An eclectic mix: musings, landscape photography, vineyards, life in Wanaka, history and my new iPhone

Last weekend was Wanaka Show weekend. For those of you non New Zealand readers a "Show Day" is a fair day held annually in the various provinces on different dates, and is a couple of days usually where town meets country. Livestock is judged, there are horse events [many go from show to show following them around the country], trade exhibits, pet parades [how I loved taking my son to these with the pet of the moment, puppies, guinea pigs etc], children's art shows, photography, baking, preserves, vegetables, all with modest prizes for all winners. It's pretty cool and the history is rich, but perhaps the most interesting thing is it's not rained on the Wanaka Show in about 50 years, and on schedule this year, bingo, the weather settled at last into chilly airs and stunning sunshine with no wind. And so the legend continues!

Dougal and Badger, the former looking pleased with his prize certificate, while Badger's attention is on the other dogs nearby! A copy from a photo that appeared in the local paper back in March 2004...


My good friend Roger was in town for the Sunday after doing a photo shoot in Fiordland, so we decided to have an evening out making photos in the Bendigo area in the Dunstan Mts., only 30 mins. drive from home, and rich with gold mining history.

On the lower slopes there are now many sunny slightly elevated areas planted in grapes, and the bird netting makes for some interesting variations on landscape photography...


Laying it out must be quite a job, and even more so rolling it up again...




But there is plenty of landscape left in it's more undeveloped state - looking north here from the site of the historic gold mining town of Welsh Town, up the lower Lindis valley...


Higher up is Logan Town, which is the more commonly visited and photographed area. I took this series of shots back in 2007...






And during the week I finally bought an iPhone. OK mainly for work, but the gadget kid in me is having a great time. I'll be posting about it for weeks in my work blog I think, and already I've found it's camera useful.

Lastly this week's blog recommendation is Robb Kloss's Musings from Aotearoa. Great writing illustrated with photos and a strong flavour of family and the Ruahine Range in the North Island, with attention to environmental issues. Thanks Robb

Fishing at Poolburn - Lord of the Rings country.

I'm just back from an overnight trip at Poolburn Dam deep in the heart of Central Otago and one of the outstanding locations used in the filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The objective was fishing, but due to many previous visits, landscape photography was on the agenda too, as the scenery is amazing and I should imagine unique in the world, and within New Zealand. It's at about 1000m above sea level in a snow tussock alpine environment, and holds brown trout.

To get there Robyn and I headed over the Thompsons Gorge in my camper truck. The route provides a 4WD access over and through the Dunstan Mountains, linking Omakau and Tarras [photo by Robyn from above the road]...


We had lunch in the shade of some unusual trees by a cattle yard. I've always wondered what they are - they're normal willow size but have quite a translucent darker green colour, yet present the under belly of the leaves to the sun a little bit, which contrasts pleasingly with their grey trunks and branches. All hard to make a photo of so I went in close...


The road up from Omakau to Poolburn always delights me with it's expansive views of the landscape with rocks, and I really like the grasses this time of year...


What Poolburn is all about [note camper truck on the right]...


There are many Kiwiana cribs [batches/holiday huts] around the area...








Our fishing spot [caught nothing though!]...


In lieu of fishing, the camera got a hammering...






On our early return today [Sunday] we were stunned to find a crane on the skyline. Some investigation revealed a Japanese green tea commercial was being made. Flying Trestles catering trucks were on-site, and Colin the owner is a friend/client, so I took a few photos for his web site...

Meandering looking at gold mining history and more New Zealand high country

The weather has been so unsettled this summer break, and with this and my son's part time job, we've not done the longer tramping trips I had in mind pre Christmas, however this means we just utilise the camper truck to good advantage and use local weather knowledge to minimise exposure to heavy rain and strong winds.

So a few days ago we travelled an old favourite of mine: the road from Cromwell to Garston, which essentially takes you from Central Otago's dry golden climate, through serious winter snow high country to pastoral Southland province. The route follows the Nevis valley and involves about 24 river crossings - challenging, if not crazy for a car, but not too serious for a judicially driven four wheel drive.

First stop - to catch a fish...


An hour or two later we're deep in gold mining history - this was once a gold dredge pond...




With a weather forecast predicting heavy rain I once again thought it wise to get the river crossing out of the way and camp on the saddle above Garston. This was the landscape we woke up amongst...


Before descending we spent a few hours wandering about exploring the unique New Zealand High Country landscape photography potential before the rain came in again. This first photo below is a Spaniard plant - sadly they proliferate where there has been too much burning off at the expense of snow tussock and soil values. They're unpalatable and the ends of the leaves are like hypodermics...




This lone pine, a noxious weed in this landscape, intrigued me and sensing a photo I hounded it, but did not get the shot I'd hoped for, so interestingly I "let go" of the idea and wandered elsewhere, but coming back the same way I made this "grab shot", and as is often the case when the mind is freed of labeling and preconceived ideas it turned out to be the one capturing the essense I had in mind...


A very youngNew Zealand Pipit, which I think maybe quite rare, but I'm not sure as they frequent the high snow tussock areas which by nature are very "open", and I've never seen one this close ever before despite all the time I've spent in this environment. They can also be mistaken for the Skylark. I did get much closer for more photos, but I like this first one as it shows something of the nature of the bird's environment...


On the descent, and heading post-haste to the tea rooms that I love to have a coffee at in Athol, the track goes past the old and historic Southland Ski Club hut...




I have a thing about the land forms of this part of Southland - maybe it's the contrast to the flat land, or maybe it's because being near The Nokomai there is a genetic link with my ancestors who were born there and frequented the area...


The rain caught up with us so we drove back via Queenstown and got home early to dryer climes. It was the day of the huge and growing annual Challenge Wanaka race, and as Mike a neighbour was one of the helper/organisers he had a drink station opposite the house. The race went on until midnight so we had quite different noises and energy in the neighbourhood for a few hours...

Using one's imagination with landscape photography

Since my blog last week was a tad wordy in discussing Cascade Saddle my effort this week is decidedly pictorial, and the shots are basically the result of work done on myself to "see" things differently in relation to New Zealand landscape photography - from the eyes of a human through to those of a bee!

I've filed them under "abstract" and here I'm resisting labeling them so you can let your imaginations get some exercise like mine did to make them! If you have any emotional responses I'd love to see a comment, and I'm sure this would be of interest to other readers as well.









This is my favourite - I like the way the blurriness to the left and the right takes my eye on a journey into the background...

Basing peace, calmness and perception on the energy of the landscape

For 2-3 years now a favourite tome I reference often, seeking clarification for my journey, has been a paper back written by the Dalai Lama called "The Way to a Meaningful Life"

...lent to me by a dear friend I'll have to give it back when the opportunity presents! So just before my recent holiday traveling to Nelson, I ordered another of his books, and then the serendipity began again...

While visiting an artist's gallery in Upper Moutere, an aspect of Nelson's environs I'd never checked out before, I asked her if there were any good private/remote places to camp the night in my 4wd camper. "Yes", she replied, "a cleared forestry area over in that direction, oh, and up Sunrise Road that goes to the Buddhist center that the Dali Lama stayed at, you might find something"

The forestry area won the day near this school and the Toss Woolaston gallery, and the curiosity that is the landscape photographer in me was piqued by the light and the energy I felt about me...




So... having identified a lovely spot overlooking Nelson City for the night, exploration of Sunrise Road was called for by my intuition.

With a growing sense of peace I was led to this amazing... Supta, a concept quite new to me. It's overlooked by the Chandrakirti Centre Tibetan Buddhist Study and Meditation Centre , but above all else it was the setting that impacted on me, with it's inherent peace and tranquillity, no doubt extended by the Centre ...


The brief stay, and walk around the Supta taking photos [apparently there are benefits from circumambulating Stupas], made a profound mark on me: I knew in my heart great peace - one I've known many times before often in people's homes or gardens, my own even, and our mountains and high country. The experience was so heightened this time though, that I believe it's a message to explore the concept further, and share it, raising awareness to aid all in a "Way to a Meaningful Life"!

The head of the Fox Glacier in South Westland - despite numerous alpine hazards such as crevasses, avalanche terrain, high altitude and the potential of nasty weather to arrive almost instantaneously from the Southern Ocean, this place is recognized by many to be conducive to human well being and growth...


However before I diverge into wrapping this post up, there was a funny side to the visit: at the end of Sunrise Road there is a nudist camp. I'm sure the Dali Lama with his renown sense of humour, and others will join me in a grin if we ponder how we could become totally at one with ourselves at the Center, then finish the break with a sojourn down the road being "only" ourselves!

Attributes of energetic and non energetic places:

Some people refer to the energy on the earth's surface as Geopathic Stress lines or areas.

I believe there is nothing mystical about high or and low energy locations - one day science will learn to measure same [radon gas emissions from the earth are already implicated as are overhead power lines]

A peaceful energy in a place lends itself to healing, creativity and growth.

Sensitive people should avoid spending time in places they feel are low energy, and especially should not sleep in same.

Plants don't seem to flourish in low energy locations

People with an open heart will gravitate subconsciously to healthy locations, those who are closed off will actively promote less than ideal locations

Low energy locations can be detected with techniques similar to water dowsing

In-sensitive people may not, in the short term, be affected unduly by low energy locations, but maybe in the medium to long term. Manifestation examples being relationship problems, tenseness, divorce, conflict, and less than perfect health mentally and physically

Feng shui must surely be just another name for what I'm on about!

Another high energy mountain location in South Westland I've spent aprox. 80 days of my life in: from the slopes of Mt Hooker looking down into the Clarke valley, and The Solution Range, beyond which is the The Landsborough River, and further away yet my home town of Wanaka...


Wrapping it up: The two posts below talk about perception. Raise sensitivity and awareness and perception changes, then the identification of healthy areas to live in simply follows! This is one [rather odd I'll admit], technique that works for myself:

I imagine an aspect of myself being anywhere from 10 metres to hundreds of meters away from myself looking in my direction observing myself.

Then, and this is where for me it gets rather multi dimensional: I then observe this observer observing myself.

When I get it right I then notice my vision and other senses, but especially my vision, notices multiple instances of acute attention to details, in rapid succession - the end result being I simply see objects and patterns of light and shade I'd normally miss. Thus I look at my New Zealand landscape photography literally through new eyes, but the real implication is the way to a means of a "Meaningful Life". Of course astute composition can draw the attention of others to seeing things differently, and hopefully with compassion we'll all get there sooner rather than later!

Links:

The Way to a Meaningful Life... more>>

Stupa ..more>>

The Chandrakirti Centre Tibetan Buddhist Study and Meditation Centre ..more >>

Feng shui.. more >>

Geopathic Stress.. more >>

Landsborough River... more >>

NZ Photographer Tony Bridge has a wide range of beautiful work and textually diverse material on photography and perception ... more >>

My good friend Roger Wandless has a great New Zealand landscape photography site with shots that demonstrate what is possible in terms of how the eye can be taken on a journey [perception over time!]... more >>

PS just after posting Tony [as above] sent me this link to a couple of interesting posts... more >>

Acknowledgments:
Rika Couwenbergh ex Wanaka
His Holiness the Dali Lama
Roger Wandless
Sam [Pepper] White