Institute of Photographic StudiesThe New Zealand Experience - November 17th–18th, 2006
It's raining. After a refreshing stay at the Pinewood Lodge (it was like a five-star hotel to us after all the rough camping in RVs) in Queenstown, we packed everything back into the RVs and picked up Laurel from the Lake Wakatipu Hospital. She seemed to be in a fine mood—glad to see everyone. On the way to the beach at Lake Pukaki, there were much beautiful scenery of peaceful farms with sheep, rolling hills, blue mountains with white caps, and roaring rivers. Susan and I could not help but took turns to take snap shots by the window, trying to capture some of this majestic beauty of God's creation.
We stopped at the world's first bungy site, Karawau Bungy Centre, and photographed the bridge where the recreational enthusiasts jump off with the all the safety devices. Many tourists visited the location but we did not see anyone experiencing this expensive thrill. In the centre (as they spell it in New Zealand), there were video clips of various jumps including the original version of the jump (about twenty years ago) played repeatedly on oversized screens, and display of the special rubber-latex cord that are used for the jumps. I could help but wonder, what other kind of game would men invent in the future?
Stopping at Roaring Meg, a few of us again sharpened our skills with neutral density filters and slow shutter speeds with the white roaring river. Sunset shooting at the beach was disappointing as the gray clouds loomed over the horizon. This was our last night in the RVs.
Through out the long drives these two days, Will is the doctor, nurse, psychologist, encourager, and a good friend to several girls in distress: Hannah with her arm pain and other issues, Brianna with her cough, breathing problems and such, and Laurel with her recovery. Many are feeling the fatigue of the trip. I prayed to God to give us good weather when we are stopping for photography. God is faithful.
When we stopped at the Church of the Good Shepherd in the Mackenzie District, it was beautiful weather! We spread ourselves out in the flower fields near the church along the banks of the lake and enjoyed the break from the long rides and rain. It was a gorgeous scenery: blue sky, thousands of purple and pink flowers by the lake side, the small but majestic ancient stone church, and the sheep dog statue (to honor dogs' meaningful role in sheep farming) shining in the sun in the distance. The moment we finished the break, it was raining again.
The trip has not been easy. While some of us had discovered our limits, others learned to push and stretch ourselves beyond what we thought was acceptable and possible under tough travel conditions. God had been teaching each one of us lessons that we needed to learn. Needless to say, not only did we increased the knowledge of photography, we also learned more about ourselves by being with others constantly in tight living quarters.
After a lunch of fast noodles with spaghetti sauce, Hokey Pokey Cookies, and potato chips, at 3 PM, we headed toward Christchurch—our final destination for the last two nights. It was a relief to everyone when we arrived at 6 PM. Everyone is looking forward to spend the last two days here and getting ready for homebound. This New Zealand Experience trip will etch an unforgettable image in the mind of all.
—Frieda Yang from Singapore