Queenstown

I have this strange tradition where I go to Queenstown before I start a new job. Back in April before my trip to North America, before the thought of even moving to Auckland for a new job I had planned a late winter adventure to Queenstown with my family.

Three weeks into a new job and I’m packing my bags for a week down south. I was excited, not only that I was able to take the time off, but that I was going to be able to share my love for the Queenstown area with my parents and brother whom hadn't explored Queenstown ever!

As much as it was a holiday, it was a time for me to enjoy photography without the stresses of getting everything perfect and right. It was a time to make mistakes and try new things. Lately I have been going from one extreme to another; being really happy with what I’m creating, to thinking what am I even doing? What am I even trying to achieve?

Funnily enough, yesterday was a turning point in my creative lull when I came across a great blog post titled ‘My Process: Crafting a Vision.’ This summer is going to be about finding my voice and my vision through my process and creating a consistency in my brand. And I couldn't be more excited.

Out of the 900+ images I've ended up with after processing, choosing the following images was no easy task. To make it harder I've made myself choose less than 10% to portray an amazing week with my family. Now onto the images!

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Day 1

We arrived early. I had given up my window seat to my brother, and slept the flight down. Out of the other three flights down, the weather was below average and nothing great to be seen. Luckily for my brother, the weather was perfect and he was greeted with blue sky and snow capped mountains.

A quick walk around town, brunch and more walking. I then left and met up with Kelsey and we went to go for an afternoon ride up Coronet Peak. An hour an a half and one broken leg later our day was over. I accompanied Kelsey in hospital for the rest of the day, not that she remembers.

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Day 2

With the weather on our side headed for the number one tourist spot, the Skyline Gondola. My brother and I had a few runs on the luge before taking in the scenery and getting some shots. We then headed for Arrowtown, a quick walk down the main street than down to by the river. An impromptu family portrait session courtesy of the tripod and the self-timer! The light was perfect. 

Day 3

I had some extended family in town for couple of days, this called for a trip out to Moke Lake, a great secret of Queenstown that most people overlook. Back to the house for a couple of hours before my brother and I headed for the Crown Range anticipating a killer sunset.

Day 4

Another day where the weather was on our side, first stop, Cardona Hotel via the Crown Range road. A good hearty lunch then we carried on to Wanaka. The sun was beating down so gelato was needed. We drove up Beacon Point Road and found a quiet spot by the lake. I wanted to check out Lake Hawea so on we went. We eventually made our way back to Queenstown via Cromwell. 

Day 5

Milford National Park. Photos only scratch the surface of describing this beautiful area of New Zealand. A beauty that just has to be seen with one’s eyes. 

Day 6

A down day catching up on work, emails and image processing. We managed to catch a moody sunset. Now they say every cloud has a silver lining right? As I hastily pulled the car over to capture the lighting beaming down in front of the mountains I managed to lock the keys in the car. Hey, at least it wasn't a bad place to do so!

Day 7

We packed in a lot this day. Starting out re-visiting Moke Lake as my Dad didn’t come with us the first time. We were greeted with a light dusting of snow on the surrounding mountains, as well as snow down to ground level! The lake wasn't still so I didn't worry about capturing the lake as we'd seen perfectly still on Day 2.

From Moke Lake we went on a ‘short’ walk lasting a couple of hours. I have completed the Mt Crichton Loop track in a previous visit, but I had to show everyone Sam Summers Hut. On our way back it snowed more!

The day was getting on but we decided to push on to Glenorchy. All I can say is that the drive itself to Glenorchy (which I must admit is a very small town with nothing much going on) is beyond amazing. After a quick bite to eat at a local pub we followed a gravel road for over half an hour and found ourselves in Mt. Aspiring National Park and a place called Paradise. And it literally was. We turned around as the light was getting low, but not without stopping in the Forest of Lothlorien, Lord of the Rings fans unite. 

Day 8/9

Day 8 was spent relaxing, wondering around the shops, and getting Ferg Burger. The only images made that day were the missed sunset from around halfway up the Remarkables ski field access road. We left on Sunday after lunch. Again we wondered around town killing time. As we walked onto the plane, the rain set in. We couldn't have been luckier when it came to the weather.