Days 9-11: Makarora and Fox Glacier etc, New Zealand – December 2015.

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Day 9-11. Makarora and Fox Glacier etc, South Island – New Zealand.

Onwards…
More from Otago, plus some from West Coast. As is the case with all holidays, the end comes too soon.

This last post includes images from Blue Pools on the Makarora River, the Whataroa River, Fox Glacier, and Lake Hawea (near The Neck).

Dusk settles over the Southern Alps at Makarora.

Makarora 2AM-000934.
©Andrew McInnes

Makarora River 2AM-000931.
©Andrew McInnes

Makarora River 2AM-000930.
©Andrew McInnes

The stunning, and frigid, Blue Pools.

Blue Pools – Makarora River 2AM-000916.
©Andrew McInnes

Blue Pools – Makarora River 2AM-000914.
©Andrew McInnes

Happy hour 🙂
Cold beers and conversation in and alongside the Makarora River.

Makarora 2AM-000539.
©Andrew McInnes

A Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), in the honeyeater family, foraging on New Zealand flax (Phormium sp.).

Tui 2AM-004945.
©Andrew McInnes

Dawn over the Southern Alps at Fox Glacier – includes Aoraki / Mount Cook.

Fox Glacier 2AM 1002-4 HDR.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000957. ©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000981.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000988.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000993.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000995.
©Andrew McInnes

The Neck 2AM-000537 iPhone panorama.
©Andrew McInnes

Whataroa River 2AM 1024-1029 panorama.
©Andrew McInnes

Whataroa River 2AM-001017.
©Andrew McInnes

I hope you enjoyed this and the previous posts of my images from a fantastic holiday in New Zealand.

Cheers 🙂

Day 7: The Catlins, New Zealand – December 2015.

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Day 7 – The spectacular Catlins area, South Island – New Zealand.

Spectacular, diverse, ever-changing – we drove through beautiful rural scenes, along a rugged coast, saw a few more yellow-eyed penguins, sea lions, a couple of lighthouses, and low tide allowed us to walk among a 180 million year old petrified Jurassic forest – one of only three such accessible fossil forests in the world! All this and so much more we couldn’t fit in 😦

Nugget Point Lighthouse, built in 1869-70. A place of spectacular views, many rocky islets (The Nuggets), and much wildlife.

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM 0739-0744 Panorama_edit

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-0379-0744 panorama. ©Andrew McInnes

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-000749. ©Andrew McInnes

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-000754. ©Andrew McInnes

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-000775. ©Andrew McInnes

To be able to view, and even walk among a petrified forest in the intertidal zone at low tide was remarkable. There are both stumps and fallen trees, petrified, with some growth rings plainly visible. This is but a sampling of the numerous specimens at Curio Bay.
Curio Bay is of international significance for its fossilised forest dating back to the Jurassic period. The tree fossils you see here are 160 million years old and the forest was alive when New Zealand was part of Gondwanaland. (source: The Catlins New Zealand website).

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000635. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000631. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000634. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000665. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000656. ©Andrew McInnes

Four images of the Waipapa Point Lighthouse. This is the site of New Zealand’s worst civilian shipwreck. In 1881 the SS Tararua ran aground on Waipapa Reef and 131 of 151 passengers and crew died. The lighthouse, built after the disaster, stands as a poignant reminder. (source: Southern Scenic Route website).

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000600. ©Andrew McInnes

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000611. ©Andrew McInnes

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000622. ©Andrew McInnes

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000616. ©Andrew McInnes

I hope you enjoyed these images from a fascinating region of New Zealand.

Cheers 🙂

Days 2-4: Heading to Kaikoura, New Zealand – December 2015.

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

This post covers three days (day 2, 3, and 4) of our holiday in New Zealand. It involved driving from Rotorua (see previous post here) to Wellington then departing on the ferry at 2:30 am to Picton, arriving around dawn, then driving to Kaikoura.

Day 2-4 – Heading to the South Island.

Unfortunately, as with all holidays, there is not enough time to see everything. There is a lot to see on the North Island but even though we had a loose schedule, there were some hard times/dates we needed to be at certain places – one such deadline was a ferry connection to take us to the South Island.

Leaving Rotorua we headed to Wellington via Lake Taupo and a few other smallish diversions. Whilst in the Rotorua area we visited Hamurana Springs for a peaceful and scenic break and saw this Waka (Māori watercraft).

Hamurana Springs - Rotarua 2AM-000456. ©Andrew McInnes

Waka – Hamurana Springs 2AM-000456. ©Andrew McInnes

Because I like birds…
A Paradise Shelduck on the shore of Lake Taupo.

Paradise Shelduck 2AM-004285. ©Andrew McInnes

South of the beautiful Lake Taupo area are some volcanic features many of you may recognise from the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The “Desert Road” through Rangipo Desert is a spectacular drive, and we paused for lunch with this view of Mount Ruapehu (left) and Mount Ngauruhoe (right) – the fictional Mount Doom. iPhone 5C panorama.

Tongariro National Park 2AM-000471. ©Andrew McInnes

Further south, a fence that caught my eye. iPhone 5C photo.

Waituna West 2AM-000474. ©Andrew McInnes

Onto the South Island.
Kaikoura and surrounds – abundant marine mammals, beautiful scenes.
I reckon these folks have a fantastic campsite!

Half Moon Bay – Kaikoura 2AM-000343. ©Andrew McInnes

The seemingly ubiquitous New Zealand fur seal, basking, resting, and nursing the young at Ohau Point, Half Moon Bay (just north of Kaikoura).

New Zealand fur seal 2AM-004332. ©Andrew McInnes

New Zealand fur seal 2AM-004337. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura awaking with the dawn.

Kaikoura 2AM 0407-0409 Panorama. ©Andrew McInnes

Dusk settles over the Kaikoura Peninsula.

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM 0348-0351 Panorama. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM 0356-0358 HDR. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM 0365-0367 HDR. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM 0374-0377 Panorama. ©Andrew McInnes

Assorted images from the wondrous Kaikoura Peninsula:

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000353. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-004506. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-004498. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000484. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000482. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000355. ©Andrew McInnes

Wooden Fence 2AM-004690. ©Andrew McInnes

European Starling 2AM-004447. ©Andrew McInnes

In case any so-called birders or twitchers are wondering, this isn’t a new plumage for this species. Rather, it is pollen from the prolific pollen-producing plant, the New Zealand flax (Phormium).

Rhyolitic flows (I think so, at least) at Kaikoura.

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM 0458-0460 Panorama. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000455. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000456. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000461. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000462. ©Andrew McInnes

Kaikoura Peninsula 2AM-000463. ©Andrew McInnes

To wrap up this post, here are some more images of New Zealand fur seals 🙂
This time from the Kaikoura Peninsula.

New Zealand fur seal 2AM-004384. ©Andrew McInnes

New Zealand fur seal 2AM-004403. ©Andrew McInnes

New Zealand fur seal 2AM-004426. ©Andrew McInnes

I hope you enjoyed these.

Cheers 🙂

Day 1: Rotorua, New Zealand – December 2015.

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Oh, New Zealand – what a wonder you are! I was fortunate to take a family holiday over Christmas in New Zealand, and am very keen to return, next time for a designated photography trip.

This is the first posting of what will ultimately be a series of approximately ten posts, roughly one for each day of our holiday.

Day 1 – Rotorua area (North Island).
We visited the stunning and amazing Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) Thermal Area, and can wholeheartedly recommend including this on your itinerary. I have included images from the three primary attractions: the Geothermal Area, Lady Knox Geyser, and the Mud Pool.

I strongly encourage you to visit the Geothermal Area as soon as the doors to the Thermal Wonderland open in the morning because the temperature differential really allows for viewing more steam/venting. After you have enjoyed the wonder of the place, perhaps go explore elsewhere for a few hours, but ensure you return late afternoon – specifically to view the stunning colours of The Champagne Pool which show themselves as the sun gets lower in the west. I have included some afternoon images showing these almost unbelievable colours, which are a result of the mineral composition of the spring water, some of which are: gold, silver, mercury, sulphur, arsenic, thallium, silica, and antimony.

Before we get to the images of Wai-O-Tapu, here is a scene that captured my attention on our drive along the Thermal Explorer Highway…

Fence and Hill 2AM-000332. ©Andrew McInnes

Into Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland we go…

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Area 2AM-000102. ©Andrew McInnes

Devil’s Bath 2AM-000107. ©Andrew McInnes

Devil’s Bath 2AM-000325. ©Andrew McInnes

Devil’s Bath 2AM-000106. ©Andrew McInnes

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Area 2AM-000196. ©Andrew McInnes

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Area 2AM-000117. ©Andrew McInnes

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Area 2AM-000175. ©Andrew McInnes

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Area 2AM-000194. ©Andrew McInnes

On to my favourite feature – The Champagne Pool. I was fascinated and enthralled by it 🙂

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM 0301-0307 Panorama

The Champagne Pool 2AM 0301-0307 panorama. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000124

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000124. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000131

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000131. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000185

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000185. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000281

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000281. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-004249

The Champagne Pool 2AM-004249. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000122

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000122. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000164

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000164. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000123

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000123. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000141

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000141. ©Andrew McInnes

The Champagne Pool - Waiotapu 2AM-000138

The Champagne Pool 2AM-000138. ©Andrew McInnes

Next to The Champagne Pool is an area/feature named The Primrose Terrace, including warning signage.

The Primrose Terrace - Waiotapu 2AM-000297

The Primrose terrace 2AM-000297. ©Andrew McInnes

A boardwalk crosses the draining end of The Champagne Pool, and the evaporating water is rich in silica, depositing as silicious sinter – creating The Primrose Terrace feature.

The Primrose Terrace - Waiotapu 2AM-000166

The Primrose Terrace 2AM-000166. ©Andrew McInnes

A popular feature/attraction is Lady Knox Geyser, but I must admit I was somewhat underwhelmed, primarily because anthropogenic inputs are added to ensure the 10:15 am daily event. Nevertheless, worth a look.

Lady Knox Geyser 2AM-000221. ©Andrew McInnes

Lady Knox Geyser 2AM-000226. ©Andrew McInnes

On now to the Mud Pool. This is a small section of the feature shown here.

Mud Pool 2AM-004227. ©Andrew McInnes

Sometimes you see an “explosion”

Mud Pool 2AM-004120. ©Andrew McInnes

At other times a slow building of pressure…

Mud Pool 2AM-004163. ©Andrew McInnes

Which begets the following “burp”

Mud Pool 2AM-004164. ©Andrew McInnes

so many shapes…

Mud Pool 2AM-004184. ©Andrew McInnes

Mud Pool 2AM-004190. ©Andrew McInnes

Mud Pool 2AM-004211. ©Andrew McInnes

I hope you enjoyed, and are intrigued by the scenes in this posting.

Cheers 🙂

Posting #6 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Into the Kimberley Region…

If you plan on being near Halls Creek I thoroughly recommend taking the time to explore along Duncan Road…

China Wall – a quartz outcrop.

A light painting of China Wall.

The very refreshing, and aptly named, Palm Springs.

A ‘selfie’ in Palm Springs – lovely safe place for a dip.

Mulla mulla wildflowers along Duncan Road, Halls Creek.

One of the water crossings along Duncan Road, Halls Creek.

Sawtooth Gorge is a beautiful and secluded camping/visiting area- well worth the short bumpy dirt road in.

An iconic avian species – the Wedge-tailed Eagle – perched on a termite mound outside Fitzroy Crossing.

An iconic boab tree at dusk on the Great Northern Highway – a common Kimberley vista.

Posting #5 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Andrew McInnes Photography

All images in this post are from a very brief (overnight) stop in Broome and its immediate surrounds. A town full of history, gorgeous scenery, and the fabled Cable Beach.

Cable-Beach---Broome-2AM-2713-and-2714-Panorama

A glorious storm building over Cable Beach, Broome – Western Australia. In addition to the much needed rainfall, this storm did wonders ameliorating the hot conditions on that day. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

Sun Pictures (Sun Picture Gardens) is reportedly the world’s oldest picture garden still in operation.

Another glorious dusk as I departed Broome.

Posting #3 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Andrew McInnes Photography

This post contains images from my express visit to Coral Bay and Exmouth, Western Australia.

Ah, the tropics 🙂

These next three images are from Coral Bay – a stunning and simple place.

The front of the image is shallow water over a sand substrate; this then abruptly drops off into a deepish lagoon which is protected by Ningaloo Reef (Australia’s “other” reef) in the background. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

Unfortunately I only spent about 8 hours in Exmouth which is nowhere near sufficient. Nevertheless, here are some scenes of this fascinating area.

A light-painting of the retired (non-functioning) Vlamingh Head Lighthouse – Exmouth. The evening air was thick with moisture from the Indian Ocean as it pounded Ningaloo Reef so I thought I’d make an image to suggest how the light from the lighthouse may have appeared to mariners of yore. During the 30 second exposure I mimicked a beam of light from the lighthouse by aiming my spotlight on the structure for a few seconds, allowing the moisture in the air to appear as a beam.
This image includes the Southern Cross (and pointers), along with a portion of the Milky Way.

Vlamingh-Head-Lighthouse---Exmouth-2AM-002554

Vlamingh-Head-Lighthouse---Exmouth-2AM_no-base-image_lighten_startrails_b

Star trails caress the retired (non-functioning) Vlamingh Head Lighthouse – Exmouth, on a blustery and balmy autumn night. This is a stacked image consisting of 61 images (each image f4 for 30 seconds at ISO 800). © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

More posts from this road trip to follow this.

Posting #1 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Andrew McInnes Photography

I recently embarked on what turned out to be a quite a drive with the purpose of visiting an old mate from my teenage years whom I have not seen for more than 20 years! My old vehicle (1984 Toyota Hilux diesel) logged 9,193 km (5,712 miles) doing my return trip from Fremantle – Kununurra – Fremantle, Western Australia.

With an esky full of water and assorted sandwich-construction material, plus spare diesel, oil, etc., I essentially drove until it was time to find a bush-camp for the night. I’d awake early and continue northward, repeating as required until I arrived at Kununurra.

Subsequent blog postings will present more images from the trip to the north of this bloody big state.
Theses images document my travels up and back – I hope you will find them appealing.

It isn’t long until these emblematic signs present themselves, with varying fauna presented.

Having previously visited and photographed The Pinnacles (click here to view these) at Nambung National Park, near Cervantes, I chose to revisit and shoot more images from this amazing ‘moonscape’ before moving on and finding a place to camp for the night.

This leaning tree is but one of many around the Greenough area. These River Gum/eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) have horizontal trunks due to exposure to strong and near-continuous southerly winds.

Should you find yourself anywhere near Geraldton or Walkaway, I thoroughly recommend a visit to Ellendale Pool, be it for a day trip or a place to camp – as I did for an evening.

Lovely spot to set up a caravan!

The ubiquitous and raucous Little Corella

Hope you enjoyed the early portion of my trip, if vicariously 🙂

More images from the trip to follow soon.

Cheers,

Andrew

Hotham Ridge Organic Winery – Wandering, Western Australia

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Andrew McInnes Photography

I recently had the pleasure of 36 hours at the lovely Hotham Ridge Winery at Wandering, Western Australia as I conducted a photo-shoot for the owners. At only a little beyond 1.5 hours from downtown Perth, this organic/biodynamic winery is a wonderful and proximal location to spend time relaxing with fine wine, delicious food, and gorgeous rammed-earth cottages that are refreshingly clean and quiet. The bistro utilizes a wood-fired oven to produce meals, from which I enjoyed what may well be the most delicious pizza I can recall – the “Classico.”

The following images are all taken at the winery – I hope you enjoy them, and if you are planning a visit to the Perth area I suggest you may want to consider spending time at Hotham Ridge Winery, even if only for a bite to eat and a sampling of their award winning wines.

Overlooking the Chardonnay, with a beautiful crop for this vintage.

1_Hotham Ridge Winery 2AM-003359-003361 panorama

Looking back at the cottages, homestead, bistro, and winery.

The Dutch influenced homestead, and the two cottages – “Billie” and “Nina” – as seen from the bistro.

Here is “Billie’s” porch.

These old oak barrels, settled among a garden of ponds, flowing water, and birds-a-plenty, greet visitors on pathway to the cellar door and bistro.

The Magpie tapestry – illustrating the basis of the Hotham Ridge label.

5_Hotham-Ridge-Winery-2AM-003498 - 5D Mark III

The vintner’s vintages.

Vines, very soon to be relieved of their sweet bounty.

A red bicycle appearance among the vines.

This red bicycle makes an appearance in several of these images as the owners of the winery wanted the bicycle included in some of the scenes – I like it.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

As this is an organic winery (certified), there is no herbicide or pesticide usage thus these young vines are competing with the remnants of the spring’s grass.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.