Mueller Hut Trip

A quick trip down to Aoraki National Park to walk the Mueller Hut track. There and back home to Christchurch in 24 hours.

Above the Clouds

Photos from above the clouds this morning

Tararua Ranges

I went tramping in the Tararua’s over Labour weekend. At the end of day two the cloud sunk into the valley’s and I was treated to some excellent scenes above the clouds.

Wellington Harbour

I haven't been taking many photos lately so I finally set aside some time to go out with the sole intention of taking photos. Living up in Maungaraki we are lucky to get spectacular views of the harbour as we go up and down the hill. Sometimes there is really striking light and colour. It can look very moody. I've tried to take that and run with it to really create something that looks unreal and dreamy. I used long exposures to smooth everything out, and some heavy editing to do the rest.

Paines Ford

I have recently been doing some climbing down at Paines Ford. It was a great week, relaxing, fun, and great climbing.

Down South

I recently had a week of walking down in Otago/Fiordland. I started with the Routeburn Track, completing it in a day. It was good to have the chance to see the view at Harris saddle, having seen only fog when I did it last year. I followed this with the Milford Track, 55km of incredible scenery. After a bit of a break in Queenstown, it was up to Wanaka for Roy's Peak, the instagram classic. I got up at 4am for the walk so I could be there for sunrise, and the view was worth it!

Dolphins

While going for a swim at Tawharanui up near the top of the North Island, I was lucky enough to see some Dolphins playing in the surf (moments after running out to avoid a stingray). I watched for about 30 minutes before I decided to walk back to the car and grab my camera.

Taking these shots was difficult, but a great test for how well I can handle my new 70-200mm lens. The dolphins were a long way away, which made getting the shot sharp, for what would ultimately be a crop, difficult. I had to focus on an area near where I expected the dolphins to jump, and hope it was in focus when they came out of the water. Would be a lot easier to shoot from a boat!

Morning glow

Since my dog, Eddie, has a habit of waking up and barking at around 5.30 in the morning at the moment, I've noticed some interesting light in the lounge. The sun rises over the hills out the front of the house and shines through the doorway, making Eddie look quite striking in the morning light.