After Milford Sounds, we would book-in at Queenstown the next day. Where apparently there were some exciting activities to look forward to.

See where Te Anua and Queenstown are on the map of the lower part of New Zealand’s south island:.

It was time to relax:

After the adventurous time at Milford Sounds, all we wanted to do was relax. But on our way back to our lodgings that night in Te Anua, we came across this beautiful panoramic view and had to get out our car to photograph it.

The far-off blue hills:

Our son and I walked down the road, taking photos as we went. I marveled as I looked around for interesting angles to take shots of the scene before us. 

This wide open space made me feel really free, especially after the enclosed valleys of Milford. I remember thinking, “If someone were to pinch me now, I would wake up and sadly find this all a fantastic unbelievable dream I’m experiencing!” 

But we had to get back in the car again… oh, well, I suppose we have to!! 

It was late:

We were very tired by the time we got back to Te Anua. So sleep was very welcome and sweet in our little chalets, after our long day of excitement. The next morning we packed up and were… 

On our way to Queenstown.

At least half of the west coast of New Zealand’s south island is Fiord-lands and dotted with beautiful lakes. 

I think it’s important to take photos of the countryside as you travel. It gives you a better understanding of what the country is all about. It is a vital link between towns. So, here I’m taking photos again, while the car is moving.  

Photo challenges:

Taking photos while a car is moving, is quite challenging and frustrating, to say the least of it.   

Your timing is very important, because of the closing timing of the camera shutter. When to open up your camera and get the right light value settings, etc. And, when to press the shutter button… at the right time! 

• You have to look well ahead to check out any possible nice scenes and also gauge the possible conditions of the immediate foreground, further down the road, on your side of the car.
• Why? Because by the time you do get down the road to that point, there could be unforeseen obstructions around the corner, like a signpost, some trees, high fences and cut-through hills in the way. 

You know… where the road cuts through a hill or mountain. And you have rolling wedges and banks of earth, rising up and blocking your vision of the beautiful scenery behind it… just as you click your camera! 

You will see I zoomed in with one of the photos (bottom left) to get a close up of a lake’s far side. And the result was somewhat like an abstract don’t you think!?  

Driving into Queenstown, 

On both sides of the town there are mountains, and a low bluff with a lake in between. We turn up a road on our right side to look for our lodgings. 

And once in our lodgings, we looked out over the town. And it looked just what I imagine you would expect Switzerland would look like.  

It was such a wide panoramic view, I had to stitch several photos together, so you could get a better idea of what our view was like, out the lounge window. 

Queenstown is a town of action:

Our grandsons had brought along their mountain bikes bolted to the back of their pick-up. So as soon as they had unpacked, they were eager to check out the cycling arena up on the mountainside. 

I don’t know if they used the cable car up the mountain to get to the arena, because I stayed behind to do our washing in the launderette provided in the complex. 

We spent about two days in Queenstown, but I’ll give you all that, what we did there, in the next couple of blogs.