It was very dark and cold the morning my wife and I started the 2-hour walk along the Hooker Valley track in Mt Aoraki/Cook National Park on the southern Island of New Zealand. As part of my trip preparations, I had researched this location and had identified it as a candidate for a VAST photo, as I had only seen images of the Hooker glacier lake taken in low resolution. I got very excited when the guide from the tourist info mentioned that there were floating icebergs reported in the lake - perfect!

The track was beautiful to hike along as you traverse over the Hooker River three times via some swing bridges and along beautiful valley vistas. Arriving at the lake at the end of the track I was first shocked that the lake was frozen - no reflections of the beautiful New Zealand Alps and Mount Aoraki!

After exploring the rocky lake shore a little further, we found a section near the river exit that hadn't been frozen, so I set up my tripod and panorama gear and shot this VAST photo while trying to keep my hands warm.

The stunning scenery was an overwhelming sight of beauty and it was great to witness such a calm and serene start to the day. The reflections of the mountain range in the glacial lake and the western peaks basking in morning light was alpine perfection.