While Queenstown is commonly referred to as adventure capital of the world, with all sorts of adrenaline-filled activities available to those who want to put their courage to a test, it’s also an amazing destination for landscape photography. Situated on the shores of a scenic lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the glorious mountain ridges, Queenstown is a lovely town in a beautiful part of New Zealand. We only spent a couple of days in the area but were completely fascinated by it. In this article, I share my tips on some of the more prominent landscape photography locations in and around Queenstown.
Landscape Photographer’s Guide to Milford Sound
Located in the heart of the Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound is a beautiful destination that makes its way onto most New Zealand itineraries. And rightfully so. Even the road there is an attraction in its own right. Twisting through the snow-capped mountains and past the ice-blue lakes, this scenic drive is any landscape photographer’s dream. With so many fabulous sights at every turn, picking the best ones is never easy. So if you only have one day in Milford Sound, here are my tips on how to make the most out of it and walk away with some great photos.
Landscape Photographer’s Mini Guide to Wanaka
With snow-capped mountains, beautiful lakes and many picturesque hikes, Wanaka region is without a doubt every landscape photographer’s dream. One can easily spend a few days in this amazing area and only get a taste of it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay more than one night before heading to Mt. Cook on the following day. This means I only had one sunset and one sunrise to work with. And while this might not sound like a lot, in this mini-guide I provide some tips on how to make the most out of this limited time.
Photographing Hokitika – Worth a Quick Stop?
We discovered Hokitika almost by pure chance. Our next destination in New Zealand after Wharariki Beach – Franz Joseph Glacier – was simply too far to drive to in one go. Instead, we decided to play it safe and find a place somewhere in between to have some rest before heading to the glacier the following morning. That’s when Hokitika caught our eye. Located two hours away from Franz Josef and described online as a cool little town with a beautiful emerald water gorge nearby, it appeared to be a perfect spot to spend the night and capture some nice photos. But did it live up to the expectations?
Archway Islands of Wharariki Beach
Wharariki Beach is undeniably one of the most inspiring, captivating and amazingly beautiful places I have visited in New Zealand. For some strange reason those gigantic jagged rocks protruding from the ocean, the vast empty dunes and the ever-present wind driving the waves relentlessly against the shore are inexplicably alluring to me. Ever since I first saw images of it on the internet, I knew right away that Wharariki Beach has to be on my itinerary. I waited eagerly with excitement and anticipation for the moment when I finally see its beauty with my own eyes. Often such high expectations can easily turn into disappointment. But not this time.
New Zealand – Landscape Photography in Kaikoura
I never really thought of Kaikoura as a big landscape photography location. Sure, it came up while we were preparing for the trip to New Zealand, but for entirely different reasons. At some point we even considered removing it from our itinerary completely and if we hadn’t decided to head north, that’s probably what we would’ve done. And really, that would have been a great shame. Kaikoura turned out to be so much more than I ever expected and an incredible place for landscape photography where I took probably one of the most memorably shots of our trip.