The Copland Track

(and other local adventures)

The Copland - Portra 400 +1 stop

The Copland River Valley, a lush, vibrant jungle in between rows of giants covered in thorns and spines of sharp rock. A place of subtlety and new life as well as grandeur and destruction. The West Coast of New Zealand has a climate so rich in water that every inch of soil is bursting with the blooming patterns of ferns, vines twisting and writhing around one another in beds of moss before rising high into the dense canopy of Rata trees. Such a density of life exists in the jungle that it can be felt by all the senses, the smell of fruity bush flowers combine with the petrichor smell of fresh rain while the furry little leaves of mosses welcome you tenderly. The same forces that drive this abundance also shape the thorny peaks with the brusque violence of coastal storms. The intense rainfall carves meters deep channels from peak to valley floor that carry water with such white foam ferocity that it sweeps trees and boulders along its veins and arteries in its rabid quest to return to the sea. And amidst the violence and chaos, there’s an oasis: natural hot pools.

Mates in the wild - Portra 400 +1 stop

I believe getting out in the mountains with your mates is one of the finest pleasures life has to offer.

One Mile Highline - Portra 400 +1 Stop

The backyard rig, about a 10 minute walk from Queenstown CBD, soon to be a permanent rig. A perfect spot for training, 50 meters long, 40 meters high, and situated in a friendly tunnel of trees that help keep the exposure jitters at bay. Many great highliners are being forged by the fires of repetition and rigorous play. Sorry these are a bit out of focus.

Chen at the river wave - Portra 400 +1 Stop