I took this back over a year ago in New Zealand. It was pretty frosty before the sun came up and so when it did we all started peeling off the layers. Nevertheless, getting here early was epic and this moment as the sun rose over the Remarkable mountain range epitomized the natural beauty of the area. Now, I just have to figure out when I’m going back.
Queenstown River Dock
On a rainy day I walked around the Frankton Arm of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown. This was in Autumn so the leaves were changing. At the higher elevation it was snowing and this location is at the foot of the Remarkables mountain range. So while it rained here, at higher elevations it snowed such that as the clouds cleared we were treated to pristine snow capped mountains. All in all it was a beautiful introduction to a beautiful country.
Under The Tree
Two children playing under a well known tree along the shore of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand. Actually, I don’t know if the tree is well known, but its my story so I’m sticking with it. I also imagine the tree is quite happy having children play under it and climb its branches. One of those things I can only imagine but never really know for sure.
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Frankton Arm of Wakatipu
When I first arrived in New Zealand I was a little overwhelmed by the beauty and landscapes. But it didn’t take long for me to snap out of it and start taking pictures of my immediate surrounds, like this one from right in front of our hotel in Frankton. Frankton is a little village just outside of Queenstown proper where the airport is located at the foot of the Remarkables mountain range. It had just rained and if you look closely you can see the snow on the mountains over Queenstown. Anyway, this was taken in autumn just before winter in the southern hemisphere so the trees still had color, but now I imagine this scene looks very different as New Zealand enters summer.
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Sundown Across the Field
This was taken from Bendemeer which is a residential area just outside of Queenstown, New Zealand. I’ve posted several pictures from here, I was with a group that had a couple of hours to walk around before sundown. New Zealand has no snakes or predators to speak of so for all intents and purposes you could just lay down here in this grass and take a nap. That’s such a cool idea, one I’d not try here in Florida unless I was on the beach. But then, that’s just part of the magic of this land across the sea.
First Morning
On my first morning in New Zealand we were something like eight hours out of sync and so waking up early was pretty easy. I went outside before dawn and was rewarded with this. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful sunrises and sunsets in Florida and this rated way up there on the awesome scale. Maybe it was just a bit of luck but it felt supernatural. And supernatural magic seemed to follow us each day, it’s hard to explain but while we were there it seemed very real. That is one trip you should put on your bucket list. I’m putting on my redo list.
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Five Trees
This is another shot from Bendemeer which is between Queenstown and Arrowtown in New Zealand. I only had a couple of hours here but the landscape was such that there were compositions at every turn, I’m still finding shots that I took on this day. Lord knows I must’ve taken hundreds in that short time. It felt like an Easter Egg hunt, running from place to place trying to capture as many prizes as possible. Is it any wonder there are so many artists (photographic or otherwise) from New Zealand? You can’t help but be inspired by the natural beauty all around.
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Snow Capped Remarkables
The second day after I arrived in New Zealand it rained in Queenstown. It lasted for about a day and the clouds were thick so visibility was poor. Once the rain stopped and the clouds moved out we were left with a spectacular view of the Remarkables which bordered us on one side. They get their name from the fact that they extend directly north and south which is rather unusual. To get this shot, I stood on a bridge above some rapids on the river and every now and then a speed boat would zoom by over the rapids to the delight of the paying passengers. Looked like a lot of fun.
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Queenstown Gardens Sunrise
This is a little section of town known as Queenstown Gardens. It really is a special place, especially if you can get there in the morning when its quiet and the sun cast long shadows. Of course autumn has a way of painting the landscape vibrant so everything is enhanced for a few short weeks. I felt lucky to be here with so much to see and absorb, probably overload for my brain, but at least with the photos to remind me I can drink it in little sips whenever I want. Ah, New Zealand.
Morning Glow
The glow of the mountain tops as the sun rises over Queenstown. I was on a mountain one morning concentrating on getting everything in focus and I goofed, the background got blurred. I later learned about hyper-focal distance which is a combination of aperture, lens size and distance to ensure everything is in focus. It’s a complicated calculation but luckily there is an app for that. On second thought, I like the effect of the blur and I’ll work on my hyper-focal distance calculation another day. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.