New Zealand 2022

A few images and lines about New Zealand in November 2022. This is NaNoWriMo month. Hopefully, Queenstown will be an inspirational and motivational space!


Queenstown

The iconic view from the centre of Queenstown. The land of the Long White cloud. Fantastic light. No filters at all! 

First Sight

737 Melbourne to Queenstown

Touch of snow. Slopes all closed though.

View from Nomads. Great start!

First sights downtown Queenstown

Sunset behind the mountains

Spring leaf

Spring Flowers

Last of the snow

Babbling Brooks

Paragliding at 11 o'clock

Writers Festival

Horse Chestnut

gold in the river?

Fascinating about hills and gold and the 'gold rush'

A historic- late 1800's bridge. history is a relative term

rebuilt by Lions club. now just for bikes and walkers. used to be for Horses and wagons moving families

Alexandra

lovely trip to Alexandra

Woke up to snow on the hills, down to 350 m

Mountain run off

just after the hydro generator- 200 mw

time to be in Alexandra

New Bridge- old one pillars still standing behind

hydro dam 700Mw

Flooded valley above dam

typical scenery in central Otago

bike lanes

Sunset, most of the snow melted away

Picnic anyone? Cloud looks like a rocket!

Full of blooms

pretty huts on the water

still a bit of snow hanging on

So much!

Day 3 Queenstown Poem

Pluto over the Moon

The Long White Cloud stays cool

Not just a smile, a Kia Ora, a smiling jewel

 

Sights of nature to drop your jaw – Aotearoa

Not just service, care and comfort

All that and conversation too!


A place of beauty

Like a baby burping on a breast.

A place of joy

Like a silver salmon splitting the sun.


 

A connected feeling, all who live hear

in this end of the world, here

is the brightest place to be.

 

Safe, to belong, to live life free.

To face trials and strife

That bubble through life.


Kiwis resolve with fun and reason

overcome with joy they roll

natures flow of season.

Like the power

Of synchronised swimmers pulsating pulse.

 

The moon reflects the sun,

Pluto rolls on

New Zealand will never be done.

Like the glory

Of a young whale breaching.


Glenorchy, Walk around the lagoon. 

Even more beautiful than these pictures

The road to Glenorchy is 60 minutes from Queenstown. The vistas are so beautiful it will take 2-3 hours. Every minute a visual banquet. 

This must be the prettiest library in the world

only open once in a blue moon

Arrowtown

Arrowtown

Arrowtown

Arrowtown Woods

Lakes Hayes walk

Lakes Hayes walk


Lakes Hayes walk

Mlford Sound take off from Queenstown

Milford Sound en route, first over the NZ alps!

Milford Sound some glacier lakes on the way

Milford Sound coming in to land

Milford Sound

Last event of the Festival!

Nibbles at a Book Launch

Queenstown Writers Weekend Festival

Sunday Day trip to Wanaka

Best Gelato in South Island

Black Peak

Looking back to Queenstown

Up, up and away

Yes it is #that tree

70 years old now

short tree lines track

Frozen after the swim

heading home

Wanaka

Wanaka

Wanaka

Wanaka

Queenstown reprise

Birthday cake, cheese, and champagne!

Walking to work this morning

6 km of paradise

Memories of 2 years ago!

old train station, now a cafe

another train station

Road home

Early summer

Diesel

Rescued from a river!

First class

Second and first class

Queenstown to Lake Tepiko. 

Lake Tepiko

Christchurch

Catherdral rising

So Kiwi

Old fashioned

nice new seating

Botanical Gardens Christchurch

Off to the West from Christchurch- Hokitika Bound

Time for Hokitika

Haast- enroute and there!

Last leg, December 5 to Wanaka! Weather not the best, but still one of the most spectacular roads through the High Haast Pass- only tarred in 1969 or thereabouts. Wonderful names along the way, Imp Creek, Roaring Biilly, Squiggley creek, Gout Stream, Ink Black culvert, Serpentine creek, Firefly river, Pivot creek, Chelsea creek and Roaring Swine, Blue pools, Fantail waterfall. A writers delight! 

Amazing trees, with huge moss loads. Finally back into the valley for rver confluences and Lakes!