Retreating to Mount Cook
We’re just back from the most amazing weekend away on the shore of Lake Pukaki in the MacKenzie District. Aoraki himself stands tall at the head of the lake and this place is without a doubt one of the most stunning places on the planet. Especially now the throngs of international tourists aren’t arriving in their thousands each day.
Emma discovered Mount Cook Retreat on the Intertrons and it turns out that it’s even more magical in real life. Kaye and Luke have crafted their vision of a luxury retreat into a beautiful reality. Sited in an International Dark Sky Reserve, this place is perfect for astrophotography. They even have a telescope! It’s been more than 25 years since I’ve operated a telescope and thank fully Luke helped attach my camera and then manned the controls so I could take a closer look at some of my favourite features of the Southern Night Sky.
The Orion Nebula
Living in the Southern Lakes affords us so many opportunities to access beautiful places in the dead of night which are perfect for astrophotography. These places do however require travel of some form or another to access. It’s not often that you can find a place to shoot an idyllic 360 panorama minutes away from a warm comfortable bed.
As you can see from my best lunar photograph ever, shown above, Hina (the Moon) was a waxing crescent of around 20-30%. Setting today rather than tomorrow, it meant that the sky was truly dark enough by the time the milky way had positioned itself lower in the sky and easier to photograph.
We were reminded that actually, when the moon is out, the conditions for astro portraits are perfect. The moon light means you can actually see where you’re walking without needing bright lights and you can still see so many stars.
As with so many things in life, a change in conditions doesn’t mean that you’ll miss out, you’ll just enjoy a different and just as enjoyable experience.
We just love introducing people to our beautiful night skies. If you’re visiting the Southern Lakes you can book a Starry Night Tour with us and we’ll drive you to a truly dark place and give you a tour of the universe. The photographs we take will not only preserve the magical memories, but will also allow your eyes to see more.
Our DOC concessions cover the MacKenzie District and Aoraki National Park. If you’re looking for a truly mind blowing photoshoot under the stars, emailus@authenticAs.org and we can start to plan your one of a kind multi day trip.
