[pinholecam] From Alps to Ocean - A bicycle/photo log


Its interesting to me that it took me so long to get this trip going.
In a way, it took decades.
The accumulation of my interests from a young schoolboy who liked camping back in the day to cycling for triathlons later as a younger man, and with photography slotted somewhere in the middle of this.

So since 2 years back, I decided to put them together and do some tours by bike.
Got me a foldable to make it simpler to do multi-modal travel and headed out to Perth on the first trip
That trip here : Going solo - A week of cycle touring in Perth | ClubSNAP



So having read about the Alps to Ocean trail in New Zealand, I decided to give this a try.




The K1 astro tracer proved to be very useful in this situation being able to let the FA31ltd I was using to go over the '500' rule and expose the sky for 40s at ISO3200, f2.8.
If going by the '500' rule, it would have been only 16s and I'd have had to use high iso and a larger aperture.

Super cold and windy night when I ventured out to shoot this.
I had to do a lot of moving around to keep myself from freezing.

Between 8pm-10.30pm, there are lots of tourists coming to shoot the church with their phones, light interference from car headlamps will be common until about 10.30pm.

---------- Post added 04-20-2018 at 07:09 AM ----------

[pinholecam]

Pentax K1+FA31ltd


Mackenzie Country, is where Peter Jackson filmed the epic battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Actual location is on private land, but I certainly got a feeling of it when I entered this plains in the same region cycling down from the hills.

This is also the region where Lake Town for The Hobbit was filmed, though as far as I can search on the web, the actual location is no more.

[pinholecam]

K1+FA31ltd ; Lake Benmore

[barondla]

Excellent images pinholecam. You have superb photographic vision.
Thanks for sharing,
barondla

[xs400]

Outstanding.

[pinholecam]

Excellent images pinholecam. You have superb photographic vision.
Thanks for sharing,
barondla

Outstanding.

Thanks, just an average guy trying to make the most of what he knows about shooting.

---------- Post added 05-17-2018 at 09:41 AM ----------



Pentax K1+FA31ltd

If the way up the hills is considered hard, the way down actually isn't all plain sailing as well.
Rolling down on a dirt/shingle trail does need a high level of care and alertness.
A pool of loose shingle, pothole or large rock on a fast rolling descent can mean flying off the bike.
So when I reached the flat plains that greeted me after the decent, I felt an extra calm and awe of the big space around me.

[pinholecam]

K1+FA77ltd

[Rondec]

Some amazing shots of beautiful country! Somehow I missed this thread, but it truly is a feast for the eyes.

[pinholecam]

Some amazing shots of beautiful country! Somehow I missed this thread, but it truly is a feast for the eyes.

Thanks for the encouragement, Vincent.

[pinholecam]

Pentax K1+FA31ltd (Lake Benmore)


The K1 is really amazing in the context of landscape photography.
I find less and less need now to do any sort of blending or HDR.
There is just so much that can be pulled from the shadows while keeping the highlights just off from clipping, as in this scene.
This becomes really convenient as I am on the move on a bike tour like this as I need to reach the accommodation I have planned/booked before dark.
So there is less time for setting up on a tripod and taking 2 or more exposures to blend/hdr later.

[pinholecam]

Pentax K1 + FA77ltd

[pinholecam]

Pentax K1+FA77ltd

[pinholecam]

Pentax K1 +Samyang 14/2.8 (Astrotracer ON)

It was a long ride with quite a few long climbs and I was starting to have doubts about my booking for the night.
The accommodation was a distance away from the main town road (a one street town) and the additional climbing I had to do made me think if I made the right choice as the day was coming to an end.

However, when I arrived and saw the cabin, I was immediately energized.
A nice old school bus converted to a cabin with its own wood fireplace, cozy bed and kitchen.


Not to mention the photographic potential when the clouds blew off and the stars were revealed...

[Scorpio71GR]

Amazing shots, all of them. What a ride.

[pinholecam]

Amazing shots, all of them. What a ride.

Thanks.
Yes, quite an experience.
Incredible scenery in New Zealand, I only scratched the surface since I did not get much sunrise/set photos due to either the riding/weather or fear of cold.

---------- Post added 06-15-2018 at 04:37 PM ----------



K1+FA31ltd; Elephant Rocks

[tonezime]

Thanks for sharing these pictures and the stories that go with them.