New Zealand in February

Hi:
I'll be in the Nelson area for most of February, and will be bringing along my 4x5. Can anyone recommend good landscape and seascape shooting locations within day trips or ovenights from Nelson?

It might be worth asking in the New Zealand regional forum as well: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)
Other than that, all I can say is I'm very jealous

I have not been there for many years but you will not run out of things to photograph in a month. Try the local DOC (dept of conservation) office for ideas. The Marlborough sounds, Farewell Spit, Nelson Lakes, take a drive down the west coast. Probably best to bring your film with you because there wont be any in Nelson. photo.co.nz in Christchurch may have some Ilford sheet film in stock but they have told me to just get mine from overseas as that is what they do anyway. I get mine from B&H and it takes a week or so to arrive, provided the value of the package is low enough that it does not attract GST in customs. $100-$150 or so, keep to the low end. Shipping is expensive. Probably best to buy and ship yourself with package declared as a low value gift. imagelab.co.nz for processing. e6 is $8nzd/4X5 sheet.

The weather should be as good as it gets in Nelson in Feb but it could be cold and wet or windy if you are very unlucky. Have fun and try to avoid the cliches.

David

tubetime said:

Hi:
I'll be in the Nelson area for most of February, and will be bringing along my 4x5. Can anyone recommend good landscape and seascape shooting locations within day trips or ovenights from Nelson?

Click to expand...

Abel Tasman track
Westport on the west coast is about a 3 hour drive through lovely country.

Enjoy! Vaughn

You could try anywhere on the west coast and find plenty to shoot. The road between south of Westport and Karamea has some spectacular coast and river scenery. This would however be a long day trip form Nelson. You would be better to stay overnight along the way. Nelson Lakes National Park and Victoria Forest Park has some great lake and beech forest scenery and are accessible from Nelson. Bring all your 4x5 film with you. The Dept of Convervation (DOC) web site is a useful place to start for ideas of locations in the region. Hope you have a great time.

It's a fair bet that weather in NZ in February will be pot luck: could be anything from mild to warm to cold with howling winds (particularly along the west coast).

Around the foreshore esplanade of Nelson are good outlooks over the tidal flats beside the road which have kept me occupied with subject matter ranging from long 'tendrels' of low tide streams snaking through the mudflats to an old wooden row boat that hasn't moved in the 6 years I have been visiting the area! Be aware that walking on the mudflats is quite a trial sometimes — you'll sink to your knees in places. The general beach area is also quite photogenic, but only when the crowds are gone.

Farewell Spit is worth a studious look in fine, warm weather (but it unfortunately cops a huge amount of bad weather and fierce winds, which means airborne sand and spray) for its vast, open expanse and rolling dunes. Eyeball it with GoogleEarth.

Still up the far north, Wharariki Beach, reached outside Collingwood (about 6km of gravel road) is a wild ocean beach guaranteed to blow the cobwebs away, but it can be an ethereally beautiful place to wander contentedly with a camera with plenty of film to burn on a summer morning. The estuary at low tide with dramatic rock outcrops at the end is a must-see.

If taking just a 4x5, take as many quickloads as you can draw; conditions change quickly, especially with a change of weather...

Wharariki Beach, reached outside Collingwood (about 6km of gravel road)

yes,yes.yes, go there
and enjoy

Abel Tasman - Heaphy Track - erm... Takaka - all that

I was just looking at the Heaphy Track when I was checking out the Nelson area on google maps. Wish I had made the effort to get on that track while I was at university outside of Christchurch for a year. This was 35 years ago -- it might have been a bit rougher back then, but I was tougher myself back then...LOL! I did get on part of the Routeburn track mid-winter on a solo trip. And made several tramps into the Southern Alps, but that's too far south of Nelson!. If you do happen to get that far south, I have taken several day-hikes out of Authur's Pass -- pretty steep (esp with a 4x5) but great once you are up there!

And several years later I tramped a big loop in Abel Tasman National Park -- hiking on incredible beaches heading north on the Coastal Track...feasting on shellfish. And returning on the Inland Track through the mountains (out of food except for flour...not very interesting fare. I found out that night why the hut I was in was tied down by cables from all four corners! Great view of the coast from a bit over 2000 feet, but did the wind hit the place! That was a 7 or 8 day tramp.

Several years later (again) I did some tramping up in the Nelson Lakes (with a 4x5) -- very beautiful -- up to Lake Angelus. But given only a month and seeing as you probably have seen alpine country before, I would suggest exploring closer to Nelson and out to Westport (on the west coast, of course), but what the heck, it is less than a couple hours away! There are some old coal mining areas north of Westport if you are into that sort of thing...and a seal colony just to the south.

Make friends with someone with a boat -- now that would be the way to see the area! Depending on National Park regulations, it would be great to be dropped off by boat at a hut along the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, with food and camera. Spend a few days and hike out.

Vaughn

PS...sorry for the wandering post -- tripping down memory lane!

You'll be spoilt for choice! You've got a fabulous coast to explore in both directions, including heading back towards Picton and the Marlborough Sounds. The Nelson Lakes area is spectacular (as are the sandflies....), and it's probably worth a trip up the mountains.

You've had suggestions to head out west (you could also look up Karamea) and north west, but you can also take a longer drive over towards the east should you feel so inclined - towards Blenheim and further south (Kaikoura, etc) for an over-nighter.

And if you feel like you need some real excitement, jump on the ferry from Picton, or fly across, to Wellington on a really windy day

Bring your film, carry on is fine (no need to mail it ahead of time). Imagelab in Wellington can develop the film for you should you need, but it will probably be a bit more expensive than you expect.

Enjoy yourself, and remember the sunscreen, even when it is cloudy and cool. Burn time at the moment is less than 15 minutes.

PC Headland, Karamea was on my itinerary a while back and despite lots of research, the further north I drove the more isolated and disoriented I became. There is definitely something up there by way of ancient riverine forests that probably would rival those in Tasmania's Tarkine. Will go after Karamea with a vengeance next visit (probably November).

Thanks for all the tips

Thanks everyone. Leaving on Sunday and am really looking forward to the trip. I'm bringing 40 Acros quickloads for the 4x5 and 20 rolls of Acros for the Rolleiflex. I'll post some results after I get through all of this when I get back in March.

Bryan

Sounds like a great combo! In afterthought, I wish I had also taken my Rollei TLR when I took my 4x5 down to New Zealand (I took a Olympus XA instead). Oh, well -- at least I don't look at multiple images on 120 and think "I wish I had gotten that on 4x5!" LOL!

Enjoy!!!

Vaughn