Wild New Zealand Photo Expedition

Arrive in Dunedin for the start of our New Zealand Photo Expedition. The town boomed during a series of gold rushes in the 19th century and today remains one of the country's most important commercial centers. This afternoon, meet your Expedition Leader and fellow photographers, then head to the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance, formerly known as Penguin Place, a private conservation reserve and rehabilitation center for endangered yellow-eyed penguins. The reserve was founded in 1985 when just eight breeding pairs inhabited the property. This is a special opportunity to photograph this penguin species, found only in New Zealand, and one of the rarest in the world, with fewer than 4,000 remaining. We’ll also look for a chance to photograph the northern royal albatross. This evening, gather for a welcome dinner at Larnach Castle, built in 1871.

Set off this morning through the little-visited Catlins, a rugged coastal zone that is one of the most sparsely populated areas of New Zealand. Hemmed by a rockbound shoreline, this windswept region holds photo opportunities encompassing lush woodlands, a petrified forest, hidden lakes and cascading waterfalls. Large tracts of rainforest are filled with native flora, including tree ferns, rata, kahikatea, miro, kamaha and silver beech, while the coast is defined by stark cliffs, sea caves, rock stacks and sandy bays. Wildlife is plentiful—have your long lens ready for seabirds and forest-dwelling birds including tui, bellbird, fantail and native pigeon, plus New Zealand sea lions, fur seals and Hector's dolphins offshore.

Reaching Invercargill this afternoon, New Zealand's southernmost city, we board a short flight to idyllic Stewart Island, 19 miles offshore, where we spend two nights. Much of this rugged granite island lies within Rakiura National Park, whose Maori name means “Land of Glowing Skies.” Its rainforests shelter many native plants, which we photograph on nature walks through the unique habitat. The island is a haven for birds, and we listen for the songs of parakeets, bellbirds, tui and kaka. Tonight, we are on a quest for images of the elusive brown kiwi, which we seek on a guided walk after dark. Little-visited Stewart Island is one of the best places in New Zealand to find and photograph these elusive nocturnal creatures.

On a private boat excursion off Stewart Island this morning, photograph the multitudes of pelagic seabirds that live and breed in these coastal waters. We expect to see a great variety at close range—albatrosses, shearwaters, shags, skua and several penguin species including yellow-eyed, little and Fiordland crested. Take an intimate nature walk with a local naturalist who has worked closely with Stewart Island native and birder extraordinaire Ulva Goodwillie, the namesake of the Ulva Island sanctuary.

On Ulva, just a short boat ride away from neighboring Stewart Island, explore pristine trails and beaches, photographing rare bird species that no longer exist on the main islands, such as the South Island saddleback. Ulva has been carefully managed to be free of invasive predators and pests since 1997, allowing native wildlife to flourish as it did prior to the arrival of introduced species. The small island has also never been logged, offering photographers an immersion in an untouched rainforest that provides shelter for Ulva's healthy bird population. After dark, we focus on astrophotography under some of the planet’s darkest skies. Our Expedition Leader is an expert coach on exposure tips to create thrilling images of the stars. And if we're very lucky, we might get to capture the aurora australis in the southern sky when it’s visible.

After a short flight back to the mainland from Stewart Island, continue this morning to Te Anau. This picturesque village on Lake Te Anau, the largest of New Zealand's southern glacial lakes, is the gateway to Fiordland National Park. Backdropped by the Kepler and Murchison ranges, most of Lake Te Anau lies within the boundaries of the park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. This afternoon, visit Te Anau Bird Sanctuary to photograph the rare flightless takahe, an endemic bird with showy blue-black and olive-green plumage and a large red bill. The sanctuary is one of two that have been integral to the success of New Zealand's Takahe Recovery Program, which has pioneered conservation techniques to bring this endangered bird back from the very brink of extinction. As of 2023, about 500 are in existence. The sanctuary is also home to indigenous kaka (a mountain parrot species), parakeets, pateke (brown teal), tui, wood pigeon and more. Our schedule this afternoon is light, allowing time for photo editing and a workshop with our Expedition Leader.

This morning, one of the world's most spectacular drives awaits: follow the winding Milford Road as we travel through Fiordland National Park to the sea, stopping at various scenic photo spots. It's no wonder this mythical-looking land of pointed peaks and sheer rock walls, tall waterfalls and drifting mists was chosen as one of the main settings for the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. Once we reach the head of the fjord that is Milford Sound, board a chartered boat for a private cruise around this glacier-carved wonderland. As we ply the steep-walled inlets that wind beneath a perpetual cap of snow and ice, shoot the ribbons of water that plummet from on high. If we're lucky, the mists will clear enough to reveal pyramid-shaped Mitre Peak rising two-thirds of a mile straight out of the sea. Keep your eyes lower, too, to scan the sea for fur seals, crested penguins and bottlenose dolphins. Our naturalist Expedition Leader, an expert on New Zealand wildlife and geography as well as photography, interprets all we see.

After our cruise, board a chartered helicopter (weather permitting) for a stunning flight over the Southern Alps to Queenstown. As we lift off, shoot Milford Sound from the air, with multiple waterfalls pouring down the near-vertical peaks surrounding the fjord. We'll get an aerial vantage on alpine lakes, ice fields and rainforests and make three secluded landings, which may include a remote west coast beach, a glacier and a lake.

From Queenstown it's less than hour to Wanaka, with more scenic drama unfolding around every bend in the road. En route, we stop at Arrowtown, a photogenic gold-mining town tucked within a river valley surrounded by mountains. Established in 1862, its heritage buildings line the town streets, including tiny miners’ cottages. From here, we climb the Crown Range Road, New Zealand's highest paved highway. Once we pass the historic hamlet of Cardrona, site of the Central Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s, the vast blue expanse of Lake Wanaka comes into view, portal to Mount Aspiring National Park. The basin filled by Lake Wanaka was gouged out by the Wanaka Glacier, born high in the ice fields that crown the jagged peaks in the distance.

Once we're settled in at our lakeside hotel, a very special experience is in store: a local Maori welcome featuring a traditional Haka performance that we are invited to photograph. This authentic encounter is designed to connect guests on a more personal level with the Indigenous heritage and present-day Maori culture of Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Over two days, photograph a wide selection of scenic subjects in the Wanaka region. On a three-hour private boat excursion on Lake Wanaka, we quickly leave any sign of civilization behind, surrounded only by tawny hills rising on all sides, with higher peaks beyond. Step ashore on remote Mou Waho Island, a predator-free nature reserve that’s home to the rare flightless buff weka—a curious, amiable bird that has been extinct on the mainland since 1920. A guided bush walk to the top of the island reveals a hidden lake on the summit, a photogenic spot where we’ll enjoy a cup of tea with the panorama of the Southern Alps on display before us. Our tour of the island reveals an impressive conservation success story, as we find out how invasive species—including the weasel-like stoat—were eradicated to preserve the buff weka as well as the mountain stone weta, a prehistoric insect as big as a person's thumb.

Capture sunrise over Lake Wanaka, along with other photography highlights including the famous Wanaka Tree, a lone willow standing by itself in the water that has become an icon of New Zealand. At night, we head out to remote locations away from the lights of town for night sky photography. Wanaka has some of the darkest, starriest skies on Earth, and if you’re new to astrophotography, or you just want to hone your skills, our Expedition Leader will share techniques to help you get exciting images.

Today’s route reveals that travel is as much about the journey as the destination, as we make our way from Wanaka to Tekapo in the Central Otago region. Leaving the rocky peaks ringing Lake Wanaka behind, our drive over Lindis Pass traverses open, rolling mountains covered in golden tussock, a native grass that covers the treeless slopes. Dropping into the broad, flat Mackenzie Basin, we stop to photograph the Southern Alps stretched out along the western horizon. Just ahead, we stop to explore the Omarama Clay Cliffs, part of the wider Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark protecting the region’s internationally significant landscapes and geology. The cliffs are made from layers of gravel, sand and silt deposited by ancient lakes and rivers millions of years ago, with uplift and erosion gradually shaping them into a dramatic series of sharp pinnacles divided by steep, narrow ravines. Walk among the canyon-like alleyways for evocative photos of the unique formations and bands of color.

Eventually we reach our destination, magnificent Lake Tekapo, surrounded by snow-crowned peaks capped with glaciers that feed the lake’s turquoise waters. With three nights here, we have ample opportunities for astrophotography in one of the best places on the planet to pursue it: the region is part of the enormous Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky reserve. As we focus on the stars, we gain an understanding that blends science with Maori cosmology, bringing the wonder of the universe to life.

Another spectacular drive is in store today as we travel northeast from Lake Tekapo to Arthur's Pass. We stop to explore Rakaia Gorge, where the Rakaia River cuts through the Canterbury foothills before spreading out across the Canterbury Plains. The river is sourced in the Southern Alps, carrying glacial flour that turns its water that characteristic blue-green color. On foot, we start in the forest, then climb to the historic gorse-lined ferryman's track. Continuing along glacial and river-carved terraces, we reach a dramatic lookout point on the rim of the gorge to photograph fascinating geological features, including lava flows.

Farther inland, we ascend the Great Alpine Highway to reach Porter's Pass, where a tapestry of autumn color is on display. Grasslands, shrubs and beech forests mingle in a variegated palette of gold and russet as we enter the Craigieburn Range, where endemic scree plants and giant weta insects thrive. Our destination is Arthur’s Pass Wilderness Lodge, a deluxe ecolodge on a working sheep station surrounded by Arthur’s Pass National Park, where we'll spend three nights.

Our luxury ecolodge at Arthur’s Pass lies at the heart of a spectacular 4,000-acre property where half the land is dedicated to protecting rare plants and animals and the other half is a working sheep station, where some 3,000 sheep are raised for fine merino wool. We learn about the region's natural history and agricultural heritage, gaining a firsthand look at sheep farming as we photograph agile sheepdogs at work, hand-feed tame sheep, and learn about shearing and the production of merino wool, renowned for its use in creating soft, fine-gauge garments. On a private kayaking excursion on Lake Pearson, capture a tapestry of fall colors and mountain profiles from this serene high-country lake. There are also several options for forest hikes with a local naturalist on trails around the lodge—learn about the native ecosystem as we photograph moss-cloaked beech trees in their autumn splendor and unusual moa shrubs. We also have our best chance here to photograph the kea, an endangered alpine parrot endemic to this part of New Zealand, which is often seen in this area.

After a last activity around the lodge this morning, depart Arthur’s Pass this morning and drive to Christchurch. New Zealand's oldest city, Christchurch is noted for its British character and Victorian architecture, although much of the latter was lost in the devastating 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. After a brief city tour, head to the airport to meet departing flights.