Join Ken Wright and Joel Staveley on a 7-day tour showcasing some of New Zealand’s rarest wildlife and most distinctive coastal landscapes. New Zealand’s underrated East Coast is full of surprises including fossilised forests, curious boulders, and outstanding coastal scenery. We will also observe some of the huge diversity of rare wildlife that this area boasts: penguins, sea lions, fur seals and albatrosses. This week-long East Coast Tour itinerary takes in the best photographic opportunities the area has to offer. Timing is planned to make the most of New Zealand’s most settled season and catch the last of the autumn colours.
Starting in Queenstown, we head through high country terrain to Mt Cook National Park, where we will photograph some of the amazing alpine scenery around New Zealand’s highest peak. The tour then takes us South, where we explore the Otago Peninsula, known as New Zealand’s wildlife capital. We photograph southern Royal Albatross and stay at Larnach Castle.
We finish our week by travelling through the Catlins Coastal Rainforest Park, with opportunities to photograph the area’s waterfalls, rainforest, penguins and sea lions.
Amazing wildlife
Boat trip on the Otago Peninsula
Stay at Larnach Castle
Mt Cook National Park
Aoraki/Mt Cook
Moeraki Boulders
Otago Peninsula
The Catlins Coast
Arrive in Queenstown and make your way to the hotel - this nights accommodation is included in the tour.
Day 1 - Queenstown - Aoraki/Mt Cook
Departing Queenstown, we head inland to the iconic Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. After assembling at the Hermitage Hotel, our home for the next two nights, we will head out to explore locations in the park and have an evening shoot in the Tasman Valley.
Day 2 – Aoraki/Mt Cook
This morning we will have the chance to do some aerial photography (see optional extras below), taking a flight over Aoraki/Mt Cook and landing on the Tasman glacier to capture high alpine views across the Southern Alps. The rest of the day will be taken up by visiting locations in the Tasman and Hooker valleys, including alpine lakes, sweeping river vistas, and views of New Zealand’s highest peaks. All the locations we visit are within easy walks along well-graded tracks on the valley floors.
Day 3 – Aoraki/Mt Cook - Otago Peninsula
The day begins with a sunrise shoot capturing the alpine glow on the summit of Aoraki/Mt Cook acoss a stunning glacier lake before heading back to the hotel for breakfast. We then leave Aoraki/Mt Cook and drive south towards the historic town of Oamaru, having the opportunity to photograph the whitestone buildings of this heritage town, before to the famed Moeraki Boulders which are curiously round rocks known as ‘concretions’ set into a scenic beachscape. The day ends at Larnach Castle, one of New Zealand’s most stately buildings, dinner tonight, in the castle’s grand dining room, will be a culinary highlight of the tour.
Day 4 – Otago Peninsula
This morning we have access to private land to capture the panoramic vistas across the peninsula. We then spend the day exploring the Otago Peninsula; home to penguins, albatross and sea lions, is often called the wildlife capital of New Zealand. This afternoon will see us heading out to a private beach to photograph Yellow-eyed penguins as they return from a day out at sea.
Day 5 – Otago Peninsula - The Catlins
This morning we will capture some impressive coastal landscapes and then take a boat charter around the world's only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatross. We will photograph these majestic birds and other bird species from the sea. We then head towards the Catlins. The Catlins is also known for its amazing wildlife and if we are lucky we might see sea lions hauling themselves out on the wild beaches along the coastline. Today will finish with a sunset over a beautiful beach looking out over the Southern Ocean.
Day 6 – The Catlins
This morning we take in the sunrise at the spectacular coastline of Nugget Point, where a lighthouse, wind-ruffled native shrubs, and off-shore islands make a photogenic scene. From here we travel inland to explore the waterfalls of the Catlins Coastal Rainforest Park, these may not be high, but have a subtle beauty all of their own.
Day 7 – The Catlins - Queenstown
For our last day of the tour, we head north back to Queenstown. En route, we will visit the South Island’s most southerly point, Waipapa and its well-known lighthouse and the world famous twisted Macrocarpa tree hedge. In the afternoon we travel back to Queenstown, arriving in time to meet late afternoon flights.
7-days photography guiding by Ken Wright & Joel Staveley
7 nights hotel accommodation (twin-share, single upgrade available) mostly 4✩
7 breakfasts
Boat charter on the Otago Peninsula
Private Yellow-eyed Penguin tri
Stay and entry to Larnach Castle
3 course dinner at Larnach Castle
Transport during the tour
DOC (National Park) concession fees
Copy of our Pocket Guide to Landscape & Wildlife Photography
Donation to our Conservation Fund
Native tree planting to Carbon Offset your tour
Thank you for your booking on our Wild South Photography Tour! We know that you’ll want to begin planning your trip, please find below some helpful information and details you will need for your booking with us.
Essential Guide
Here is a link to our Essential Guide, this PDF has lots of useful information for your trip with us, please take the time to read it.
Recommended Flights
You will need to fly into Queenstown on the 5th of May (as we will be leaving early the next morning, 7-8am on the 6th of May), we have included this nights accommodation in your tour, please contact us for your hotel for this night.
Recommended Return Flights
We will be arriving at the airport at 3pm for domestic flights no earlier than 4pm. Please do not book flights earlier than this or you will not make it to the airport on time.
Single Room Upgrade
If you would like to have your own room for the duration of the trip you can add the single room upgrade to your booking, if you didn’t do this at the checkout, just send us an email we can add this for you. Please note if we do not hear from you about this we will assume you wish to share a room with another tour participant.
Online Course - Essential Landscape Photography
As a part of this tour you will receive complimentary access to the online course, this will be sent out 30 days prior to departure so that you are camera ready for your trip.
Once you have booked your flights and made your travel plans please let us know what these are and where you would like to be picked up from to join the tour.
Thanks again for booking with us, we will be in touch again closer to your departure date.
We look forward to having you on tour with us soon!