Lake Grassmere, or Kāpara Te Hau, is one of New Zealand’s most important salt-producing landscapes. Its shallow lake bed, low rainfall and strong coastal winds make it ideal for evaporating seawater into concentrated brine. As salinity rises, algae and brine shrimp help create the surreal pink, orange, purple, blue and red tones visible from above.
What fascinated me most was how industrial the process is on the ground, yet how painterly it becomes from the air. Roads, levees, mineral deposits and changing concentrations of salt turn the landscape into something that feels mathematic.
Photographed by Rachel Suzanne Tien Wood on a solo road trip through New Zealand in 2023.
