Photoshots Blog by Tony Stewart

I also had to laugh at these two shots.
The first is the entrance to the Balmoral Army Training grounds at Tekapo. Everytime I drive past I chuckle at the state of security. Here is a short quiz!

Is our national defence;

a) not really an issue as we are a pretty honest bunch, knowing any upstanding soldiery type would naturally stop at the smaller sign as requested.
b) threatened only by cows (thus the cattle stop as main line frontier defence)
or
c) in fact open to anyone dumb enough to brave such a cold hole of a place, that they are welcome to come take their chances (& believe me, one of the coldest experiences I have ever had was on exercise here in winter many years ago). Thus the prominence of the ice warning sign, and nothing much about tresspassing and being shot on sight!

Balmoral Army Camp, Tekapo

Of course how traditionally Kiwi is this?
(Without the fluro clubbing outfit that is!! Perhaps more Ibiza than Omarama?)

Last week I was fortunate to be shooting in Queenstown and Arrowtown. I drove down, having first set the route on my GPS. Having full faith in technology I headed down via Waimate and the Waitaki valley – actually the first time I have been that way from CHCH. The trip was nice enough, but not the usual route I take through the McKenzie country. Coming home I decided to bypass the GPS, and just drive back the old way. There is nothing like the scenery pasted below to know when to ditch the GPS in favour of scenery. Here technology cant tell you what you know in your heart. Boy am I glad.

By the time I got back to CHCH I was wired. I had stopped no less than 30 times through the McKenzie Basin (you are right to note – there wasn’t any family on this trip!!!). I felt priveledged to be out in such spectacular countryside, with a such a neat job, in such a stunning country. I was stopping so often, sometimes only 100m apart, I must confess many of these shots were taken from out the car window (do I dare admit that??!!). My CHCH arrival was very very late, but I was excited. Wow!!!!!!! Please enjoy these as much as I did taking them, and bearing witness to the beauty that is the McKenzie basin.

I can take no credit for this at all, after John Doogan shared this clip at the NZIPP conference last week.

The Longest Way 1.0

Very neat – an amazing transformation of character, well produced, with such dedication. Well done Christoph.
www.thelongestway.com

Just had a neat weekend at Lake Brunner. Despite gale force winds on the East Coast, and huge rain for most of the West Coast, we did manage some sun. Here’s a shot at the waterfront at Iveagh Bay.

I could have posted a shot of a broken roof box, torn apart by the gusty head wind en-route near Springfield. But some bugger stole it after we stashed it away in order to collect on the return journey. How’s that for a double whammy??!!