New Zealand Road Trip: Wanaka to Mount Cook
This is the fourth article showing pictures from four road trips I made while in New Zealand's south island in April this year. In this article, I travel from Wanaka to Mount Cook. For more background, read the introduction to the first road trip, Arrowtown to Glenorchy. You can see the pictures from the other road trips here: Garston to Frankton and Lake Manapouri to Milford Sound.
Wanaka to Mount Cook
Distance: 205km.
Map data from OpenStreetMap.
Lindis Pass
This road, connecting the Mackenzie Basin with Central Otago, winds dramatically through the landscape. I took this image from a parking area that was pretty much the only place to stop to admire the view.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 12mm. 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO 200.
Autumn colour on Lake Ruataniwha
I drove past this lake on the road to Twizel and couldn’t believe the colours in the lake and the trees. I found a parking place and tried to find a composition that would contrast the colour of the lake with the peak autumn colour in the trees.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 21mm. 6s, f/8, ISO 200.
Road to Mount Cook
The final stretch of road to Mount Cook is one continuous slideshow of picture-postcard views. I took this from Peter’s Lookout on Lake Pukaki just before sunset. The road was quiet and I thought the scene needed a suitable vehicle, like a camper van, to come along. I waited for about an hour to get the right light and the right vehicle.
OM-1 with Lumix 35-100mm lens at 66mm. 1/125s, f/4, ISO 640.
Lake Pukaki Rock Patterns
When I first got to Lake Pukaki it was bright sun, so I headed down to the lake with a sandwich. Sitting down, I noticed these patterns in a rock, so I took some time finding a composition. Only later did I realise I was being eaten alive by sandflies. Those itches stayed with me for the rest of the trip.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 25mm - 40mm. 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO 200. Focus stack.
Lake Pukaki Lookout
I took this by Lake Pukaki looking east. I liked the texture in the distant mountain range and the pastel colours in the scene.
OM-1 with Lumix 35-100mm lens at 100mm. 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 200.
Road trip
Another image taken on the road to Mount Cook. I thought this pretty much summed up the concept of the road trip.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 25mm. 1/800s, f/5.6, ISO 200.
Clay Cliffs
These otherworldly cliffs are made up of layers of gravel and silt. They reminded me of the Badlands in South Dakota. They were formed by the flow from ancient glaciers over a million years ago. I took a number of pictures but I felt it was this one that best captured the sense of place.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 12mm. 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO 200.
Wanaka Tree at sunset
I’d seen pictures of the famous tree at Wanaka before I arrived in New Zealand. But I hadn’t expected it to be a tourist destination. It even has its own hashtag, for sharing on Instagram.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 30mm. 60s, f/7.1, ISO 200.
Wanaka Tree at sunrise
In this image I wanted to include the poplars on the left because of the autumn colour. I couldn’t fit more of them in because the shoreline runs in that direction and I wanted uninterrupted lake. I wanted the eponymous tree to fit between the two hills — ideally, the tree would be a fraction over to the left but I was in a tripod war with the woman on my right and I couldn’t move even an inch further over.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 21mm. 25s, f/8, ISO 200.
That Wanaka Tree Experience
This photograph pretty much sums up the experience of photographing the Wanaka tree. This is what's happening all around you at this location. If all landscape photography was like this, I would give it up. I do landscape photography because it’s calming and creative, but this experience was the complete opposite. Too many tourists fighting for selfies and too many photographers jockying for pole tripod position. There must have been at least 30 people there at sunrise, and even more at sunset.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 12mm. 1/320s, f/7.1, ISO 200.
Tasman Lake Sunrise
Most of the walk to Tasman Lake was easy but the final stretch requires a scramble over boulders. Once down at the lake you are greeted with this view of the lake, icebergs and Mount Cook.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 12mm. 6s, f/8, ISO 200.
Mueller Lake sunrise
This lake is near the beginning of the Hooker Valley trail in Mount Cook. I did the walk the day before I took this picture and the trail was mobbed. It was literally like being in a three mile queue of people. Imagine Christmas shopping but along a narrow path and you have a good idea of the experience. At one point, I wanted to stop and take off my jacket but I couldn’t because it would cause a pile up (in most places, the path is only about a metre wide). But the views were epic, so I went back at sunrise. This was an altogether better experience. I was battered by an incoming rainstorm but at least I was the only person there.
OM-1 with Olympus 12-40mm lens at 15mm. 1/25s, f/4, ISO 200.
Mount Cook Milky Way
When I got to Mount Cook, I still hadn’t transitioned to the New Zealand timezone. So when I woke up at 4am, I decided to head across the road and see if I could see the stars. I’ve never seen the Milky Way before but it was so dark here I could see it with the naked eye. Ideally, I should have photographed against a more interesting foreground than this silhouetted mountain, but I’m still pleased with my first attempt at astrophotography. This is an an average of 30 images to reduce noise, but the Milky Way is still clearly visible in the individual shots.
OM-1 with Leica 9mm f/1.7 lens. 15s, f/1.7, ISO 3200.
