Flying down the highway while the sun sets golden over the hills. Open land like this just begs to be explored. What’s over the hill? I don’t know, but we should go and find out.

Taken near Lancefield in country Victoria on a brief flying visit driving from Seymour through to Ballarat, a town I lived in for many years. The drive opened up parts of the state I’d never been through before, but have since resolved to amble past at a more lesuirely pace in the future so that they can be fully appreciated.

This walkway is found along the Hooker Valley track in the Mt.Cook National Park.

While we were on the track, an avalanche took out a tight part of the walk (as it bends around a sheer cliff face), making the route back impassable. Those of us still on the track had to be airlifted out. Being in the last group to leave, we got an extra ride as the helicopter did one last sweep of the valley to make sure nobody was still left out there.

The Hooker Valley walk begins from a carpark a short distance from the remote Mount Cook Village. Travelling over a large swing bridge and then along a path cut into the cliff-side no wider than a footpath above a roaring river. You eventually cross another bridge and emerge into the grasslands of the Hooker Valley, surrounded but enormous mountains. The track ends at the terminus of the Hooker Glacier, winding down from Mount Cook towering above.

The whole trip is only around 4 hours return and would have to be one of the most amazing walks in the world. I’ve done it a few times now, with the last trip interrupted by an avalanche that took out the safety fences that prevent walkers from tumbling into the river in the early parts. About 20 of us were stranded and had to be airlifted out. Sometimes you forget just how remote some of these places are!

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.

Sunset from the side of the road, looking towards Tekapo. This place seems to be able to conjure the most amazing red sunrise/sunsets. I have video from a previous video that shows a similarly blood red sky, only at dawn, rather than dusk.

Feeling very manly, my mate Thomo and I decided to stop in and visit Mt.Sunday (used as Edoras in the Lord of the Rings movies) on our way from Christchurch to Tekapo.

The drive to Mt.Sunday first takes you over about 30km of dirt road. This is followed by a trek across the valley floor of about 2kms, involving several river crossings. Finally, you get to climb Mt.Sunday itself, a lazy 400m above the valley floor.

When you get to the top, the views are nothing short of stunning.

I suggested to Thomo that this sort of Panorama would make for an a bit of fun, so he did up this is a 3 photo stitch. In the interest of full disclosure, I also feel it necessary to mention that one of the rivers was of sufficient depth that he felt the need to traverse it “pantless”, lest he end up saturated. Lucky the landscape provided sufficient respite for the eyes!

At this time of year, the paddocks of rural New Zealand are covered with newly born lambs. Excessively cute, they are also quite playful with one another. However, try to get anywhere close in order to photograph them and they bolt in the opposite direction.

Challenging as it was, I still managed to get a couple of decent shots.

The sun sets over one of Montana’s vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand.

This place is truly magical, and it’s not just the wine talking. Like all wine regions, Marlborough is ostensibly a farming community; warm, welcoming and above all else, passionate. The food availble here easily matches the wine in quality, and the light that reaches out across the vineyards makes this one of the most picturesque regions I’ve ever had the good fortune to visit.

A rocky base for some of the Cloudy Bay vines.

Looking out over Christchurch from the hills to its East. You can see the city below, the Pacific Ocean to the right and in the distance, the northern edge of New Zealand’s Southern Alps are covered in snow.

I’ve done this shot before, as has everyone. That said, I still love it. This is the Perth city skyline as seen from Kings Park.