Six months ago I was dragged over to the ‘dark side’ and have been shooting digital since then. However, I did manage to lay my hands on a nice Hasselblad medium format recently, cheers Mike.
So here are the first results from it. The colours get very washed out in WordPress, they look way better in Flickr

Hydro Power

 

Lake Pukaki Spillway, May 2009

 
The headwaters of the Pukaki River in full flow. Behind these gates lies Lake Pukaki, fed by the Tasman, Hooker, Murchison and Mueller glaciers that snake down through the Southern Alps from our highest peaks and the diverted turquoise waters of the Tekapo River.

Once free flowing, these waters now encounter eight power stations and squeeze through 56 kms of canals on its way to the Pacific Ocean.

We have been harnessing this naturally stored energy since 1934 and today it produces a whopping 7,700GWh of electricity per year. In doing so we have altered the Mackenzie Basin in Canterbury significantly. Three braided riverbeds now lie dry and desolate. It’s only when lake levels become too high for generation purposes, and the spillways are opened, that the rivers once again flow their natural course.

NZ’s Altered Landscapes

In New Zealand we are able to enjoy many different natural landscapes. Some are still relatively unaltered by us, apart from a number of unwanted guests. With the majority however, the story is very  different. We may not see these altered landscapes everyday, some may never see them, but we have created them and we have come to rely on them for our existence. The natural landscapes converted to produce our food, generate our power and provide us with the raw materials we require are the most important to any society.

It is these altered landscapes, that we should be taking the most care of. 

Irrigation Race, near Methven 2009

For the next few months I am going to be out and about taking some photographs of our altered landscape, right here in Otago and Canterbury. Hopefully, giving you a glimpse of what we’re doing to our landscape.

I will also be researching the science involved with altering our landscapes, particularly in regards to agriculture. 

I will keep you all updated with my findings and photographs right here, so feel free leave a comment.