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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].)

Ice—the mysterious life of water

28 June 2009 in Curiosities, New Zealand wilderness, Photography | No comments

The Secret Life of Water—Masaru Emoto

The Secret Life of Water—Masaru Emoto—ISBN 978-1-416522-18-8

Water crystal by Masaru Emoto

Water crystal photographed by Masaru Emoto. For more water crystal photos visit www.hado.net/watercrystals/

When I was at school, I was taught that no two snowflakes were identical. I remember being quite overwhelmed by that idea. In art class we drew imaginary snowflakes and water crystals. Sure, every pupil’s drawings looked different, but how could every single snowflake of the zillions that fall from the sky every winter be different?

Over the years, every time I found myself in the midst of a snowstorm, I couldn’t help but ponder the idea of all those unique snowflakes, and my fascination grew into a hunger to find out more.

It so happened that, one day, I came across Masaru Emoto’s intriguing books The Secret Life of Water and The Hidden Messages in Water—the way I view and think about water changed forever.

In his books, Masaru Emoto not only takes the reader on a wondrous journey about water, but also gives a photographic insight into the life of water crystals. His photographs of water crystals are truly amazing and captivating.

While you may not be familiar with Masaru Emoto’s work, I’m almost certain that you find some appreciation for the beauty of the following icy photos, I captured while out tramping:

Thawing ice at Lake Angelus

A spring day at Lake Angelus.

Thawing ice at Lake Angelus

Zillions of melting water crystals at Lake Angelus.

Ice patterns on Lake Peel

Iced over Lake Peel in Kahurangi National Park (click the photo for an enlarged view).

Ice patterns on Lake Peel

What looks like some painter’s abstract artwork, was created by Mother Nature. Defrosted and refrozen ice sheets formed these beautiful patterns on Lake Peel (click the photo for an enlarged view).

Ice patterns on Lake Peel

A close-up view of the above shot. I call it “Dancing Water Spirits” because the lines and patterns remind me of all kinds of creatures. What do you see? Do any of the spirits captivate your imagination? (Click the photo for an enlarged view.)

If you wish to purchase any of the above photos please go to my ice gallery.

Solstice—goodbye autumn, hello winter!

21 June 2009 in New Zealand wilderness, Photography, Varia | 3 comments

Today at 5:45 pm NZST the sun is at the most northern point in the ecliptic—it’s solstice. In astronomical terms this event marks the beginning of winter (in the southern hemisphere). It’s also the time when we get the least daylight.

In Nelson we’ve already had a few mornings with subzero temperatures this year. Winter seems to have arrived a little earlier than usual. While snow doesn’t fall to sea level in Nelson, snow-capped hills and mountains are a common sight. In the twelve years that I have lived here, I’ve seen snow as low as 300 metres. I’ve been told that one winter in the 1950s it was actually snowing in Nelson City.

In the nearby mountains of Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes National Park snowfalls can occur at any time of the year. I remember tramping up the Cobb in knee-deep snow at Christmas time, or wading through waist-deep snow at Lake Angelus in February. In summer, snow doesn’t last long at those altitudes. In winter, on the other hand, snow and ice can make tramping difficult. Some areas can become impassable, while others are prone to avalanches. Since I prefer not to spend too much time in the snow, I’m quite happy to leave conditions like that to others and mountaineers.

Nevertheless, I do enjoy looking at and taking photos of snowy landscapes. Say “hello winter” as you take a look at the following photos:

Mt Ranolf, Peel Range

Mt Ranolf (southeast face, 1660 m) on Peel Range

Peel Range (point 1483)

Peel Range (point 1483)

Bush along Cobb Ridge Route

Bush along Cobb Ridge Route

Morning sun on Peel Range

Morning sun on Peel Range—Mt Peel (far right, 1654 m)

Tahunanui Beach, Nelson - Arthur Range

Tahunanui Beach, Nelson—Arthur Range

CameraTo view my other snowy photos please browse my snow photo album.

Lake Angelus—peaceful waters

11 July 2008 in Backcountry huts, Nelson Lakes, New Zealand wilderness, Tramping/hiking trips | 3 comments

Lake Angelus is a pristine mountain lake in Nelson Lakes National Park. The lake lies in a basin dominated by tussock, and surrounded by rocky mountain ridges and peaks, such as Mt Angelus, towering majestically to the south of the lake.

Lake Angelus is a fairly popular destination and most trampers spend at least one to two nights at Angelus Hut which sits slightly elevated right by the edge of the lake offering a spectacular outlook. If you plan to visit Lake Angelus I recommend you allow for an extra day to explore the area and enjoy the peacefulness—and climb Mt Angelus perhaps (weather permitting, of course). On one of my visits, a very keen tramper (or mountain runner?) ran to Mt Angelus summit and back before breakfast!

Lake Angelus

Lake Angelus

There are four tracks/routes to Lake Angelus, each of them involves a climb of about 1000 m and takes roughly six hours to complete, depending on one’s level of fitness and the weather conditions. On DOC’s Approaches to Angelus: Tracks and walks publications page you can download a poster called ‘Approaches to Angelus track/route profiles’ (which I was commissioned to design) that contains a map showing the tracks as well as elevation profiles.

Quick links

More info

One thing to always keep in mind is weather! As is typical with most mountainous areas, the weather at Angelus can change very quickly. I’ve seen it myself when, literally out of the blue, a few clouds appear and within minutes: whiteout. I remember on one occasion during summer (February), there was a cold snap and within a couple of days a half metre of snow was dumped in the Angelus area. It was gone as quickly as it arrived, but snow dumps and other extreme weather can occur at any time of the year.

For a brief preview of the Angelus area take a look at my photos that show the lake in late summer as well as in spring when the ice and snow started to thaw.

How did the lake and mountain get their name? According to the book The Story of Nelson Lakes National Park (published by the Department of Conservation in 1988) this is how: “Angelus: Originally named Lake Rangimarie (which means ‘peaceful waters’) by L J Dumbleton. It was later named Angelus by some unknown party, probably after Dumbleton, Chittenden and Stanton climbed and named Mt Angelus on an Easter evening in 1947. Angelus is a devotional exercise commemorating the incarnation; repeated at morning, noon and sunset.”

When are you going to Lake Angelus? Or have you already been there? How did you get there and what did you think of it?