My Lens My Journey: canterbury

Showing posts with label canterbury. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 March 2014

NZ Photo Tour : Day 01 - Tekapo To Twizel : A Night Full Of Stars

Assalamualaikum wbt.

Sept 1st - Sept 2nd, 2013

The Church of the Good Shepherd was built in 1935. It was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. Perhaps I am not exaggerating if I say the church is one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and it is very much synonym with the name Lake Tekapo itself.

When we reached there, the church was closed and its door locked, so I was unable to take any interior pictures. But I've seen its interior images, in particular one windows framing the lake and the mountain range in the distance.

We decided to stay well past sunset and wait for the stars to come out. And it was a worthy wait! Just after blue hour, the stars came out in full glory, and the milky way stretch vertically across the night sky. I could not adequately describe in words, nor my shots could do proper justice. You simply have to be there and experience for yourself. Trust me, you won't regret it!

The blue hour had just barely ended and the stars already came out in full glory

count the meteors!

The Aoraki MacKenzie is a "gold rated" Dark Sky Reserve. This reserve span the whole Mackenzie Basin and includes Aoraki Mt Cook National Park, Lake Tekapo, Twizel and Mt Cook itself, covering an area of 4300square kilometres.

What this status means is that a light-pollution free night sky is guaranteed. True enough, what light pollution there was came from infrequently passing vehicles, and the occasional (annoying, but hey, it's a public area) glare of torchlight from the tourist.

The night sky was full of stars, and the milky way band across the sky was so colourful! Really, I'm lost for words to describe the feeling.

There used to be this beautiful night sky in Malaysia. I remember during my early twenties (yes I'm old :p) I went night fishing at my hometown Kuala Terengganu...we just laid back on the sandy beach while waiting for the fish to take the bait..and just enjoy the stars. Sadly this is no longer the case.. *sigh*

would love to get inside and take a picture of the stars framed by the church's window!

And here's the timelapse that I managed to shoot that night :

Tekapo Milky Way Part 1

Tekapo Milky Way Part II

Tekapo Milky Way Part III

Our original plan was to stay one night at Tekapo. However we were so engrossed with our shooting that we decided to look for lodging after the shooting sessions. BAD NEWS : all business closed early. By the time we finished shooting around 10.00 pm, all shops, campsite/motel receptions, were all closed. Even the fuel station was closed. We were so used to the 24hrs availability of shops and eateries in Malaysia, it never crossed our mind that it would be different in New Zealand.

After a brief dinner of scrambled eggs + bread and instant "bubur nasi" by Danial, our designated chef, we unsuccessfully tried to find any campervan site or motel that were still open. Overnight parking in town open area/public parking ("freedom camping") was prohibited so after our very first dump (discharging grey water) at the public dumpsite we decided to press ahead to Mount Cook as far as we could that night. It's approximately 100 kilometers from Tekapo so we hoped to cover maybe half the distance before stopping at any suitable place for the night's sleep.

Whether right or wrong decision, I for one do not regret it. Our campervan's gas heater failed to function (we were given a electric heater, but to use it we need to hook up to external power source) so it was a very cold night sleep in the campervan that night, but looking at the following images, I think it was worth it.

I was driving, and Jemang keeping me awake with his endless chatter and jokes while everyone else succumbed to the cold night. And about one hour into the journey, (somewhere on Tekapo-Twizel Road) Jemang excitedly pointed out that the Milky Way was right ahead!

Well, what else to do but stop and shoot? :D

The straight road was literally empty that we could lay down in the middle of the road without any worry. Of course we didn't do that but we certainly couldn't pass up the chance to strike a pose or two :)

We proceeded and a further ahead stopped again for another shot

the compulsory Light Saber post

the stars was so bright it was even reflected on the campervan

We moved ahead and about 1 hour later both of us started to feel sleepy, so we decided to stop for the night at any convenient location. We found a clear area by the roadside so we parked there for the night. But surprise, surprise, we were not so sleepy after all! Time for some more shots :)

Milky Way Over Lake Pukaki

unfortunately, no live Lupins, only dry ones. imagine the scene here during the summer!

Before finally climbing onto the bunk bed atop the driver's cab, I even managed to record a timelapse here :)

Startrail Over Lake Pukaki

Until next post, Wassalam.

<< Day 01 - Christchurch To Tekapo

Day 02 - Twizel To Mount Cook : There And Back Again Part 1 >>

-----------------------------

HDR/DRI/Timelapse personal / group workshop is available upon request. PM me for details :)

- contact me at enquire.ariefrasa@gmail.com for information on licensing of my images and timelapse clips -

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

NZ Photo Tour : Timelapse Compilation

Assalamualaikum wbt.

My timelapse compilation that I managed to shoot during the NZ Tour :

At this time I was still new into Timelapse Photography. I made the classic mistake I think most novices do - shooting in Av (Aperture Priority) Mode, resulting in flickering in some of the clips. Indeed I had learnt a lot from this tour and I dare say I've come a long way in Timelapse Photography.

That's why I am inviting you to join my Timelapse Workshop this April at Sabah. I will share with you all the tips and tricks that I know about timelapse, not only what to do but more importantly what NOT to do so you could avoid all mistakes that I made :)

Join our Facebook Group for more information about the workshop.

In the meantime, do also enjoy this video of another my timelapse collection, compiled courtesy of Bro Ramdan Nain :)

Till my next post,

Wassalam.

-----------------------------

HDR/DRI/Timelapse personal / group workshop is available upon request. PM me for details :)

- contact me at enquire.ariefrasa@gmail.com for information on licensing of my images and timelapse clips -

Monday, 17 March 2014

NZ Photo Tour : Day 01 - Christchurch To Tekapo

Assalamualaikum wbt

August 31st - Sept 1st, 2013

From Sydney, we boarded Air New Zealand flight VA8108 to Christchurch. We took off at 06.25pm (Sydney time) and landed at 11.25pm (Christchurch time). The flight time was approximately 3 hours and after the refreshment was served I took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep.

After the cool Sydney's weather, Christchurch's cold night hit us like a slap. Even in the terminal we could feel the cold. And coming from Malaysia, it was a real shocker. Fortunately I was already dressed for the weather so all I need to do was put on my heavy outer jacket.

Christchurch here we come :)


One for my album :)

Our plan was just to sleep at the airport until the next morning pickup. Unknown to us, Christchurch airport's policy did not allow overnight sleeper, unless they had an early morning flight ticket to prove. Apparently as one of the security officers told us, there were people who literally camped at the airport for weeks. We showed him our campervan's pickup appointment for the next morning and were allowed to stay until 8.am. By the way, the security guy we spoke to was from Batu Pahat, Johor. However, fellow Malaysian or not, he treated us just the same. Full scrutiny of our documents then gave us wrist bands to wear. And we still need to get out of the airport by 8.am.

We had a choice of just sitting at the arrival terminal's chairs, or for NZD5.00 per pax, we can rest at a heated lounge (next to shower room) furnished with bean bag seat. For either option, sleeping on the floor or lying on our back on the chair was not allowed. The lounge was quite full so we opted just to wait for the morning at the terminal's chair near the entrance. It was comfy enough, bundled in 3 layers of warm clothing as I was. What we did not foresee was the cold air rushing in every time the doors slid open! Quite a "teeth chattering" experience :D

Control Tower - Christchurch Aiport. Vertorama 2 images

In the morning, the rental company sent a bus to pick us up from the Airport. A short distance later we arrived at the depot where we were met by Rosie, from Penang. Wah! Another Malaysian migrating to NZ! Rosie took care of the registration and even showed us how to put on the snow chain on the rear tires.

A note on renting campervan in New Zealand : you are required to post a NZD5,000-00 bond, which will be refunded to you upon return. Provided you were not involved with any accident. Apparently 3rd Party Liability Insurance for Motor Vehicle was not compulsory in NZ, unlike Malaysia. So if you were involved in any accident, even if wasn't your fault, the rental company will deduct it from your bond.

We certainly could not afford the NZ5,000-00 bond so we opted for the all inclusive insurance NZD46-00 per day, for our peace of mind.

EQC60 - home for next 8 days

We then head out to buy the groceries. I honestly do not remember where, we simply input "halal butcher" in our GPS's search function and choose the nearest one. What I do remember was that the operator was of Middle East descent (probably Iranian). We bought beef, rice, chicken and some spices. Next door was a fish market where we bought some fish (I wanted to cook some Salmon Asam Pedas LoL) and we bought our vegies from a market across the road. Our freezer fully stocked, we next head to a supermarket for some last-minutes shopping. As I had all that I needed (or so I thought) I just waited in the campervan.

And finally we were ready to really begin. First destination : Lake Tekapo.

The Jockeys

From Christchurch, the drive to Lake Tekapo took about 3 hours, covering approximately 222km via State Highway 1 for about 117km, and then at Farlie we turned to State Highway 79 for about 45km.

Another turn to State Highway 8, drove for about 41km and we took a right turn into the Pioneer Drive. A short while later, we passed the Sheepdog Statue and then we arrived at the Church of Good Shepherd.

Arriving at Lake Tekapo

The drive itself was very memorable. Beautiful scenery all around us - rolling green hills, snow capped mountains, and even iced covered roadside. However as we were quite behind in our schedule, we did not make any stop so all the following images are all drive-by shots :

rolling hills view from the front seat

another drive-by of NZ's rolling hills - side view

a common but beautiful view of skeletal trees lining up the road

The Church of Good Shepherd

From Wikipedia :

Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau). It covers an area of 83 square kilometres (32 sq mi), and is at an altitude of 700 metres (2,300 ft) above sea level. The Maori were the first people discovered the Mackenzie Basin. The name Tekapo derives from the Maori words taka (sleeping mat) and po (night). The Mackenzie Basin only became known to Europeans until 1855. In order to find a less conspicuous route, James Mackenzie, a Scottish sheep stealer, ventured inland and discovered the high country that now bears his name. In 1857, John and Barbara Hay established the first sheep farm in Mackenzie on the shore of Lake Tekapo.

Apart from the church, there are other attractions at Lake Tekapo Town. At Mount John Observatory you can take a stargazing tour and experience the use of telescope. Or you can soak in the hot pools, dash around the ice skating rink or have an adrenaline filled ride down the tubing park at Tekapo Spring. For the more adventurous type, try an Alpine Horse Trekking up the mountain. And for those with thick wallet, take a cruise down the lake. Better yet, have a go at Air Safaris or Helicopter Scenic Flight!

For us on tight budget, it was enough for us to be there and enjoy the scenery. With our camera's shutter busily clicking, of course!

Here are some of the images I took around the church. I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I enjoyed taking them :)