Tuesday 20 April, 2027

We’ll meet at out hotel in central Christchurch this afternoon for introductions and an overview of our workshop activities. Before dinner, we’ll head out for our first sunsetshoot in the Port Hills, overlooking the Lyttelton Estuary.

Wednesday 21 April

After breakfast and check-out, we’ll board our comfortable Mercedes minivan and head inland towards the Southern Alps which we’ll cross at Arthur’s Pass. Along the way we’ll stop at Castle Hill, a place sacred to Māori with its unusual limestone rock formations and the immense Waimakariri river valley. Our first night on the West Coast is at Punakaiki, home to unique eroded limestone rock formations known as the Pancake Rocks, and some spectacular rugged coastline.

Thursday 22 April

We’ll shoot sunrise on the beach at Punakaiki and after breakfast and checkout we’ll drive south to Hokitika Gorge, with its vibrant turquoise blue glacial water carving its way through a granite rock canyon. From here, we continue to Fox Glacier, stopping at Lake Mahinapua and then for sunset at the small coastal settlement of Okarito, with its old lagoon wharf shed and views to the Southern Alps beyond.

Friday 23 April

Our sunrise shoot will be at Lake Matheson, one of the Crown Jewels of the South Island landscape. Here a moderate walk from the car park to our view point is rewarded with one of New Zealand’s most beautiful and serene sights: the dawn illumination of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, reflecting perfectly in the still waters of the lake in front of us.

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll spend some time photographing the rural area around Fox Glacier, the mighty glacier itself being the centerpiece of the landscape. After a morning break we’ll explore the rainforest beneath Fox Glacier, with its ancient vibrant green trees, countless varieties of ferns and fascinating lichens and mosses.

Saturday 24 April

We’ll head south on the Glacier Highway towards Haast Pass, where we cross the Alps once more. Along the way we’ll be shooting a wild, rugged deserted beach, some waterfalls and some spectacular river and mountain landscapes. We arrive in the lakeside resort town of Wānaka, where we’ll finish the day shooting fall colours in a local woodland.

Sunday 25 April

This morning we’ll photograph sunrise from one of the most spectacular viewpoints in New Zealand, a mountain peak high above Lake Wānaka. And to add to this unique and unforgettable experience, we’ll be whisked up there in a helicopter! After breakfast we’ll have an opportunity for some down time before heading out to the remote back country of the Matukituki Valley, with its tree-lined braided river, waterfalls, sheep farms and rugged natural beauty, dominated by the Rob Roy glacier.

Monday 26 April

Sunrise at the famous Wānaka Tree with its backdrop of snow-capped mountains. After breakfast and checkout, we’ll drive the Crown Range road to the historic mining settlement of Arrowtown, shooting the vibrant fall colours on the hills overlooking the township. After lunch we’ll head to Te Anau, gateway to Fiordland National Park and the South-West New Zealand UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll be spending three nights at our Te Anau base. Sunset from an elevated vantage point overlooking Lake Te Anau and the mountains which dominate it.

Tuesday 27 April

If the weather favours us we’ll start the day with a sunrise shoot towards the jagged peaks of the vast Eglinton Valley, where we’ll expect to see low hanging cloud and mist in the forest trees. The remainder of the day will then be spent reviewing the images we’ve made so far, and learning post-processing techniques to enhance our editing skills.

Wednesday 28 April

After breakfast, we’ll head out for a full day exploring some of the spectacular Fiordland scenery on the way to Milford Sound, described by Rudyard Kipling as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. Among the highlights for us to photograph today are Te Anau Downs, Lake Gunn, the powerful glacial-blue Hollyford River and the spectacular, massive Cleddau Valley. In the late afternoon we’ll board a cruiser to explore Milford Sound from inside the fiord, and before heading home we’ll shoot some classic views of the landscape from the foreshore.

Thursday 29 April

After breakfast we’ll check out of our lodgings and head north to Queenstown. Arriving around lunchtime, we’ll drive to the frontier town of Glenorchy at the head of LakeWakatipu, photographing some classic South Island rural scenes, the braided Dart River, and sunset from a viewpoint overlooking the lake towards the snow-capped peaks of Mount Aspiring National Park, the backdrop to Isengard in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

Friday 30 April

Sunrise at the remote, tranquil Moke Lake, followed by breakfast and check-out. From Queenstown we will head north again to the Mackenzie Basin and the heart of the Southern Alps. Our next two nights are in the small town of Twizel, gateway to Aoraki-Mount Cook National Park. After some photo stops along the way, we’ll arrive in the early afternoon, and go straight to the Hooker Valley in the shadow of Mount Cook, where a spectacular view of the country’s highest peak will be our subject for golden hour photography.

Saturday 1 May

An early start to head to Tasman Lake and the terminal face of the Tasman glacier, for sunrise. Here, we’ll be photographing the surrounding mountain peaks reflecting and icebergs floating in the glacial water. Later in the day we’ll spend time around Lake Ruataniwha and Lake Pukaki, shooting the mountains from different vantage points, with a sunset view of Mount Cook from an elevated lookout to round o_ the day.

Sunday 2 May

Departure day. A picture-perfect view of Mount Cook at sunrise from Peter’s Lookout, a short drive from our hotel. After breakfast and checkout, we’ll make our way back to Christchurch, stopping at Lake Alexandrina and Lake Tekapo along the way, arriving in the city in the mid afternoon. Onward flights can be arranged for departure times.