Reflections of a Sound

Reflections of a Sound Showcasing Fiordland NZ to the world through photos, videos, blogs & music. https://fiordlandprints.weebly.com/

All Media © Nick Keizerwaard.

Email me at [email protected]

Lake Alabaster | Late Night | Early Morning 🌳😍📷🌳
21/08/2026

Lake Alabaster | Late Night | Early Morning

🌳😍📷🌳

Yes! The weather forecast was bang on! ☀️ 🌌Three nights up the Hollyford Valley. Calm, clear nights, sunny days. Pretty ...
19/08/2026

Yes! The weather forecast was bang on! ☀️ 🌌

Three nights up the Hollyford Valley. Calm, clear nights, sunny days. Pretty much as good as it gets!*

But tbh, I’m still not sure what to make of the Hollyford Track 🤔

There are some proper good landmarks along the way, and I’ve tried to capture them as I saw them here. But when I reached Lake Alabaster, I had surprisingly little interest in venturing further.

Beyond this, “The Demon Trail” held little interest (name alone says a lot 😅)

Sure, you can take a jet boat during the season. But then you kinda want to say you walked the whole thing, right? It’s a bit like running a marathon and getting a cab for the last 10km.

So I’m left with a slightly odd conclusion: I absolutely loved the Hollyford Valley. I’m just not convinced I’d love doing the whole Hollyford Track...

Maybe I’m missing something.

For those who have done the full thing, is the Demon Trail day actually worth the suffering to get out to the coast?

Either way, Lake Alabaster is one hell of a destination, and it was great to see all the mahi done on the trail (new suspension bridges) since my last trip.

Here’s what I captured along the way.

*Except for the sleepless night next to a snorer 🥴👋➡️⛺️

Moody scenes down at the lake tonight 🌦️
12/08/2026

Moody scenes down at the lake tonight 🌦️

It must be about time for another Milford adventure...!📷 Shot in April 2025. Southland NZ
11/08/2026

It must be about time for another Milford adventure...!

📷 Shot in April 2025.

Southland NZ

Before Fiordland, there was Queenstown.I spent five years as a Licensed Sales Associate with RE/MAX Real Estate, selling...
09/08/2026

Before Fiordland, there was Queenstown.

I spent five years as a Licensed Sales Associate with RE/MAX Real Estate, selling some pretty spectacular properties in and around Queenstown while shooting all my own media.

Property was the focus, but looking back, it was also probably a precursor for my obsession with landscape photography. I had a few drones along the way and was the first to offer aerial photography in the Queenstown market; but given the choice, I’d still rather walk up a hill and wait for the right light.

There’s something about photographing a great property in great surroundings, and Queenstown certainly provided no shortage of either.

There were some great wins, plenty of interesting interactions, but always a sense of moving forward.

Now, after five years in Fiordland, I’m tinkering with the idea of getting back into real estate here.

Different landscape. Different market. Same appreciation for a good view.

Some colourful skies from previous years
09/08/2026



Some colourful skies from previous years

Early August light puts on a show yet again this year! 🤩These were all from last night - a vivid sunset looking down the...
05/08/2026

Early August light puts on a show yet again this year! 🤩

These were all from last night - a vivid sunset looking down the entrance to South Arm and then a little later at Lake Henry.

Should be the same clear conditions again tonight 🌌

Anyone else got these running rampant in your home?Woolworths New Zealand
03/08/2026

Anyone else got these running rampant in your home?

Woolworths New Zealand

When “posted four hours ago” does not mean “photographed four hours ago”...This is an easily overlooked social media iss...
26/07/2026

When “posted four hours ago” does not mean “photographed four hours ago”...

This is an easily overlooked social media issue with potentially serious implications for visitor safety.

Someone planning a trip in Fiordland may see a recently uploaded photo and assume the person who posted it was there that day. In reality, the image may have been captured weeks or months earlier, under completely different weather and track conditions.

Gertrude Saddle is not generally a winter hiking objective. Snow and ice can turn its steep rock slabs into extremely hazardous terrain, while avalanche risk adds another very real danger.

The same issue arises on YouTube, where videos presented as “winter hikes” have sometimes been filmed only weeks before summer, after true winter conditions had already passed.

Social platforms should make a clearer distinction between the date a post was uploaded and the date its images were captured, particularly when content is tagged to outdoor locations where conditions can change rapidly and a false assumption can have fatal consequences.

The Gertrude Saddle Route has claimed multiple lives. Describing its difficulty as “expert” is useful, but that rating generally assumes normal, dry conditions. In snow, ice or avalanche terrain, the level of risk changes substantially.

Should social platforms display the original capture date of outdoor photos when that information is available?

On Sunday, I headed back up to Luxmore Hut on the Kepler Track for what has become an annual winter escape ❄️At 35 bucks...
21/07/2026

On Sunday, I headed back up to Luxmore Hut on the Kepler Track for what has become an annual winter escape ❄️

At 35 bucks a night, it's much better value than whatever people now pay to share the hut with 50+ snoring & farting bodies during Great Walk season.

With only a 30% waxing moon overhead, the night sky was epic! Sunrise and sunset also delivered, but it was the local residents who ended up stealing the show.

Wildlife photography has never been an interest of mine, but the kea were determined to photobomb everything, chew on the hiking poles I foolishly left unattended, and generally make themselves the centre of attention. One juvenile even followed me nearly all the way down the track!

This was Fiordland at its best: clear skies, golden light, a dreamy cloud inversion and plenty of alpine parrot tomfoolery.

Address

Te Anau
9600

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Reflections of a Sound posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Reflections of a Sound:

Shortcuts

Share

Category