canterbury
There are several great walks in Kaikoura. One of the best known is the long track up to the snowy Mount Fyffe, which begins with a trail through lush native New Zealand forest. We explored the surrounding area, and took to the skies to photograph the beginning of this track from above.
Following a whale-watching flight over the Kaikoura coastline, we also took the opportunity to watch these giants from up close. An early morning cruise with Whale Watch provided several sightings of Sperm whales, the world’s largest toothed predator. These giants of the sea were commonly hunted in the 19th and 20th centuries, which inspired the classic novel Moby Dick. Now the species is protected throughout most of its territory, but there is still work to be done to fully protect them.
During my visit to Kaikoura, I made my way up to the Kaikoura Lookout a couple of times, to catch both sunrises and sunsets over the harbour. The lookout provides stunning views in all directions, over the town, the ocean, and the countryside. Below are some of my favourite images from this special place.
Kaikoura is another one of New Zealand’s hidden gems. It is less popular than other nearby tourist destinations, but is nonetheless a fantastic place to visit. This is one of the few places in the world where you will see a snowy mountain chain as a backdrop to a white sandy beach. Here are some of my favourite images of my first day on the beaches, capturing some of this unique landscape.
Akaroa peninsula is the best place in New Zealand to spot the world’s smallest dolphin. The Hector’s Dolphin is endemic to New Zealand, and sadly are nationally endangered. In my time in Akaroa, I enjoyed the harbour views before hopping on a boat to try and spot some of these unique dolphins in their natural environment.
Akaroa is peninsula on the Western coast of New Zealand’s South Island. It is just over an hours’ drive from the city of Christchurch, yet offers a completely different atmostphere. This is New Zealand’s only French settlement, and boasts abundant wildlife. I visited Akaroa for the first time late last year, and one of the highlights of my visit was a private tour to a fur seal colony. As it was Summer, the colony consisted mostly of very young - and very inquisitive - seal pups.
Following a snowy morning in Lake Tekapo, our short South Island roadtrip ended with a long drive back to Christhurch through the countryside. We stopped several times along the way to photograph the snow-covered pastures.
Over the next few months I will be returning to New Caledonia and spending two weeks in St Andrews, in Scotland. More photos coming soon!
The next day at Lake Tekapo proved to be a lucky one: we woke up at 5am to find that the town was covered in deep, fluffy snow. We headed out before sunrise to catch The Church of the Good Shepherd in the snow, and captured some aerial photography in the surrounding area.
The change of weather was a pleasant surprise. Over the span of three days, we had a beautiful purple sunset, followed by an almost-clear starry sky, and a snowy morning.
Following a visit to Arthur's Pass, we drove to Lake Tekapo, arriving just in time for sunset. As the sun sets on the opposite side of the lake in Autumn, we were left with a beautiful purple sky over The Church of the Good Shepherd. We also waited for nightfall to attempt some evening photographs, and although the skies clouded over, there were still quite a few stars to be seen.
After working with the kea at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve earlier this year, I had the chance to take a short roadtrip through some nearby locations in the South Island of New Zealand.
The first stop was a return visit to Arthur's Pass National Park, where we photographed the fantastic landscapes and encountered some wild kea.
Here are some of my favourite images of our day at Arthur's Pass.
