Benetay @ New Zealand South Island

[benetay]

Went on a 16 days road trip to New Zealand South Island end of May. For those who like to view nature & do some trekking it's really an excellent place. Tourist are kept to a minimum. We went during the start of winter, it's cold & gloomy on some days. Temperature ranges from -5 to 15 Degrees depending on where we were.

The best way to view south island is by car, renting a car there is a breeze. With the increase prices on petrol it's a little bit more expensive to drive. The rates are similar locally. We rented a 3.5L Semi automatic car & the drive was really different. Sharing some photos of South Island.

We enjoyed every single day there & wish it could be a little longer.

C & C are welcome.

Upon arrival, we decided to view the city of Christchurch, it's pretty much develop but the road limits of 50 is tough to handle. Wish it was a little faster. Here, trams giving tourist a ride of whats in & around the city.
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The next day we head towards Mt Cook, stop along the way to see the amazing Lake Tekapo
#2


We took the hunter's valley trek. A bridge to the other side.
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Enjoying the colours of the sky.
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Plants living in subzero conditions.
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[benetay]

After Mt Cook we went downwards towards the southern side of South Island.
Devil's marble.
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A jetty closed from the public, filled with birds.
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Went over to nugget's point to see some seal but got disappointed they were far away. A light house at Nugget's point.
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Another shot of it
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Reached Bluff which is the southern most point before Steward island. An international sign post.
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[benetay]

Love this little fellas, they are everywhere.
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Went over to Milford sound.
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On a cruise
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Birds following the cruise ship.
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Along Milford sound route, Mirror lake, All still lakes are mirror isn't it?
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[benetay]

One more mirror lake shot before heading to Queenstown.
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Luge ride, Gondola! Quite fun playing the luge ride, anytime faster then Singapore.
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On the way up
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Up higher
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[benetay]

How about some ice to start your day. Fox Glacier
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More on Fox
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Our climbing guide showing us drinkable water. Although in sub zero conditions we drank quite a lot of it after our ice climbing session. It's really pure.
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Ice,cloud,forest.
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A fellow climber taking a break, viewing the wonders of nature. Yes thats my Girlfriend.
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[benetay]

A deep cut in the glacier, look harmless but once in, it's almost as deep as you can imagine.
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Finally the sun show mercy, illuminating the sky.
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Clear skies, feeble attempt on star trails.
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Another shot
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[benetay]

All the climbing,driving,trekking, it's about time to take a break. Visited pancake rocks.
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Longest swing bridge.
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head all the way up north to Abel tasman national park.
Apple split rock.
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tranquility, just peace.
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No shops, no houses, nothing. Just us & nature.
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[benetay]

Went over to wine region harvest season is over. This is what's left.
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Rolls of vineyard
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Along the way back to Christchurch. Finally we spotted fur seals.
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One more
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Trees along Hanner spring.
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[benetay]

Love to show some panoramas.

Lake matheson
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Milford sound
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Mount Cook
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Queenstown
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Lake Tekapo
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Thats all for now.

Cheers!

[Simon]

looks like you have enjoyed your trip, love the panorama, especially the last

[neon]

Wow !! Stunning photos and skills. Thanks for sharing it with us !

Cheers

[Cpark188]

Great pictures and thanks for sharing with us, though I might have no chance to visit there, but so happy to see the photos that you have captured. I love the scenery and the panorama shots. A bit puzzle on how you capture the star trail?

[benetay]

Thanks all for the kind words, we did enjoy ourselves very much there.

Star trails? Just open shutter via cable release & wait with a cup of hot chocolate in your hand

Cheers!

[genes]

Ah! you climbed fox glacier! I was lazy, took a chopper up to the summit instead.

Some really beautiful pictures taken. Queenstown is an extremely scenic and beautiful town. Jurassic park and Lord of the rings was shot there i think. I hoped you tried white water rafting there because the point where the melted ice water from the mountains meets the sea is breadth taking! One being denser, they do not mix and so form a long stretch of double coloured sea where they meet.

[leeruisheng]

Simply breathtaking. Thanks for sharing.

[benetay]

Sadly we didn't try any white water rafting. We decided it was too cold. The water was like 3-4 degrees when we were kayaking at Abel tasman national park. Cannot even put my legs in the water for more then 1 min. We did try the jet boat. It was alright nothing to shout about.

Thanks guys for the kind words.

Cheers!

[trident]

benetay,
wow, sure looks like a nice holiday, I feel cold just looking at the photos, burrr.
The pictures are beautiful, especially the panorama ones, postcard perfect.

[benetay]

Thanks Richard, glad that you like it, might consider it one of your place to go after your retirement. It's a great place to slow down the pace & take a breather.

[jacian]

Bene, nice photos, I guess you enjoy your stay there.
I really miss Queenstown.

[benetay]

Queenstown is turning into a heavily dependent tourist destination, local residences are complaining about it & wishes that the rest of South Island to remain as 'undisturbed' as possible. Queenstown is a nice place to be if you're a adventure seeker, bungee & all kinds of thrill seeking rides.

Thank you Jacian, hope that you've enjoyed the series.

Cheers!