ULTIMATE New Zealand / Summer  

During our 14 days, we’ll travel 1,100 miles throughout the South Island where we’ll explore and photograph the five crown jewels of New Zealand’s magnificent National Park system: Mount Cook, Mount Aspiring, Fiordland, Westland, & Paparoa plus the beautiful Southern Lakes region surrounding Queenstown and Wanaka. Included in the price are 4 private, 1.5-hour long, customized helicopter flights plus two private wine tastings (see Excursions section above). View a map of our route: South Island Map This is a field workshop where we’ll spend full days in the field; details below:

LOCATIONS WE’LL EXPLORE & PHOTOGRAPH: As a field workshop, we’ll maximize our time outdoors for 14 full days capturing images in a wide diversity of locations throughout the South Island.

Mount Cook National Park
Surrounded by stupendous mountains and glistening glaciers, we’ll spend 3 nights and more than 2 days in the field exploring and photographing some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in the world. We’ll enjoy three nights in our Premium Rooms at the Hermitage Hotel in the heart of the park with its jaw-dropping views of Aoraki/Mount Cook from our rooms. Whether you prefer the more recent name of “Mount Cook” or the original Maori name of “Aoraki” this 12,218-ft glacier-wrapped peak will take your breath away as it towers more than 10,000′ above us. Once you see these mountains, you’ll understand why Sir Edmund Hillary used this area as a training ground for his accent of Mount Everest. We’ll capture first and last light as it illuminates the highest summits in the core of the park and we’ll also take advantage of excellent hiking trails which will lead us to iceberg-studded lakes and sweeping views of the glacier-draped mountains. Perhaps the highlight of our time here will be our private, customized, 1.5-hour long helicopter flight with our fleet of 3 helicopters (so everyone has a window seat) above the most stupendous mountains in the Southern Alps. From his countless helicopter flights throughout New Zealand over the last 30 years, Jim has designed the ultimate flight path to maximize our photography potential as we fly past tumbling glaciers, towering ice cliffs, and soaring ice-clad peaks. Halfway through the flight, we’ll land on the surface of a glacier and hop out to photograph the ice-covered mountains around us. After that, we’ll jump back into our 3 helicopters for more aerial photography on the way back to the helipad. During our two days in the field, we’ll take one easy/moderate hike of 3 miles round trip, plus a variety of other short walks to our photo locations.

Fiordland National Park
We’ll spend two full days photographing Fiordland’s countless waterfalls, soaring peaks, tremendous glacier-carved valleys, and luxurious rain forests filled with Jurassic-era vegetation. The road from Te Anau (the gateway village for Fiordland) to Milford Sound on the west coast, is world-renowned as one of the most dramatic auto routes on Earth. With massive, glacier-sculpted peaks rising on both sides of the road, we’ll take one full day to explore and photograph the entire length of this route. Along the way, we’ll venture well off the beaten path to explore and photograph waterfalls, turquoise rivers, and rainforest-covered mountains in deep, glacier-carved valleys. When we arrive in Milford at the end of this first day, we’ll check in for 2 nights at the Milford Lodge with our comfortable chalets overlooking the Cleddau River before heading out to capture last light at New Zealand’s most iconic single location. World-renowned for its views of Mitre Peak towering more than one vertical mile above the deep waters of the fiord, Milford is truly one of the most stunning locations on Earth. Two nights here will allow us multiple opportunities, in this often-stormy region, to capture dramatic images of swirling clouds, waterfalls, and sheer-walled mountains rising thousands of feet from the water’s edge. We’ll also take an intimate, two-hour boat excursion along the entire length of the fiord, out to the Tasman Sea, to photograph soaring cliffs, plunging waterfalls, birds, seals, and dolphins. Accessing our photo locations here will involve short, easy walks.

Westland National Park
Located on the central – and very wet – West Coast of the South Island, Westland N.P. hosts some of the most dramatic, glaciated terrain on earth with the highest peaks of the Southern Alps rising more than 10,000 feet from the edge of the Tasman Sea. The highlight of this portion of our adventure will likely be our private 1.5-hour long helicopter flight ascending straight up the face of the enormous glacier which spills from the mountains above our village. As we climb out of the rain forest in our fleet of 3 helicopters, we’ll photograph towering icy seracs and deep blue crevasses until we reach the upper reaches of the enormous Fox Glacier where we’ll set our helicopters down on its snowy surface and hop out to photograph the stunning ice-clad peaks around us. After that, we’ll jump back into our helicopters and climb even higher into the sky for our close-up shots of the precipitous summits of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman; New Zealand’s two highest peaks. With the sparkling, glaciated hulk of Aoraki/Mount Cook beside us and the shimmering waters of the Tasman Sea below; words cannot adequately describe this experience. After our flight, we’ll explore the region at the base of the mountains where we’ll photograph lush rainforest vegetation; evening light illuminating the peaks; and one of New Zealand’s most iconic vistas with the Southern Alps reflected in the calm waters of Lake Matheson. We’ll spend two nights here in our lodge here at the base of the rainforest-clad mountains. Accessing our photography locations here will involve one easy hike of less than 2 miles round-trip plus a few short walks from our vehicles.

Queenstown Region (Southern Portion of Mount Aspiring National Park & Southern Lakes Region)
With the jagged crest of the Remarkables Range as a backdrop, Queenstown serves as a gateway to the southern portion of Mount Aspiring National Park. Located on the shoreline of 60-mile long glacier-carved Lake Wakatipu on a narrow strip of land at the base of the mountains, you’ll understand why Queenstown has become one of New Zealand’s most desirable destinations. During our two-night stay here, we’ll spend one full day exploring and photographing the stunning mountains, turquoise rivers, and deep glacier-carved valleys in Mount Aspiring National Park, at the headwaters of the lake. One of the highlights of our time here will be another private, customized helicopter flight to a landing zone high in the mountains where we’ll have more than one hour on the ground to photograph a sea of jagged peaks rising from the turquoise waters of Lake Wakatipu, 3,000 feet below us. In the evenings, we’ll return to our very comfortable one-bedroom suites in our lodge at the water’s edge with their tremendous sweeping views across Lake Wakatipu.  Accessing our photo locations here will involve very easy short walks.

Paparoa National Park & the Northwest Coast
Located along the sublime, lush, almost-tropical-feeling northwest coast of the South Island, we’ll spend one night here in our lodge on the edge of the Tasman Sea. This long stretch of remote coastline is a land of deep limestone gorges, pounding surf, deserted beaches with wave-sculpted arches, rainforest-clad mountains, Nikau palm trees, waterfalls, and turquoise rivers spilling from glaciers along the distant crest of the Southern Alps. At the heart of this region, Paparoa National Park is best known for the unique limestone formations of Pancake Rocks which have been sculpted into caves, grottos, and natural bridges by thundering surf over the millenia. Accessing our photo vantage points here will involve easy strolls from our vehicles.

Wanaka (Northern Portion of Mount Aspiring National Park & Southern Lakes Region)
Serving as the gateway to the central and northern portion of Mount Aspiring National Park and located along the shores of its magnificent, 25-mile long, namesake lake; the small village of Wanaka still possesses the same wonderful, sublime charm we discovered during our first visit over 30 years ago. During our 3-night stay here we’ll climb aboard our fleet of 3 helicopters for yet another spectacular, 1.5-hour long flight into the most breathtaking portion of Mount Aspiring National Park, including a close-up flyby of the 10,000′ glacier-draped summit of its namesake peak, Mount Aspiring, also known as New Zealand’s Matterhorn. During this flight, we’ll land on the summit of a high peak adjacent to Mount Aspiring to spend 30 minutes on the ground photographing the endless array of mountains surrounding us. Back on the ground, we’ll spend two full days photographing waterfalls and glaciated peaks in the heart of the park and a third day exploring the far northern reaches of the park with its narrow, water-filled canyons, thundering rivers, waterfalls, precipitous mountains, and forests of Jurassic-era tree ferns. At the end of each day, we’ll return to our one-bedroom suites in our lodge; the only accommodation in Wanaka located directly on the shore of the lake. We’ll also enjoy another private tasting at a winery with some of New Zealand’s finest offerings, and without a doubt, the most breathtaking view of any vineyard in the country. Accessing our photo locations here will involve several short walks plus one easy/moderate hike of 3 miles round trip with minor elevation gain.