Up High in QueenstownWe have finally moved into the new house here in Queenstown. I was in for less than 24 hours when I decided to get up to the top of this nearby mountain to shoot down on the whole scene. It was a perfect night – a bit cool maybe – but that can be perfect too.After I took this photo, I went back down the mountain and picked up some Thai food to take home and eat while warming up by the fire! :)- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the entire post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Cart Racing in Queenstown This may be my son’s favorite thing about Queenstown!  In the summer, they open up this area at the top of the mountain where you can luge all day long.  He never gets tired of it – and neither do I!  When we go back, we’ll have to see if we can get some kind of a season pass or something.He gets a little rough, and he’s a little bit ruthless.  But I have a good 100 pounds on him, which helps everywhere except for the curves.  He spins around the corners like Yoshi, and I’m a little more like Bowser…- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Deep Icy Lake
Lake Wakatipu, cut by glaciers 15,000 years ago, plummets to 399 meters in depth (almost a quarter-mile)!  There is something creepy about very-deep lakes.  I don't know what it is.  I mean, anything could be down there.  Something cold, old, and terrible... slithering around through a slurry of icy mud and grit, just waiting to shoot to the surface for a snack...- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post, including some SXSW info, at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Orange Queenstown Sunset I had a late night of decadent chocolate at a great local haunt there in Queenstown.  I ended up staying later than I expected because of said decadence.  This meant I arrived back over to my rental house in Kelvin Heights as the sun was finishing its descent.  I ran down to the beach just in time to see this light.  There was a mild panic, but it was pre-soothed by the chocolate.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Sailing Away to Akaroa
Thanks again for all the recommendations!  So many of you recommended that we visit Akaroa on our visit to New Zealand, and it was a great suggestion.You can walk along and see most of the commercial part and the harbor in less than an hour.  One end is a long dock where they launch a few ships per day.  Just as I got out to the end, this sailboat was pulling away from the dock.This photo came from a single RAW file.  There was way too much movement to let me do a multiple exposure in this one.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post, including info on the podcast, at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Remarkables If these mountains don't have the coolest name ever, then I don't know what does!The mountains border the lake in Queenstown, but right before they dip into the deep water, a gentle dollop of green hills present themselves.  They are those soft kind of New Zealand hills - the kind that look like you could just take a giant thumb and mush them around into one shape or another.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.  There's also some info about my house in Austin for sale!
Beautiful Akaroa
This is a great town over on the coast of New Zealand.  I only spent a short time there, but I'd like to get back. I think it was one of THE most recommended places in NZ, and that's saying a lot, because the recommendations come fast and furious there.

Read more and talk to me about Minecraft here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Pink Mountains During Morning Sunrise
Te Anau is a great little town down in the southern fjord area of New Zealand.  It's sort of the stopping-off point for Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound.  It's also a great home base for photography, because there are countless things to see within just a short drive.  I woke up early one morning to drive out towards Doubtful Sound and I saw this scene in my rear-view mirror.

- Trey Ratcliff

The rest of this blog entry is here at stuckincustoms.com.
Orange Light in Queenstown
I was driving back to the house we rented in Kelvin Heights, a little peninsula that sticks out into the lake, and I saw the potential for this light.  I've only seen it about a dozen times in my life.  It happens when there is a localized area of flat-white clouds but a perfectly clear horizon.  It means the sun will dip below the clouds and cast an interesting color up on the bottom of the clouds.  The reason this doesn't usually happen is because an overcast sky will continue on for so many miles that the sun will have no angle of incidence.

Anyway, I got lucky and the prediction came true.  I was able to be ready with my tripod just in time.

- Trey Ratcliff

Read the rest of this and tell me what your favorite cloud type is here at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Pink Mountains During Morning Sunrise


Te Anau is a great little town down in the southern fjord area of New Zealand. It's sort of the stopping-off point for Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. It's also a great home base for photography, because there are countless things to see within just a short drive. I woke up early one morning to drive out towards Doubtful Sound and I saw this scene in my rear-view mirror.

- Trey Ratcliff

The rest of this blog entry is here at stuckincustoms.com.
here at stuckincustoms.com." href="javascript:openLB(1443968906,'',XLarge,'',1024,503);">Pink Mountains During Morning Sunrise
Te Anau is a great little town down in the southern fjord area of New Zealand.  It's sort of the stopping-off point for Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound.  It's also a great home base for photography, because there are countless things to see within just a short drive.  I woke up early one morning to drive out towards Doubtful Sound and I saw this scene in my rear-view mirror.

- Trey Ratcliff

The rest of this blog entry is here at stuckincustoms.com.

Pink Mountains During Morning Sunrise


Te Anau is a great little town down in the southern fjord area of New Zealand. It's sort of the stopping-off point for Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. It's also a great home base for photography, because there are countless things to see within just a short drive. I woke up early one morning to drive out towards Doubtful Sound and I saw this scene in my rear-view mirror.

- Trey Ratcliff

The rest of this blog entry is here at stuckincustoms.com.
See photo in original gallery.