Room for a View
More Extraordinary New Zealand
We were hiking Routeburn Track, another spectacular experience in the South Island of New Zealand. It’s got many amazing attributes, including some of the best views in the world.
The lake is out there somewhere, they tell me.
Yes, weather can be unpredictable in the mountains, and you can’t always get what you want. Here or anywhere. Still, you never know what you’ll find if you persist and look around. Maybe there’ll be nothing. Just a vast, foggy, cloudy sky. Or something unexpected might emerge.
At first I wondered, are they crows? Way up here, near the tree line? What are they? The five of them seemed to be playing, dancing among each other, in and out.
As they got closer, the beaks weren’t right for crows, nor the wings exactly. Not that I’m a birder by any stretch, but it sure seemed like something else. And the way they were playing around was distinctive and unusual to me.
The weather was just so thick, I just couldn’t make out details. If I were on a paved road I might only be able to see 3 or 4 lines ahead of me. Until they got very, very close, I could only make out silhouettes.
Finally they got inside my personal space, and I could begin to see clearly.
I’d had NO idea how much color was there until they got within about 15 feet. It was spectacular.
These are Kea, a species of large parrot endemic to New Zealand. They are only found in alpine regions of the South Island, apparently. And for a short while, found specifically in a scrubby tree where they set down near my location near the Key Summit Lookout.
Once landed they were again obscured from view, behind a hillock and in the scrub tree. But one of them stepped into a clear spot for a few moments, unconcerned with my presence.
And then, for reasons I’ll never know, it was suddenly time for them to leave. They rose in an upwards spiral, quickly fading from view once again. Then abruptly exiting stage left, without another trace.
And for now, I’ll follow their lead. This is not a “photographic” journey despite the fact I’m making images along the way. So once again I can’t promise more than an image and a sentence next week. But for today you at least get a somewhat deeper look at one piece of the island, even if it’s a fleeting glimpse.
Until next time,
Limited Edition Prints for Sale
This is an Extremely Limited Edition of prints for the series called Seas and Skies. I’ll make just five 16x24” archival, Numbered Prints (and two Artists Prints), each with associated certificate of authentication.
These are going fast and *Closing Curtain is Sold Out*
Bring peace and joy to someone’s 2025 with these. And yours, by the giving.
Is there something here you like or dislike? Questions? Have anything else to say? Let us all know by clicking on the Comments button below, and express yourself. Don’t be shy, now.
If you like this post you’re bound to like the next one as well. I’m sending them weekly. Quit any time, or better yet, stay and read on!
Know anybody who should hear about all this? Be a friend and let them know!
Or, are you interested in seeing more work? My website welcomes you. We may even want to work together. I promise a joyous and productive experience if we do.
What cool birds!!
Wow! What a sight!