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General: Lake Pukaki

Lake Pukaki is seemingly custom designed for landscape photographers.  The lake lies in a very nifty N-S orientation, meaning we get a bite of the Mount Cook cherry at both ends of the day.  If the mountain is obscured by cloud (it often is) numerous interesting options exist along the shoreline, these include seasonal ponds, mini-islands and fascinating rock formations.  

The lake is part of the huge McKenzie Basin hydro scheme and the lake levels can vary wildly depending upon the nation’s propensity to purchase & view 50” plasma screens, heat our un-insulated homes or, god forbid, turn on our heated towel rails.  Low lake levels generally make it harder to get the obvious shots, but they also make it possible to create shots that are truly unique as submerged features emerge from the depths.