South Australia 2018
The following is a series of images taken during my two week travels throughout South Australia over the Summer break of 2017/2018.
Tom and Eva Lookout, Port Campbell, Victoria
From Melbourne, I headed down to the Great Ocean Road and spent the night at Port Campbell. This shot was taken just after dawn, where I had gone down to the Razorback to take a number of images there at sunrise.
Cape Dombey Obelisk, Robe, South Australia
Quite possibly one of the best sunsets that I saw in 2017. Believe it or not it was actually pouring down iwht rain a couple of hours before this. As such, I turned up more out of hope that naything. However when the sun started to set, the colours started to grow in intensity and they just continued to get stronger arnd stronger unitl it looked like the whole sky was on fire. This was easily on eo fthose scenarios where it’s always best to go out because you never know what you’re going to get.
Ingalalla Falls, Hay Flat South Australia
Located halfway between the beautiful seaside town of Victor Harbour, and the departure point for Kangaroo Island (Cape Jervis), lies Ingallalla Falls.. A short walk from the base of the surrounding valley, these falls were particularly interesting due to the swirling mass of bubbles at the base. Making this a long exposure really allows you to see the movement at the base of the falls.
Remarkable Rocks/Admirals Arch, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
These series of photographs were taken from the south-west coast of Kangaroo Island within the Flinders Chase National Park. A rugged and windswept part of the island, this is home to the interesting rock formations known as the ‘Remarkable Rocks’ that appear to have been thrown out at the end of the peninsula by a giant. Furthermore, this section of coastline is a well known breeding ground for Australian and New Zealand Fur Seals, and I was lucky enough to see a number of mothers and their pups amongst the hundreds of seals that I saw there.
Norway and Faroe Islands Drone Photographs
Værøy
Stornappstinden
Kvalvika Beach & Ryten
Hamnoy & Sakrisoy
Eggum
Austvagoya
Faroe Islands
Mykines
Trolltunga
Preikistolen
New Zealand 2017
New Zealand.
It's a country that is synonymous with wide-open and majestic landscapes, snow-capped mountains and (thanks to Peter Jackson) the Lord of the Rings.
I had first been to New Zealand in the Summer of 2015, where, as a sort of gift to myself, I traveled following the completion of my Masters degree in Engineering following 5 years at University. I traveled around both the North and South Islands for almost one whole month doing things like bungee jumping and multi-day hikes through the amazing national parks that they had there. However this time I wanted to return to New Zealand in the Winter, primarily to go snowboarding and to properly experience the spectacular mountain ranges in their true glory.
I picked up a cheap flight from Melbourne to Queenstown that left Melbourne at 6am and eventually touched down in Queenstown at around 11am. The last half an hour or so of the flight was amazing as we were flying over the untouched snow capped mountain ranges of the South Island. Unfortunately I didn't have a window seat, so I could only see it in glimpses but by the way everyone was glued to the windows you could see that it was amazing.
Whilst I based myself in Queenstown I spent each day catching a bus up to a different mountain to ensure that I went to as many as I could in the short time that I had there. I hit the four big mountains when I was over there, and my preferences (starting with the best) are: Treble Cone, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Cardrona. In addition to these ski resorts I also spend one day heliboarding on the untouched mountains beyond Coronet Peak, which was one of the most amazing experiences. Coming down the mountain and carving through pure powder is just the greatest feeling.
After spending 6 days up at the snow, I hired a car and drove from Queenstown to Aoraki/Mt Cook. I had inadvertently skipped this landmark location on my previous trip and wanted to make sure that I went there this time. The drive to Aoraki/Mt Cook off the main highway is one of the greatest drives that I've ever done, and upon arrival to Mt Cook Village you are surrounded by snow capped mountains in every single direction. I spend the next day and a half walking various trails within the National Park and have to say that it is one of the most beautiful places that I have been to, despite being bitterly cold in the early morning and late evening (the thermometer in my car got down to -6°C at one stage). For those who are wishing to head there one day I definitely recommend the Hooker Valley Track and Tasman Lake trail, both of which are mind blowingly beautiful.
From there I also drove down into the deep south of New Zealand, making the 4 hour drive overnight from Aorkai/Mt Cook to Nugget Point to be there at sunrise. The coastline within this area is really stunning, and from someone who has lived in Australia their whole life and goes to the beach a fair bit, that's saying something. After photographing Nugget Point at sunrise I went chasing waterfalls and spent the rest of the day visiting Purakanui Falls, Matai Falls and McLean Falls. Easily the largest and best in my opinion was McLean Falls, a huge tiered waterfall that was flowing very strongly when I arrived there due to recent rains.
From there I made the 3 hour drive back to Queenstown, with the last hour of the drive being through heavy rain. Upon arriving at the airport and checking in and onto the plane, after sitting for about half an hour, the plane was unable to take off due to there being high winds and too much people on the flight. So I ended up staying an extra night (put up in a hotel by the airline) before leaving the next afternoon.
All in all it was an absolutely amazing experience and one that I might consider doing annually given the close proximity and amazing conditions up in the mountains.