tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81719365663490257912010-04-23T19:14:22.936+12:00Concepts on how New Zealand landscape photography and fine art can be used to stimulate our imaginations to make the world a better and more gentle place. With photos, and some words, we explore with nomadic tendencies and inherited wizardry, all that is New Zealand, and it did not all begin with Lord of the Rings!Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nzBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-40178553454198863342010-04-18T12:22:00.001+12:002010-04-19T12:06:49.338+12:00

My good friend and fellow landscape photographer Roger married Kara yesterday here in Wanaka. As groomsman part of my task was to make sure his camera and tripod ended up in the right places, such as the final staged photo shoot up on Mt Roy [via heli] in the evening, but I had enough free time to follow the event and the official photographer with my own camera.We went to the standard wedding

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-35498007229399018102010-04-14T23:03:00.001+12:002010-04-14T23:22:57.995+12:00

It's that time of year again when I'm likely to be seen down the river as the sun peeks over the Grandview mountains over Hawea way. The next few weeks will see lots of dawn river mists, as winter approaches.The Clutha with the confluence of the Cardrona river on the left, along with a nice new walkway that heads downstream towards Luggate...Mt Gold and Mt Burke...The mist makes for interesting

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-11320501092891617672010-04-04T17:59:00.001+12:002010-04-06T13:13:03.934+12:00

Recently one of my good friends invited me to her birthday party, and she said it was to be at Easter time at Peak Valley. "Peak Valley" I thought... sounds like a soap! However a question or two revealed I'd been there nearly 25 years ago to climb Totara Peak. A solitary peak just north of Omarama and on the south east edge of the MacKenzie Basin. In short a magnificent viewpoint, and if I

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-89808339502815348732010-03-23T00:06:00.000+13:002010-03-24T03:52:25.653+13:00

Yesterday I took a long walk on a new walkway that follows the Hawea River from Albert Town to Lake Hawea, and I marvelled at the far-sightedness and investment of a Trust that created it from go to whoa, inc. a very substantial swing bridge...Yesterday was also the day our New Zealand National Govt. unveiled plans to mine in our National Parks. Predetermined plans at that, it seems!Unlike Lake

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-10380690757968494382010-03-16T17:39:00.001+13:002010-03-16T22:18:52.281+13:00

Nonlinear iteration or repetition with a slight difference each time is something I've been thinking of quite a bit recently. The cumulative effect is like steering a boat one degree off course, which is not much at all, yet days later finding you're thousands of miles off-course to the left or the right of your target.My point here is that any slight change in a repetitious thought pattern can

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-16624338465238674902010-03-08T23:44:00.001+13:002010-03-09T00:03:26.960+13:00

As a few of my treasured commenters have noted my posts of late have been a virtual journey, so I thought I may as well finish the pictorial story of what has now amounted to 5 days days of 4wd travel incorporating two of Central Otago's block mountain ranges - the Dunstans [Leaning Rock] and The Pisa Range.2nd cousin Paul and his family...I had quite a hard time resisting making photos of these

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-82197965152759820162010-02-28T17:43:00.001+13:002010-02-28T19:59:25.147+13:00

It's a tad humbling to be posting benign photos as I look, right this moment, at the photos coming in from the unbelievably strong earthquake in Chile. Not for the squeamish!My mundane story this week is that I set off yesterday with full bivy gear to push the boundaries of where I've been tramping before in the southern Pisa Range on my doorstep - to intersect the 4wd route explored with my

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-56353248171290409262010-02-21T13:00:00.001+13:002010-02-21T15:50:20.656+13:00

As per last week's post my cousin Mike and myself were out again yesterday on another 4wd adventure tidying the choice of descent route off of the Pisa Range for the upcoming North Otago Search and Rescue 4wd fundraiser to be held in a couple of weeks time.Last week's problem were these things called "under-runners"...They form in ancient glacial soils/clays comprised of loess [derived from the

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-49526394786661312762010-02-17T21:21:00.001+13:002010-02-17T21:24:15.857+13:00

For perhaps near on 20 years my cousin Mike and a handful of enthusiastic friends in North Otago Search and Rescue have pioneered organising 4 wheel drive trips [drive your own] all over the remote areas of Otago. Apparently they've guided about 7500 vehicles over this time, and that'd equate to well over 14,000 people!Since permission from high country farmers is hard to organise [finding out

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-54699610662447113762010-02-10T00:12:00.001+13:002010-02-10T08:26:44.623+13:00

Who was Rees you may well ponder? I recall from my school history days that perhaps he was a prospector. And although many are motivated by gold, last weekend my photographer and tramping friend Roger joined me to do some prospecting for images back in the area that was the focus of my recent posts on a Rees/Dart tramping trip.However often in life in our rush to reach a goal we overlook many

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-65262562281068834552010-02-02T10:37:00.001+13:002010-02-02T14:16:38.524+13:00

We found some endemic long tailed bats last night. "We" being some local DOC staff and myself, a happy and oft present volunteer. Not in the bush as expected, but where the road looked out on braided river bed. These little critters prolific in many parts of our country many years ago maybe among the oldest mammals living in New Zealand.A daylight shot I made on a DOC braided river bed bird

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-27506647688728890722010-01-26T18:36:00.000+13:002010-02-10T08:20:31.704+13:00

Last week it was easy to simply indulge in my penchant for New Zealand landscape photography and publish what I'd call the classic landscape images I made, but this week I've decided to introduce the people element to show another side to this glorious wander..Mandy, Glenn, Tom and Dougal...Glenn and Mandy lunching in the near derelict 25 Mile Hut in the Rees...Glenn and 25 Mile Hut...The first

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-50058219849617431192010-01-16T17:42:00.001+13:002010-01-16T19:30:23.290+13:00

Challenge Wanaka, a long distance race which starts with swimming, then 180 Km of biking and finishes with a marathon seems established as an annual event now, and right outside my front door there is a turn around point and drink station for the hundreds of runners, so every few minutes there is cheering and clapping.Today I set up a sprinkler for the runners and occasionally adjourn out to the

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-46828080547754673352010-01-10T23:46:00.001+13:002010-01-10T23:46:10.489+13:00

I'm on holiday this week and I'm off with my son Dougal [now 17] and his mates to do a Rees/Dart tramp tomorrow, and we may just sneak over the pass before the next rain storm, and depending on this it could mean I'd be back early, or late if we come down the Dart, which is quite a long walk.Dart hut is sort of in the middle of our circular trip, and it's been a few years since I've graced it's

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-72125970819536367032010-01-03T15:51:00.006+13:002010-01-03T21:29:50.351+13:00

Happy New Year readers - may 2010 treat you well!Thanks for the well wishes I've received re. my tooth problem. It's now sorted and all I can say is it's left me with a reminder that good health is everything, and an unbelievable need for sleep.Some more scans of my slide collection - some from my early days of New Zealand mountain and landscape photography - some of my favourite shots and places

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-7188622121497853762009-12-28T14:56:00.001+13:002010-01-02T12:38:46.784+13:00

The last few weeks for myself, leading up to this festive season, has been pretty interesting: an infection in a tooth spread into my jaw, and the thought stopping pain became a challenge. But all the way through I just thought of two things: that it'd improve and that some people live with severe pain for years in their lives! It all gets quite humbling in fact especially when I ponder that not

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-75803136781733035242009-12-21T17:11:00.001+13:002009-12-21T17:23:00.009+13:00

Bit under-the-weather this week with a tooth issue so until my second visit to my wonderful dentist down the road tomorrow I'm fuzzy enough to not feel much like writing, so as is my style it's easier to share some favorite landscape photography of our New Zealand mountains again.The three shots below were all made some years back on the mountains in the vicinity of Canyon Creek in the Ahuriri

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-41829413487313972372009-12-13T16:18:00.001+13:002009-12-13T16:20:08.755+13:00

Quentin Smith of Wanaka has recently formed a FaceBook group: Hands off Mt Aspiring NP and a few days ago membership stood at 5000, and it's now well over 6000!... which relates to the noises our new, seemingly unenlightened and uninspired, New Zealand Government are making to initiate mining investigations in our National Parks. Not only my local Mt Aspiring National Park I might add!While they

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-28531284301422147192009-12-06T19:21:00.001+13:002009-12-06T19:32:23.344+13:00

For my last two posts I've visited the past - first a family internment and then about the local celebration of the first ascent of Mt Aspiring last weekend. Well the trend continues: this week gone by I attended our annual Wanaka Search and Rescue helicopter training. While it's tempted me to write about adventures around helicopters and rescues that went well or not-so-well, a friend has

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-33856877246177305942009-12-01T06:07:00.001+13:002009-12-01T06:10:27.235+13:00

One hundred years ago Mt Aspiring was climbed for the first time by Jack Clarke, Alec Graham and Major Bernard Head, and so over the weekend in Wanaka there was a celebration of this in the Lake Wanaka Center on Sat. evening.I made this photo exactly a year ago while helping on a bird survey of the Matukituki river little realising that a local friend John whom I admired very much had just fallen

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-42747269917036640472009-11-23T20:00:00.001+13:002009-11-23T20:29:09.548+13:00

The weekend just past I'd set aside to attend the raising of a memorial plaque in Kurow cemetery for my aunt and uncle who passed away a few years back. This involved motoring over the Lindis Pass to the Waitaki Valley and MacKenzie Country to meet with family. North Otago was where I primarily grew up, while my aunt Pat and uncle Jim worked and lived on the remote and very large Otematata

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-31431880637399089962009-11-17T12:02:00.001+13:002009-11-17T12:35:54.055+13:00

Whilst Oct. was quite benign, with just lower temps. than normal and a bit more cloud, right now Nov. is still misbehaving: there has been a wall of grey/white obscuring the mts. for a few days now, and recently a wind that never relents as it tore off little branches and leaves off the trees here. But at least the sun has been shining!A rare calm period, during these late spring windy days on

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-80241614481322712762009-11-09T15:39:00.001+13:002009-11-09T16:23:07.986+13:00

There has been an encouraging result out of the Environment Court, recognising the unique scenic wonders of Central Otago's block mountains. The Court was sitting to decide on the suitability of a huge wind-farm on the Lammermoor Range, and they've ruled against such development.I was always amazed at the audacity of such a development on such a special landscape - two aspects really: the

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-77108968892130053762009-11-02T15:09:00.001+13:002009-11-03T08:06:59.501+13:00

As I get older it seems everything becomes more dynamic almost daily. But when we live in this paradise called New Zealand, and Wanaka the growing town I live in, I lament some things that pass under the guise of progress. Our new govt. seems bent on turning back the clock too as they seemingly contemplate undoing good work on legislation such as the Resource Management Act, and there are

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171936566349025791.post-51619129613413006282009-10-26T16:39:00.001+13:002009-10-26T16:51:08.291+13:00

I worked for at least half of this NZ Labour Day long weekend, but on Sunday evening my good friend Roger and myself headed up to about 1200 meters on the nearby Dunstan Mountains for an overnight stay in my Land Cruiser camper truck. The theme was landscape photography - we've done these trips before and find them really fun, and also both being photographers we're tolerant of each other's time

Donaldblog@likeminds.co.nz6