Travel Tips and Stories of New Zealand
Find inspiration with pictures, tips and stories of New Zealand from travelers sharing their experiences
Book your trip to New Zealand and remunerate who inspired you
Travel guide of New Zealand
Find inspiration with pictures, tips and stories of New Zealand from travelers sharing their experiences
Book your trip to New Zealand and remunerate who inspired you
Travel guide of New Zealand
This climb to Roy’s Peak seemed like a great idea when I read the description on New Zealand’s Department of Conservation’s website. “Easy Walk”, they said. After a painstaking 3-hour climb, my feet were practically bleeding and I was quite dehydrated. The only thing I wanted to do was run back down to go back to my hotel—but not before taking some shots of the exquisite view.
Experienced by Félix Lam
I’ve spent the last 10 months in New Zealand and believe me, the South Island is one of the most craziest thing you will ever see. As we were driving to Mt. Cook (highest summit in NZ) we had to drive along this more than scenic road. First you’ll drive by Lake Pukaki and his blue water coming from the glacier, then every turn, every inch of this road will make you stop and enjoy life as it is. Please, go to New Zealand, you won’t regret it.
Milford Sound in New Zealand has some of the fastest changing weather in the world. One minute blue skies, the next black clouds with heavy rainfall. We were lucky enough to experience both in a matter of minutes, but what comes with that is some of the most spectacular moving clouds we’ve ever seen. Clouds seamlessly engulf mountains and change your view in seconds. Here I caught midst of a moment where mountain rainforests fade away into the fog.
Seeing this glacier was awesome, but I was more impressed at how much it had retreated -and just how quickly that had happened! Sadly, you can no longer hike up to the glacier and this photo had to be taken from over 750m away. In 2008, standing in that same spot, I would have been *on* the glacier. Glaciers come and go naturally, but they are especially sensitive to change and our climate reality looks a little bleak. We can do better :)
The lighthouse is situated on the last outcrop of sandstone and is 278 feet above sea level. Erected in 1884 by Mr D Scott. First operated on 1st December 1884. The cost of building the lighthouse was 5571 pounds. To accommodate the lighthouse keepers two small cottages and tool sheds were built nearby. The lighthouse switched to automation on 17th November, 1947 and on that day the harbour was closed to ships. It is now under the Historic Places Trust.
After a 3 hour drive we pulled up to the carpark on a warm summers day; birds chirping and wind blowing. A short walk through a picturesque scenery brings you to smooth, golden sand dunes. With each breath of wind every grain of sand dances out its emotion. Once across the sand dunes you’re met with towering prehistoric rocks formed over thousands of years. Every powerful wave slowly carving its on footstep on the giant rock. With the sun setting & the baby seals playing in the rock pools; I set up my camera. This image will allow me to reflect on this perfect day full of amazing memories.
We decided to go for a hike up the infamous Queenstown Hill Summit walk. It wasn’t easy for us beginners, but we kept on. We came to a fork in the track. The sign to the left “5 minute track” and the sign to the right “20 minute walk”. We decided to take the longer route which lead us to this dark looking forest where the sun light was kept away by the tall pine trees. We instantly felt mysterious and pulled out our cameras to capture this enchanting (some would say dead and dry) forest.
Watching this sunset was one of the best experiences of my life - we did the Mt Cook walk in the late evening hoping to get Mt Cook for sunset. It was raining all day and all afternoon, but we set out anyway not expecting to even be able to see it. The clouds started to clear just as the sun moved behind the mountain ranges and was almost totally clear while the pinks were out. So glad that we made the decision to go anyway, mother nature had our back.
On our 3.5 hour drive to Mt Cook, we were surrounded by rain clouds and fog with poor visibility. We considered many times to turn around rather than waste the time driving there if we weren’t going to see anything - we had heard it was unseeable when the weather gets bad, but this was our last day in New Zealand if we were going to see it. We decided to persevere and kept driving, keeping faith that it would clear up. Only within the last 2kms of driving, it did, the sun came out the clouds cleared. It was so worth it. What a mountain. Always keep the faith.
Hiking in New Zealand really is a treat. Most everyone you meet is just out to enjoy the day and see as many sights as they can. The government has done a great job at supporting this culture and almost all tracks are well marked and in amazing shape. The low population on the South Island means that you may only pass a few other people on a whole day of hiking to a truly stunning place, another bonus if you are seeking solitude!
After hearing how amazing the sunrise would be, I woke up super early to catch the sunrise along the coast of New Zealand. However, there ended up being too many clouds and nothing came out as well as I would have liked. The path to the coast was full of shy sheep running away from me. On my way back home, I happened to catch these two friends from afar as we exchanged gazes and felt calm.
Experienced by Max Nguyen
I did this hike to Lake Marian because people told me the reflection of the mountains would be amazing. After 3 hours of walking I arrived and couldn’t see anything because of the clouds… how disappointing! But instead of the beautiful reflection I found this antlers standing on a rock by the lake and I got instantly reminded of my hometown Hirschhorn (translated it means “horn of the deer”). After travelling for 7 months and being away from my home this made me smile and gave me new strengh. I will never regret this hike, because unexpected events are always the best.
Just another Shot from one of my favourite countries in the world. I drove to Milford Sounds not knowing what to expect. The weather was cloudy and it rained a lot. Getting there was one of the biggest adventures of my life. The street from Te Anau to Milford Sounds is just pure wilderness. Nothing around but cheeky Kea’s, amazing mountains and incredible nature. I couldn’t count how often I just stopped an just watched nature around me. Finally I arrived in Milford Sounds but paying 230$ for a little shiptour was just to much, so I just drank a coffee and drove back, exploring the way I came.
During our two-week trip to New Zealand, we took three days to hike along the Routeburn Track. The first day, we were met with torrential rain, and the second day, we were met with heaps of snow. The hike was very difficult for those first two days, but the third day opened up with sunshine and peace. We came to an opening in the path, and were greeted to this sight: a huge valley with the Routeburn River in sight. We finally had a moment of peace after an arduous two days. I look at this photo, and I feel relief.
Adventuring our way around New Zealand in our motorhome, we came across a small town Whataroa. Just out of that town is this wonderful overpass with glacier water flowing below from the surrounding mountains. With the perfect moody conditions we could not pass up the opportunity to get out and fly (even though it was slightly raining). Our drone/s lasted the quick fly and the shots came out better than anticipated, we hope you enjoy just as much!
We found this free camp site called “Robin Hood Bay” and we thought it had an nice name and why not check it out. The drive there was pretty rough and our old Honda Odyssey was really struggling to get there, as we got up on the next morning we saw we had a flat tire so we were stuck there with no phone signal. We met a couple of german guys who came there too with two cars, one of them was also not running anymore and the other one was an 4x4 Mitsubishi. We stayed in this bay for 4 days before we got our tire fixed and it was an super awesome experience.
Experienced by Jakob König
The famous nickname “Auckland, City of Sails” comes from its iconic location. The famous nickname “Auckland, City of Sails” comes from its iconic location. Located on a small land tongue in the center of the Auckland region, locked in by the Tasman Sea in the west and the Hauraki Gulf in the east, Auckland has plenty of access to the water. More than 500000 sailboats and yachts in various sizes are anchored and moored at marinas within the city. No matter from which side you are approaching Auckland, there is somewhere a marina in sight with rows of sailboats. That's how the city got its name.
Experienced by Thant Zin Oo
Godley Head is the easternmost end of the Port Hills. It forms the northern boundary to the entrance of Lyttelton Harbour; the headland on the southern side of the harbor is called Adderley Head. The nearest settlement is Te Onepoto / Taylors Mistake. Walking access is via Pilgrims Way along the beaches of Boulder Bay. Since the late 1920s, road access has been via the Summit Road
If you would like to see more check out my other photos on my unsplash account and on the other social sites. If you would like to contact me for more details on Instagram messenger or facebook messenger here are the links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sebastianphotographys/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdh_photos/ Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UC-Uya07zNvlImsAWdgQ4ujA
If you would like to see more check out my other photos on my unsplash account and on the other social sites. If you would like to contact me for more details on Instagram messenger or facebook messenger here are the links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sebastianphotographys/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdh_photos/ Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UC-Uya07zNvlImsAWdgQ4ujA