PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE

And This Was What I Dreamt Of

Week 173 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

Or maybe it was even better than in my dreams.

When I first began dreaming about New Zealand and exploring its vast wilderness, it must have looked something like this. High mountains covered in thick forests, lots of waterfalls splashing through the lush woods and crystal-clear rivers running down below in the valleys.

But then, I never thought this would come true. Or I’d be disappointed once I arrived since I had too high or the wrong expectations which is why I usually don’t carry any but this time I had.

With the excitement I was entering this country, I saw beauty wherever I looked. My eyes were sparkling with joy and the smile on my face was bigger than you’d ever seen.

I can’t believe it’s been a month already since we arrived down under.

I will make sure to embrace every single day of our short-lived chance to explore, experience and admire this beautiful country.

I can’t remember what I did last Thursday but I do recall going out in the dark and setting up my tripod for some night shots. However, the moon was out and bright weakening the strength of the stars.

It was very cold outside and I just walked around the building to catch a glimpse of the night sky behind the trees. The clouds rolled in cutting my session short but I won’t give up.

I’ll be back.

With my camera.

In the dark.

On Friday, I went up the hill behind our home to sit in nature and just be. Listening to the sounds of birds and insects, I was overlooking the valley hosting vineyards and orchards and herds of sheep.

This is my happy place. I barely see a handful of houses and yet I only walked a few minutes from home. This is how remote we live. It’s not the wilderness but there is nature all around.

I sit there, breathe in the fresh mountain air, and admire the landscape.

Yes, on Saturday afternoon after work, I went back to the same place.

But this time I wasn’t alone. A rabbit appeared from its underground tunnels and sat there alert. I thought it would begin to graze but it seemed to want a staring contest.

I lost.

Then the rabbit was gone.

From Sunday I have some office views for you. Jumping out of planes for a living, I took this picture for a client who booked a skydive over Wanaka. Attached to an instructor, the person had nothing to do but embrace the moment.

And for those who feared the last time, this little white chute is not the parachute. It is way too small for that. It is called a ‘drogue’ and slows down the tandem pair in freefall which would accelerate otherwise to speeds up to 300 kph. This little chute slows the tandem pair to a normal freefall speed of around 200 kph. This also makes it easier for a camera flyer, like me in this situation, to keep up with the pair.

But back to the actual picture taken. Don’t show fear and just enjoy the beauty of Lake Wanaka (left) and Lake Hawea with the snowcapped mountains of the Southern Alps in the background.

Those are my office views.

On Monday, I captured this magical sunset behind the mountain. I could see this view from our kitchen window as I was doing the dishes. And no, with such a view, not even the dishes feel like a chore.

It’s Tuesday. And do you what that means? Weekend for us.

We drove to work with our car packed with our hiking bags and hit the road as soon as we were done. We headed into the mountains, stopped next to a suspension bridge that allowed us to cross the Matukituki River and hiked with our gear for the weekend into the wilderness.

Looking for a place to camp, we just put down our bags on the shores of the river when this family came waddling along. With one parent leading the group and one protecting the end of the gathering, they safely entered the water and swam downriver.

That moment I knew we had found our spot and only minutes later our tent was set up just above the riverbank.

Great spot, don’t you think?

The next day we left all unnecessary items in the tent and went for a hike upriver. Four hours long we hiked up and down in the forest following the turquoise blue of the beautiful mountain river.

The forest was like out of the movies. Untouched and pristine. Native beech trees were growing tall and some of them lying on the ground. Fallen and slowly turning into soil again.

Several smaller creeks had to be crossed and we had such a joy climbing up rock faces in the forest holding onto roots and trees for support.

When our stomachs began to growl, we looked for a lunch spot. The expectations were high. We wanted some shade, a beach and a crystal-clear body of water for a swim.

Guess what? We found plenty of those.

And yes, we went for a swim. It was freezing cold but so refreshing.

We turned around after preparing a quick meal on a gas burner and headed back to camp. We did not see or pass any other human the entire day. This was showing us how deep in the wilderness we had ventured.

A dream.

My dream of New Zealand.

This has been my weekly photo essay. Anyone can join. Once. Or weekly. It doesn’t matter. We welcome everyone! Dennett started this photography challenge in 2020 and many have participated ever since.

Dennett / Erika / Eileen / K. Barrett / Juan / David / Mia / Susan / LensAfield / Kim / Barbara / Diana / Barb / Sandra / Shruthi / Ellie / Pene / Olive / Gustavo / Jane / Penny / Jillian / Shell / Ivy / Lisa / Lynne / Julia

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