There are many beautiful peaceful places in New Zealand, that are so easy to get to even though (mostly) they are a little off ‘the beaten track’. In Recent Images (updated March 2014) I have captured some of these places, and talk about them below.
Lindis Pass – this pass is on the road (sealed all the way) from Wanaka or Cromwell through to the McKenzie country and Mt Cook/Lake Tekapo (State Highway 8). The hills around Lindis Pass are convoluted and run together down into the valley below. The early dawn sun creates the shadows and light that makes these huge hills so impressive – and the beauty of it all is that you can experience this from just a few meters off the main road! You just have to be there early…
Dart River and other places north of Glenorchy – the Dart River leads up into the Southern Alps (like so many others in this region). Recent Images has shots of the Dart River, accessible via sealed road all the way to the bridge; and sitting by the river at sunrise it’s possible to see the Sourthern Alps relfected in the still sidewaters of the main river. Diamond Lake (on the Rees river valley side toward the locality of Paradise) is accessible via shingle road and a short fishermans track – but again, the views are magnificent (there really is no other word!). Chances are you will be the only person there. Also, near Lake Sylvan the southern beech forests and the ancient glacial boulders make for good photography…
Ahuriri Valley – this sparsely populated and remote valley can be reached via a good condition shingle road off the main Lindis Pass/McKenzie basin road (SH 8). It is not well travelled (a few fishermen mainly) and has the feeling of a vast, open, empty place.
Milford Sound – easy to get to but you MUST arrive before the tourists in their buses! This works well anyway as the early morning, with the mist swirling around those majestic peaks rising up out of the fiord, is easily the best time (but carry your sandfly repellent!). I had one of those ‘nightmare’ photography experiences when, all set up, a cruise ship emerged out of the mist – so (I rarely do this) the image you see in Recent Images has had the cruise ship ‘photoshopped’ out. I was not pleased having got up at 5am to get there…