kamal chilaka 6/23/19 kamal chilaka 6/23/19

One week in Switzerland, Exploring Jungfrau Valley and Zurich

20 years of travel and photography in Europe but somehow I had never made it to Switzerland for a proper holiday or photography trip.Somehow visiting Switzerland for a holiday felt like a cliche from all those Bollywood movies I watched while growing up. Finally during this spring of 2019 we decided to visit Switzerland for a family vacation enroute to the US.

Tulips and Other spring flowers decorate the streets of Interlaken

We decided to restrict ourselves to the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland as my research said it was one of the most photogenic areas and also great for a family holiday. We also decided to spend 2 days in Zurich to explore the city and take a break before continuing our Journey to the USA.

Getting there

Zurich Airport is the main International gateway into Switzerland . Zurich is served by a host of Airlines. You can check out the list of airlines flying to Zurich here.

The best options from India are Swissair, British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, and Qatar Airlines.

From Singapore , Swissair and Singapore offer direct flights to Zurich.

From Zurich to Interlaken if you are traveling light you can take the train from Zurich airport to Interlaken.

Here I must mention that getting a Swiss Travel Pass for your holiday in Switzerland is a great option which allows you to travel by Train, Bus and Boat on Swiss public transportation.

if you have a lot of luggage like we did the best option would be to hire a car or van to drop your your Interlaken hotel.

High Street Shopping at Bahnoffstrasse, Zurich

Some useful Info

Switzerland Time

Switzerland Time is in the Central European Time Zone . Central European Standard Time ( CET ) is 1 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT+1 ) and GMT +2 in Summer

Switzerland Currency

The local currency is the Swiss Franc

As of this writing the exchange rate is as follows

1 Swiss Franc = 70.8 INR = 1.38 SGD

Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region

Paragliders taking break under a tree at Interlaken

Interlaken is a traditional resort town in the mountainous Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland. Built on a narrow stretch of valley, between the emerald-colored waters of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, it has old timber houses and parkland on either side of the Aare River. Its surrounding mountains, with dense forests, alpine meadows and glaciers, has numerous hiking and skiing trails.

Inviting arrangement go Spring flowers in front of a cafe,Lauterbrunnen

The Jungfrau region begins in Interlaken, the largest town in the region. Interlaken is easy to reach by train and car. The Jungfrau region stretches out to the Jungfrau mountain range in the south, which is a Unesco World Heritage. There's a lot of beautiful alpine nature and several little villages.

We decided to use Interlaken as a base while we explored the region via day trips. interlaken is a great option as a base of your first trip to the region because it has the most number of hotel and stay options and a wide variety of food options as well including Indian and Asian food options. Don’t miss the famous Swiss Fondues when you are in Switzerland.

Where to Stay in Interlaken

Interlaken has a a variety of Hotel and Stay options to choose from. These range from some incredibly expensive hotels , some mid range hotels and inexpensive (by Swiss Standards) hostels and homesteads.

Hotel Lindner Grand Beu Rivage, Interlaken

Luxury

Lindner Grand Beau Rivage

Jungfrau Hotel

Hotel Royal St Georges Interlaken Mgallery by Sofitel

Budget

Budget Waldhotel Unspunnen

Getting about

Swiss Rail Pass

As I mentioned earlier the Swiss Travel pass is your best travel companion which allows you to explore on all the public transport options.

Taxi

Taxis are an expensive option but if you need to take a break from walking or if you have young kids or seniors in your group this is a quick way to get around Interlaken from point to point.

Photography Locations

Charming Horse Carriage Rides at Interlaken

Interlaken and Harder Kulm

Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen is a municipality in the Swiss Alps. It encompasses the village of Lauterbrunnen, set in a valley featuring rocky cliffs and the roaring, 300m-high Staubbach Falls. Nearby, the glacial waters of Trümmelbach Falls gush through mountain crevices past viewing platforms. A cable car runs from Stechelberg village to Schilthorn mountain, for views over the Bernese Alps.

Grimmelwald

Muren

Jungfraujoch

Lake Thun

Lake Brienz

Kids enjoying the weather and beauty around Lake Brienz

Giessbachfälle

The Giessbachfälle is a beautiful and popular waterfall which runs into Lake Brienz. The Grand Hotel Giessbach is located such that you access the waterfall through the hotels car park.

Exploring Zurich

Where to Stay in Zurich

Luxury

Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich

Le Bijou LQ82 Spectacular Limmatview Penthouse

Park Hyatt Zurich

Mid Range

Crowne Plaza Zürich

Budget

iQ130 Guesthouse

Suggested City Tours of Zurich

Zurich Tour Including Lake Cruise and Lindt Chocolate Factory Outlet

Fondue and Wine Tuk Tuk Tour in Zurich

What was in my Camera Bag

As this was a holiday primarily I was traveling with just the minimum of cameras gear. I had with my trusted Canon 5DS-R and a couple of zoom lenses which I can’t live without. The Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II and a wide angle zoom the Canon 17-40mm F4 L which has served me well over the last several years but will be upgrading soon. I also carried with me the superb Zeiss Otus 55mm f1.4 which I like to shoot detailed street and sharp portraits with.

Canon EOS 5DS R Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)- Starter Bundle (International Version)

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kamal chilaka 1/13/19 kamal chilaka 1/13/19

My Top Photography Locations in New Zealand South Island

New Zealand should be on the bucket list of every Landscape photographer, Hiking Enthusiast and people with wanderlust in general. The “ Land of the Long White Cloud” or Aotearoa is it is referred to in Maori can amaze you with its expansive Landscapes, Lush Green Hills and meadows filled with spring flowers. From verdant beaches to snow peaked mountains New Zealand has it all.

I decided to skip the North Island and Auckland the most populous City of New Zealand and decided to just explore the South Island for my first trip as I had heard thats thats where the best scenery is. I plan to visit the North Island on my next trip there.

Getting There : Christchurch is the International Airport for the South Island . Many International Airlines have flights to Christchurch including Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Cathay Pacific etc The other option is to fly to Auckland and drive and take a ferry to to the South Island.

New Zealand Time : GMT+13

New Zealand Currency: New Zealand Dollar

New Zealand Visa : See info here

Seasons in New Zealand :

Being located in the car southern hemisphere New Zealand has its seasons opposite from the usual months.

SPRING - SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER

SUMMER - DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY

AUTUMN - MARCH, APRIL, MAY

WINTER - JUNE, JULY,AUGUST

Summer is the most popular time for tourists to visit New Zealand But I usually prefer to avoid summer for my travel as that tends to be peak tourist season and everything from accommodation to flight tickets and car rentals are expensive and places tend to be more crowded. I prefer the shoulder seasons of Spring and Autumn and sometimes winter too.

For this trip I chose to go during the New Zealand Spring.

I flew from Chennai to Christchurch via Singapore on Singapore Airlines. The flight duration from Chennai, India to Singapore is about 4 hours and the flight from Singapore to Christchurch is about 10 hours. On landing at Christchurch I caught the shuttle bus to the Car Rental place and after a short wait had my car for the trip a compact SUV loaded with my luggage and headed to my Motel for the night .

I had an exciting 9 day road trip planned and wanted to be rested and well prepared before I set off the following morning. Most of my hotel bookings for this trip were done on Booking.com and Hotels.com . I also recommend using Trivago.com and Tripadvisor.com for doing hotel reservations.

At Christchurch I stayed at City Centre Motel and Quality Hotel Elms . As the name suggest the first one is a Motel with basic amenities but is located in the heart of Christchurch. Lots of food options around. The Quality Inn Elms Hotel is more upmarket and has a lovely restaurant. Do try out their Grilled Chicken on Brioche Bun.

Tekapo

My first destination was Tekapo. Lake Tekapo is without doubt one of the highlights of any trip to NZ. I had already researched Lake Tekapo by looking at images online and had some idea of the kind of images I wanted to take.

Where to Stay at Tekapo

My Hotel room at Tekapo at the Peppers Bluewater Resort was a pleasant surprise. It was way bigger than I expected and very well located near the Lake and close to the main shopping strip at Tekapo.

Some Other Stay Options at Tekapo

Silver Fern

Lake Tekapo Motels & Holiday Park

Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau). It covers an area of 83 square kilometres (32 sq mi), and is at an altitude of 710 metres (2,330 ft) above sea level.

The lake is fed at its northern end by the braided Godley River, which has its source in the Southern Alps to the north. The lake is a popular tourist destination, and several resort hotels are located at the township of Lake Tekapo at the lake's southern end. The Lake Tekapo Regional Park, administered by Environment Canterbury, is located on the southern shore of the lake.

An astronomical observatory is located at Mount John, which is to the north of the town, and south of the small Lake Alexandrina.

Highlights of Tekapo

Lake Tekapo
Church of the Good Shepherd
Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd, which, in 1935, was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. The church at Lake Tekapo was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames views of the lake and mountains.
Stargazing at Mount John Observatory
Mackenzie Basin walking tracks

Rainbow at Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd

Moeraki

Moeraki is now all known for its boulders; magical spherical stones scattered across a beach. Each boulder weighs several tonnes and is up to two metres high.Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. According to Maori legend, the boulders are gourds washed ashore from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru when it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand hundreds of years ago.

Where to Stay at Moeraki Boulders

I booked my stay at Moeraki Boulders Kiwi Holiday Park & Motel which is a short drive away from the Moeraki Boulders Beach. See image below. The holiday park has prefab huts which are very comfortable with attached bathrooms. The camp also accommodates camper vans if you choose to use a camper van for your New Zealand Trip. Other nearby options with good ratings on booking.com are Noah's Boutique Accommodation Moeraki and Three Bays Apartment.

Queenstown

Queenstown is the crowning Jewel of New Zealand’s South Island in my opinion. Its a beautiful picturesque all weather resort town. With an elevation of just 310m it still manages to have ski slopes and a magnificent Lake Wakatipu at its doorstep. This terrain allows for so many activities that draws in the tourists. From Skiing in Winter to trekking and water sports in Spring and Summer it has it all. From a Landscape photographers perspective Queenstown and the surrounding areas present a lot of opportunities. Situated a short walk from Queenstown center, the Gondola carries visitors high above Queenstown to the Skyline complex. The best views in the region are found here, spread out in a spectacular panorama with breath taking views of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables mountain range and across Lake Wakatipu to Cecil and Walter Peak.

From a Landscape photographers perspective Queenstown and the surrounding areas present a lot of opportunities. Situated a short walk from Queenstown center, the Gondola carries visitors high above Queenstown to the Skyline complex. The best views in the region are found here, spread out in a spectacular panorama with breath taking views of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables mountain range and across Lake Wakatipu to Cecil and Walter Peak.

Also within a short drive from Queenstown there are locations such as Glenorchy, Arrowtown, Cardrona which present lovely landscapes and viewpoints to explore.

Where to Stay at Queenstown

I divided my stay between these two hotels so as to have access to different photography spots. Both Hotels are superbly located and have great views of Lake Wakatipu.

The Rees Hotel & Luxury Apartments

Heritage Queenstown

Lake Wanaka

Wanaka is just over an hours drive from Queenstown. Lake Wanaka lies at the heart of the Otago Lakes in the lower South Island of New Zealand. The township is situated in a glacier carved basin on the shores of the lake and is the gateway to Mt Aspiring National Park.

Lake Hāwea is a 15-minute drive away, en route to the frontier town of Makarora, the last stop before the West Coast Glacier region. To the south is the historic Cardrona Valley, a popular scenic alpine route to neighbouring Queenstown. I loved the drive from Wanaka to Lake Hawea. There are a number of scenic viewpoints from which to photograph on this drive .

At its greatest extent, which is roughly along a north-south axis, the lake is 42 kilometres long. Its widest point, at the southern end, is 10 kilometres. The lake's western shore is lined with high peaks rising to over 2000 metres above sea level. Along the eastern shore the land is also mountainous, but the peaks are somewhat lower.

Wanaka lies in a u-shaped valley formed by glacial erosion during the last ice age, more than 10,000 years ago. It is fed by the Matukituki and Makarora Rivers, and is the source of the Clutha River. Nearby Lake Hāwea lies in a parallel valley carved by a neighbouring glacier eight kilometres to the east. At their closest point (a rocky ridge called The Neck), the lakes are only 1,000 metres apart.

Where to Stay at Wanaka

Wanaka offers plenty of choices of accommodation from premium lodgings to hostels for back-packers. My hotel of choice was the Edgewater Hotel which is close to Lake Wanaka offering views of the Lake from the Hotel Grounds. Lake Hawea Hotel, Ramada Resort by Wyndham Wanaka etc are all good options.

Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook

Lake Pukaki is the largest of three roughly parallel alpine lakes running north-south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin on New Zealand's South Island. The others are Lakes Tekapo and Ohau. All three lakes were formed when the terminal moraines of receding glaciers blocked their respective valleys, forming moraine-dammed lakes.

The glacial feed to the lakes gives them a distinctive blue colour, created by glacial flour, the extremely finely ground rock particles from the glaciers. Lake Pukaki covers an area of 178.7 km², and the surface elevation of the lake normally ranges from 518.2 to 532 metres above sea level.

The mountain is in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, in the Canterbury region. The park was established in 1953 and along with Westland National Park, Mount Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park forms one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The park contains more than 140 peaks standing over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and 72 named glaciers, which cover 40 percent of its 700 square kilometres (170,000 acres).

The peak is located at the northern end of the Kirikirikatata / Mount Cook Range, where it meets with the main spine of the Main Divide, forming a massif between the Hooker Valley to the southwest and the Tasman Valley east of the mountain. These two valleys provide the closest easily accessible view points of Aoraki / Mount Cook. A lookout point at the end of the Hooker Valley Track located only 10 km from the peak has views of the entire mountainside.

**Aspiring National Park home of Mount Cook**

My Gear for New Zealand

This is the gear I had carried to New Zealand.

Canon 5DS-R

Canon 5D IV

Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS II

Canon 17-40mm f4 L

Canon 24-70mm f2.8L

Gura Gear Bataflae Backpack

Lee Filter Holder and Filters

B&W Circular Polarisers

Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod

Arca Swiss B1 Ballhead

I found that I used the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm lens a little more than the 17-40mm. On my next trip I will probably carry a fast wide angle prime such as my Sigma 20mm f1.4 to shoot landscape and in particular for Astrophotography. Lake Tekapo is a designated dark sky point and that is why they have an Observatory there.

General Tips for Travel to New Zealand

New Zealand is prone to Earthquakes..they are not frequent but they do happen from time to time. Check all travel advisories before going and also be prepared when you are there. Emergency services are very good in New Zealand but just let someone be aware of your itinerary.
New Zealand is a windy place. Specially near Lakes and waterbodies the wind pick up speed as it passes over the water.
While renting a car take the optional GPS package. This will come in handy.
Gas Stations in New Zealand usually have a convenience store so you can stock up water and other snacks there.
Most Hotels have decent wifi. But get the travel data card from the airport cause that will allow you o stay connected even in remote locations.
New Zealand Customs is very particular about not letting anything which can potentially harm their plant life. All your shoes should be cleaned before you pack them.If they find dirt on your shoes they will ask you to clean thematic the airport before handing back to you and may also fine you. Check out NZ customs rules form their official website before you go.
There are restrictions and strict laws on flying drones in New Zealand. Pls be aware of them before you operate one.
NZ is a sparsely populated place specially the South Island. So when you travel it is better to travel with a companion if possible. I travelled Solo and did not have any problems but often found myself thinking it would be nice to have a companion .

New Zealand image Gallery

Kamal Chilaka in Association with Eyemage Tours undertakes small group and customised photography tours to New Zealand and other locations suited for photography. Please contact Kamal Chilaka at +91 8778336918 or mail at kamal@eyemage.photography for details.

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