Institute of Photographic StudiesThe New Zealand Experience - November 14th, 2006
Raindrops meandered their way down the windows as sleepy eyes peaked out from the comfort of warm blankets. We had hoped for an amazing sunrise at Milford Sound, but instead we were greeted by the dreary weather which so often hovers over the area. Having arrived while deep in slumber, our current surroundings were new to us, and we were pleased to find running water in modern plumbing facilities including toilets and sinks. Taking advantage of the opportunity, several of the girls decided to wash their hair in spite of the hassle and lack of depth to the sinks. It was incredibly refreshing after 3 days of hat wearing!
Breakfast preparations had a new flare this time around. We were plagued by swarms of sand flies. Unfortunately, these little critters bite. Shooing, swatting and scratching became our new activity as we ate breakfast. Eggs and bacon satisfied our ferocious hunger (how we could be so hungry after eating so many pizzas the previous evening, I do not know). We were soon ready to capture the moody feel of the mountains around us. With cameras, tripods, and neutral density filters, we headed into the boggy surroundings of the water. The clouds even began to reveal a bit of blue sky while we were shooting!
It was not long before we packed up and headed a few kilometers down the road to "The Chasm." Because everything was wet, the forest we walked through looked magical. Everything seemed to be growing as water dripped to the ground. The little waterfalls we passed along the walk built up to the grand finale—a tremendous amount of roaring water, cutting its way through the rock. The sun teased us with little bits of rainbows just before being covered again by the clouds. It was really hard to capture the power that we were seeing in such narrow walk ways that were filled with eager tourists with point and shoot cameras.
We had lunch back at the parking lot, and by then the sun was beaming down with full strength. It felt wonderful! Several of the girls sat around with bowls of soup and got to know each other even better as they shared stories of how they have been most impacted in life.
The IPS caravan continued down the road a little farther, making a few stops to take pictures. Soon we had arrived at the swing bridge at Moraine Creek, where the plan was to spend the night. It ended up that we were only there for a few hours before plans changed, and we needed to head on to Queenstown for the night. It was around 1 am when we arrived, but we were thrilled to find our new accommodations. Our eyes got wide and smiles spread across our tried faces as we saw a full kitchen, lounge, 3 bedrooms, lots of beds with real mattresses and a large bathroom, just for us! After several days of roughing it, this normal lodging felt extraordinary!
Throughout the day today we have come across several bridges. Our Finding God assignment for today was to capture His character in a bridge. There are so many times when God has been our bridge on this trip, making a way for us when we were not sure how to cross an obstacle, or what we should do. He has faithfully provided for us. Today the Lord has done just that. He has guided us where we needed to be at just the right time. When we are willing to go where the Lord wants us, it is always a good day.
—Angelle Johnson from Louisiana, USA