Like much of our country, Wanaka is an incredibly photogenic town, with the lake and the light combining to create a natural masterpiece.
It could be said that Gilbert van Reenen had a pretty easy task, putting together a book of photos of Wanaka because it would be pretty difficult to take a bad shot in that pretty little town. However, he has gone above and beyond the call of duty, producing a book that not only captures the beauty of the area, it also captures the ruggedness.
Every glossy page of this book contains a gem and while I’m reasonable familiar with the area, some of the photos gained a second look from me as some of the unusual angles had me pausing to work out where they were taken.
Van Reenen has been photographing the Wanaka landscape for a long time and in this book it is easy to see both his familiarity and love of the area.
Wanaka poet and writer Jan Kelly manages to balance out the photographic images with her descriptions of the area.
From the front cover and it’s striking image of Roys Bay to the very last page, this book is simply gorgeous.