An Early Start

A 5:30am alarm is rather difficult to set for a Saturday morning, shouldn't the weekend involve a nice long lie-in or two?  With the weather looking promising though I wanted to be up at Maori Lakes in Hakatere Conservation Park for sun up and that meant an early start was the order of the day.  We have spent  reasonable amount of time in the Park, about an hour inland from Ashburton, and its bleak beauty makes it a fantastic place to explore.  Doubly so on a sunny day with snow on the tops.  I had fished this lake last season and put it down as a spot of great photo potential when a low mist hugged the water.  Unfortunately the cloud on that day meant the light failed to bring the scene really alive as you can see.

First Visit

The wind was up and although blowing nor'west which normally means warm there was a wee nip in the air as it came off the snowy peaks.  My idea was to try and capture the grass tussocks that are such a feature of this area with some nice side-light, while at the same time revealing the surrounding mountains.  Unfortunately the lakes are fairly close to a large group of hills to the right and these proved to be just high enough to block the first rays of the sun.  This meant that the scene was only really lit about 50 minutes after sunrise and the nature of the background hills also makes me think that things could work much better as a sunset shot.  At least it won't involve such an early start!

Maori  Lake + Tussocks

I also wondered about my viewpoint.  I think next time I may try getting in closer to the lake with the tussock "islands" in the water forming the foreground focus and potentially giving a more dynamic composition.  It's all part of learning to work the scene, recognise where the best shots lie and then hoping that the weather plays ball when you make the trip.  I am enjoying being out and about with the sole intention of making pictures at any rate.

Hakatere Park

With the sun well up and rising I had intended on walking a little way up the Cameron valley, where we did our first ever tramp.  As it was I ended up walking to Lake Emily, where I had not been before, and working my way up to the top of a nearby hill where I was suitably rewarded by stunning views and a branch that had somehow found itself at the very top in an area devoid of trees even allowed a spot of still life.

Weathered

A look to the north confirmed the weather forecast prediction of weather coming in over the course of the day with clouds gathering over the distant mountains.  Rather that head down the far side of the hill to pay Manuka hut a visit, I decided to make a beeline back down to the lake through some nice thick patches of matagouri.

Distant Clouds

It had turned into a fair old trip, I would reckon about 14km all up and about half of that through thick scrub.  Well worth the effort though, and even the early alarm.  the area is simply superb and I think I enjoy the scenery more each time I visit.  I have a few overnight trips and fishing spots in mind for the few months before December when life will never be the same again!

Down to Manuka Hut