When the Stars Align
- birley1
- Sep 21, 2024
- 8 min read
My 9 day 8 night journey along the East Coast of the South Island of New Zealand
The mission:
Chase clear skies and stars for a week by using the forecasts and weather apps. It is at this point that I need to say a big thank you to my mate and storm chaser Matthew Davison (https://www.youtube.com/@ExtremePursuit). I had enlisted his weather reading prowess and so, I would catch up with him every morning and hatch a plan based on his weather forecasting skills and my attempted forecasting skills. It is also important to note that it was the day before I left to the South Island that I became aware of the huge storm front that was set to hit the West and central South island which would, eventually, lead to a once in a lifetime capture!
I booked this trip a few months in advance which is super risky in NZ as the weather changes so much in an hour let alone a day, a week or a month!! But here in NZ, our airline who shall not be named has a monopoly and prices are through the roof to fly these days. Grabbing some cheaper flights on a promo was the only way to go and so I had to pray that I would get lucky with the weather. I based my timing on the moon cycle - chose a week where there would be little to no moon through the night and also around the equinox which, depending on who you listen to, is a good time for possible Aurora. My goal was twofold, capture clear, starry skies and as a bonus hope that the lady dances for me and I snag some South Island Aurora!
I had no plan or bookings in place apart from a flight into an out of Dunedin and a rental car.
By not having any accommodation etc. booked and no fixed plans - Mother Nature (and the forecasters) would dictate where I would end up each day. The idea was to check the forecast every morning and then plan my movements around where the clearest skies were forecast for that night - covering whatever distance necessary to place myself under those clear skies.
DAY 1 Saturday August 31 2024
I left a very wet and windy Auckland (so just a normal winter's day in Jafaland) on the Saturday morning with two bags full of camping gear and cold weather gear along with all my camera gear. I always take a comprehensive camping set up along with me like my tent etc and gear suitable to having to overnight in below freezing conditions. The alternative is also in the car.
I arrived in Dunedin to a bluebird day and surprisingly, very warm too. I checked the forecast before leaving Auckland to get an idea of which direction and where I would be headed for the first night and based on those the weather was looking good a little further South. There were two locations further South, which I have dearly wanted to visit and capture, one of which I have captured before, but did not do it justice and so felt the need to get back there and try again. Fortunately, the forecasts were looking favourable for those two spots. First, I had to get some lunch and snacks for the road and knowing I was going to be in two locations with no amenities, I needed to have enough food for dinner and breakfast the next morning.
Yes, an all nighter was hopefully on the cards!
I also needed to get a few other small things that are not allowed on a flight so I ran those few errands too before heading out of town. The most important of those being a small tin of gas for my trusty rusty Jet Boil. If you know you know!
First stop was Nugget Point Lighthouse (https://www.catlins.org.nz/plan/captivating-activities/scenic-highlights/nugget-point/) which was 87km (1hr 15min) away. Since arriving in New Zealand and most notably since starting photography, this location has been high on my wish list to visit. I made it there in good time and while still the middle of the day, it afforded me the opportunity to take some nice images and get the lay of the land. It was as beautiful, if not more beautiful than I had imagined. I did, however, not spend too much time there as the next stop was still a little drive away, and I was wanting to get there before it got dark!
So after a brisk walk down to the lighthouse, some images taken it was back into the car and on the road again down to Waipapa Point Lighthouse (https://www.catlins.org.nz/plan/captivating-activities/scenic-highlights/waipapa-point/) which was another 116km (1 hr 53min) away.
I had captured this location several years back, early on in my Astro photography journey, and while the images were not terrible, I know I can do way better. The conditions on that evening were also not ideal, but I did the best I could at the time back then.
Roll on 2024 and I was not going to let another opportunity pass me by and I was going to make sure I would do it justice this time!
I arrived not long before sunset, but with enough daylight left to be able to wander around and get my bearings again, and most importantly make a note of if and where any seals may be lurking. While it is a beautiful location, it is rugged and wild and well known for its rather unfriendly seals and sea lions! Trust me, I am one cantankerous old fart but these gals and fellas, now they take the cake! And don't be fooled, those suckers can move on land - flippers and all!
The forecast was showing annoying cloud to waft around until around true darkness fell when it was supposed to give way to gloriously dark and starry skies - I was not feeling very confident looking at the skies if I am honest!
All the while, in the background, there was the possibility of Aurora (https://www.newzealand.com/nz/feature/aurora-australis/) as it got dark. I had been keeping up-to-date with social media through the day and the solar storm that was meant to hit the night before arrived late and in our Saturday, New Zealand daylight hours, and there seemed to still be enough power in the storm to possibly light up the sky as it got dark.
My only enemy at this stage was unfortunately thick cloud that was continuing to roll in. The forecasters, in their defence, had forecast this to happen, but had the cloud moving away just after dark. I must be honest I was not convinced, looking at the cloud density and the cloud cover in the direction it was coming from. Be that as it may, I had a little wander to familiarise myself and set up to capture a little sunset colours before I head back to the car to grab something to eat, make a cup of tea and sit and enjoy the sunset. At this point I had one other photographer wandering around at sunset but he left not long after leaving this beautiful spot all to me.
As it started getting dark, the clouds were still hovering around the Southern horizon, although they were now starting to clear from the Northwest, which was a good sign - just not quick enough.
I sat, ate dinner and enjoyed my cup of tea watching the day slowly turn to night. A camper van also rolled in with two tourists just after sunset but they only spent a few minutes around the lighthouse and then left, once again leaving me to myself. The one mistake I did make, and I am seasoned enough to know not to do this and yet I still did, was to dawdle as the cloud cover just seemed too thick to warrant getting set up before true darkness arrived - BIG BLOODY MISTAKE!
Once it got dark enough I head back into the dunes with all my gear and started to set up my time lapse camera - it wasn't truly dark yet but pretty dark to our eyes. I like to set this up first as I will leave that camera to just do it's thing over the course of the night while I run around capturing my still images. As it wasn't totally dark yet, like a fool I did not take note of my test shots and set it up willy nilly and left it to run while I slowly made my way to my first vantage point. Again, I emphasise that I was dawdling and set everything up as if I had all night! Once I was set up and again before it was dark, I took a test shot to check my composition and BOOM - right there on the BOC was Lady Aurora dancing!! I sprung into action but then also wanted to see if I had caught the action with the wider lens too. I wanted to make sure I was pointed in the right direction to ensure my timelpase showed the aurora and its movement. What also caught me off guard was the main action (beams and pillars) weren't due South but more South East and so I think I missed the best action as I was pointing due South for the most part. It was not truly dark yet so the aurora was more diffuse and blended with the twilight coloured sky. It was still beyond beautiful though.
The aurora did not hang around for very long, not the beams anyway, although there was a constant Auroral glow around for most of the evening.
Once the craziness had subsided and I was happy that the aurora had all but fizzled away, I spent the next few hours moving around the lighthouse, capturing different compositions, and bagging the main shot I was there for which was a big arching Milky Way over the lighthouse.
All through the night I kept my eyes on the Southern horizon and every so often I would take a test shot facing South just in case the aurora kicked off again and would you believe it, later in the evening, she sprung into life and danced again. This time it was due South but lacking the power and colour of the first show earlier in the evening. However, there were still nice orange pillars and beams and at one stage they were moving nicely and vividly across the sky. I think I managed to capture some Aurora behind the lighthouse with some milky way off to the West.
I continued to capture as much as I could until the clouds and wind rolled into town around the 2am mark. It was then that I decided it was time to head back to the car and regroup.
I contemplated staying put to capture sunrise and possibly catch 40 winks but the forecast was not looking great however, and Nugget Point was looking more favourable. So I hung around for a little while in the hopes of it clearing, but then decided to trust my gut and head out in time to get to Nugget Point in time for sunrise. But not before putting the Jet Boil to test and making a well earned coffee for the long and windy road!
I had to time it right as it was a good 2hr drive back North and anyone who captures sunrise will know that the best colours are always well before the sun actually rises.
It ultimately proved to be the correct decision!
The sunrise was extraordinary but you will have to wait for day two's post to see those images and what transpired on day 2!
My "bucket list" shot from Waipapa Lighthouse was the large arching Milky Way over the top of it!
My Holy Grail shot from the Waipapa Lighthouse was an Aurora behind the lighthouse!
I managed to capture both on one night and it was only my first night of what would become, undoubtedly, my most successful photography trip I have ever undertaken.
Smugmug
Very interesting to read how much preparation, organisation, science, time and money go into producing such professional shots. Also your obvious long experience plus gut feelings help to predict the best.👌 👍 😍. Immensely fascinating.