Octane
03-05-2010, 06:53 PM
I'm back. :insert cryface to the power of infinity + 1:
Needless to say I had an absolute ball.
I've got one or two photos that I will share as time allows.
Highlights:
* Almost treading on an adult seal on the Kaikoura Peninsula. Thank heavens that seals give you a warning bellow before they're angry enough to attack! It wasn't my fault -- I just couldn't make the seal out amongst all the rock and rubble on the beach.
* Baby seals in Kaikoura swimming in a pool under a waterfall and coming up to you to say hello. I filmed this spectacle and will upload at a later stage.
* Climbing Franz Josef Glacier and drinking the pure glacial melt. Short footage of parts of descent to upload.
* Fumbling through darkness to make it to Lake Matheson for a remarkable sunrise.
* Ambling up Mount Iron to view a 360-degree panoramic sunrise in Wanaka.
* Ambling up to the top of the Remarkables to visit Lake Alta (nestled between a couple of peaks) and watching the sunset over Queenstown from up there (wow!).
* The desolation that I can only describe as a Martian landscape of the Nevis Crossing region.
* The rain. The worst rain they've had in a decade. There were days where it poured for 24 hours. Roads and communication channels cut. I had to take some very, very long scenic routes to get to my intended destinations. But, it was worth it -- especially seeing the epic waterfalls all around Milford Sound. The area around Homer Tunnel was just incredible. Waterfalls every few metres around the mountains. I strapped my 5D Mark II on its tripod to the passenger seat of the RAV4 I was driving and filmed the drive down to Milford Sound from Homer Tunnel which I will hopefully YouTube or Vimeo when I get the chance.
* Two nights in the chalet at Milford Lodge. Immediately opposite the bay window was the raging torrent of the Hollyford River and opposite that were the walls of a mountain overflowing with waterfalls. The first night scared me to my bones; as I was drifting off to sleep, I noticed the wind intensity increase. Eventually, it got to a stage where the wind was so ferocious I thought I was in the middle of a cyclone. The roar rose gradually through the night, ending in a lull only to reiterate itself with a second coming. I didn't get much sleep that night. I found out later, apparently, that this was the norm.
* Watching the sun set and rise over Mount Cook and Mount Sefton (I made a day time trek into the Hooker Valley to scout locations for both golden hours) and went at both to capture what I could. I think in total that was about 16 kilometres of trekking in the space of 18 hours.
* All the beautiful food, especially sampling some fine dairy.
I got up a few hours before sunrise each morning (except 2 when the weather was just crap) to go imaging and walking.
I walked, trekked and hiked so much that I've actually lost some weight and has inspired me to start running again.
I've come home in a sense of awe. A lot of it has to do with Mount Cook. I have an inkling of inspiration to climb now. I have no mountaineering skills and I think I might start putting towards a fund to undertake a 5-day guided ascent of Mount Cook in the future some time.
I can't wait to head back in spring.
Cheers, all.
H
Needless to say I had an absolute ball.
I've got one or two photos that I will share as time allows.
Highlights:
* Almost treading on an adult seal on the Kaikoura Peninsula. Thank heavens that seals give you a warning bellow before they're angry enough to attack! It wasn't my fault -- I just couldn't make the seal out amongst all the rock and rubble on the beach.
* Baby seals in Kaikoura swimming in a pool under a waterfall and coming up to you to say hello. I filmed this spectacle and will upload at a later stage.
* Climbing Franz Josef Glacier and drinking the pure glacial melt. Short footage of parts of descent to upload.
* Fumbling through darkness to make it to Lake Matheson for a remarkable sunrise.
* Ambling up Mount Iron to view a 360-degree panoramic sunrise in Wanaka.
* Ambling up to the top of the Remarkables to visit Lake Alta (nestled between a couple of peaks) and watching the sunset over Queenstown from up there (wow!).
* The desolation that I can only describe as a Martian landscape of the Nevis Crossing region.
* The rain. The worst rain they've had in a decade. There were days where it poured for 24 hours. Roads and communication channels cut. I had to take some very, very long scenic routes to get to my intended destinations. But, it was worth it -- especially seeing the epic waterfalls all around Milford Sound. The area around Homer Tunnel was just incredible. Waterfalls every few metres around the mountains. I strapped my 5D Mark II on its tripod to the passenger seat of the RAV4 I was driving and filmed the drive down to Milford Sound from Homer Tunnel which I will hopefully YouTube or Vimeo when I get the chance.
* Two nights in the chalet at Milford Lodge. Immediately opposite the bay window was the raging torrent of the Hollyford River and opposite that were the walls of a mountain overflowing with waterfalls. The first night scared me to my bones; as I was drifting off to sleep, I noticed the wind intensity increase. Eventually, it got to a stage where the wind was so ferocious I thought I was in the middle of a cyclone. The roar rose gradually through the night, ending in a lull only to reiterate itself with a second coming. I didn't get much sleep that night. I found out later, apparently, that this was the norm.
* Watching the sun set and rise over Mount Cook and Mount Sefton (I made a day time trek into the Hooker Valley to scout locations for both golden hours) and went at both to capture what I could. I think in total that was about 16 kilometres of trekking in the space of 18 hours.
* All the beautiful food, especially sampling some fine dairy.
I got up a few hours before sunrise each morning (except 2 when the weather was just crap) to go imaging and walking.
I walked, trekked and hiked so much that I've actually lost some weight and has inspired me to start running again.
I've come home in a sense of awe. A lot of it has to do with Mount Cook. I have an inkling of inspiration to climb now. I have no mountaineering skills and I think I might start putting towards a fund to undertake a 5-day guided ascent of Mount Cook in the future some time.
I can't wait to head back in spring.
Cheers, all.
H