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Couldn't resist this opportunity as the ducks quietly swam past this young couple enjoying the peace and solitude just outside of Queenstown on the edge of Lake Wakatipu
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While walking the Routeburn Track we were lucky enough see a few of these beautiful Rifleman birds quite close to us. They are small and move incredibly quickly, hence the name.
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Occasionally the Routeburn Track offers up views which are not just of native forest, birds and stunningly clear river water.
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The ever curious and wonderfully tame New Zealand Robin.
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On our way back from walking the Routeburn and a quick drink at Kinloch we stopped here for a few moments of contemplation. If you look closely my brother-in-law is just along the edge of the water taking in the view
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Early one morning the sun was just coming up behind the hills and lighting the mist for some dramatic light
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Walking through the Bannockburn Sluicings on a clear sunny day was like visiting a totally different country
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From this spot heading up into the Nevis Valley, on a clear day, you can see Mt Cook in the distance almost 200kms away. Down in the valley is Lake Dunstan
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Various buildings are still standing strong in the Nevis Valley.....they were definitely built to last as that is a very harsh environment!
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The first of 25 fords on the Nevis Valley Road gave me an opportunity for this image.....once I'd crossed the river that is
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Another trip up into the Nevis on a day that was a little more dramatic!
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Cromwell also has the Highlands Motor Sport Park and I had a great afternoon photographing the bikes
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On this particular evening the sky just lit up with the setting sun. This moment just felt like it was on fire, nature really is quite amazing
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The remnants of an old hotel still stand in the hills above Cromwell at Welshtown
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An early morning with mist and rain added a little bit mystery to the old buildings
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As this mist cleared I was treated to some beautiful views and light in the valleys below me
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It was a stunning few minutes of light but it was short lived as the mist came back in to shroud me
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This was taken just a few minutes after I had been taking images of the valley floor
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Somedays you just have to wait patiently until the locals move on by ;-)
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The rain that had only recently stopped gave a wonderful sheen to the road to reflect the patch of light in the clouds
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A couple of days of very cold and wet weather meant the hills were covered in snow. This harrier was very obliging by coming in to frame while I was lining up to get a few images in between showers
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As the cloud cleared we were treated to a view of snow dusted hills above Cromwell
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Courtesy of Toyota we spent a day crossing the 25 fords through the Nevis along with 44 other vehicles. A great day to be in the Nevis and a huge amount of fun was had by everyone that attended, thank you to Tony Groome for showing us what our trusty tow vehicle is capable of
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A very typical view while traversing the back country, in this instance as we were heading through the Nevis Valley
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Autumn has most definitely arrived