Light on the Kirkliston Range – Buy
Tucked away in the Waimate District is the Hakataramea Valley which sits at the foot of the Kirkliston Range. If you like hiking and adventuring into the wilderness there is a walk up to Pearson Hut. A basic four-bunk hut, getting to Pearsons Hut requires a nearly 3 hour, 6 kilometer walk up to an elevation of 1176m.
Tautuku beach at sunrise – Buy
There really is something rather special about having a spectacular beach all to yourself at sunrise. While I was staying in the Catlins, one morning I headed out early to Tautuku Beach and spent the hours pre and post sunrise wandering up and down the beach which has a truly wild feel about it.
Butchers Dam In Alexandra – Buy
Despite having driven through the Central Otago township of Alexandra many times, it’s not a place I had really spent any great length of time in, since my childhood. So, with a few days spare during the winter months, I decided to base myself at a local hotel and set about exploring the area. Over the preceding days I explored numerous walking tracks through the hills, found disused cemeteries and visited dams in relative isolation.
Fenceline at dawn – Buy
I used to spend a lot of time driving New Zealand roads at dawn. Well, the same road lots of times to be precise. It’s such a special time of day when the light is doing interesting things. Some days I would see scenes that would say something to me, other days I wouldn’t. The scenes, themes and ideas that I enjoyed the most, always had some form of human element to them. Like this fenceline for example.
Lake Wakatipu – Buy
Here’s an interesting fact for you, Lake Wakatipu is so deep that while the surface of the lake is 310 meters above sea level, at its deepest point it is below sea level with a maximum depth of 380 meters.
Local Māori tell a legend about the lake involving two star-crossed lovers called Matakauri and Manata. One night, Manata was kidnapped by a giant and cruel taniwha named Matau. Manata’s father was so distraught about losing his daughter, he declared that any warrior that was able to rescue her, could have her hand in marriage. Matakauri decided to accept the challenge and successfully rescued Manata as the taniwha lay sleeping.
After the wedding, Matakauri feared the taniwha would return and decided to deal with Matau once and for all. So, one night he crept out and set fire to Matau to ensure he would never steal Manata again. As Matau’s body melted it created a deep ‘S’ trough in the ground which then filled with rainwater and created Lake Wakatipu.
Flag Swamp Dawn – Buy
At a place near Flagswamp, somewhere between Waikouaiti and Palmerston on State Highway 1, I spotted a line of trees on the horizon. At the time, it just so happened that the sun was setting the surrounding fields all a glow.
The Nuggets – Buy
When Alan Martin lost his job in 1989 due to technological advancement, he had the honor of being one of the last Lighthouse Keepers employed in the country. So, after the Nugget Point lighthouse became automated in 1989, and Mr Martin was no longer needed, it brought to an end the tradition of lighthouse keeping at ‘The Nuggets.’ A tradition that dated back 119 years to 1870
I had been in Arrowtown for a total of 15 minutes before our hosts had announced they were walking up Tobins Track. Not sure what exactly Tobins Track was, I was told it would take about 30 minutes of steady walking up a hill to a lookout that gave views looking out over the entire Wakatipu Basin. As the sun was due to set within the next hour or so, I decided, ‘well, why not!’
Kingston – Buy
I had spent the afternoon in the small town of Kingston that sits at one end of Lake Wakatipu. The wind was starting to pick and the daylight was start to change into evening. I took one last walk along the beach before returning to my car and heading back to Queenstown.
Coronet Peak Road – Buy
It must be said that the view from the road up to Coronet Peak ski field is quite incredible. The road starts in the valley that links Queenstown to Arrowtown and twists and turns its way up the side until you reach the ski field. It really is rather astonishing.
St Kilda Beach Sunset – Buy
The day had been all together pleasant and I was finishing it with a walk along the beach. Having parked my car outside a collection of restaurants and bars on the St Clair Esplanade, I had set off along the beach. Now having reached its terminus, I enjoyed the sunset before starting the walk back. A distance of around 3.5 kilometers in the fading light.
Hawkdun Runs Road – Buy
Leaving Oturehua in the Ida Valley, I drove towards St Bathans. All day long I had been wondering, intermittently, just what exactly I would find on one of the backroads called Hawkdun Runs Road.
Butchers Dam – Buy
It was while admiring the lovely sights of Butcher’s Dam that I decided it’s a shame it’s there at all. I’m not opposed to the dam, and the area is very nice. Not only is there a dam and lake to enjoy, but it also contains a historic hut, a multitude of tracks to walk and even a conservation area above it at a place called Flat Top Hill.
However, before the dam was built between 1935 and 1937 during the great depression, the area was filled with all sorts of buildings and structures from the gold mining years of the 1860’s. Once gold was discovered there in 1862, miners from everywhere flocked to the area and a town quickly sprung up. The town included a Hotel, a store, butchers shop and market gardens that were owned by Chinese prospectors.
As I walked along the dam I imagined how wonderful it would be to see the remains of the historic town that would have stretched through the valley and what a shame it is that those remains are lost forever. Still, the lake is very nice!
The Cardrona Hotel – Buy
Leaving Queenstown I headed up the Crown Range, intending to pass through the Cardrona Valley, eventually aiming to end up in Wanaka. Having passed over the Crown Range, I drove along the Cardrona Valley Road, following the river before coming to the iconic Cardrona Hotel. Not being able to resist photographing the legendary Inn, I pulled into the carpark opposite the hotel, only to discover that a large group of cyclists had gathered directly in front of the building.
The average age of the group must have been in the mid 70’s, and clearly this outing was serious business. They were doing all manner of stretching exercises that were intermixed with lots of pointing and nodding of heads. At one point they all gathered around a bike and looked fascinatingly at the back wheel. Clearly they had just discovered it was round!
They were also heavily dressed in lycra, which was not something the rest of the world wanted to see. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to lycra, it’s just that it shouldn’t be worn in public by certain members of the human race, and this group were most definitely not the right type of people.
All of this fussing over bikes and lycra went on for a good deal of time before the peloton eventually moved off in the direction of the Crown Range Summit and I was left to photograph the old hotel in peace and quiet.
Dawn On Milne Road – Buy
The reason I was there, well I wasn’t too sure. However, I spent the hours pre and post sunrise chasing interesting spots 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 and is a wonderful spot.
Kapiti Island Shoreline – Buy
Some years ago, I had the pleasure to spend a day on Kapiti Island. Being a nature reserve, it lies 5 kilometers off the West Coast of the North Island, at Paraparaumu. Often visited by Maori, before europeans sailors arrived, at one point it was a busy whaling and sheep station that was then turned over to the government and made into a predator-free, bird sanctuary. For over 100 years it has been managed by the New Zealand Government in order to protect its flora and fauna.
Shed at Waipiata– Buy
It wasn’t long after I arrived in Waipiata that I found the disused goods-shed that once belonged to the railway. In fact, I saw it immediately after turning into the town! Waipata’s claim to fame is that there was once both a rabbit processing plant and a tuberculosis sanatorium operating near the town in the early 1900’s. While the processed rabbits were transported to Dunedin via train, people were transported from Dunedin to the sanatorium.
Diamond Lake – Buy
At the head of Lake Wakatipu, I left the township of Glenorchy before crossing the Rees River and passing through an area called Earnslaw. This, then led to a place called Paradise and later the Dart River. On the way, I came across a camping and walking area called Diamond Lake.
Pōwhiri at Te Whare Rūnanga – Buy
The tour group I was part of moved through the treaty grounds until we came to a traditional Maori meeting house called, Te Whare Rūnanga. There, we were part of a pōwhiri (welcome) that began in front of the whare before we moved inside. This was followed by waiata (songs), poi and a traditional haka (war dance).
Whare Maumahara – Buy
In the Treaty grounds at Waitangi, I found the Te Rau Aroha Museum. Officially opened on the 5th February, 2020 the Museum aims to foster the understanding and struggle by Māori Battalion soldiers for equality as citizens in their own country. Now, there aren’t many places that I would call humbling, however the Te Rau Aroha Museum is one of them. During World War II the name Te Rau Aroha was given to a mobile canteen truck, which was sent from New Zealand to Māori Battalion soldiers who served on the battlefields overseas. Once near the front, the canteen became a place for soldiers to gather and hear the latest news broadcasts, while enjoying sweet treats from home. When a name had to be chosen for the new museum in the Treaty Grounds, naming it after the treasured Te Rau Aroha canteen truck seemed a logical choice.
Among the galleries inside the Museum, one is a Whare Maumahara or Memorial Gallery which is designed for visitors, descendants and whānau. The feature within the Memorial is a massive and extremely impressive large-scale wooden artform made up of thousands of pieces of beech kauri that fills the room. Surrounding this on all four walls are thousands of names of men who served in the Māori Pioneer Battalion and the 28 Māori Battalion from both World Wars. Feeling humbled, I left the museum and headed for an extremely large waka.
Schoolhouse at Blackstone Hill – Buy
I was on my way to Oturehua in the Ida Valley. Having spent the afternoon exploring back-country roads, trying to get lost and generally avoiding inconvenient accidents like getting a flat-tyre, I stopped at Blackstone Hill Cemetery. While I was there admiring a rather large storm cloud approaching in the distance, I spotted an isolated building on the hill side. Investigating, I discovered it was the former Blackstone Hill (Hills Creek) school house, built around 1890. At one time, Blackstone Hill was a busy place that included 13 hotels in the town. Today, all that remains are a stone cottage, a cemetery and this school building.
That Wanaka Tree – Buy
I had three days in Wanaka and on one particular evening I decided to join a very large group of people who, like myself, clearly had nothing better to do than to look at a tree growing in water! After getting a compulsory photo, I then decided it was more interesting to watch the people, watching the tree. Some of whom, were extremely excited and animated. By what? Well, I just can’t say!
Paraparaumu Beach and Kapiti Island – Buy
Looking out from Paraparaumu Beach, across to Kapiti Island and the setting sun, I recalled recently reading that back in the 1830’s, whales migrated with their young through the channel between the Island and the shore. It would have been marvellous to see. I also recall reading that the channel provided a sheltered anchorage for ships and several shore-based whaling stations operated near-by, which explains why you don’t see whales in the area any more!
Arrowtown – Buy
I had lunch just as the day in Arrowtown was starting to collect itself. The morning had started with subzero temperatures creating a thick layer of frost over the town and virtually everything in it. Now, several hours later with the sky a clear and brilliant blue and the sun being a welcome source of warmth, I found myself in a delightful cafe having brunch. Actually, I wasn’t as much in the cafe as I was outside in the garden, which was equally as delightful and rather splendid as the sun took hold.
Earlier that morning having been for a walk in the cool morning air, I decided to see what Trip Advisor was advising regarding the local eating establishments while the town defrosted. So, after some toing and froing and a rather lengthy period of indecisiveness, I decided to make my way to a place called Provisions of Arrowtown. There, I found my way to a table in the lovely garden and enjoyed a splendid brunch surrounded by a wonderfully restored cottage that dated back to the 1870’s and the Arrowtown goldrush era.
Having no immediate plans for the rest of the day, apart from vacating my table which was clearly wanted by a number of hungry visitors, I decided to ponder what to do next as I walked the town streets
Glenorchy Mountain Peaks – Buy
A few years back, I stayed a few nights in the tiny South Island town of Glenorchy. One morning, waking up early I snuck out for a walk as dawn was starting to break. I made my way down to the pier at the lakefront and savoured the splendor of the colours that surrounded me. If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to make you feel insignificant, it’s watching the earth wake-up while being encircled in mountain peaks. Only gradually did dawn on me that I was the only one around.
The Boundary Fence – Buy
There’s something quite revealing about standing in an isolated field amongst the tussock with rain clouds passing overhead and snow on the ranges in front of you. It’s either a place you want to leave as quickly as possible, or unpack and stay a little longer. As a cool wind blew my hat off my head, I decided to sit by a boundary fence and hang around for a bit. Besides, I had a flat tyre and needed to unpack the boot!
Lewis Acker’s House – Buy
If you ever go to Stewart Island, here’s a tip. Leave Oban by walking along the coast road of Elgin Terrace and continue into Leask Bay Road until you reach the very end. There you will find the Ackers Point Track Trailhead which takes you down into the remote Harrold Bay. In the Bay you’ll find the earliest stone house on the island, a small cottage that was built by former American whaler Captain Lewis Acker in 1834-5. It really is a delightful place and well worth a visit. I liked it very much.
The Remarkables From Queenstown – Buy
By the time I reached the end of the Queenstown Wharf the sun was already starting to disappear. The afternoon was moving towards early evening and the last patches of sunlight lit up The Remarkables mountain range that dominated the skyline across the bay. The bay itself was already in shadows as were the trees that lined the distant shoreline and it wouldn’t be long before the last of the sunlight was gone. A cool wind started to whip across the lake. It was time to find a place to eat.
Lee Bay In Stewart Island – Buy
On the beach at Lee Bay in Stewart Island, after considerable thought, I came to a single conclusion. I like Stewart Island, and here’s the reason why. Stewart Island has a sum total of around 20 kilometers of roading compared to 245 kilometers of walking tracks. Now, there aren’t many places in the world where you can say that!
The Hokitika Gorge Walk – Buy
Fortunately for me, I had a good friend acting as a tour guide. Our last stop was the wonderful Hokitika Gorge that is tucked away in the Hokitika Scenic Reserve. After a short walk that crossed 2 suspension bridges, we were presented with the most astounding aqua blue water, hidden in the most amazing forest.
View from Tobins Track