One of my favorite places in the world is Queenstown, New Zealand.
A month after getting my camera I had an opportunity to go there for a weekend. “Excellent” I thought, “the best place in the world to take that great shot”.
Unfortunately, upon arrival, the weather was ‘bleugh’, the skies were grey and it was starting to snow.
Not to be deterred I set off on a walk around Lake Wakatipu to find that bit of magic.
It wasn’t what I expected – but it was more exquisite than anticipated as Tui’s sang and played in a Kowhai tree. I got this shot of one of them:
You can click on the photo to get a bigger image.
I headed back to town and on the way I sat down in a garden area near the lake where the ducks came and said hello. One fellow appeared to be expecting something……..
The next day the weather was much better and I headed to Wanaka.
And wow, what a day Wanaka turned on for me!
Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoyed a bit of the magic too.
Let's see what I can see 
I like what I see
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Thank you.
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Lovely pictures!
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Thank you for saying so.
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That was amazing to capture the birds in the trees. I tried all day Wed to get a bird still enough to photograph. No luck. I love ducks. Took lots of photos of our local ducks. They wouldn’t come home with me though. Those look like mountains? Somehow, I never thought of NZ as having mountains. Stunning sight with the water and mountains.
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Hello, yes the Tui was particularly kind to me and allowed to me take a multitude of shots.
I am a huge fan of ducks as well. They are such characters and a real joy to photograph.
New Zealand has many mountain ranges the ones in the Wanaka photos are called The Remarkables – the name speaks for itself!
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What a lovely name for a mountain range! And yes, it certainly is.
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Wow! That Tui, with its lacy feather collar is amazing as is the picture of the Remarkables over the lake. Keep looking and seeing!
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Thank you,
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Danella, what gorgeous photos. I’m so glad the weather came around and that you stuck it out and found these wonderful vistas. The ducks are adorable and one of my favorites. They have such personality.
Congratulations on your new blog.
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Alys, thank you kindly. 🙂
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Oh my gosh, my dad used that expression. Lovely.
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What a beautiful place you live in! I can see why you want to photograph it and you have done it with real perception for your subject matter. Lovely photos of a lovely place. Tell Ms Pauline to put the kettle on as I am SO going to have to come and visit this amazing place you guys call home 🙂
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Hello, thank you for your kind words. It would be fair to say that the subject matter makes it a little easier to take a good shot.
The kettle is on! 🙂
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Tell your mum I am bringing “url” 😉
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Good heavens, those are some stunning photos, Danella. I’m drawn to the water and the snow-capped peaks, but the photo of the duck with his head cocked to one side had me chuckling. I love catching animals in a stage where they can easily be anthropomorphized.
Congrats on the new blog! Cheers
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Thank you, so pleased you enjoyed the funny wee fellow, I’d like to think he did that pose just for me! 🙂
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Pure magic. Love the tui against the kowhai.
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Learn something every day; I never heard or read of tuis before now (or kowhai); thanks for the introduction. I love ducks, too and that closeup shows his green feathers so well. But the landscapes are the best, I think; you have done a great job of capturing the skies as well as mountains and water. You definitely have the eye! ~ Linne
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