Experience the untouched natural beauty of New Zealand on this wonderful 12-day tour to photograph the best South Island landscapes in winter! During this tour you’ll photograph spectacular and diverse landscapes; from glistening glaciers, majestic mountains, deep fiords, ancient forests, and rugged coastline. Guided by Richard Young, who has designed this tour to share some of his favourite locations and experiences at a time of the year that offers the most spectacular conditions for landscape photography. You’ll capture the mighty snow-covered peaks and misty mornings beside frosty lakes.
Highlights include Aoraki Mt Cook National Park and the Dark Sky Reserve, the stunning, wild, and remote West Coast with its incredible coastlines and beech forests, the majestic towering peaks of Fiordland’s Milford Sound, and the unique pancake rock formations of Punakaiki. As well as the iconic vistas, we will also visit some off-the-beaten-track locations in the New Zealand backcountry around Ashburton Lakes, the Mackenzie Country, and Wanaka; offering the finest winter photography. We will take 4WD trips into remote valleys to capture some impressive backcountry vistas, mountain views, and endless winter photography opportunities.
The tour has been designed to include some amazing experiences including a two-night lodge stay on a high-country station to be immersed in the landscape. We’ll also spend two nights in Milford Sound, at a luxury lodge, the heart of the Fiordland wilderness. We’ll even take you to one of the best Central Otago wineries for a wine tasting along the way. Whether you’re a first-time visitor to New Zealand or a seasoned local photographer, the tour offers an unforgettable experience and some of the finest winter photography.
Our tour begins with a two-night stay at Ashburton Lakes in a lodge in a high-country station, offering a unique experience. Located in the heart of Middle Earth, this area is world-famous for its film locations from the Lord of the Rings movies. At sunrise and sunset, we’ll photograph arguably some of the finest lakes for winter photography in New Zealand, hopefully with a frost and perhaps some ice on the lakes.
We’ll explore Twizel and the Mackenzie Country’s surrounding mountains and lakes. We stay in Twizel for 2 nights as it’s the perfect base from which to take advantage of the spectacular surrounding locations of Aoraki National Park and remote Mackenzie Country which offers some amazing winter photography and the opportunity for some astrophotography. From deep within the mountains at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park we’ll visit locations in the Tasman and Hooker valleys, including alpine lakes, sweeping river vistas, and views of New Zealand’s highest peaks.
We will explore diverse landscapes along the dramatic Milford Road and enjoy 2 nights at the luxurious Milford Lodge deep in the wilderness. We’ll photograph the majestic Mitre Peak which towers over the sounds, and take a boat cruise through Milford’s unique granite peaks that soar more than a mile above the dark waters of the fiord. The huge waterfalls that tumble down into the sea give the area a scale and grandeur that has to be seen to be believed.
In Wanaka, we’ll explore some of the remote bays around the lake and ‘That Wanaka Tree’ – a short walk from our hotel. We’ll enjoy a 4WD adventure to a remote mountain valley where we’ll photograph spectacular and varied landscapes. You’ll also have the opportunity to take a helicopter flight landing on an iconic Wanaka peak, with the opportunity to photograph the expansive views from the summit. This experience is an optional extra (at additional cost).
We’ll photograph stunning waterfalls in the Haast Pass and stay a night in the tiny town of Fox Glacier – a unique and remote community on the West Coast. We will photograph Lake Matheson, capturing the often-perfect reflections of Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman – New Zealand’s highest mountains. You’ll also have the option, at an additional cost, to take a helicopter flight to the vast upper névé of Fox Glacier, offering unparalleled photographic opportunities.
At Punakaiki, we will photograph the famous Pancake Rocks – unique and dramatic limestone formations. At the Paparoa National Park, we will explore the exquisite limestone and river landscapes and exceptional coastline.
Richard lives in Wanaka, a stunning mountain town nestled beside the lake in the heart of the South Island’s Southern Alps. He has guided photography groups here for over 10 years. Richard has designed this tour to share some of his favourite locations and experiences, and the timing offers the most spectacular conditions for landscape photography during winter.
Tour Starts – Christchurch
20th August 2025: Arrive in Christchurch, take the evening to relax in the city before we depart the next day, we have included your hotel accommodation for the night before the tour.
Tour Finishes – Christchurch
1 September 2025: You’ll photograph some stunning mountain locations through the famous Arthur’s Pass. We will return to Christchurch at 3pm, arriving in time for international flights departing after 6pm or hotel drop-offs.
Accommodation Type: This tour uses comfortable lodge accommodation and mainly 4 star hotels.
Single Room Upgrade: The tour price is based on twin/double share rooms. If you are travelling alone you can book a single room upgrade or we will pair you with another traveller for all/part of the tour. If we can not pair you with another traveller for all/part of the tour you may need to pay for a single room upgrade.
Food:The price tour includes breakfast each morning, this is normally at the hotel but sometimes a local cafe. Lunch and dinner (apart from any listed as being included) are at your own expense. We will stop at a cafe/shop for lunch and book a table for the group for dinner each day at a local restaurant. Sometimes evening meal times might be early/late to fit around the time of sunset. New Zealand has great food and caters well for any preferences like allergies, vegetarian etc.
A minimum level of physical activity is necessary to enjoy this tour. A lot of locations we shoot require a short walk (10-20mins one way) along the forest tracks or the coastline. These are sometimes uphill, over uneven ground, or rocky beaches and you will be carrying your own equipment. On this tour, there may be a couple of longer walk options (30-45 min one way) but if these are difficult for the group, we do have the option to split the group at these locations. If your fitness or mobility is an issue please let us know.
A non-refundable deposit of $1,600 is required to reserve your space for the workshop. The remaining balance is due 60 days prior to the start of the workshop. You may pay in full at time of booking, the balance (minus the deposit) will remain fully refundable until 60 days before the workshop.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Please click here for our booking and cancellation policy.
This tour runs with a maximum group size of 8 and 2 tutors, offering 1:4 ratio of tutors to guests. Limiting group sizes ensure we provide you with expert guidance, instruction, and personal attention according to your learning style. Smaller groups of up to 4 may only be led by one tutor.
Our exact schedule each day will be determined according to the weather to allow for the best shooting, we may choose to swap out locations for others that are better suited to the conditions and we keep a flexible itinerary to accommodate this. We focus on spending as much time as possible out shooting, often from before dawn until sunset. During the tour, we will make time for some image review and processing session, we will fit these around times that are not optimum for shooting.
Ideally, you will have a basic knowledge of photography and be comfortable adjusting camera settings such as aperture and shutter speed. An aim of this tour is to get you to the best locations, in the best light. While providing you on-location help from our experienced tutors, to come away with the hero shots of your own personal vision. We will have a brief session at the start of the tour, covering camera settings and controls, to be sure everyone is up to speed.
Camera Equipment: Our tours focus on how to use your camera, not your type of camera. A basic list of recommended camera equipment can be found here
Clothing: A list of recommended clothing to bring on the tour can be found here