Mount Ollivier Quick Thinking Saves The Day

Being a photographer, I often find myself in remote places: devoid of human interference and in pursuit of the perfect photograph. As we all know, New Zealand's back country is unpredictable at best and it pays to be well prepared.

- Talman Madsen

It was mid-April when I received a last minute invite from some friends who were heading to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park to spend a night in Mueller Hut to photograph the stars, and fingers crossed, an incredible sunrise over Mount Cook itself. Of course as it was last minute the hut was fully booked, so not wanting to miss out I decided to pack my bivvy bag with the intention of spending the night atop Mount Ollivier where I figured I’d get the best view.

If you have ever travelled with a bunch of photographers you will know that getting anywhere is a slow process… By the time we started our hike it was late afternoon and the idea of getting set up while it was still light was long gone. Instead the goal was the Sealy Tarns for sunset, then onwards to Mueller hut during twilight, before leaving the others to make my way to the summit under the guidance of my head torch.

As soon as the sun disappeared the temperature plummeted. It was going to be one of those clear frosty nights, that are always the coldest! Not long after reaching the top of Mount Ollivier (overlooking Mount Cook Village and towards the Burnett Mountains) I set up my camera to capture the rising moon, with the Milky Way core above. Many photographers opt not to bother capturing images in these conditions due to the brightness of the moon. However, I love capturing the way the moon lights up the landscape in images like this..