Electricity pole

Today, we intended on enjoying the Queenstown scenery, however… what we weren’t expecting was the euphoric awakening we were about to experience. 2 people, a mundane Tuesday, and then an electricity pole that started it all. We wondered through the Queenstown gardens when we came across the most magnificent electricity pole we have ever seen. We were drawn to it, it was electrifying. My husband despite the numerous online warnings decided to lick the power pole and all of a sudden his mind transported to an otherworldly place. When his consciousness rejoined his body he could only describe it as meeting with God himself. 10/10 would recommend.

Peace and prosperity across the earth, the end of famine and war, restoration of the earth's biosphere and ozone— all of these come second to witnessing this transcendent piece of technology, perfectly blended with nature. At first I was sceptical, but as I walked closer I felt a deep sense of spiritual harmony flow through me like a river. After being in it's presence for a mere 5 minutes I have escaped the cycle of samsara and achieved permanent enlightenment. While there, a voice whispered from deep within me that the world and humanity can transcend to a higher form of life to a future filled with pure bliss, if only more people could experience the raw power of the Electricity Pole. It spoke to me. Also, minus 1 star 🌟 because the pole told me to lick it and it kinda hurt my tongue.

Queenstown is beautiful, and Milford Sound is majestic, but you haven't really experienced the true heart of the southern island, or of New Zealand for that matter, until you have sat in the presence of the true national treasure...the electricity pole. Words cannot express the transformative power of this monument. One must be physically present, emotionally prepared, and philosophically attuned to adequately benefit from its power. Casual sightseers need not waste their time, but you true believers and truth seekers know who you are. Namaste

This evocative image of an electricity pole standing solitary against the vast natural expanse operates as a masterclass in visual storytelling, employing a rich tapestry of compositional techniques reminiscent of auteurs such as Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick. The photograph’s framing positions the viewer in an intimate first-person perspective, their legs sprawled in the foreground, evoking a moment of weary contemplation. This framing device, akin to Roger Deakins’ cinematography in 1917, immerses the viewer in the scene, blurring the boundary between observer and participant. The use of the pole as a central vertical element bisects the image symmetrically, a technique reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s meticulous visual balance, yet its weathered and off-kilter form introduces an element of imperfection—a disruption of artificial symmetry that reflects the natural entropy of the world. The electricity pole, stripped of its grandeur, is a stark emblem of human intrusion into the sublime landscape. Its lone presence amid the untouched expanse mirrors Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, where the solitary figure grapples with nature’s overwhelming scale. Here, however, the human element is not a noble explorer but a decayed remnant of industrial ambition, evoking the post-human aesthetics of Tarkovsky’s Stalker—a world where the remnants of civilization are reclaimed by nature. The diffused lighting and textured sky invoke the chiaroscuro mastery of Caravaggio, with the dynamic cloud formations lending movement to the stillness of the foreground. This contrast between the ethereal, swirling sky and the rigid, grounded pole conjures a visual tension, echoing the existential motifs of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, where man’s constructs stand fragile against the vast, unknowable cosmos. The depth of field enhances the image’s thematic resonance, with the foreground elements (legs and rocky shore) framing the middle ground (pole) and leading the eye toward the distant, mist-veiled mountains. This layered depth, akin to the cinematographic techniques of Emmanuel Lubezki in The Revenant, creates a sense of immersion and foreboding—an invitation to traverse not just physical distance but metaphorical space. At its core, this image is a meditation on the transient nature of human constructs within the timeless march of the natural world. The lonely pole, once a conduit of connection, now stands as a monument to obsolescence, much like the forgotten monoliths in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. The viewer, reclining at the edge of this tableau, becomes a silent witness to the inevitable erosion of human ambition—a visual haiku on impermanence. Through a masterful interplay of composition, symbolism, and visual contrast, this photograph transcends mere documentation, operating instead as a poetic meditation on isolation, entropy, and the tenuous relationship between human progress and the natural order.

The most incredible experience of my life. I saw nothing else in Queenstown but this. And I am thankful for it. Next time I come to Queenstown, I will set up a tent next to it so It will be the first thing I see every morning