Southern sojourn final

Listening to: The Bends-Radiohead

Couple of things first

1. I am not as smart as people think I am.

2. Knowledge is not the same as wisdom.

Most of the time I feel neither smart nor wise.

Random sojourn pics

Shots that don't really fit into the general narrative (yes there is one) but I like anyway.

The improbably named Wong Way in Te Anau. Credit to Rich for the photo.
The road looking like this made us wonder if we would ever get to Milford Sound. Snow in Mid March. We thought it would be hotter, packing shorts and togs. In the event we lived in our jeans and hoodies and only used the togs at the end of the trip in the QE2 pools in Christchurch. Another credit to Rich, I was too busy driving to take my own pics.
Driving down the Manapouri tunnel to the power house 200 metres underground. Like the man driving the bus said: "We all end up underground eventually. May as well get some practice".
One of the better of the innumeable non-permanent waterfalls in Milford Sound. This one is only about 50 metres high.
An overhead view of a breaking wave from the pier at New Brighton. I liked New Brighton. It reminded me of Petone a little, only more compact and affluent. Having a library on the sea front is brilliant.

I was worried we wouldn't see any Kea. We didn't for the first few days, until they became apparent in the carpark beside the Homer Tunnel entrance. Oh and one tried to land on Kirstens' head at the Otira Viaduct. They were often heard if not seen. The distinctive orange plumage beneath the wings is a great aid for visual detection although you only see it when they are flying and hence difficult to photograph.

They aren't really afraid of people, and can be approached quite closely, especially if they have found something tasty to play with.

Left, a Kea munches happily on a piece of rubber it has just pulled out of a campervan skylight. Right, a Kea in the snow at Homer Tunnel.

Since I started taking photography semi seriously, I have noticed a few things. You can set a picture up, you can spot a moment happening or about to happen, you can dextrously zoom and focus quickly, you can have a great eye for a scene, or just be in the right place at the right time, and a good picture will result.

The Kea in the snow decided to take flight a second or two after I took the photo. I still had it in frame and focussed, but only saw a blur of movement as I pressed the shutter, then it was gone. I sure as hell didn't see this:

Sometimes you just get lucky.