Okay, I can’t claim to have seen ALL the lakes in New Zealand, but the collection of my top 10 shots in this post unveils the variety and beauty of some of them: Lake Matheson is located on the west side of the Southern Alps and is one of my favorits. A hidden gem with a wonderful view towards New Zealands highest mountain Aoraki/Mount Cook. Patience is needed to catch a moment of calmness.
Continue reading “New Zealand’s Lakes”Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Wishing all visitors of my blog and website Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a healthy 2024!
The Franz Josef Glacier – unique on earth
Regular readers of my posts know about my interest in glaciers. And we all know they are becoming a rare species. The Franz Josef Glacier located on the west side of New Zealand’s Southern Alps is a very particular one. This glaicer still has the ability to grow – and does so from time to time.
Continue reading “The Franz Josef Glacier – unique on earth”New Zealand’s Sounthern Alps
Not sure if people picture a pretty decent mountain range when they think about New Zealand. The “Southern Alps” extend roughly 500 km on the south island from northeast to southwest. The highest mountain is called “Aoraki / Mount Cook” (3’724 m) – in the picture above shown on the left. In the back the Hooker Glacier Lake and in the front the lateral-moraine of the Mueller Glacier with its proglacial lake. This spectacular photo has been taken from the Sealy Tarns Lookout. It’s a tough ascent though…
Continue reading “New Zealand’s Sounthern Alps”New Zealand’s Coasts – from red to rough
Today I’d like to feature a few of the coast lines of the southern island of New Zealand. As you will see these are structures & shapes at its best! Let’s start in Kaiteriteri: beautiful red sand, white rocks, greeen trees … , yes, and blue sky. What else?
Continue reading “New Zealand’s Coasts – from red to rough”Nature as Painter – Color Festival at Wai-O-Tapu
The active geothermal area “Wai-O-Tapu” close to Rotorua, New Zealand, fascinates with its colorful springs, lakes and craters. The Champagne Pool is a hot spring that really bubbles like champagne (caused in this case by carbon dioxide*). Many minerals particularly antimony lead to the red ring around the spring*.
Continue reading “Nature as Painter – Color Festival at Wai-O-Tapu”New Zealand’s Vulcanos
No, it’s not Mount Fuji from Japan. It’s Mount Taranaki (2’518 m.a.s.l.) located on the southwest of the northern island of New Zealand. The view from Lake Mangamahoe near New Plymouth is fascinating in particular early in the morning when the view is clear and sun lets the rainforrest shine is many shades of green.
Continue reading “New Zealand’s Vulcanos”Pretty unique: A Rainbow over the Dead Sea
It does not really rain at the Dead Sea at all. Well, this time – in April 2023 – a quite strong thunderstorm with pouring rain hit the area. So the classic shot with blue sky was turned into a dramatic view from the salty Israelian coastline across the Dead Sea towards Jordan … and … with a double rainbow! Probably a pretty unique photo.
Continue reading “Pretty unique: A Rainbow over the Dead Sea”The Negev – Eilat Mountains and the Red Canyon
Eilat is located at the most southern point of Israel at the Red Sea close to the borders of Jordan in the East and Egypt in the west. The Eilat mountain range belongs to the southern part of the Negev desert. Particularly fascinating are the various colors of that mountain range which I captured in the above photo: the red sandstone, the yellow limestone and conglomerate and the dark gray granite.
Continue reading “The Negev – Eilat Mountains and the Red Canyon”The Negev – Desert Zin and the En Avdat Canyon
The southern part of Israel is a desert – the Negev Desert. Towards the north of the Negev, is the Zin Desert located. The name comes from the Nahal (stream) Zin. The Avdat spring which created a deep canyon feeds the Nahal Zin. In the midst of the desert the little stream meanders like a large green snake.
Continue reading “The Negev – Desert Zin and the En Avdat Canyon”