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Mt Starveall—views galore!

20 September 2009 in Mt Richmond, New Zealand wilderness, Photography | 6 comments

At 1528 metres, 21 kilometres south of Nelson, Mt Starveall is a superb viewpoint. The Marlborough Sounds, Richmond Range, Inland Kaikouras, Red Hills Ridge, Nelson’s Western Ranges as well as Tasman Bay are all on Mt Starveall’s viewing menu.

Mt Starveall

A cloud drifts across the Lowther Saddle between the Hacket Peaks and Mt Starveall (right, 1528 m). Dominating in the distance are Little Rintoul (left, 1643 m) and Mt Rintoul (1731 m).

Hacket Peaks

Looking back to the Hacket Peaks (1438 m and 1437 m) and Mt Gale (1425 m).

On Mt Starveall

Clouds hover above Mt Starveall summit (1528 m).

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Nelson’s western vista—what are we looking at?

12 July 2009 in Photography | 9 comments

It all started with a phone call from my friend Ian last week. From his place he gets a clear view of Nelson’s western ranges, and he remarked on how stunning the snow-clad mountains looked. Since I live near Tahunanui Beach, I wondered whether I should go down with my camera and have a look. A short time later Ian and I were at Tahunanui’s back beach with my camera in tow.

Indeed, the mountains looked rather beautiful, calling for a panorama shot. Unfortunately I left my tripod at home, and the best I could do was a handheld photo shoot, trying to keep the camera level with the horizon and estimating the scene overlap. 50 seconds and 16 shutter releases later, I had digitalised the view.

Combining the photos to a panorama was next (after a nice lunch at the Beach Café). There are a lot of photo stitching programmes out there, among them Tobias Hüllmandel’s PanoramaStudio which I find excellent and fast.

What are we looking at?

Over the years I’ve managed to climb most prominent peaks that surround Nelson, and was able to name them and point them out to Ian.

Since the result of my handheld photo shoot is viewable, I thought it would be nice to produce an online reference, and here it is:

Nelson's western vista

The mountain panorama’s viewing angle stretches roughly over 100°, from the Lookout Range in Kahurangi National Park all the way to Abel Tasman National Park, with Tasman Bay in the foreground.

You can view/download the panorama as a small or (very) large file, free for private, non-commercial use:

(To download the panorama right-click on the link and select Save Link As [in Firefox] or Save Target As [in Explorer].)

Cape Farewell—the northernmost part of the South Island

29 March 2009 in Photography | No comments

The rather remote location of Cape Farewell makes it one of the lesser visited headlands in New Zealand. Yet, it is fairly accessible; at Puponga, a tiny settlement in Golden Bay, a gravel road heads northwest. About one kilometre before the road ends, a signposted side road leads to a car park, from where it’s a few minutes walk to the Cape Farewell viewing platform.

The cape was named by British explorer Captain James Cook. It was the place where he and his crew set out on their homeward journey in 1770.

Cape Farewell lies within Puponga Farm Park, a recreational reserve managed by the Department of Conservation. At 40° 30′ S 172° 41′ E, the cape is the northernmost part of the South Island. Geologically the area consists of Cretaceous quartz sandstones. Fine sand, created by the cliffs’ erosion, is swept east by sea currents, creating what is known as the Farewell Spit.

While Cape Farewell’s impressive cliff tops can be reached by car, they are also one of the highlights on the Puponga Hilltop Walk, a two to three-hour walk that runs from the Puponga Visitor Centre to Wharariki Beach. For more info and a downloadable brochure refer to DOC’s Farewell Spit & Puponga Farm Park walking tracks page.

Cape Farewell

For further photos please visit my Cape Farewell gallery or view the slideshow.