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We weren't sure what to expect as we drove from Christchurch to Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park on a very foggy morning ten days ago. Cynthia, an expat American living in Asia, had been waiting a long time to visit New Zealand and I was hoping that the forecast weather of rain and cloud would be wrong.
When we arrived at Aoraki/Mt Cook village the situation looked bleak until we found a great location to set up where the mountains were in full view. The combination of scattered light, moody clouds and even a rainbow gave us some dramatic high country images. For our shoot the following morning we drove out to a nearby location that gives a superb view of the Southern Alps and Aoraki/Mt Cook - when it's clear that is. Once again it was raining up in the valleys, but once again we turned our cameras to what we could shoot and came up with a stunning sunrise photograph of the Tasman Valley.
After breakfast we took a hike to see if we could get a view of Aoraki/Mt Cook. After an hour and a half walking up a valley we finally managed to get glimpses of New Zealand's highest peak. I wasn't hopeful for a sunset shoot given the weather forecast, but against all predictions the cloud cleared leaving clean blue sky and an unrestricted view of Aoraki/Mt Cook. As we photographed the changing light on this magnificent mountain we couldn't help feeling incredibly fortunate that the weather had turned in our favour.
We left for Queenstown on the third morning with yet another rainy day forecast. The rain did come, but as we drove closer to our destination we left the rain behind us and enjoyed shooting the rich autumn colours lit up by the afternoon sun.
The following morning we drove up to Glenorchy in the rain wondering if the day would be a washout. Undeterred, we carried on to the Mt Aspiring National Park. When we arrived the rain had stopped and the mountains were swathed in mist and broken cloud - we felt like we were in a scene from the Lord of the Rings! In the afternoon we returned to Queenstown and photographed the late light on the nearby peaks.
 On day five we headed for Milford Sound. That evening it snowed on Mitre Peak (pictured) and the surrounding mountains. Although the forecast was for southwest winds and snow down to 400 metres the following morning dawned clear and calm. And what stunning photographs we captured! We drove back to Queenstown through sun, rain, and snow - the snow-covered hills were absolutely beautiful.
After six days in the mountains we made our way to the east coast to photograph the yellow-eyed penguins. Cynthia got out her Canon 70-200mm f2.8, put on the 1.4x extender and captured some poignant images of these photogenic birds. The next morning we were down on the beach shooting the Moeraki Boulders where Cynthia photographed one of her best images of the whole eight days. It was a stunner!
A bit of breakfast and we were on the road again travelling north to Christchurch, where the adventure had begun just over a week earlier. Cynthia summed up our journey with these kind words:
"Thanks for the most fantastic photo tour. It far exceeded my expectations. I will always cherish the memories and the new friendships."
17 April 2008
Ken, a keen wildlife photographer from the US, joined us recently for six days.
 First stop was Kaikoura, home of the Dusky dolphins. We took a cruise in search of these acrobatic mammals and found a large pod that kept us busy photographing for over two hours. That afternoon, we walked around the peninsula to photograph seals and finished the day with a sunset shoot along the coast.
The next morning, we left early for our drive down to Otago; our destination was a yellow-eyed penguin colony. Ken had never photographed penguins before so this was a unique experience for him. His 400mm telephoto lens was put to great use as he captured hundreds of images of these quirky birds.
At dawn the following day, we were out amongst the Moeraki Boulders. We had good light once again and Ken captured some stunning images.
After breakfast, we headed inland to Queenstown. Late afternoon, we went down to the shores of Lake Wakatipu to shoot the Remarkables mountain range and surrounding peaks. The evening light was superb and the mountains turned a rich ochre as the sun set.
Our next stop was Milford Sound where we took the afternoon cruise along the fiord. It was another clear day and the mountains were in full view giving us many opportunities to capture the dramatic scenery.
Our sunrise shoot the following morning gave us stunning reflections of Mitre Peak. We then made our way back along the Milford road stopping to photograph as we went. Later in the day, Ken’s whirlwind tour of the South Island finished with one last look at the mountains as he flew from Queenstown to Christchurch.
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