“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?” That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.”  Let’s see how this all relates to New Zealand braids.

So wrote the author Herman Hesse in his seminal work Siddhartha, speaking of the way rivers demonstrate the interconnectedness of all things and show how our perception of time is not necessarily objective.

Let’s take a moment to talk about rivers.

Rivers are constantly in motion. They flow from source to mouth, winding through the landscape, rushing past us, sometimes spilling over their banks, and constantly adjusting the path of their channels over time.

Louie Schwartzberg is a storyteller and filmmaker who has been shooting time-lapse photography of nature, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, non-stop. His work compresses time and put you in sync with different forms of life within our interconnected world.

His work makes the invisible visible. 

From up above we can see the intricacy that is the braided channel of a river. We are able to witness its constant fluctuation and motion. Louie’s work brings these aspects of the river, imperceptible from a lower vantage point, to life. Sit back and get the best seats to view New Zealand braids.

By sharing these images, Louie fosters a kind of nature therapy for his audience. As he says: “Nature’s beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.”