New Zealand Photo Tour

“We spent more than a year exploring the natural beauty of New Zealand and preparing the tour to give you the best experience possible”

Days 1 – 3

Arrive in Queenstown and transfer to the hotel. Queenstown is a vibrant city nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Southern Alps where we can relax and overcome our travel fatigue. The second day, we’ll hit the road and drive through charming Arrowtown and Crown Range to the picturesque lakeside town of Wanaka, one of the most photographed places in New Zealand. Yes, the legendary Wanaka Tree is right there waiting for us. The image of the solitary willow tree growing out of the waters of Lake Wanaka surrounded by the Southern Alps will stay in our hearts forever. Wanaka is also a gateway to Mt. Aspiring National Park. Its wildlife, waterfalls, calm lakes and spectacular river valleys make the location a photographer’s heaven.

On the third day, another treat will be waiting for us – an exclusive helicopter charter flight which will lift us high into the snow-covered mountains and get us close to the majestic peak of Mount Aspiring. This will undoubtedly be unforgettable photo experience for everyone. We’ll have the opportunity to take aerial pictures of towering mountains, blue glacial fields and rivers valleys. The flight will also include snow landings and, of course, everyone will have a spot next to the window during the flight.

Days 4 – 5

It’s time to start the scenic journey towards Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. We’ll drive through the dramatic mountain scenery of Lindis Pass and along the edge of the turquoise Lake Pukaki to finally see the majestic peak of Aoraki Mt. Cook rising in front of us. Mount Cook Village, where we’ll spend the night, offers various short walking trails with numerous opportunities to photograph the breathtaking scenery of the Southern Alps. Then we’ll finish the day by capturing the floating icebergs in the terminal lake of New Zealand’s longest glacier – Tasman Glacier.

The next day, we’ll leave our accommodation before dawn to be in the right place to shoot the sun rising behind New Zealand’s highest peak. After that, we’ll spend the rest of the day photographing various landscapes in the Mackenzie region. At the end of the day, we’ll shoot the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd sitting on the shores of the blue waters of Lake Tekapo. Since there’s almost no light pollution, the region is perfect for night photography and shooting the Milky Way.

Days 6 – 8

We’ll leave the mountains and head towards the coast. On the way, we’ll be sure not to miss the mysterious Moeraki Boulders – almost perfectly spherical giant stones which date back 60 million years. The Scottish heritage in Dunedin is easily noticeable. In Dunedin, we’ll take a break and explore the unique street art by international and local artists, the Victorian style houses and the historic railway station.

The following day, the Southern Scenic Route will lead us off the beaten track to the wild coast of the Catlins. We’ll not only master taking long exposure shots of the stunning McLean and Purakanui Waterfalls, but we’ll also take the opportunity to photograph the extraordinary wildlife of the south-eastern corner of New Zealand. Hopefully, we’ll also see seals and the “hoiho”, a rare yellow-eyed penguin native to New Zealand.

Days 9 – 11

Then we’ll move inland to the dramatic and beautiful Fiordland National Park, one of the southern hemisphere’s greatest wilderness regions. The lakeside town Te Anau will be our base as we discover this unique environment. Your camera won’t get a rest when we are driving on the spectacular road into Milford Sound. The stunning mountain backdrops, beautiful waterfalls all around, dense rainforest and Kea alpine parrots flying through the air will challenge our photography skills. At the end of the road we’ll be greeted by breathtaking views of the iconic mile-high Mitre Peak rising in front of us from the dark waters.

At Milford Sound Harbour we’ll board a cruise ship to experience the grandeur of the fiord from sea level, with its high rugged cliffs, cascading waterfalls and marine wildlife. The boat will take us literally underneath the 151m (495 feet) high Stirling Falls to shoot right beneath its drop. On the last day of shooting, we’ll return to Queenstown where we’ll finish our tour with one last sunset shooting from Bob`s Peak with panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountain ranges. The next day we will provide you a transport to the airport and say “e noho rā Aotearoa” (which means “Goodbye, New Zealand” in Māori).

Bring the touch of perfection to your digital images

Our New Zealand photo tour is not only about taking pictures but we also put emphasis on image post-processing which is extremely important nowadays. We will hold post-processing panels where we will teach you the workflows in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and some additional plug-ins we use to make your pictures stand well apart from the rest. We will try to allow enough time for you to post-process your pictures while on the tour, and hopefully you will go home with your prime shots ready for the showcase.

Included

Excluded

Martin is a professional photographer and adventurer who has years of experience guiding photo workshops and with commercial shooting. He has traveled to more than 35 countries around the globe and has explored wonders from the depths of the Amazon rain forest to the high peaks of the Himalayas. His pictures have won awards internationally and appeared in various magazines and other publications. Read Full Profile >

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