Lake Tekapo & Mt Cook
It's been over 20 years since I last visited New Zealand's South Island. It's a photographer's dream with stunning vistas around every corner. I was fortunate to spend a couple of weeks there recently and would love to share a few of the images that I took .
The trip started with a flight to Christchurch, but this wasn't a trip to view cities, so we jumped straight in the hire car and headed towards Lake Tekapo.
View of Mt Bluff
A picturesque drive took us past the gorgeous Mt Bluff. Not long after we arrived at Lake Tekapo, with its beautiful crystal clear waters and surrounding mountains. Its most famous landmark is the Church of the Good Shepherd - one of the most photographed churches in the world. So of course we had to have a go ourselves.
The Church of the Good Shepherd under the stars
The Lake Tekapo region is a dark sky reserve meaning minimal ambient light and great opportunities to see the stars. We were lucky enough to have a clear night and so were able to capture the church in its fully glory. Us and a thousand other photographers unfortunately, it was hard getting a shot away with all the torches and camera lights but after some swift marshalling and co-ordination (thanks Truc) we got the shot above.
Sunrise at the Church
There were a lot less people around in the morning to catch the sunrise!
That evening we climbed to the top of Mt John for a sunset picnic. Gorgeous panoramic views of the region - though it was bloody cold!
Candy Floss on the mountains
The following day saw us take the detour to Mt Cook, the road skirted the very blue Lake Pukaki. Clouds were low that day and we'd nearly given up on getting a glimpse of New Zealand's tallest mountain. But as we walked around Hooker Lake we were treated to a perfectly timed gap in the clouds.
Ahh, there's even a heart shaped cloud
From there we headed further South - which I'll show you in future posts.
As always please get in touch if you would like to a high quality print of any of the pictures.
Thanks for reading.