HIGHLIGHTS

LOCATION: CHRISTCHURCH - QUEENSTOWN

• Mt White Station

• Arthur’s Pass

• Punakaiki 

• Fox Glacier 

• Haast

• Wanaka

ITINERARY

Day 1 - Christchurch - Mt White Station
We will pick you up early from Christchurch to travel to Mt White Station at midday. After assembling at the lodge we will run through an introductory programme of advanced camera setup for landscape photography and tutorials on composition along with advanced topics such as hyperfocal distance for getting sharp photographs. Late afternoon, we will head out for our first 4WD unimog trip to the top of a nearby peak to shoot sunset across the stunning river braids.

Day 2 - Mt White Station
Headed out before sunrise in the unimog to capture sunrise over the mountains and Esk River. After breakfast head on to the Mound of Misery to spend the day exploring the mounds and the many photographic opportunities this remote area offers. Tonight we will shoot sunset with stunning views across the terraced high country landscapes with mountains and the Waimakariri River as a backdrop.

Day 3 - Mt White Station
After an early morning sunrise, we will then spend the morning in the lodge conference room to offer a group critique of the photographs from the last days and an in-depth post-production session covering the processing of landscape photographs. We will then help you process your two best images from the workshop and produce a finished 16x22" fine art print to take home. We will head out in the unimog to capture sunset returning to the best location on the station for the weather conditions.

Day 4 - Mt White Station - Christchurch
During our last sunrise shoot, we will capture some of the first morning light across surrounding mountains. We will depart the Station mid morning to head out to Castle Hill to photograph the strange and spectacular landscapes of this area before heading through to Christchurch. 

Day 5 - Christchurch
Today you will have a free day to explore Christchurch or catch up on some processing before the start of the next leg of the tour. 

Day 6 - Christchurch - Punakaiki
This morning we depart Christchurch and head across the Canterbury Plains and up into the Southern Alps. Driving through the famous Arthur’s Pass we will stop to photograph the waterfalls and forests of this area as we make our way to the West Coast. We will reach Punakaiki and its famous Punakaiki rock formations in time for sunset photography.

Day 7 - Punakaiki
The day begins with an exploration of the exquisite limestone and river landscapes of Paparoa National Park. We will spend the rest of the day exploring the exceptional coastline and sunset sees us heading out onto stunning beaches to capture the last light hitting the coastline and huge breaking waves.

Day 8 - Punakaiki - Fox Glacier
This morning, we drive down the coast stopping in at the Hokitika Gorge to capture the beautiful turquoise waters and then heading further down to Whataroa for a guided White Heron Sanctuary Tour up the Whataroa river; this is the only way to access the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve. Here, we will photograph the country's only nesting site for the beautiful White Herons (Kotuku), along with the Royal Spoonbill. We finish the day at sunset, we visit a remote west coast beach offering panoramic views of the snow-covered peaks of the Southern Alps.

Day 9 - Fox Glacier
This morning, we will photograph the sunrise at Lake Matheson, capturing the often-perfect reflections of Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman—New Zealand’s highest mountains. If the weather is right, you have the option (at additional cost) to take a helicopter flight onto the vast upper neve of the Fox Glacier for some unparalleled photo opportunities. Sunset tonight will see us heading out to Okarito Lagoon, with panoramic views of the Southern Alps rising beyond a sweeping extent of rainforest.

Day 10 - Fox Glacier - Hasst
We travel along the coast, exploring the magnificent rainforest of the Te Wāhipounamu (a UNESCO World Heritage area). At sunset, we visit a remote West Coast beach for another west coast sunset.

Day 11 - Haast - Wanaka
After a coastal sunrise this morning we drive through Haast’s Pass, the gateway back inland to Wanaka. Along the way, we photograph a number of extraordinary waterfalls, including a beautiful 30-metre cascade in stately beech forest. Tonight we capture the sunset over Lake Wanaka. 

Day 12 – Wanaka - Queenstown

This morning we will head out on a 4WD drive trip to capture the changing light over mighty peaks and mountain valleys. The rest of the day we will explore the hills around Wanaka before heading back over to Queenstown for late afternoon flights.

PRICE INCLUDES

• 12 days’ photography guiding by Ken Wright & Glen Howey

• 11 nights’ hotel accommodation (twin-share, single upgrade available) mostly 4✩ 

• 11 breakfasts

• Unimog Adventure 

• Wanaka 4WD Trip 

• White Heron Sanctuary Tour 

• Transport during the tour

• Christchurch pickup / Queenstown drop off

• DOC (National Park) concession fees

• Copy of our Pocket Guide to Landscape & Wildlife Photography 

• Donation to our Conservation Fund

• Native tree planting to Carbon Offset your tour