"It was OUTSTANDING and beyond my expectations..." was one of the kind comments made by Capt. Kirby R, a retired US Naval officer, who together with Chris, a professor from the University of California, joined us recently for a three-week tour in the South Island.

Chris had contacted us last year interested in a 'Design your own' tour which concentrated on wildlife, so we tailored an itinerary which took us on a fantastic adventure around the entire island. We started in Christchurch, where we took a day trip to look for Hector's dolphins. We hadn't gone far down the road when we came across a local sheep saleyard that was getting ready for sale day, so we stopped to photograph the bustling activity of flocks being herded by dogs into various pens - a fun first shoot! We then took a boat trip out to look for dolphins and found a small pod playing in the bay. Wildlife can be tricky to shoot at the best of times, and today was no exception.

The next day we left Christchurch and travelled north to the seaside town of Kaikoura. In the afternoon we took boat trip out to see the Sperm whales, and three of these magnificent mammals were sighted. The following morning we were out of the water again looking for the Dusky dolphins and were fortunate to find a pod of around ninety - which kept us busy for the next hour photographing the antics of these playful animals as they swam close to the boat. After a quick lunch it was back on the water again to look for albatross and other seabirds. More close encounters with the local wildlife ensued, and some stunning images were captured.

We then made our way north to Nelson, and Chris and Kirby took a walk through part of the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park, while I drove the vehicle to the pick-up point where we met up later in the afternoon. The glorious golden-sand beaches made an interesting change from the rugged coastline around Kaikoura. That evening we enjoyed a slap-up BBQ with some fine local Pinot Noir - yes, we were doing it tough on tour!  In the morning we packed up and headed back to Nelson city, where we overnighted before making our way down to West Coast.

Our first stop along the coast was at Punakaiki, where intermittent rain followed us to our shoot at the Pancake Rocks. You know you have commitment  when you see photographers patiently waiting out a passing shower, in the hope of being rewarded with an interesting break in the clouds or some stray rays of light adding a spark to the scene. Talk about earning the shots! The following morning the showers were still about, so we left early and drove south to take a tour to the White Heron colony. Armed with their telephotos, Chris and Kirby set themselves up in the hide and came away with some gorgeous images of these unique birds. We then continued on to Fox Glacier, where we based ourselves for the following two nights. The first day rained off and on, but undeterred we took a walk through the aptly-named rainforest nearby. Lush ferns and moss-covered trees gave us plenty of opportunity to shoot some of the famous West Coast bush scenery. In the evening we drove down a nearby country lane to shoot what last-light there was. Kirby managed to attract the attention of a horse in the adjacent paddock who found something tasty about his jacket and proceeded to lick and nibble Kirby's arm. Chris and I thought the photos of that were far more entertaining than what Kirby was shooting!

That night the weather cleared and the next morning dawned without a cloud in the sky, so it was up on the heli-hike to shoot the Fox Glacier - outstanding photography! I had been suggesting that with the US dollar riding on a six-year high against the flagging Kiwi, a helicopter charter would be excellent value for money. So, after the trip on Fox Glacier we took to the air in a chopper and spent an hour photographing Fox Glacier, the Southern Alps and Aoraki/Mt Cook. The pain of the previous day's rain was quickly forgotten as we enjoyed absolutely perfect conditions, and came away with many superb images. We left Fox Glacier village in the afternoon and continued south as we headed for Queenstown. The next two days were spent photographing at many different locations in this picturesque region, with the highlights being a striking sunrise on Lake Wakatipu (see the video on our homepage for that one) and perfect mountain reflections in a nearby lake which we photographed on our last morning.

Our next stop was the dramatic Milford Sound, where we took the boat cruise through the fiord in the morning before we drove back to Te Anau. We left Te Anau early the next day and made our way to the southern city of Invercargill. Along the way, we took a drive into the Fiordland National Park and photographed colourful gardens of moss and lichens, and a fern-carpeted forest setting. After being in the mountains for the past week it felt strange to be making our way out to the coast again, but it was exciting knowing that we had some wonderful wildlife shoots lined up. The first of these was the Hooker's sealions, but the ones that we found were more interested in sleeping than offering up some unique behaviour for us to photograph. After dinner, we drove along the coast for an evening shoot and as we were driving we spotted two young sealions play-fighting on the beach. So, it was a quick lens change and down to a vantage point to get many great shots of the interaction between these two mammals. To top that off I told Kirby about a great location to see some Yellow-eyed penguins, so after an impressive scramble over the rocky shoreline he spent the rest of the evening photographing a group of these endangered birds while Chris and I carried on to a nearby coastal location. As we drove back to the motel, tired yet satisfied, we all agreed it had been an absolutely wonderful day with more superb photo opportunities than we knew what to do with!

We then continued north to Dunedin where we drove out to the albatross colony to photograph these huge birds. The wind was blowing in the right direction for the birds to come in from the sea along the cliff below us, which gave us plenty of chances to capture images of albatross on the wing. The following day we spent the morning relaxing in Dunedin before heading out to a little-known location where Yellow-eyed penguins are found. We set up in the afternoon in plenty of time to see the penguins return from their day at sea, and Chris and Kirby's telephotos got a serious workout as they captured gigabytes of beautiful images.

Our last destination was Aoraki/ Mt Cook National Park and we were fortunate with the weather, even though we endured some rain. On the first evening we had clear views up to New Zealand's highest peak. We also enjoyed a bonus during this shoot of Aoraki/Mt Cook as a native falcon, the Karearea, landed close by and sat patiently while Chris and Kirby photographed it - even the wildlife in New Zealand is happy to contribute to visitors' overall experience! On the morning that we were to depart for Christchurch we enjoyed a colourful sunrise in the Tasman Valley, which was the perfect way to finish our time in this incredible area.

As usual, the time on tour just raced by, but as we recounted all the places we had been and the amazing range of images captured it seemed like we had been on the road for much longer than three weeks. A big thankyou to Chris and Kirby for being such gracious and good-humoured guests - wonderful travel companions and we had some very funny moments that still make me laugh when I remember them.

We have put together a short video of the trip, which you can view by clicking here (this will take you to YouTube). If you haven't seen it, please feel free to take a look - it may just inspire you to shake off the recession blues, pack your camera and come join us photographing in the far, far away magical land of New Zealand.