New Zealand Photography

Captured with my phone

I'm a keen eye when it comes to landscapes, where I find myself constantly searching for new places to explore. I am especially well travelled in New Zealand, my home country, but have so much yet to discover! With the pristine bays of the Abel Tasman and the more remote Stewart Island to name a couple, I still have to visit these areas. With some of my photos coming out great on my phone, I still wish to one day invest in a proper camera and make the most of capturing the true beauty of NZ. But I'm a believer of the fact that you don't always need the expensive gear to take a nice image. Some of my most favourite areas that I recommend if you ever explore NZ include: Cape Palliser, (the lowest point in the North Island) Wairarapa Coast with it's beautiful rugged and treacherous coastline lined by seals and a fantastic lighthouse with a view over the Cook Strait. It is so remote that you can park in the middle of the highway and won't get run over whilst taking some shots of the hills. If you're an addict like me, you can still grab a coffee from a local resident's house on the side of the road. I have never visited Iceland or Norway before but the coastline appears quite similar to what I'd imagine. Glenorchy in Otago is another gem, where you could take photos constantly and they'd all be your favourite. Where Lord of the Rings was filmed, and for good reason, this town is nestled right by the mountains, with a tranquil walk amongst the water and bushes. It's definitely the place to go if you want some picturesque scenery to add to your wall at home.  ​ Finally my favourite place I've explored in NZ has to be the incredible mysterious Te Urewera National Park in the middle of the North Island. What's insane is that hardly anyone knows about it because it's so remote. It has a State Highway running through it that connects some major towns (Rotorua and Gisborne). Yet, when you're deep in the rainforest, the road becomes a narrow gravel path with overhanging flora, where you can just get out and go for a stroll, knowing the next car may never arrive. As you continue to drive along for about an hour or two throughout the dense bush, you have a steep drop held back by a stone wall that looks down at the lake. In the distance and also right below the road there are multiple waterfalls that take your breath away. As you drive out of the rainforest, there's wild horses, with the beauty being the white maned foals, that stand amongst the backdrop.  If you head up to Lou's Lookout, it gives you a surreal view of Lake Waikaremoana. The walk hosts kiwi, wild boar, deer (of which we had to stop our car for), and many birds. Seeing the lake, it appears so high up that when the clouds clear, the horizon of the water is at your line of sight. There's also no sound at all, so you could hear a drop of a stone from a mile away.  ​ As you go through my photos I have tried to capture these areas. You can also see how vast and different the NZ landscapes can be within such a short distance! You have white sand beaches with crystal clear waters of the Coromandel and Northland. You have the lush rainforest and waterfalls of the central North Island and Bay of Plenty. You have the black sand beaches of the West Coast of Auckland; or the vast coastlines of the Eastern Cape. Queenstown and its surrounding lakes hosts snow-capped mountains and stunning views. What I've found the most rewarding about New Zealand's nature is that we aren't overly crowded with tourists and most of these photos below were in places that nobody else was around. You basically have the entire beach or views to yourself.