Personal Project: Lake Matheson | New Zealand

Finding Beauty

Seeing this image brings back a flood of memories, but it all starts with just 1 suggestion from a friend. 

I say 'suggestion', it was more a demand that went a little like this "If you do not go and watch the sun rise over the far side of Lake Matheson and Mount Cook I will never forgive you". 

Luckily for me - I took the threat seriously. 

4am, darkness - walking around this Lake, freezing cold. I had stayed in my sleeping bag, and just opened the bottom to basically waddle along, looking like a walking sausage roll.

The darkness was frightening, the walk seemed forever, but once at the viewing platform I realised that others were doing this visit too - so swiftly began to set up my kit with a little excitement starting to take over the early wake up grump. 

As the sun started to creep up the mist that had been floating around the surface started to magically lift, the calm stillness and eerie silence numbed the annoyance of the relentless sand flies biting. 

And then it happened, the overwhelming perfection of the mirror lake and with the mist in the trees. I dont think anyone at the viewing platform said a thing, the sharp intake of breath and the sounds of a shutters capturing this grand vista was all that was around. Well that, and the overwhelming feeling of serenity.