Anyone here from New Zealand?

My wife and I are planning a trip to NZ, and we could really use some help with an itinerary that combines great photo locations, especially for first and last light, along with typical tourist stuff.

Lance - You may want to specify what length of time you're looking at. I've got a trip booked for the South Island for a week this coming February, and from some recommendation I got (not strictly photo related) there's a lot to see... I ended up choosing a Christchurch -> Queenstown -> Te Anau -> Dunedin -> Christchurch loop. It doesn't leave much time in each place!

I can't be specific Lance because I've visited so many sites, but there's a host of good ones on the web revealed by google. It seemed whatever the interest, region and season I was looking into, there was more info than for any comparable place I've investigated in the US. We're spending this February and March on South Island, and after visiting the diverse sites, even two months seems too short. I'd spend time "exploring" that way, and with more specific questions gleaned from that, I bet there are folks here who can step up with the finer details. I know I'll be watching this thread, as I also continue to investigate the host of sites.

BTW- On PBS two recent Globe Trekker episodes have featured New Zealand and were quite useful for us. You might go there and see if you can download the episodes.

You know, all you guys should only travel with a nurse to these remote and foreign places... I'd be happy to volunteer..
Have a great time!
Sandy

Thanks, folks.

Hilarious, Sandy. :)

Lance, I've been twice. The second time was for our wedding. We didn't have a lot of time on either trip (9 days and 2 weeks... wish I had two months like Hank!), so we concentrated only on the South Island. Nine days felt very rushed, so I hope your trip is longer.

You can see so much great stuff by simply driving everywhere (as long as you're comfortable on the other side of the road), so I do recommend renting a car and exploring.

Favorite spots for me, listed in a clockwise loop starting with Christchurch:

Christchurch - File this under the touristy option, but you're likely to fly in here if you're just doing the South Island anyway. It's a pretty town that's easy to explore. Take the gondola or hike up to the bluffs overlooking the city. You can rent bikes to ride down from the top. Definitely try to get breakfast at Strawberry Fare.

Dunedin and along the east coast - Moeraki Boulders, which are quite photogenic. Near Dunedin you'll have opportunities to photograph yellow-eyed penguins.

Queenstown - Where we were married, so it holds a special place in my heart. But there's tons to do here, either for the active/adventurous type, or if you want to relax and check out some of the local vineyards (though I believe the Canterbury region further north is better known for its wine).

Fiordland - A popular destination for Milford and Doubtful Sounds, which are another favorite landscape spot for photographers. It can be pretty rainy there. We happened to do a kayak tour and my camera was swamped by a wave.

Fox and Frans Josef Glaciers - You can tour these glaciers, including flying onto them by helicopter if you like (awesome experience).

Kaikoura - A "must" in my opinion, if only for the dolphin tour. You've got to do this at least once (everyone in our wedding party regretted not having an extra day to do it again): http://www.dolphinencounter.co.nz/. Imagine snorkeling with a pod of 800 wild dolphins... it was the highlight of both of our trips to NZ, and is a great photo opportunity to boot.

Plenty I didn't mention, but that's a start for a nice South Island tour. I do have a basic trip summary with info from our last trip if you want to get more ideas. There are some photos too, of course.

Max

Thanks, Max :)

We spent a week on North Island last Feb. My one take home is that it takes a long time to drive anywhere. Most of the roads are two lane and twisty, so figure 30-40 mph average speed.

Lance : Wherever you go, you will enjoy it and find much to photograph. I have relatives in New Zealand and have spent some months there on 4 separate occasions now, with rich new experiences each time. I don't know what your chief interests will be but one thing I would say - don't neglect the North Island. Most visitors devote more time to the South, which certainly has spectacular alpine scenery in the west, as others have said. But the warmer North Island has a variety of sub-tropical flora as well as mountainous and volcanic landscapes of a kind you don't see in the South; there is, for just one example, the great cone of Mount Taranaki near New Plymouth - a peak sometimes used as a stand-in for Mt Fuji in films. The North also has a richer heritage of Maori cultural sites, if those might be of interest.

I'd be happy to come back if you had any more specific thoughts of what you might be particularly interested in.

Thanks, Mark and Ian. I may well be back with questions.