The mountains of New Zealand’s South Island have caught the eye of travellers from across the world in recent decades. Running down the island like a spine, they are one of the world’s best examples of pristine mountain scenery, rivalling the Alps and the Rockies. The peaks are interspersed with fjords, lakes and pine forests while quaint little towns nestle in whatever flat space they can find.
There can be no better endorsement of this than the long list of films which have used the region as a backdrop. South Island was famously used to film The Lord of the Rings, as well as The Chronicles of Narnia, one of the X-Men movies and most recently Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The area around Queenstown is especially popular among directors with many of the aforementioned movies using this part of the country as a backdrop, as well as a host of others. Everything from Bollywood hits to local productions have taken advantage of the scenery there.
Anything which looks this good in moving pictures will also lend itself to landscape photography. There is an abundance of photogenic attractions in the Queenstown area, including The Remarkables and Duffers Saddle. Looking to add another spectacular set of shots to my portfolio, I set off on a photography tour organised by a local specialist – Martin Kohn.
Pretty quickly, I realised how apt a name The Remarkables is. The dramatic mountain range towers over Queenstown, rising up out of Lake Wakatipu until its jagged peaks pierce the crisp blue sky. This makes for a breathtaking sight when viewed from Queenstown itself, but our trip gave us the chance to see them up close and get shots from different angles. Having lived in the area and being a photographer himself, Martin knew all the best places to take us which most visitors might easily miss.
This was one of those times where the journey was as exciting as the destination. We skirted the edge of the lake before crossing the river Kawarau and turning off the main road. From here we ascended the wiggly road which leads to the top. Every corner brought a new view, and each was more awe-inspiring than the last. It was fairly busy as the Remarkables is home to one of New Zealand’s top ski centres. People come from all over the world to use these slopes, and although we do not ski ourselves the conditions looked perfect for it.
While the Remarkables rightly attract the most attention thanks to their distinctive silhouette, they are just one range of many. The mountains continue onwards to the east before eventually dropping off towards the coast. This part receives less visitors than the area directly around Queenstown but that does not make it any less spectacular. Making use of his local knowledge, Martin took us out to see one of the best parts of the backcountry there. The Nevis Valley winds its way between steep, rocky slopes, slowly descending to meet the larger Kawarau River (which eventually drains into Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown). While this part of the country did see a gold rush in the late 1800s, the land is not flat enough to farm for the most part and so the area is wild, remote and unpopulated.
There is one small section of the river bank which is farmed by the owners of Ben Nevis Station. Our reason for passing was not to see this however, it was to take the Duffers Saddle – the only road which takes you up and over the mountains on the eastern side of the valley. This little used thoroughfare is New Zealand’s highest public road, reaching a height of 1,300 meters above sea level. Being so isolated, it is nothing more than an unsealed dirt track and weather conditions can make it impassable during the winter months.
When you get this high up, even the pines which carpet the slopes disappear. The only thing which grows up here are hardy grasses, and so the empty landscapes take on a hauntingly lonely appearance. Interesting rock formations are scattered around seemingly at random, and more often than not the horizon is crowned with lines of distant snow-capped peaks. We were there in late July which made the experience even better. The high plain the road traverses was blanketed in snow, making it look even more spectacular. Luckily the conditions were not bad enough to prevent us from travelling.
Even the drive back to Queenstown was a treat as the geography means that there is no boring route. Martin had been a great guide and the whole day was one to remember. There are so many things to see in New Zealand, but we were satisfied that we had chosen one of the best.
My Remarkables and Nevis Road Duffers Saddle photo collection is available as prints and comes in a variety of framing options. Please get in touch to find out more.
