Ken and Jean decided to escape the winter chill in the UK and come photographing in the South Island in the height of our summer.

As they were visiting friends in Dunedin we started our trip from there and headed for the southern coast. Ken had already photographed albatross and penguins and was wanting to add sealions to his images. We found a family of Hooker's sealions to photograph on a deserted southern beach, and also captured a stunning coastal image at the same location. The following morning we were out early to shoot the sunrise at a lighthouse and were rewarded with vivid colours in the clouds. We then continued west, photographing beautiful waterfall and rainforest scenes as we travelled towards Fiordland. Conditions were not promising at Milford Sound, but we enjoyed a calm, moody morning with mist and cloud swathed around the mountains in true Fiordland style.

Our next stop was Queenstown where both the sunset and sunrise shoots gave us amazing colour in the clouds. During the days we explored the region, getting some great images with the sun drenching the mountain scenery. We then continued north and inland to the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park where we, once again, had stunning weather. A brilliant red sunrise, clear views of Aoraki/Mt Cook and the surrounding valleys were among the images we captured.

Almost as soon as it had begun it was over as we parted company a short way up to road for Ken and Jean to visit other friends in the area. Within the short time we travelled together Ken amassed an enviable collection of sunrise, sunset, mountain, coastal, lake and forest images. Ken later wrote: "Everything went like clockwork: we were able to maximise our photographic and other opportunities without ever feeling rushed."