I had the privilege to visit South Island, New Zealand in November and December 2023. A land of immense beauty, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to capture as best as I could the incredible landscapes of this wonderful country.
As mentioned in a previous article, the plan was to cover a number of towns in South Island.
We managed to stop by the following places during our time in New Zealand:
- Christchurch
- Queenstown
- Glenorchy
- Arrowtown
- Lake Wanaka
- Twizel & Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
- Lake Tekapo & Mount John.
- Geraldine (stopover on our return drive to Christchurch).
Itinerary and Photo Plan
I found the information contained at The Travel Intern blog tremendously helpful in preparing for this trip.
Dates of Travel: 24 November to 06 December 2023
Friday – 24 November 2023
- Departure from Singapore.
- Arrived in Christchurch after a brief stopover in Sydney.
- Checked into Sudima Hotel Christchurch Airport.
- Departure from Christchurch, arrived in Queenstown.
- Picked up the rental car.
- Scenic drive to Glenorchy.
- Checked into Sherwood Queenstown.
- Milford Sound tour and cruise.
Tuesday – 28 November 2023
- Checked out of Sherwood.
- Stopover at Arrowtown for coffee.
- Arrived at, and checked into Clearbrook Motel, Wanaka.
Wednesday – 29 November 2023
- Explored Lake Wanaka and the surrounding area, including Blue Pool.
- First takes of That Wanaka Tree (with little success as the place was swarming with snap-happy tourists).
Thursday – 30 November 2023
- Returned to That Wanaka Tree (arrived earlier in the morning, but found myself in the company of other serious photographers. What fun!). See “Moonset Over Wanaka, 2023“, one of my latest works.
- Arrived in Twizel and settled into Mahina Cottage (Lovely place!).
- Did some grocery shopping at Four Square in Twizel – a short drive away from Mahina Cottage.
Friday – 01 December 2023
- Rose early and headed for Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park…and scored my first roadkill along the way!
- Did the Hooker Valley Track – lovely experience.
- Returned to the valley in the evening to watch the sunset.
- Checked out of Mahina Cottage, lunch at High Country Salmon.
- Drive to Lake Tekapo, checked into Flat Rock.
- Evening stroll around the Church of the Good Shepherd. Lupins were in full bloom in the surrounding area.
- Visit to Astro Cafe at summit of Mount John (fantastic views of the lake and town from there).
- We took things slower during our time at Lake Tekapo, returning to the lake to enjoy the scenery in the evening.
Monday – 04 December 2023
- Checked out of Flat Rock.
- Stopped by Geraldine for coffee and dessert.
- Arrived in Christchurch, and checked into our AirBnB apartment (No. 22 Cranmer Square).
- Dinner with friends at Little High Eatery.
- Returned the rental car.
- Dinner with friends at Botanic Christchurch.
Wednesday – 06 December 2023
- Return to Singapore.
A fair bit of planning went into this trip – in particular, around the location and time of day. I used The Photographer’s Ephemeris to better understand the sun’s relative position in the sky.
The photo plan is shown in the table below. You may also download it here.
The coordinates correspond to potential photo spots from which I could set up my camera and tripod. Needless to say, some onsite improvisation was required – planning could only take you so far.
The rest of my work can be viewed at my portfolio website.
Mobile Captures from the South Island
To wrap up this piece; here are some pictures taken with my iPhone: