Landscapes
This weekend, I’m sharing a few relaxing images of the mountains and ocean on Kaikoura's coast. I hope these serve as a welcome reminder of times with unrestricted travel and a more carefree existence. I can’t wait to explore the wider world outside of New Zealand in search of more spectacular landscapes, when it is possible to do so.
Today I share images from yet another stunning Kaikoura landscape. Fyffe Quay is a popular sunbathing spot for New Zealand fur seals. They dawdle about well into the evening, providing an unusual opportunity to photograph them at dusk. I was lucky enough to spot a pup posing on a rocky wall, perfectly positioned against the snowy mountains in the background.
Despite the fact that my inadequate footwear kept me mostly stranded in the middle of South Bay, having to take all photos from pretty much one single location, this was still one of my favourite sunsets I have seen in New Zealand. The golden light rolling over the hills bounced off the coarse beach gravel, giving it a sparkling quality. The low mist added some drama to the scene, blurring the trees behind. This is one of my fondest memories of the sleepy coastal town of Kaikoura.
Kaikoura, only a couple hours’ drive from Christchurch, is one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets. The town and its surroundings are full of unexpectedly beautiful landscapes. During our visit, we stumbled upon this bit of coast along Beach Road. As always, I like to think that the images speak for themselves!
One of my best memories of Kaikoura was taking a whale-watching flight with Wings Over Whales. Although circling the whales did get me a little dizzy by the end, it was amazing to see these marine giants from the air, where you can get a true sense of their scale. During our flight, we saw two sperm whales and a humpback whale, and as a bonus we got to enjoy the view of the surrounding mountains and ocean from the air also.
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.
Lake Tekapo and its quaint Church of the Good Shepherd is one of my absolute favourite locations in New Zealand. I have visited a few times in the past, capturing a stunning purple sunset and a snowy morning in the area, but something about this place keeps calling me back. Below are some images of my latest visit, where I enjoyed a serene golden hour by the lake.
Although the Clay Cliffs near Lake Tekapo were mostly unknown when I visited, they can now be admired from screens all around the world. This stunning location was featured in Disney’s Mulan movie, making it yet another famous shooting location in New Zealand’s South Island. It now joins the ranks of Hobbiton, Mount Cook, and Tongariro National Park, as one of many internationally-recognised “kiwi” landscapes.
The Moeraki Boulders form a quintessential New Zealand landscape. The beach at Moeraki is covered in these enormous spheres, reminescent of alien eggs in a distant planet. Together with a striking sunrise or sunset painting their surroundings in bold warm colours, this makes for some postcard-worthy images. An incredible, one of a kind scenery!
Dunedin has some of the most spectacular coastline in all of New Zealand, which is made even more incredible by its wildlife. Today I feature some images of a sealion we spotted sunbathing on the beach, as well as a pink sunset over Tunnel Beach.
Following on from my previous blog post, the drive back from the sheep farm in Dunedin also provided some soft golden light on the fields and surrounding landscapes. This made for some more images of the rolling farmland and ocean so typical of the South Island of New Zealand.
During my stay in Dunedin, I visited a beautiful sheep farm as part of a wildlife tour. After viewing penguins, sealions, and fur seals on the property’s beaches, I photographed the golden light just before sunset as it moved over the landscape. It made for some typical “kiwi” scenes, showcasing the New Zealand countryside. Here are some of my favourite images at the sheep farm…
Nugget Point Lighthouse is another iconic location along the South Island’s rugged coast. It is one of New Zealand’s better known lighthouses, as it is perched on a picturesque hill overlooking the ocean and the “gold nugget” rocks, named by Captain Cook. The skies here did not help much with the sunset, as it was heavily overcast, but even so it was worth a visit!
The South Island of New Zealand has many hidden gems. One of these is the lush Catlins Forest Park. For the lovers of nature - particularly waterfalls -, this is an unmissable travel destination. We spent a few lazy days here, enjoying the quiet surroundings and the incredible views. Below are some of my favourite images of the truly stunning waterfalls of the region.
The next step in the South Island roadtrip was the Catlins Forest Park. This was a long drive down from Te Anau, stopping by the peaceful Fortrose Beach before a relaxing sunset over the bay near our accomodation. The Catlins is a less popular tourist destination in New Zealand, but as you will see from my next week’s blog post, it is vastly underrated. The region is brimming with majestic waterfalls and luxuriant forests which remain undiscovered by many.
Milford Sound is one of the top tourist destinations in New Zealand. This large fjord is known for its huge waterfalls and stunning green scenery. Although my visit coincided with some particularly poor weather (and visibility), the landscapes still provided more than enough content for some once-in-a-lifetime photos. It is definitely worth taking a long cruise of the sound, which travels past many of the waterside waterfalls, and also going for a few walks in the surrounding areas as well.
After photographing the sunset at the Wanaka tree, I returned the following morning hoping for an equally spectacular sunrise. The low clouds and still lake did not disappoint, and this time the tree and the mountains were illuminated in a slightly different light. I was lucky to capture so many postcard-worthy images of this iconic tree in its original form.
New Zealand is full of spectacular farmland. Whilst in Wanaka, I came across some beautiful countryside scenery, including a number of deer and sheep farms. It was late in the afternoon and the fog started rolling into the horizon, creating a barrier between the trees in the foreground and the surrounding mountains. Here are some of my favourite images of the surroundings of a deer farm we stumbled upon by the side of the road.
Wanaka is a small town a few hours’ drive from Queenstown, in the South Island of New Zealand. Its main attraction is a tree that sits in the middle of the lake. The wanaka tree is likely the most photographed tree in the world, but unfortunately is has recently been attacked - the lowest branch was sawed off only a few months after my visit. This iconic tree will never look the same, unfortunately. I am lucky to have made it there before the damage was done. Enjoy these images of the wanaka tree in its original form.
