Stark Difference

When the gold miners arrived in Central Otago in the 1860s they didn't bat an eyelid at radically and massively transforming the environment. The initial influx of individuals and small groups gave way to larger operations that harnessed the power of water to obliterate large parts of the landscape. They extracted relatively small amounts of...

Old Orchard

Historic orchard remnant, pear and apricot trees. Planted early-1900s at a small community that grew in the 1860s with the arrival of gold miners and hydraulic sluicing. Stewart Town.. accessed via a walk through 'badlands'-type landscape, a large terrace destroyed and shaped by sluicing and related activities. Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand 31 October. ~first...

Birthday Fun

Birthday fun yesterday.. a trek through thyme-strewn Bannockburn sluicings to Stewart Town where the old stone house also boasts an old orchard +lilac bush! The first pic also has California poppies. And earlier, I'd enjoyed a whirl on this twirly thing in a Cromwell playground. Central Otago, New Zealand.

Takeover Bid

The first three photos were taken by me at Moa Flat when we pulled over to photograph the kōwhai tree in blossom.. it was looking very fine in the end-of-day sunshine. West Otago, New Zealand. 10 September (spring). And.. the last photo, by Nigel, was taken back in April (autumn), at Wilden, which is a...

Shower of Golden Flowers

Beautiful kōwhai tree, golden yellow blossom. Reigning over a sheep paddock. This evening.. Moa Flat, West Otago, New Zealand.

Every dog has his day

So they say.. and this one was having a 'reindeer' day. From my 2021 files, these photos were taken 24 December. The cute dog was running around with similarly 'dressed' canine companions near Millers Flat, and I took the rural landscape pics the same afternoon as we returned home via Moa Flat. New Zealand. ~...

Playtime

Last night I made a start on tidying my Gmail account (it'll be a long process). In a folder of 'Keepsakes' I found a message Nigel sent me, 31 March 2010. Attached was a morning moon shot taken where we lived back then, in the alpine tourist resort of Queenstown. I found I still like...

A Bit Steep

The 'steep gradient' sign made us laugh as the car appears to be doing a nose-dive! Trust me, we definitely weren't anywhere near that angle as we drove down the hill. At the bottom of my post is a map showing where we stopped (marked in red). First three pics were taken there ~first 2...

Rustic Shed

Rustic shed in a beautiful rural landscape at Ettrick in early autumn. The deciduous trees are changing colour. Central Otago, New Zealand. 19 March.

Stewart Island (Rakiura) in the distance, viewed from Bluff Hill. Foveaux Strait is deceptively tranquil. There's a cargo ship, probably a log carrier, and some smaller boats. Taken by Liz, 14 Aug 2018.

Arid Alexandra in Central Otago

Our journey home from Wanaka didn't start till late in the day and when we got to Alexandra I suggested to Nigel that we break the journey there and take a motel for the night. The next morning after breakfast we drove to a lookout high above the town to take in the scenery. Central...

Seeing Beauty. Guest Post by Tina Schell

"Beauty surrounds us." Jalaluddin Rumi Many years ago I tried my hand at oil painting. The teacher was much too kind to tell me I had no talent, but I was smart enough to figure it out pretty quickly. Not being one to give up easily, I then turned to photography as my avenue for...