Around the Ponds & Lakes- Mackenzie Country

Catch-up

It was a cold calm day at the canals when I decided to walk to the far end of Wairepo Arm to check out the reflections. I set off wrapped up warm, day pack on my back and wearing gumboots due to the soggy ground underfoot (aka Wellington boots for my overseas readers). I should have worn my tramping boots in hindsight but I thought I'd only be going for a short walk.

I followed the fisherman's track along the edge of the pond, I've walked it numerous times when I'm birding but I usually drive the 3kms to the far end when I'm looking for reflection photos because according to Murphy's Law, a breeze will kick in ruffling the smooth water just as I get there if I walk.

Today there's not enough overhead light to give clear reflections but the winter colours of the poplars & willows are nearly as stunning as the autumn colours. Because I'm walking I also disturb the waterfowl resting on the pond edge and they fly or motor off in alarm crashing through the water breaking up any reflections that are there.

I pass a stand of  alder samplings and try some creative blur shots with the bare trunks. This is done 'in camera' not with processing afterwards. To achieve creative blur in your photos slow the shutter speed down (this one is 1/50sec) and then as you push your shutter button, quickly move your camera up and down. Play with settings until you get the desired effect, it's fun to see what you can produce. I enjoy doing this with colourful flower beds too.

I cross over the main highway to Kelland Pond, another body of water with a lot of birdlife that feeds into Wairepo Arm and on to the canals. I'm thinking that it'll be frozen like it was on another visit and it is, but only just.

And funnily enough I find the same ice patterns as before. Ice is attached to the reeds a few inches above the water level. This happens when the demand for electricity increases and the power stations draw off more water; the pond level drops leaving these unusual frozen patterns.

I cross back over the road and as I reach the end of the Arm I can see that it's also starting to freeze over at a stream outlet. I decide to take a look along the dirt track that runs up the otherside of the pond.

It's dark and spooky in here and the swamp that's feeding the frozen stream is also mostly frozen.

I carry on along the track a little way and then decide to walk back to camp on this side of the pond.

I know from a past visit that there are a couple of calm little backwaters tucked into the trees on this side but in the end they too aren't providing me with any good reflections. 

Here's a photo from the previous visit-

By now I realise that wearing my gumboots was a bad idea; after 4kms my feet are starting to ache from slopping about inside with no support. I also know that it's about 6kms to get back to camp from this side as you have to drive/walk up to the power station to cross back over to the camp side of the canal. I put my camera away and press on up the track for another couple of kilometres and then call David up to come and rescue me. It's not long before I see the ute inching it's way around a far corner and then it appears in front of me. A welcome sight for my weary feet.

David stops opposite the camp so I can take a photo from this angle and then we take our time getting back up the track to the power station, it's heavily corrugated and not a nice experience, no wonder not too many vehicles fish on this side of the canal.

David wanted to check out the camp at Lake Benmore while we were at the canals. We've stayed here out of season before and although we had fog for 3 days solid we still enjoyed our time. This time though, it was quite depressing. I think because it is later in winter and very cold. 

David enjoys lake fishing from the dinghy much more than the canals so we decided we'd come back again in early summer when the weather is a little warmer. 

We drove down the road a little further and stopped high above the lake. The colour of the water and the stillness was breathtaking (or maybe that was the cold air).

Further on I spotted this lone willow on a point, of course I had to get a few shots of it...

...and then have a little play processing it later (it's called artistic license).

We hadn't stopped in Lake Tekapo on the way to the canals so while David was fishing I drove back up the road stopping along the way at all my favourite spots.

The beautiful turquoise waters of Lake Pukaki-

Irishman Creek Station's letterbox located on the main highway is a popular subject for passing tourists and photographers to photograph. I think I have a photo of it for every season now including another winter one where it's surrounded by snow.

A visit to Tekapo isn't complete without a short side trip down the Tekapo Canal to one of my favourite locations- Patterson Ponds.

Patterson Ponds are a series of small ponds surrounded by willows and birches which are located in the Tekapo River basin below the canal road and alongside the Tekapo River.

Once again I have photos of the ponds in every season, autumn is probably the most spectacular but in the winter the ponds are frozen and the ice a milky blue.

It is rumoured that large Brown Trout live in the ponds and while we've seen a few small trout swimming about we've never seen the big one.

Freedom camping is allowed beside the ponds and I notice that the road has possibly been graveled and graded (it's still about 2kms long though) and a toilet block installed at the beginning of the ponds, you can see it dead centre in the panoramic photo up above.

I didn't walk down to the ponds this time, just paused on the canal road above. This is looking back over the ponds towards Lake Tekapo with Two Thumb Range in the background.

Finished at the ponds I drove back up the canal road and down to Lake Tekapo where I lasted all of 2 minutes sitting on a bench seat, eating my lunch overlooking the lake. It was bitterly cold!

Next stop is the (in)famous Church of the Good Shepherd which, as is the norm, was swarming with tourists.

It's such a shame that there is now a fence and gates (locked overnight) surrounding the church, although I was pleased to see that the fence had been erected a good distance away from the church...

...so you can still get clean shots of the church if you wait patiently for a break in visitors!

Down below the church a forest of stone cairns (aka rock graffiti) are taking over the foreshore. I suppressed the urge to knock them off their pedestals.

The lake's turquoise blue is very intense in the quieter shallower bays on the east side of the lake.

I drove around to check on the NZMCA Park; one of the reasons we didn't stop here was it was closed for maintenance over winter. Many of the inner circle of large pine trees have been felled, this will open the space up and let in a lot more sunshine.

I stopped back in town to buy a coffee and noticed a lot of black suits and security guards walking around near the new $11 million Dark Sky Project building on the waterfront. The Governor General and Mana Whenua were due to open and bless the building.

They must have heard I was going to be in town, I was also here for the opening of the footbridge by Dame Jenny Shipley in 2015.

On the way home I stopped off at a view point overlooking the freedom camping area on a point that juts out into Lake Pukaki. There were already a few settled in for the night.

With no signs of fish or another hoar frost due anytime soon we decided to carry on south, stopping at the entrance to the Ahuriri Valley on our way. At the far end of the road is where we woke up to -16c and a hoar frost, it's where the photo was taken that's on back of the 5th-wheeler and this is the first time we've come back past since. We'll be coming back in the summer next time. 

Then it was up and over the Lindis Pass and into my favourite province of all, Central Otago (aka Central to locals and wannabe locals) 

Sunrise at the Church

After a busy night shooting the lupins at sunset and then being on a high and not getting to sleep until well after midnight, I decided when I awoke with a start just after 4am, that I might as well get up and going again. Really burn the candle at both ends. I had another shoot on my ‘must do’ list. Lake Tekapo’s Church of the Good Shepherd at sunrise.

But first I took a look outdoors, I do that most mornings early anyway, just in case the most amazing sky is about to appear and I miss it. If it's overcast there's no point in going any further, I might just as well head back to bed (or write another blog), if it’s a clear sparkly sky there's probably no point either. But if there are fluffy patches of clouds, or streaks of the white stuff, then there’s every chance it’s going to be an amazing sunrise (or sunset).

My phone app told me sunrise was at 6:05am so initially I was thinking that as long as I got there by about 5:30am I’d be alright but I’d overlooked how early the ‘blue hour’, a period of twilight before the golden hour of sunrise, begins. Luckily I was ahead of schedule, this photo was taken at 5am.

It is said that the church is the most photographed place in New Zealand and after spending a week in and around the town I can quite believe it is so.

Even at this early hour there were half a dozen photographers lining up to shoot. Although I have to say that I got the jump on them all and was first to arrive. Now why doesn’t that surprise me.

Once the blues and pinks of twilight disappeared the fiery oranges and reds of sunrise lit up the sky.

The clouds reflected the colours beautifully.

Then slowly the colours bled away…(I had to have at least one lupin shot didn’t I)

And the tawny colours of the dry stone and tussocks return to the scene.

Thick grey cloud rolls in from the west and blankets the town. It’s 6:15am when I take this last photo and get ready to leave. Photographers are still arriving to capture the church at ‘sunrise’. They’re way too late for the show.

Blooming Lupins- Lake Tekapo

I've had these lupin (Russell Lupines) photos ready to post for a few days, actually nearly a week, they were taken the day after we arrived at Lake Tekapo. But each day I've shot so many more amazing photos that I kept thinking I'll wait and add some of them to the blog too. But now I have a few hundred (actually over 1000 photos to sort- can you tell I really love the lupins!) 

We're still at the Lake Tekapo NZMCA Park. Most days the wind has been horrendous and we've not wanted to move until the weather settles, even though we've had a few sand storms through the camp. I'm sure there can't be much sand left on the lake front after the blasting we've had.

We're now waiting for rain to join the gale force winds but at least the wind is blasting the sand in a different direction tonight, and if it is heavy rain, it'll give the vehicles a damn good wash. Even the air tastes of dust.

And of course the wind has made it a nightmare to shoot the lupins; a fast shutter speed is needed to 'freeze' the stems but often they're on a 45 degree angle. You've got to catch them between gusts. A fast shutter speed is fine during the day but it takes a bit of maneuvering at sunset and sunrise to let in enough light without catching any movement.

It has been windy most days, although it tends to build up during the day so I've been able to shoot in the morning, and during the last couple of days I've managed to shoot two sunsets, one moon rise and one sunrise! Needless to say, I'm buggered; burning the candle at both ends of the day is not a good idea. After a stunning sunset last night I was on a high and didn't get to sleep until after 12am, then I was awake at 4am and out the door by 4:30 to catch the sunrise at the church. A-mazing! But you'll have to wait to see those photos.

And it's not all been- lupins, lupins, lupins, we've also done some serious tiki-touring too. The colour of the ute will attest to this- dust, dust and more dust. It's a dry and dusty MacKenzie Basin at the moment. We've taken the back road to Lake Pukaki (and scored more lupins), we've driven over MacKenzie Pass(no lupins) and driven up to the end of the Godley Peaks Road, along the western side of Lake Tekapo (many more lupins). We've managed to score a couple of firsts in the bird world too, but you'll have to wait for those blog posts to see what they were.

Of course the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd, which is surrounded by lupins, has been attracting people from far and wide. Which does mean you're fighting for a clean shot most of the time, although I quite like people in the shot occasionally. I'm lucky though, I have all the time in the world. I'm able to come back later or tomorrow or the next day. I can wait for the perfect people-less shot. Most people wanting to capture the church at it's best are either passing through Lake Tekapo or just staying overnight and have to take what's dished up, whether it's crappy weather or the masses wandering about the church.  

I had to put my bossy hat on this morning- there were at least 7-8 photogs lined up about where the photo below was taken. All waiting patiently for the sunrise shot to beat them all. Most had been there for at least an hour slowly watching the sky and clouds turn a beautiful pink when around the corner of the church wandered a handful of 'totally oblivious to the situation' people, stopping and clicking their own close up shots. We waited a short while, muttering to each other, expecting them to see us all below and click(no pun intended) that they were photo-bombing our shots but no, they chatted and stood about, even taking photos down towards us. That was until I called out to them. And politely suggested they MOVE!!! Well I was the only Kiwi in the group and I know the others were too polite to speak up and they did thank me. 

The lupins around the church and river are mostly different shades of blue although there's a few clumps of other colours too. Out and about the mix is much more noticeable with some stunning colours and some very unusual colour combinations too. My next lupin shoot, when this wind stops, is macros of the different colours. 

Most days so far and often all day, the Southern Alps at the end of the lake have been covered in cloud only poking their heads out every now and then. I also haven't seen the lake this blue again since I shot these photos last Saturday. 

You just don't know what you're going to find hiding in amongst the lupins; rabbits, endangered birds, wedding parties and odd men, I mean, the odd man or two!

And just to show you that it's not all lupins along the lake front, this is part of a wetland on the east side of the lake, not far from our camp. And out there on the point just to left of that little willow you'll see a mass of colour- more lupins! And a really good patch because most people can't be bothered walking all the way out there.

That's it for now but I can guarantee you're going to be seeing plenty more lupin shots before too long. You'll be all lupined out by the time I'm finished with you!