Te Henga (Bethells Beach) is one of Auckland's most stunning spots to stargaze, or even take the family out for the afternoon. 

Exploring all the nooks, crannies, caves and rocky outcrops, this place will always guarantee a great time – especially when the night is clear.

Full resolution file will be supplied to the lucky buyer, 16,000px X 7063px.
A large print will also be delivered, using a preferred printer close to the new owner, or one that I can recomend in the area.

Te Henga

This is one of 10,000 Unique bulls created under one of four Guilds. One Creator is disguised as a lowly-ranked bull, waiting to be revealed. 500 God Bulls… to be created by you. Welcome to the Bulls & Apes Project!

Bull #1503

Sleepy Cormorants rest under the view of a billion stars. I wonder what they're dreaming of? 

This is that tree in Lake Wanaka. This shot was never planned, simply an opportunity that presented itself. We were on a 3 week trip around the South Island of New Zealand, and Wanaka was the only place we stayed more than one night. You can see why, this place is gorgeous. 

I was lucky to have taken my waders! But found out they had a leak in them, so they essentially turned into a wet-suit in these freezing waters. With numb feet, I kept on going. Finding fresh compositions never seen before with this famous tree.

That Wanaka Tree

Lake Matheson provides an incredible reflection, when the conditions are perfect of course. 

The Mirror Lake

A night I will never forget, as this shot wasn't meant to happen. The night before I shot the sunset at 'That Wanaka Tree', and that shot gained some traction. Then someone said 'hey you should shoot some astro there!'. We were meant to be traveling to the next destination, Tekapo, on this day.

After a small argument with the wife to let us stay one more night, we decided to stay. A few wines, some loud music, 12am rolls round. dressed in my brothers waders I borrowed for this trip, ventured out into the lake in 4ºc waters. My left boot started filling with water. I took the first shot, and saw what was on the screen, I knew I had captured something special.

1.5 hours later I left the lake, woke my wife up – she was sleeping on the beach in a sleeping bag. Time to head back, I'd captured to this day, the best memory of photography I'd ever had. I felt like blubber-man with all the water my waders had collected, I never noticed the cold. Let alone the battery for my dew heater dangling perilously close to the lake surface.

Looking back all those years ago, I don't think I can ever recreate what I saw. And I don't feel the need. This image just keeps on giving, for me and my family, and to the people who enjoy seeing something they might never see.

Astrophotography is in everyone's blood, whether capturing or admiring.

Wanaka Way

Decay and stardust. 

This piece represents birth and death, the circle of life in a way. Stardust forms everything we know and see, but everything has a limited time on our Planet, and our Universe.

Star Snag

Well almost on top of the world, standing over a massive frozen river of Ice under glistening stars, why wouldn't you feel on top of the world? 

Spending a night at Almer Hut on Franz Josef Glacier was a life changing moment. Watching the moon rise behind us, casting an eerie glow on the ice valley while the Milky Way glides overhead. 

Spectacular.

Photographer: Mike MacKinven
Medium: Digital Photography – 14mm focal length
License: Digital use + personal printing only, not for commercial release
Location: Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
Year: 2016

Top o' the World

Relax and ponder the unknown while the Milky Way sets over Lake Kaniere, in New Zealand's beautiful South Island.

Kaniere Dreaming

Imagine sitting under a billion stars, contemplating life as you know it. This is Lake Tarawera under our beautiful Milky Way.

Tarawera Dreaming

AstroScapes V2

It's not often you get the chance to head half way up the tallest mountain in New Zealand, and treat yourself to some of the most stunning views this country has to offer. So we took that chance, which almost ended with us not coming home. So this image sits humbly in my memories as a beautiful evening, mixed with a touch of horror. 

Horror? Well kinda, a storm cell blew up the mountain early the next morning. Our helicopter attempted to collect us, but turned back quickly. The flight out was cancelled. Next weather window was 2 days away, which was fine with our food supplies, but keeping warm and optimistic was the challenge ahead. What was I going to tell the boss?

After a few hours of chilling, literally, we heard another chopper amongst the howling wind. Note there's no double glazing or heaters in this hut and was -6º inside. The chopper appeared over the crest overlooking Hochstetter Glacier, will this be our saviour? 

The pilot hovered 100m away from the hut, swaying side to side in the wind, then rapidly descended to the landing area and settled. A few muffled screams from the pilot ordering us to get in. Oh yes, we were on our way. Once in and buckled up, the pilot warned that the winds had climbed over 40 knots, so will be a bumpy ride back. That didn't bother us, I'd rather die in a chopper crash than freeze to death. But this was no ordinary pilot, but a legend who'd flown countless hours rescuing people in the Himalayas and around the world. We couldn't thank him enough. 

We returned back to stable ground, with wobbly knees, it was as peaceful as it could be. I have a video of the flight back if you'd like to see it?

This image shows the Milky Way arching from Malte Brun all the way over to Mount Cook on the right above Plateau Hut. The colourful sky is from what we call Airglow, a faint emission of light by a planetary atmosphere – illuminated gases and it has no relationship with Earth's magnetism and sun spot activity.

Plateau Hut

Mack Photography

Legacy and light.

What we live for is one thing, what we leave behind is what matters most. Pillars and foundations, build them up and you will last forever.

MikeyMack

MikeyMack

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