New Zealand is a landscape photographer’s dream! After living, working, hitch hiking and traveling around New Zealand for 6 months, I decided to compile 10 of my best shots of New Zealand. Here are my 10 photos that will have you on the next flight to New Zealand!
Wellington, NZ is the Windiest City in the world and also happens to be the capital of the country. The city is awesome! Wonderful beaches, nightlife and an unique atmosphere make Wellington a must see for anyone visiting New Zealand. One of the highlights of Wellington is the beautiful lookout from Mt. Victoria. This is a must see for anyone visiting the windy capital!
#1 Mt. Victoria, Wellington
#2. Mt Victoria, Wellington
HOBBITON! This was one of my New Zealand “must dos” and I was ecstatic to finally arrive to The Shire! If you are unaware, the majority of the Lord of the Rings & Hobbit movies were filmed all throughout New Zealand.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” -J.R.R. Tolkien
#3 The Shire aka Hobbiton
Mount Cook- I classify myself as a landscape photographer and New Zealand was absolute heaven for me! Although, the weather can be a bit unpredictable, it was such a stunning country to visit and capture through the lens of my new camera.
#4 Mt. Cook
Mount Doom is a fictional mountain from LOTR and its real name is Mount Ngauruhoe, unfortunately this is hard to remember/pronounce so it has been rebranded by most as Mt Doom. Regardless, it is a stunning mountain that I could have gazed at for hours! I was lucky to capture a nice shot, since those clouds on the right quickly covered the entire mountain for the rest of the day. Mount Ngauruhoe is accessible on the tongariro crossing, which is one of the world’s most famous day hikes (around 7-8 hrs.).
#5 Mount Doom (Mount Ngauruhoe)
Roy’s Peak was hands down my favorite hike I completed over the course of the 6 months I spent in New Zealand. A group of friends and I decided to summit the peak in pitch black and arrive at the top for the sunrise. We overshot our climbing skills and arrived at the peak about 2 hours before sunrise and it was freezing! We suffered through the cold weather and were rewarded with a magnificent sunrise.
#6 Roy’s Peak, Wanaka
Wanaka was my favorite town on the South Island. It was a lot more peaceful compared to Queenstown and was full of wonderful hikes and a sky full of stars. Outside of the outback in Australia, this was the clearest night sky I have ever seen.
#7 Wanaka
Blue Duck Station, is a 5,000 acre farmland practically untouched by the outside world. The farmland features some epic treks, activities and of course this wonderful waterfall!
#8 Kaiwhakauka waterfall
The People- From locals to tourists, the people are hands down what made my experience in New Zealand amazing. I met some amazing people over the 6 months I was working and traveling on the North and South Island of New Zealand. One month of my travels was spent hitch hiking the entire South Island. This was another outstanding experience and one I highly recommend to anyone visiting NZ!
#9 Campfire @ Blue Duck Station
#10 Raglan (One of NZ’s best Surf Spots)
Have you ever been to New Zealand? What was your favorite place?
4 comments
Comment by Erin Norton
Erin Norton June 22, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Love this! Awesome shots and blog 🙂
We feel famous… well Luke’s back does and I by association
See you again somewhere in the world!
Comment by SwigMeetsWorld
SwigMeetsWorld June 24, 2016 at 10:32 am
Thanks Erin! Hope you and Luke are doing well, safe travels and keep in touch, since I am sure our paths will cross sooner or later 🙂
Comment by Tatjana
Tatjana September 28, 2016 at 2:29 am
Definitely my favoured to go to on my bucket list. Thank you for sharing!
Comment by Mike D.
Mike D. November 15, 2016 at 9:38 pm
I have lived in Wellington, New Zealand for 5 years, I could give 3.7 million reasons(the people)and most of all the best to be on the planet in my book by far. Reminds me 2 places that are very dear to my heart. Greece, and The USA(Chicago,San Francisco,Los Angeles).
Just seeing these photos as I have been to each location and then some. But I can never in a million years forget the view of the deck of our house of Mount Cook and the views of the harbor and and inlet of Wellington from lookout Point. You can’t get better than New Zealand.
I will be back home soon, that’s a promise to my tribes that saved my life.