My all-time favourite places to photograph in New Zealand
When asked what country I believe to be the most beautiful in the world the answer always comes to me easily — New Zealand. Being a born and bred New Zealander I am a little biased; however, I have been lucky enough to travel to some very beautiful countries throughout my life, yet my answer never changes. It has wavered once or twice — yeah I’m talking about you Iceland and Scotland.
There are many other countries throughout the world with stunning scenery, but the one thing I love about New Zealand is the huge amount of diverse landscapes squeezed into such a small landmass.
Within a couple of hours, you can go from the top of a mountain to walking along a secluded beach. You could photograph the sun rising on the east coast and then watch it set on the west coast all in the same day without having to spend too much time in the car.
Plus we have hobbits and orcs. Just kidding. However, when you are walking through the thick New Zealand bush or over the rolling farmland it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if a hobbit did go running by.
With such a plethora of landscape photography opportunities scattered all over the country, where do I like to go back to as often as possible to explore further? If I was to name everywhere I love then this post would become a book, so to keep things short I have narrowed it down to my top five below.
Mackenzie Country
In the center of New Zealand’s south island is the Mackenzie country — home to the countries tallest mountain — Mt Cook. This region is my all-time favourite to photograph not only in New Zealand but throughout the world.
It has everything that gets me excited about landscape photography — dramatic mountains, alpine lakes, tussock, and the coolest, cheekiest bird I have come across — the Kea. I’m getting a little giddy just thinking about it.
The Catlins
About an hour and a half south of Dunedin are the Catlins, an area with a lot to offer a landscape photographer. I mostly like to visit there for the secluded beaches, amazing waterfalls, and dense native bush, but that’s not all that is available.
There’s caves, lighthouses, dramatic windswept trees, seals, penguins, and some very cool wee villages to explore. I have spent quite a lot of time throughout my life there but nowhere near as much as I would like.
Golden Bay
A few years back I traveled up to Golden Bay with a couple of friends. I had been to the region a few times previously. Once to walk and kayak the Abel Tasman great walk, and another time I just explored the very south of the area. I loved the area a lot and vowed I would make it back there one day to explore it further.
It took a few years before I did make it back but so glad I did. My friends and I drove to the far northern tip of the south island and visited many of the beaches up there. Wharariki was by far my favourite, with its archway islands floating in blue turquoise water, and it’s reflection in the sand as the water retreats. Absolutely stunning.
Moeraki Boulders
I have no clue how many times I have photographed the Moeraki boulders, I just know it is a lot. These cool marble shaped rocks sit just off the beach and make an excellent subject for seascape photography. I have spent many a night sleeping in the back of my car hoping to get a beautiful sunrise in the morning.
It is one of those places you have to get just right, as it is quite often very cloudy, or the tide is too high to access them safely. But when you do get it right the photos will turn out amazing.
Castle Hill
Castle Hill and I have a love/hate relationship. It is one of my favourite places to visit in the country but quite often come away disappointed when visiting there to photograph. It is one of those places that has so much going on that I always struggle to find order amongst the chaos.
However, that does stop me from trying. Plus it has allowed me to explore many areas of the place that a lot of people don’t go. I love castle hill for the challenges it offers but also the feeling I get when just enjoying my surroundings while there.
Bonus — Tongariro Crossing
So I know I am being cheeky for sneaking in a sixth location here, but realised my top five were all from the south island. Mainly because that is where I live so it is easier to get to these locations, plus its better. The north island does have some very dramatic places to photograph though and I hope to explore up there again in the near future. But the top location I have visited up there has to be Tongariro national park. It’s nothing like I have seen anywhere else in the world. With its volcanoes, sulphur lakes, snowcapped mountains, and desert terrain — it’s no wonder it was used as the setting for Mordor in the lord of the rings movies.
