Road to Glenorchy

The road to Glenorchy beside Lake Wakatipu, snow covered mountains, alpine deep, cold lake, you could make movies here. Mt Earnslaw the double peak in background on lower right, 2819 metres high (9,249 Feet) is an area where many movies scenes have been filmed - Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Narnia, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand. Doubtful like Milford and Dusky Sounds are actually fiords, created by glaciers from the Southern Alps. Very deep, 10 times bigger than Milford Sound and hard to get to (12 hour round trip journey from Queenstown).

Lake Wakatipu

Morning of January 2, 2013, low cloud of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, New Zealand. Not as low as you think as mountains on right are up to 1,978 metres (6,740 feet) so cloud there is around 3,000 feet. Taken from Fernhill Road looking across the lake. Remarkable mountain range left back one of only two ranges that run exactly north south in world. Highest peak is 7,608 feet.

Mount Earnslaw

A very typical high country or alpine scene in New Zealand's South Island. Sheep grazing in front of the twin peaks Mount Earnslaw (2,819 metres high, 9,249 feet). This is past Glenorchy towards the Routburn Track and Paradise. Dust is from back country unsealed roads.

Mt Earnslaw towards Paradise

Wide angle photo of Mt Earnslaw and grazing sheep, past Glenorchy, South Island, New Zealand on the road to the Routeburn Track and Paradise

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, New Zealand looking away from Queenstown.

Shotover River

Shotover River and Bridge, Queenstown, New Zealand. Runs from Southern Alps, through Skippers Canyon, eventually draining into Kawarau River. It was one of richest gold bearing rivers in world during Otago Gold Rush in 1860's.

Shotover River Jet Boat

A jet boat travelling through the Shotover River (Shotover Jet), Queenstown, New Zealand. The jet boat was invented in New Zealand by Bill Hamilton, a sheep farmer and engineer in the 1950's. They were ideal for shallow rivers with rocks. These jet boat travel at up to 75 Kph, very close to granite boulders, which they can do as they have instant and great maneuverability.

Mitre Peak

Mitre Peak in Milford Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand. Rising 1,692 metres, 5,551 feet straight out of very deep, cold water. Rudyard Kipling called Milford Sound the Eight Wonder of the World. It is actually a fiord not a sound and runs 15 kilometres in from the Tasman sea on New Zealand's west coast. It averages nearly 7 metres of rainfall a year, subsequently the sea water is layered with quite a depth of fresh water. It is a 4-5 hour drive from Queenstown through stunning farmland and native forrests.

Lindis Pass

Lindis Pass links Central Otago, Wanaka and Twizzle.

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, New Zealand. The longest lake in NZ, 3rd largest and very deep, and cold. Walter Peak in centre, 1,800 metres (5,905 ft.)

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, New Zealand. This is NZ's longest lake fed by the Dart River and drained by the Kawarau River. The Remarkables mountain range is in the background shrouded in cloud

Lake Hawea

Lake Hawea, Otago, New Zealand which runs parallel to Lake Wanaka, very deep (392 metres) and very blue. Photo taken in late NZ summer

Lake Wanaka

Lake Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand

Church of Good Shepherd

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, sunset

Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Church of Good Shepherd

Church of the Good Shepherd when built in 1935 was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. It is located in Tekapo township on the shores of Lake Tekapo.

Church of Good Shepherd

Church of Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand

Church of Good Shepherd

The Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo, in the Mackenzie Basin, South Island, New Zealand. Built in 1935 the church gets lots of visitors. The turquoise colour of Lake Tekapo which is New Zealand's largest high lake (710 metres above sea level) is caused by rock flour which is ground rock from glaciers in the headwaters. The suspended particles and sunlight create the unique water colour. Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau have the same colour water.

Mt John

New Zealands astronomical research observatory on top of Mt John at Tekapo in the Mackenzie Basin. 1,700 square miles around the observatory are a dark sky area. Mt John is 3,376 feet high. At night the view of the sky is over whelming

Lake Wanaka

The magic of sunset at Lake Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand