Roll on 2022 with my first landscape and fifth collectible calendar!
Complete your collection or purchase a unique gift for friends or family while supporting a small business and artist (happy dance included with every order).
Featuring 12 moody landscape images photographed around the magical South Island of New Zealand.
The calendar is printed on 200gsm paper, is wire bound and measures 21 x 28cm when closed.
Available for $20 AUD (plus $10 for postage Australia or worldwide). Postage is free for orders of 4 and over.
To purchase, please use this link. If you'd like more than one, please email me directly.
Merry Christmas! I am so thankful for your support. ❤️
It was the scenery of New Zealand's South Island that had us embarking on a two week road trip but it was a wedding that brought us here and today was the day! To make the most of every sight seeing opportunity we got up super early and headed to Akaroa, about 1.5 hours south east of Christchurch. It'd been suggested that we drive the scenic Summit Road but be warned that its windiness was a great cause of stress for my mother and the views not much better than the main road. Do beware of the motorbike riders who don’t seem to value life as highly as the rest of us! Akaroa is a pretty French themed harbour town with a fascinating history (the locals will be quite happy to tell you all about it) and of the many places we visited in New Zealand Akaraoa was the one I'd heard hyped the most. After everything else we’d seen on our trip I was surprised to find it all a little underwhelming although the souvenir shops were interesting and there’s plenty of wildlife tours to do if you have the time.
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The rest of our day was devoted to wedding preparations but if you have the afternoon free visit the Cardboard Cathedral and Earthquake Memorial followed by a guided tram tour of the fascinating earthquake ruined city centre.
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We were excited that the wedding was to be held at the top of the Christchurch Gondola. If you fancy a wedding with a view then there’s no better than this and it was great to have after hours access to the views after the tourists had all gone home. We will, however, not speak about the party guest who was left dangling in the gondola after the staff forgot about her.
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A night of drinking and dancing marked the end of our trip which brings my New Zealand travel blog to a close. After dreaming of visiting New Zealand for so long we learnt that our dreams weren't big enough to contain the majesty that is New Zealand's South Island. It exceeded every one of our expectations with its relentless beauty and the welcoming locals. I hope you're inspired to make it there yourself one day, just be sure to invite me. :)
We stopped at: Akaroa, Christchurch Gondola (and because we has one extra morning the Cardboard Cathedral and Earthquake Memorial and the Christchurch Tramway)
Distance: Christchurch to Akaroa is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes drive
Arthur’s Pass, the magical stretch of road that connects the South Island's two coasts, was top of the agenda today making it a day that’s more about the journey than the destination. Arthur's Pass is listed as a 2-3 hour drive but you'd be crazy if you don't take your time and you can see why! [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="4140,4141,4142,4143,4144,4146,4147,4149"] Arthur’s Pass can also be traversed by train, namely the Tranzalpine, but if you can manage it by car you'll be able to stop at your leisure, and believe me, with 360 degree postcard views there are photo stops galore. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="4151,4153,4154,4155,4156,4157,4158,4159"] We chose to stop at Otira Viaduct for photos and to freeze our bits off, Arthur’s Pass township for lunch and Kea sightings (Kea are large, native birds that will literally eat anything), Cave Stream where the hiking directions are sketchy but if you head to the right you’ll come to the mouth of, well a cave with a stream, hence the name I guess, and lastly Castle Hill where we wandered among rocks the size of buildings, as seen in both Narnia and Middle Earth.
We stayed at: Merivale Manor, Christchurch
We stopped at: Every roadside pullover, Otira Viaduct Lookout, Arthur's Pass, Cave Stream, Castle Hill, Christchurch
We wore (in spring): Layers, layers, layers including scarf and beanie
Distance: Greymouth to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass is approximately 3 hours 20 minutes drive without scenic stops.
New Zealand is not called 'the land of the long white cloud' for nothing. I love clouds. They're fantastic for photography. But when you've had opportunities to explore glaciers via helicopter in both Mt Cook and Queenstown but instead leave it until the end of your trip, you're really tempting fate in a country with a cloudy reputation. It rained all night on our second night at Fox Glacier and with heavy hearts we dragged ourselves out of bed at the crack of dawn and mosied up to the helicopter office knowing full well that our glacier landing flight would be cancelled a third time. Please don’t make the mistake we did and be sure to take a helicopter flight wherever and whenever the weather is best.
Instead we packed our things and drove to the nearby township of Franz Josef (20 mins from Fox Glacier) and found it was bigger and more developed than where we had stayed with the most expensive petrol I've ever seen in my life. Outside of town we discovered gorgeous Lake Mapourika where I took photos and Mum skimmed rocks.
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We drove on to small but spirited Hari Hari where a stop at Willows Crafts will be the highlight of your day. The delightful shop owner, Nolly (who last I heard was looking for someone to buy her shop) is the kind of human you just want to bundle up and take home with you so you can bring her out to entertain her friends. And those life size man cut-outs who guide you along the Franz Josef Glacier Walk? That's her son, which she will tell you with glee (so act surprised). Don't forget to peruse her interesting wares (and garden!)
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It was dreary weather so we virtually skipped past Hokitika but if I were to do this trip again I probably would have chosen to stay there to give us time to explore Hokitika Gorge and the quaint little township.
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Hokitika's wild beaches[/caption]
People rave about the drive along the West Coast and while it is wild and rocky and scenic, had we been short on time I don't think I'd have regretted missing it. Still, we didn't miss any opportunity for a roadside pullover to snap the scenery.
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Our stop for the night was Greymouth but I was keen to see Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks and blowholes so we drove the extra 40 minutes north. The scenery here is out of this world and if you haven't spotted a Weka chances are good you'll find one here.
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We’d have liked to travel on to Westport but were pushed for time so we turned the car around and headed back to Greymouth, which is a bit of a dreary old town, but we had a lovely stay at Alpine Rose Motel and the pizza at Do Duck Inn across the road is definitely drool worthy.
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We stayed at: Alpine Rose Motel, Greymouth (complete with spa!)
We stopped at: Franz Josef, Lake Mapourika, Hari Hari, Hokitika, Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, Greymouth
We wore (in spring): Thermal layers, jeans, long sleeve shirt
Distance: Fox Glacier to Greymouth is approximately 2 hours 40 minutes drive without scenic stops. Greymouth to Punakaiki Pancake Rocks is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes return (to Greymouth).
For our entire South Island trip I'd been barely containing my excitement about the activity we had booked for today, a helicopter ride onto a glacier! But, rising early we discovered that the weather was, much like every other day, drizzly and foggy and we learned with heavy hearts that our helicopter flight had been cancelled. With desperate hopes that the sky would clear we rescheduled for later and headed off to do the Franz Josef Glacier walk which was a 2 hour, mostly flat walk of epic proportions scenery-wise. Sadly the glacier you see in pictures on Google has vastly reduced in size, having melted more in the past year than ever before, and you’ll notice that the locals refuse to talk about it in case it scares the tourists off. Still, look at the following pictures and weep at how beautiful some parts of the world are, even without huge frozen chunks of ice. The walk is roughly two hours returning back the same way you came. You'll start by walking through a small forest which then opens up into this incredible scene fulls of waterfalls and rivers and bright green moss. You're advised to stay behind the barriers when nearing the glacier by a life-size man cut-out (pay attention because you'll hear more about him in the next post). The rock face is incredibly volatile but that didn't stop numerous people jumping the barriers to get an up close Instagram-worthy shot on their mobile phones. If you're really that keen you are able to get closer with an experienced guide. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3933,3934,3935,3936,3941,3940,3939,3938,3937,3942,3945,3944,3949,3948,3953,3951,3946,3950,3954,3956,3955,3957"] [gallery columns="1" size="large" ids="3959,3958,3952"] It rained pretty hard for most of the walk and I actually ran for shelter towards the end of the track just to finally be somewhere dry. Naturally by the time we made it back to Fox Glacier it was sunny and bright (typical NZ) and we were hopeful our rescheduled helicopter flight would make it out this time, BUT ... no such luck. Instead we decided to punish our bodies further by doing the two hour walk around Lake Matheson. Apparently the view of the snow-capped mountains reflected in the lake here is one of the best views in New Zealand but the fog had fallen again and we struggled to see the mountains at all. Still, the walk through the mossy rainforest to reach the “view” was like travelling through fairyland and made it all totally worthwhile. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3972,3973,3961,3962,3964,3968,3963,3970,3969,3966"] We stayed at: Fox Glacier Lodge We stopped at: Helicopter Line, Franz Josef Glacier Walk, Lake Matheson We wore (in spring): Snow boots (we loved our snow boots because they kept our feet dry but sneakers will do fine otherwise), rainproof pants and jacket with hood, thermal underwear, gloves, scarf and beanie. The scarf turned out to be really handy for wiping water off my camera.
Today we wave goodbye to Queenstown and head off to the west coast to visit Fox Glacier. This involves a long day of driving through some of the most gorgeous scenery but also some of the most dull, but never fear, there's plenty of interesting places to stop along the way! There's a couple of ways out of town - the safe road or the stunning road - so if the roads aren't icy and you're not towing a vehicle take the Crown Range Road which, if it’s possible to fall in love with a drive, this would be the one. It takes you up, up and through the mountains until you're almost as high as the peak. There's a pullover at the top that makes an ideal spot for a selfie or 50 if the weather is being kind. Afterwards you'll travel through Cardrona and over to Wanaka.
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We were on a tight schedule so our visit to Wanaka was short but on a longer itinerary I'd have chosen to stay here a night or two to explore Mount Aspiring. Naturally you can't pass through Wanaka without stopping by it's most visited and most photographed attraction, "THAT WANAKA TREE", a solitary tree in Lake Wanaka that some clever marketing tactics have made one of the most famous trees in the world.
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Past Wanaka you'll hit Lake Hawea followed by view after view after view. No words can really describe what these photos do.
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The road eventually becomes the Haast Pass where there are plenty of short walks right off the highway to break up the trip. We were conscious of time so only stopped at Fantail Falls, followed by Thunder Creek Falls. If I were to do the trip again I'd also make time for the Blue Pools.
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Once you hit the West Coast the scenery turns Jurassic and you'll expect a dinosaur to come thundering out of the scrub at any moment. But as soon as the appeal of this wears off, you'll find yourself going stir crazy with the lack of things to look at after being blessed by the first half of the drive. This stretch of the drive is long and tedious and not one I’d want to repeat in a hurry. They must cop some crazy weather on the west coast because there’s plenty of dilapidated buildings littering the landscape and if you blink you’ll miss the tiny townships.
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We arrived in Fox Glacier near sundown and checked into our delightful little swiss styled chalet where we encountered our friendliest host yet, which is saying something because everyone on the South Island is super friendly and accommodating. You'll sleep well tonight!
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Fox Glacier Lodge[/caption]
We stayed at: Fox Glacier Lodge
We stopped at: Arrowtown, Crown Range Road, Wanaka, Fantail Falls, Thunder Creek Falls, Fox Glacier
We wore (in spring): Long sleeve shirt with thermal layers and jeans and puffer jacket with hood for the really cold spots.
Distance: Queenstown to Fox Glacier is approximately 4 hours 15 minutes without stopping.
A great spot to photograph sunrise in Queenstown is at Frankton Arm Jetty where there's a number of picturesque jetties in close proximity with views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains. This morning I'd staked out a particular jetty for no other reason than that it was closest to my car and set up my tripod and camera. Along came a couple of tourists who, noticing my tripod, decided that they must also photograph from this exact jetty and proceeded to intimidate me for 15 minutes including nearly breaking my gear until I left, despite there being another jetty 15 metres away. Unfortunately this kind of bizarre, inconsiderate behaviour is somewhat typical of a certain subset of tourist in New Zealand so be warned. [gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="3831,3832,3835,3833"] Today we started with a drive up Coronet Peak Road where there’s spectacular views about halfway up (before the road turns into one of the world’s worst and your hire cars are no longer insured) but our petrol tank was running on empty and there might have been some tears so we turned back before we got stuck there forever. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3836,3837"] With a tank full of petrol we next drove 20 minutes to picturesque ex-gold mining Arrowtown where everything seems frozen in history. There's no hurry here so take your time poking through the stores in the quaint little township (but try and avoid the fabric shop if your mother is anything like mine), followed by a stroll through the old Chinese settlement where history and pretty foliage meet. You can even try your hand at gold panning. We ended our visit with an ice cream from renowned Patagonia Chocolates that was as big as my head and I never want to see ice cream again. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3840,3841,3842,3843,3838,3839,3844,3845"] On the way back to Queenstown swing by peaceful Lake Hayes for pretty scenery and photos with friendly ducks. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3846,3847,3849,3850,3851,3852"] It's almost a sin to have been in Queenstown for 48 hours without getting our heart rates racing so we rectified that with an impromptu ride on the Shotover Jet! A ride on these jet boats as they race around Shotover Canyon doing 360 degree spins is a Queenstown rite of passage, and exactly what you need with a stomach full of ice cream. It's a lot of fun and not at all scary and if I could manage it without losing my stomach contents then you'll be fine too. Our ride had the added hilarity of being mooned by some random on the beach. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3854,3855,3856,3853"] As sunset rolls around take a ride on the Skyline Gondola for the devastatingly beautiful views (with a luge ride thrown in if you're keen to keep that heart rate up). Up the top there's a restaurant and bar to whet your appetite or you can catch a Maori culture performance. We were thrilled to spot some friends through the window riding the gondola and spent the rest of the night catching up over beers. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3857,3859,3861,3864"] We stayed at: Alexis Motel & Apartments We stopped at: Arrowtown, Lake Hayes, Shotover Jet, Skyline Queenstown Gondola, Queenstown We wore (in spring): Long sleeve shirt with thermal layers and jeans. Distance: Queenstown to Arrowtown is approximately 20 minutes drive without stopping.
Queenstown is surely one of the world's prettiest cities but the beauty doesn't stop at the city limits so I highly recommend a day trip or two to escape the adrenaline rush seeking tourists. This post covers the area to the north taking in Glenorchy and surrounds.
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Sunrise in Queenstown[/caption]
After a couple of sunrise photos in QT sample the breakfast at Fergbaker and then head west out of town along Lake Wakatipu. You'll lose Internet access the second you cross city limits, but who cares when the views are this good. The drive to Glenorchy should take 45 minutes but if you're not stopping at every pullover for photographs then you're missing the best part of the trip. Particularly look out for Wilson Bay, Bennetts Bluff Lookout and Meiklejohns Bay.
There are no words powerful enough to describe what it's like to wake up in one of earth’s most beautiful places, Milford Sound, so here's some photos of why an overnight stay on Milford Mariner is an experience you can't live without.
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Argh my eyes! All the pretty!
Once they prised me off the boat we boarded the bus back to Te Anau for the two hour return journey broken up by a rainforest walk to the gorgeous Chasm.
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As if the overnight cruise isn't incredible enough, another highlight of the overnight stay is that the bus travels in the middle of the day so you miss all the crowds on day trips. The bus arrived back in Te Anau early but instead of dropping us at our hotels the driver used the extra time to take us to Te Anau Bird Sanctuary for another look around. The Real Journey's overnight Milford Sound tour was amazing from start to end and I genuinely believe it was the most incredible tour I've ever been on. Next time I'll have to choose the option of taking a helicopter back to Queenstown just to improve on the experience.
Collecting our hire car, we then headed to adventure capital Queenstown surrounded by lakes and mountains that stole my heart. We chose to spend the afternoon in low gear with a wander around Queenstown Gardens (which is an adventure in itself trying to avoid being smacked in the head with a Frisbee - they have a Frisbee golf course which is actually a thing), and later stumbled across some Night Noodle Markets at the waterfront where we had our fill of yum. Queenstown, you rule!
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Alexis Motel[/caption]
We stayed at: Alexis Motel & Apartments
We stopped at: Milford Sound via Real Journeys, The Chasm, Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, Queenstown Gardens
We wore (in spring): Except for the morning where a puffer jacket with hood was a necessity this was our warmest day so long sleeve tee, jeans and scarf.
Distance: Milford Sound to Te Anau is approximately 2 hours without stopping and Te Anau to Queenstown is just over 2 hours, although quicker by helicopter!
Mornings in Te Anau mean throwing open your curtains to panoramic views of a glassy lake and a strong desire to take a brief stroll or snap a few 100 photos, both perfect activities for working up an appetite.
I have a little known obsession with deer, so much so that the few times we drove by a deer farm while in New Zealand I would squeal deeeeeeer at the top of my voice, which my mum certainly appreciated. So this morning we had breakfast at Wapiti Bakery & Café which was strewn with antlers and taxidermied deer much to my delight and disgust. Fiordland's epic natural beauty makes it a supposedly excellent area for hunting which breaks my animal loving heart, and locals will proudly regale you with tales of surprising animal cruelty all in the name of aiding their precious native bird population. (Pro tip New Zealand, your opinion on possums HORRIFIES tourists. You might want to tone it down.)
Wanting to know what makes the precious native bird population so special we visited the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary (a small, free attraction) to view the endangered Takahe of which there are only 200 left in New Zealand. We managed to briefly spot one. There's also a tiny jetty nearby which is a prime spot for photos of the lake.
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All morning I was trying to contain my excitement about the adventure ahead - an overnight cruise on Milford Sound! And I had every right to be because this trip is the stuff dreams are made of. Around midday we once again met with the Real Journeys crew where we joined our coach for the two hour journey into Milford. Our tour guide, Cameron, despite his blasé attitude, was the most informative and engaging guide I’ve ever come across and unlike most coach tours gave us plenty of opportunities to stop and check out the local attractions. Stops included Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, and Monkey Creek near the entrance to the incredible engineering feat, the Homer Tunnel.
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Eglinton Valley[/caption]
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Mirror Lakes[/caption]
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Despite being a rainy day there are no words for the immensity of the scenery on this road. Just go, just bloody go, without hesitation. And be sure to keep an eye out for the rubber eating Kea birds, so clever that they’re known to ride tour buses through the Homer Tunnel to save on flying, and Wekas, the day time version of Kiwis (see future posts for photos of both).
Once in Milford we boarded the Milford Mariner where we were to spend the night amongst the Milford Sound scenery! And because it was raining – waterfalls EVERYWHERE. After settling in we chose the option of taking a tender craft (over kayaking or swimming) to get a closer look at the resident seals and penguins who apparently went into hiding when they heard we were coming.
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When dry again we gaped at the excellent views before sharing an excellent meal with excellent fellow guests and watched an excellent presentation with the excellent nature guide Blair. The Real Journeys people sure know how to do five star and then some. And just when we thought everything was already excellent enough a baby seal boarded the back of the ship for a little sleep. OH MY.
[gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3704,3691,3701,3697,3703,3699,3700,3695,3706,3705"]
We stayed at: Real Journeys Milford Mariner Overnight Cruise
We stopped at: Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Monkey Creek, Milford Sound
We wore (in spring): Snow boots, rainproof pants and jacket, thermal underwear, scarf and a puffer jacket with hood.
Distance: Te Anau to Milford Sound is approximately 2 hours but it will definitely take you longer. We chose to go by tour bus rather than drive in case of potential road conditions but I think we would have been safe driving (it was late September).
Roll on 2022 with my first landscape and fifth collectible calendar! Complete your collection or purchase a unique gift for friends or family while supporting a small business and artist (happy dance included with every order). Featuring 12 moody landscape images photographed around the magical South Island of New Zealand. The calendar is printed on […]
It was the scenery of New Zealand’s South Island that had us embarking on a two week road trip but it was a wedding that brought us here and today was the day! To make the most of every sight seeing opportunity we got up super early and headed to Akaroa, about 1.5 hours south […]
Arthur’s Pass, the magical stretch of road that connects the South Island’s two coasts, was top of the agenda today making it a day that’s more about the journey than the destination. Arthur’s Pass is listed as a 2-3 hour drive but you’d be crazy if you don’t take your time and you can see […]
New Zealand is not called ‘the land of the long white cloud’ for nothing. I love clouds. They’re fantastic for photography. But when you’ve had opportunities to explore glaciers via helicopter in both Mt Cook and Queenstown but instead leave it until the end of your trip, you’re really tempting fate in a country with a […]
For our entire South Island trip I’d been barely containing my excitement about the activity we had booked for today, a helicopter ride onto a glacier! But, rising early we discovered that the weather was, much like every other day, drizzly and foggy and we learned with heavy hearts that our helicopter flight had been cancelled. With desperate hopes […]
Today we wave goodbye to Queenstown and head off to the west coast to visit Fox Glacier. This involves a long day of driving through some of the most gorgeous scenery but also some of the most dull, but never fear, there’s plenty of interesting places to stop along the way! There’s a couple of […]
A great spot to photograph sunrise in Queenstown is at Frankton Arm Jetty where there’s a number of picturesque jetties in close proximity with views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains. This morning I’d staked out a particular jetty for no other reason than that it was closest to my car and set up […]
Queenstown is surely one of the world’s prettiest cities but the beauty doesn’t stop at the city limits so I highly recommend a day trip or two to escape the adrenaline rush seeking tourists. This post covers the area to the north taking in Glenorchy and surrounds. After a couple of sunrise photos in […]
There are no words powerful enough to describe what it’s like to wake up in one of earth’s most beautiful places, Milford Sound, so here’s some photos of why an overnight stay on Milford Mariner is an experience you can’t live without. Argh my eyes! All the pretty! Once they prised me off the boat we […]
Mornings in Te Anau mean throwing open your curtains to panoramic views of a glassy lake and a strong desire to take a brief stroll or snap a few 100 photos, both perfect activities for working up an appetite. I have a little known obsession with deer, so much so that the few times we drove […]
