Overnight Experiences Christchurch

EXPERIENCE
Join Ken Wright and Glen Howey on this winter 4WD adventure with a small group of only 6 photographers. You will have the opportunity to capture the South Island's iconic mountains and the Southern Alps at its wintery best.
The itinerary takes you inland through Mt White Station where we have exclusive access to the private high country station set deep in the Southern Alps, here you will then find yourself immersed in the majestic beauty of the mountains and rolling pastoral landscapes. From here we will journey to the Ashburton lakes area, which has the most stunning winter landscapes, everything from high mountain views, alpine lakes, beautiful rivers to elegantly placed trees in the landscape. Our last leg will be to Aoraki Mt Cook, we couldn’t have a mountains photography tour without a stop in at Mt Cook. Here we will be staying at the luxurious Hermitage, and will explore the National park which contains our iconic highest peak. This location offers some great wintery photographic opportunities and is a fabulous way to finish off the tour.
HIGHLIGHTS The snow-covered mountains of the Southern Alps The braided Waimakariri River Lakes Heron & Clearwater Frosty high-country landscapes

CHRISTCHURCH - QUEENSTOWN Mt White Station Photography Experience Ashburton Lakes Mt Cook






ITINEARY

Day 1 - Christchurch - Mt White Station
After early morning breakfast, we make our way inland and enjoy a beautiful variety of scenery as we travel deep into the Southern Alps, and will stop for some fantastic photo opportunities along the way. We will be staying in the majestic Mt White Station for 2 nights, and will enjoy our first night with a sunset shoot out on the station.

Day 2 – Mt White Station
The day begins with an early sunrise shoot before returning to the lodge for breakfast, The rest of the day will be taken up alternating between locations to capture the best of the light, then heading out in 4WDs to capture sunset over the terraced high country landscape with mountain backdrop.
Day 3 - Mt White Station - Ashburton Lake s
After sunrise today we head for Ashburton Lakes. This is a remarkable area of placid lakes and high country wetlands, all set in the huge basin between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers, both of which drain the central Southern Alps. Much of the area is protected as the Hakatere Conservation Park, and it is the home to such rare species as the Crested Grebe and other wetland birds. Sunset will be spent photographing Lakes Clearwater and Camp, arguably the finest of all the Ashburton Lakes.
Day 4 - Ashburton Lakes
After an early breakfast, we return to the Ashburton Lakes, hoping for a good frost to photograph, and perhaps even some ice on the lakes. At sunset, we may visit Lake Heron, to photograph this large lake with the distinctive Mt Sugarloaf beyond it.
Day 5 - Ashburton Lakes to Aoraki/Mt Cook
Departing Ashburton Lakes, we head 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 6 – 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 7 – Aoraki/Mt Cook - Queenstown
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 to Queenstown arriving in time for late afternoon flights.


PRICE INCLUDES


7 days’ photography guiding & tuition
6 nights accommodation - twin share (single upgrade available, limited availability)
6 cooked breakfasts, 1 lunch & 2 dinners
Mt White Station Photography Experience
Copy of Pocket Guide to Landscape Photography
Use of Benro filters kits
4WD Transport during the tour
Christchurch pickup & drop off
DOC concession fees
Donation to our Conservation Fund
Native tree planting to Carbon Offset your Tour

This 12 day Mountains to Coast Photography Tour offers excellent opportunities to photograph fiords, mountains, wild beaches, forests, waterfalls, and the snow-covered Southern Alps.
Starting with our 4 day Landscape Masterclass at Mt White Station expand your skills as a landscape photographer. Learn to master the art of capturing awe inspiring landscape photographs. Our teaching program will cover tutorials on composition along with advanced topics such as hyperfocal distance for getting sharp photographs. You will learn to shoot a diverse range of landscape photography from mountains, to rivers to high country panoramas from sunrise to sunset.
From Mt White you will head through Arthur’s Pass to the West Coast. This tour is perfectly timed at the end of winter, when the light is crisp and low to capture the stunning landscapes of the West Coast which boasts more forests, mountains, and protected lands than any other region of New Zealand. Here, wild and remote coastlines are flanked by primaeval rainforests, with the high peaks and glaciers of the Southern Alps rising beyond.
HIGHLIGHTS
Unique access to high-country landscapes
High Country 4WD trips
3-night stay at Mt White Lodge
Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Site
Amazing coastal sunsets
Lake Matheson sunrise
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks
White Heron Sanctuary Tour
LOCATION: CHRISTCHURCH - QUEENSTOWN

Mt White Station
Arthur’s Pass
Punakaiki
Fox Glacier
Haast
Wanaka ITINERARY

Day 1 - Christchurch - Mt White Station
We will pick you up early from Christchurch to travel to Mt White Station at midday. After assembling at the lodge we will run through an introductory programme of advanced camera setup for landscape photography and tutorials on composition along with advanced topics such as hyperfocal distance for getting sharp photographs. Late afternoon, we will head out for our first 4WD trip to the top of a nearby peak to shoot sunset across the stunning river braids.
Day 2 - Mt White Station
Headed out before sunrise in 4WDs to capture sunrise over the mountains and Esk River. After breakfast head on to the Mound of Misery to spend the day exploring the mounds and the many photographic opportunities this remote area offers. Tonight we will shoot sunset with stunning views across the terraced high country landscapes with mountains and the Waimakariri River as a backdrop.
Day 3 - Mt White Station
After an early morning sunrise, we will then spend the morning in the lodge conference room to offer a group critique of the photographs from the last days and an in-depth post-production session covering the processing of landscape photographs. We will then help you process your two best images from the workshop and produce a finished 16x22" fine art print to take home. We will head out in 4WDs to capture sunset returning to the best location on the station for the weather conditions.
Day 4 - Mt White Station - Christchurch
During our last sunrise shoot, we will capture some of the first morning light across surrounding mountains. We will depart the Station mid morning to head out to Castle Hill to photograph the strange and spectacular landscapes of this area before heading through to Christchurch.
Day 5 - Christchurch
Today you will have a free day to explore Christchurch or catch up on some processing before the start of the next leg of the tour.
Day 6 - Christchurch - Punakaiki
This morning we depart Christchurch and head across the Canterbury Plains and up into the Southern Alps. Driving through the famous Arthur’s Pass we will stop to photograph the waterfalls and forests of this area as we make our way to the West Coast. We will reach Punakaiki and its famous Punakaiki rock formations in time for sunset photography.
Day 7 - Punakaiki
The day begins with an exploration of the exquisite limestone and river landscapes of Paparoa National Park. We will spend the rest of the day exploring the exceptional coastline and sunset sees us heading out onto stunning beaches to capture the last light hitting the coastline and huge breaking waves.
Day 8 - Punakaiki - Fox Glacier
This morning, we drive down the coast stopping in at the Hokitika Gorge to capture the beautiful turquoise waters and then heading further down to Whataroa for a guided White Heron Sanctuary Tour up the Whataroa river; this is the only way to access the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve. Here, we will photograph the country's only nesting site for the beautiful White Herons (Kotuku), along with the Royal Spoonbill. We finish the day at sunset, we visit a remote west coast beach offering panoramic views of the snow-covered peaks of the Southern Alps.
Day 9 - Fox Glacier
This morning, we will photograph the sunrise at Lake Matheson, capturing the often-perfect reflections of Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman—New Zealand’s highest mountains. If the weather is right, you have the option (at additional cost) to take a helicopter flight onto the vast upper neve of the Fox Glacier for some unparalleled photo opportunities. Sunset tonight will see us heading out to Okarito Lagoon, with panoramic views of the Southern Alps rising beyond a sweeping extent of rainforest.
Day 10 - Fox Glacier - Hasst
We travel along the coast, exploring the magnificent rainforest of the Te Wāhipounamu (a UNESCO World Heritage area). At sunset, we visit a remote West Coast beach for another west coast sunset.
Day 11 - Haast - Wanaka
After a coastal sunrise this morning we drive through Haast’s Pass, the gateway back inland to Wanaka. Along the way, we photograph a number of extraordinary waterfalls, including a beautiful 30-metre cascade in stately beech forest. Tonight we capture the sunset over Lake Wanaka.
Day 12 – Wanaka - Queenstown

This morning we will head out on a 4WD drive trip to capture the changing light over mighty peaks and mountain valleys. The rest of the day we will explore the hills around Wanaka before heading back over to Queenstown for late afternoon flights.

PRICE INCLUDES


12 days’ photography guiding by Ken Wright & Glen Howey
11 nights’ hotel accommodation (twin-share, single upgrade available) mostly 4✩
11 breakfasts
4WD Trips
White Heron Sanctuary Tour
Transport during the tour
Christchurch pickup / Queenstown drop off
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