading up past the head of Lake Wakatipu, then along the Glenorchy-Paradise I eventually reached Diamond Lake. From there, I continued on a way until I passed a wonderful beech forest in the Paradise Valley. To fans of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ the forest is also known as Lothlorien, realm of the Elves.
Carving at Te Whare Rūnanga – Buy
When I was visiting Waitangi I went to the treaty grounds which is a very spiritual place. In the Upper Grounds there’s the Treaty House and also a Wharenui called Te Whare Rūnanga, which is a carved Māori meeting house. Inside the Wharenui we were allowed to take photos of all the wonderful carvings which are amazing to see.
Once I was home, and after processing the original image I decided to have a bit of fun with reflections, lines of symmetry and mirror lines to create this finished image.
Lake Wānaka reflection – Buy
The town of Makarora is situated on the Haast Pass Highway between Wānaka and the West Coast. I stayed in Makarora for three days, two nights, and on the last day it snowed heavily. This left all the surrounding mountains covered in thick snow. It also, meant that on the way home it created some stunning scenery along the shores of Lake Wānaka.
Jupiter model on the rail trail – Buy
In the small Central Otago town of Waipiata I found this sculpture of the planet Jupiter. At first it seemed a rather random place to have a sculpture such as this but, I figured it must be there for a reason. Instead, I was much more interested in the unique shape and structure of it and the way it looked against the clear blue sky. I then spent a good 20 minutes photographing it from all sorts of usual angles and distances.
The Hayes family homestead – Buy
The Hayes family homestead and engineering works really is an intriguing place and tribute to the term ‘No 8 wire thinking.’ In fact, an argument can be made for Ernest Hayes to be one of the original backyard Kiwi innovators (even though he was actually English!). Set amongst the rural backdrop of Oturehua in Central Otago, Hayes set-up his home and engineering workshop around 1895 where he invented all manner of agricultural tools, rabbit bait cutters, wind turbines and a patented wire strainer for applying tension to wire on farm fences. Which is still in production to this very day.
Ford in the Inch Valley – Buy
On my way to Ranfurly in the Maniototo, I stopped near the small town of Dunback. I’d been following the line of the Shag River which rises in the Kakanui Mountains and flows all the way to the Pacific Ocean near the town of Palmerston. Along the way, I’d spotted a few promising photo locations and finally decided to stop by a ford in the Inch Valley, only five minutes from Dunback. There, I found the river maintaining some of the flow created by the recent rain.
Tree at sunset in Lake Wanaka – Buy
As much as I grow tired of seeing images of ‘That Wanaka Tree’, I have to admit that it does create a great subject for a photo. With the surroundings of the lake, mountains and big clear skies, it makes a wonderful scene for an image. In fact, if you catch it on a still autumn morning with moody clouds in the sky and mist rising off the lake, or on a calm, summer evening after the sun has set as colours hang around in the sky, it’s really rather magical. Therein lies the problem, it’s a vicious circle really.
Christ Church in Russull (Kororāreka) – Buy
The church on the corner of Church, Robertson and Baker Street in Russell (Kororāreka) was one of the places I wanted to visit while staying in the small town. Not only is it New Zealand’s oldest surviving church however it contains the grave sites of important Māori leaders Tamati Waka Nene, Hannah King and many other names linked to New Zealand’s history. It also has the graves of men from the HMS Hazard who died in the battle of Kororāreka which took place March 1845. What makes the church even more interesting is that as it was at the centre of the conflict between Māori and the British Army, there are bullet holes scattered around the church that remain to this very day.
Thunder Creek Falls– Buy
It started raining some time early in the morning. Now, several hours later having driven through the Haast Pass to the West Coast township of Haast, it seemed to be getting harder. I parked by the Haast Bridge, ate lunch in the car and went for a walk beside the river before starting the drive back to Makarora. On the way, I stopped at Thunder Creek Falls.
The falls are an impressive 28 metres high and the recent heavy rain had left the river level high and the falls heavy with water. By the time I reached the viewing platform for the falls, the rain had gotten harder, heavier, was coming in sideways and for some reason I had only brought an fairly ineffective umbrella.
Matanaka In Waikouaiti – Buy
Having some time to spare, and feeling like a wander, I called in to the old farm buildings at Matanaka. Dating from around 1840, the Matanaka Farm is Otago’s earliest farm and includes some of New Zealand’s oldest surviving farm buildings. When the buildings were first constructed, owner Johnny Jones had the reddish-brown timber buildings built in Australia before they were shipped to his farm and where they were completed. While there were once many more buildings in the area, now, the buildings consist of stables, granary, schoolhouse, and a three-seater privy.
West End Beach – Buy
If you ever find your way to Stewart Island and staying the night in Oban, then the following day you should put some time aside to do the following.
In the morning, from Oban, walk through the village and over the hill to Golden Bay. From there, take a water taxi across Paterson Inlet to Ulva Island, a predator free, wildlife sanctuary. Once you’re at Ulva Island, take the walking track to the West End Beach where you’ll find lots of Weka along with many other bird species and not much else. If you’re lucky, everyone who is walking the island will be off exploring other tracks so I’ll have the whole place to yourself.
When I was there, I was reminded of the Gaelic phrase quietness without loneliness. I knew I wanted to photograph the scene in front of me, I just couldn’t see the finished product. So, I decided to sit and watch until I could see the image I was looking for. 1 minute turned into 2, 2 minutes turned into 10 minutes, 10 minutes turned into 15 minutes when suddenly an idea started forming in my head. Today’s image is the finished result.
Silver Beech Trees In The Catlins – Buy
When I was in Tawanui, near Owaka in The Catlins, I went walking along the Catlins River track. Like everywhere in The Catlins, it’s an amazing place that’s incredibly peaceful and serene. All spots in The Catlins seem that way, they hold a majestic quality that’s hard to describe. While walking along The Catlins River, I passed through an exotic forest that’s filled with all sorts of amazing ferns and silver beech trees that inspired this photo.
Paekākāriki Hill Lookout – Buy
On my way back to Wellington, I made a short detour up Paekakariki Hill to the lookout. The view looking north is quite amazing as you can see out to Kapiti Island and up the western coastline.
To get to the lookout, you need to take Paekakariki Hill Road. Built in 1849 by British Army engineers with road-building gangs, it linked Wellington and Porirua with the beach road to Whanganui. The road was completed in November of that year and remained the main highway north until 1939.
Allans Beach, Hoopers Inlet, Mt Charles and inland to Harbour Cone, – Buy
Once I was back in Dunedin, I went for an exploration on the Otago Peninsula. While wandering the tracks at Sandymount, I must admit to initially being a little disappointed to find that the viewing platforms for both Lover’s Leap and the Chasm had been closed and removed. However, after spending some time on the new section of track and viewing platform which looks northeast over Allans Beach, Hoopers Inlet, Mt Charles and inland to Harbour Cone, I hadto admit, the views are even better!
Lambton Quay In Wellington– Buy
By the time I arrived in Wellington it was later than I had anticipated. On my way from Palmerston North I made a number of stops along the way and while none of them were long in duration, they had all added up to making me quite a bit later than scheduled. After navigating the motorway and the various one way systems that make up Wellington’s city centre I parked near Lambton Quay, one of the main streets that runs nearly the entire length of the CBD.
It was starting to get late, and the place was unusually quiet. I walked for a few blocks and enjoyed the sights and sounds of a city at night, occasionally accompanied by groups of inebriated youths who all spoke in a gibberish sort of slur. I walked a little longer, eventually arriving back at my car whereupon I made the decision to go insearch of my hotel and the hope that the restaurant would still be open, or at least the bar!
Autumn on the Arrow River – Buy
Back in autumn I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Arrowtown. I say fortunate because I wasn’t meant to be there at all. I had planned to spend some time near Christchurch, but my accommodation was unexpectedly cancelled. So, I had to choose an alternative destination and Arrowtown was it. What a joy the town is during autumn when the colour takes hold.
Skull in long grass – Buy
Is it just me or is there something fascinating about old animal skulls? After leaving Butchers Dam, I ventured the short distance up the road to Conroys Dam. An historic gold mining site that was dammed in 1935 for the Last Chance Irrigation Scheme to provide irrigation for orchards on the Conroy and Earnscleaugh flats. Having arrived, I enjoyed a pleasant amble around the conservation area, which is where I spotted an old animal skull in the long grass. An object I found most captivating I must admit. For a moment I considered taking it with me but being stuck by a moment of clarity, I realised it wouldn’t fit on the mantelpiece. A while later, I continued on to Alexandra, skulless, yet knowing my wife would be a little happier with my decision.
Butchers Dam – Buy
Am I alone in thinking that driving New Zealand roads isn’t the majestic, relaxing pastime it once was? All too often the journey is filled with morons with caravans who drive at 20 km/h an hour, idiots in campervans who seem to be permanently lost and Leaf drivers who pull out in front of you and drive like they are at the front of the parade. Then, just as you break free from this challenge to your patience you come across a 10 kilometre stretch of road that is reduced to 30km/h and a single lane, just so 6 guys can fill in a pothole.
Thus it was that I found myself on a stunning Sunday afternoon in mid-January, driving in a long line of traffic through Alexandra’s dry, rocky and dramatic landscape, slowly losing the will to live! By the time I reached a place called Butchers Dam, with 10 kilometres until Alexandra, my sanity couldn’t take it any more, so I called in at Flat Top Hill Picnic and Conservation Area and went for a stroll around the lake.
The Purakaunui Falls – Buy
Heading back to Dunedin, I decided to detour back through the Catlins and stop off at Purakaunui Falls. The falls have long been an iconic image of the Catlins and have appeared on everything from book covers to stamps and can be found south of Owaka, within the Purakaunui Scenic Reserve.
The walk to the falls was short but delightful as the track wound its way through the podocarp and beech forest, accompanied by the Purakaunui River. The falls themselves are an impressive 20 metres high as the river cascades over three tiers of rock before flowing through the Catlins and out into Purakaunui Bay.
Golden Bay in Oban– Buy
If there is one thing I would recommend doing, it’s visiting Stewart Island and staying the night in Oban. While there, you can hike the Rakiura Track, dive with Great White Sharks, visit Ulva Island or get some of the country’s best fish and chips and eat them over looking Halfmoon Bay.
Tautuku Estuary Walkway – Buy
I arrived at the Tautuku Walkway late in the afternoon as the sun was dropping in the sky and the evening was drawing closer. A short 30 minute walk, the track began on an old sawmilling road and changed to a board-walk that led through podocarp forest and out on the estuary flats. I stood and took in the silence before heading back to the car. I was glad I’d stopped.
The Catlins River – Buy
After arriving in Owaka, I continued south on the Southern Scenic Route, State Highway 92. I turned right onto Catlins Valley Road, right onto Morris Saddle Road, then left which eventually brought me to the Tawanui Camping in the Owaka Valley. From there, I found the beginning of a walk along The Catlins River. Something that was a true delight.
Snow on the Haast Pass– Buy
As I once again followed the Haast River along State Highway 6 (the Haast Pass-Makarora Road), it was at a place called Greenstone Creek that I decided that the rain wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. By the time I got to a place called Harris and Glitterburn Creek I noticed the rain seemed to be getting harder and at Roy’s Creek the river levels seemed a lot higher than earlier. Still, I pressed on back to Makarora, past waterfalls that had names such as Depot, Roaring Billy, Thunder, Diana and Fantail before the steep ascent through the top of the Haast Pass. It was then that the rain turned to snow. Not more than three hours earlier the same road had been covered in nothing more than rain. Now, it was covered in snow, thick mountain snow with large snowflakes that were settling quickly on the ground. Just before the summit of the pass I reached several vans that had stopped and at the summit itself, under the trees a gathering of vans and four-wheels drives were celebrating the winter snowfall with a liquid afternoon tea. Not being able to resist, I stopped for a bit and enjoyed the thick, new fallen snow that covered the pass. It almost seemed impossible to believe that this was the same place I’d driven through, earlier in the day. Late in the afternoon as I arrived back in Makarora the valley was surrounded with snow while beyond the mountains the sun was starting to set. It was all rather pretty.
Lake Hawea – Buy
Just before the final drive into Wanaka you arrive at the State Highway 6 turnoff to Lake Hawea, and the Haast Pass which eventually takes you all the way to the West Coast of the South Island. Having left Alexandra earlier that day, and after passing through the towns of Clyde and Cromwell, I had found myself wanting to stretch my legs and had considered stopping off at the National Transport and Toy Museum which is just after the town of Luggate on the way to Wanaka. I was also tempted to call in to Puzzling World, another tourist attraction on the way to Wanaka that features an outdoor maze and multiple rooms filled with optical illusions. Puzzling world was started by Stuart and Jan Landsborough in 1973 when they sold their house and brought a barren piece of land on the outskirts of Wanaka (which had a population of just 800 people at the time) and told everyone they were going to build a lifesize maze made out of wooden planks. Everyone quite rightly thought they were crazy, however before Covid 19 hit in 2020, the maze was drawing 200,000 visitors a year. Which just goes to show that people will happily pay $27.50 to voluntarily get themselves confused and lost!
Resisting the temptation to stop at some of the local tourist attractions, I took the Haast Pass turn off and followed State Highway 6 towards Albert Town Lake Hawea and my final destination of Makarora. It only took a few moments to reach Albert Town. A place that isn’t really a town at all. To me, the name sounds like it should be an historic gold mining town or a settlement fashioned on the American West that is filled with saloon’s that have hitching posts out the front. In fact, it is little more than an oversized housing development that started in farmland to satisfy the need for more accomodation in the area. After Albert Town is Lake Hawea. With a town at the foot of the lake, Hawea is quickly becoming an alternative holiday destination to nearby Wanaka and Queenstown. An ominous sign to anyone who enjoys its tranquillity. The lake itself is fairly impressive as it’s the ninth largest in the country, it is 35 km in length, it covers 141 km² and is 392 metres deep. Which makes it a pretty decent place to visit all things considered. I carried on State Highway 6 which followed the line of the lake, occasionally stopping at viewing points to take in the scenery, eventually reaching the head of the lake where the road passed between the mountains and for a brief time I travelled alongside the head of Lake Wanaka before leaving it behind heading into Makarora.
Little Valley Road – Buy
In the morning I awoke with that feeling of dread that overcomes you the second you first open your eyes and realise the first few moments of the day are going to encompass dealing with your own stupidity. I’d forgotten to leave the heating on and as such my room was like a ice box. The only way to solve this problem was to either brave my way across to the heat pump and set it so the room temperature resembled a Caribbean Island as quickly as possible, or dash straight for the shower and the instant awakening from a blast of hot water.
I braced myself and got up, heading for the shower, stopping only momentarily to flick both the kettle and heat pump on. A short while later, having readied myself for the day which included packing, I headed out into a fine Central Otago morning. The streets were quiet with the only signs of life being parents desperately trying to get their children into the family car for Saturday morning sport. I headed across town and five minutes later I was crossing the Manuherikia River and driving up Little Valley Road into the hills above Alexandra where I would be able to enjoy seeing the Alexandra Clock up close. The clock was installed in 1968 and has been keeping regular time ever since, apart from a brief period in 2020 when someone swung on the arms of the clock during lockdown and it stopped, forcing repairs to be made. To get to the clock there’s a very steep track that can be navigated, something I wasn’t prepared to do on this trip, however you do get to glimpse the clock as you head to the observation deck and lookout in Little Valley. I headed there now and found myself with views that simply are outstanding. As I took in the view in the crisp morning air I noticed most of the activity seemed to be coming from runners heading out of town onto one of the many dirt roads that surround the town. The smoke from chimneys started to drift across the valley and in the distance the traffic heading further inland seemed to already be growing. I suspected most people forget about views such as the one in front me.
The Clutha River at Alexandra – Buy
I spent the night in Alexandra, Central Otago, a small town with a population of 5,500 which is 195 km north-west of Dunedin at the junction of the Clutha and Manuherikia Rivers. Alexandra was founded during the Central Otago gold rush of the 1860s and has steadily grown to be a major junction point for people travelling to popular destinations further inland such as Cromwell, Wanaka and Queenstown. The town is a pleasant place that is always filled with both travellers and locals from the surrounding farms stopping off for refreshments and supplies on their way through which gives it a busy, bustling sort of feel. It also has a clock on the hillside that lights up at night which I rather like. However, since I had left Dunedin late in the day, it was already dark by the time I arrived at my motel. I’d have to wait to see the clock until morning.
East Otago from Puketapu – Buy
This is the remarkable view from the top of Puketapu in Palmerston. Standing nearly 350 metres high, the summit offers stunning 360 degree views out to sea and inland to the Shag Valley. During World War II, local Palmerston town constable Bert Kelly ran up Puketapu every morning in full uniform to watch for enemy ships.
The Hawkdun Range– Buy
The amazing thing about Central Otago is that you can find yourself in some wonderfully isolated areas. On one occasion, having based myself in the Ida Valley, I spent a day driving roads I hadn’t been down before. My rule was simple, where possible I wanted to take turn-offs that would lead me to the unknown.