New Zealand’s extreme beauty is central to its identity. It will leave you speechless with the beauty of its mystical fjords, pristine beaches, and glacier-carved mountains.

The landscapes are dramatic, varied, and accessible. In addition to the photography, you will find New Zealand to be a charming country that’s easy to explore. Prepare yourself for incredible scenery, stunning photos, and memorable experiences.

Embark on an unforgettable 12-day photography adventure through the breathtaking South Island of New Zealand. Timed perfectly for Autumn, this tour offers the most stunning season to capture the region’s spectacular landscapes. From glistening glaciers and majestic mountains to deep fiords and ancient
rainforests, the South Island brims with untouched natural beauty and incredible diversity.

This tour will help you expand your landscape photography portfolio while exploring some of New Zealand’s most iconic locations. Highlights include New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki/Mt Cook, and Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its soaring peaks, cascading waterfalls, and ethereal ancient beech forests.

With three or four nights in each location, you’ll have ample time to fully immerse yourself in and capture the extraordinary natural beauty of the South Island.

To ensure an intimate and personalized experience, we have limited the tour to a small group of photography enthusiasts. Reserve your spot now to avoid disappointment!

Images provided by: Richard Young

Led by Art Wolfe

Assisted by Gavriel Jecan

Limited to 8 participants

Transportation and Accommodation

All meals, lodging, and transportation specified on the itinerary are included. You will be responsible for your flight to and from New Zealand.

Itinerary

Shooting schedules have the ability to be altered to effectively cater to the photographic desires of the group, as well as to adapt to changeable weather conditions.

Day 1 April 27th, 2026 Arrival in Queenstown, New Zealand

Your tour begins in Queenstown at a centrally located lakeside hotel where on this day you can arrive at your leisure. (It is a short shuttle ride to the hotel.)

We will meet for dinner to get acquainted before departing the following day. With the lakeside location of the hotel there are great opportunities to photograph sunrise or sunset across the lake.

7:30pm Welcome dinner with Art Wolfe, Gavriel Jecan and our expert guide and professional photographer Richard Young. (D)

Days 2-5 Wanaka and Central Otago

For four nights, you’ll be based at the picturesque lakeside Edgewater Hotel in Wānaka, perfectly positioned to explore the area’s iconic scenery. Autumn is the perfect time of year to work with abstract and intimate subjects within the landscape. Capture the famous Wānaka tree, vibrant autumn colours along the Clutha River and Lake Wānaka, and access exclusive locations that showcase the region’s beauty.

The Central Otago landscapes offers you the opportunity to capture the drama of Autumn and expand your creative approach to nature and landscape photography. We will take you deep into remote backcountry and valleys, where you’ll photograph historic Gold Rush terrain and sweeping views over Lake Wānaka and the Southern Alps from elevated vantage points. Remote 4WD journeys provide unique perspectives and unparalleled opportunities to immerse yourself in the rich autumn landscapes. (B, D)

Days 6-8 Fiordland and Milford Sound

In the charming lakeside town of Te Anau, we’ll spend three nights, using it as a base to explore the surrounding region. As the gateway to Fiordland National Park, Te Anau provides access to a range of unique, diverse, and dramatic landscapes. While here, we’ll capture the serene beauty of Lake Te Anau, the largest lake on the South Island, and enjoy a scenic walk along the Kepler Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, which offers stunning views of the lake and its surrounding mountains.

Our journeys will take us to a variety of breathtaking locations, including the spectacular Milford Highway through the Eglinton Valley. Along the way, we’ll encounter dark, brooding lakes and mossy beech forests clinging to steep, dramatic slopes.

We’ll also explore untouched rainforests and the breathtaking vistas of Milford Sound, part of the Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand UNESCO World Heritage Area. Milford Sound is celebrated for its outstanding natural beauty of ethereal granite cliffs rise sheer from mirror-like waters, adorned with cascading waterfalls and surrounded by lush rainforest and towering peaks. We’ll take a cruise out on the sound, offering the opportunity to photograph the immense waterfalls that tumble into the sea, creating a sense of scale and grandeur that is truly awe-inspiring. Whether bathed in sunlight, cloaked in mist, or sparkling in the
spray of its many waterfalls, this pristine wilderness offers unmatched photographic opportunities.

For those seeking an even more extraordinary experience, there is an optional helicopter flight to land high in the Fiordland mountains for sunrise. (B, D)

Days 9-12 –  Mt Cook

We’ll spend three nights in the heart of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park at the stunning Hermitage Hotel, the perfect base for exploring and photographing dramatic views of New Zealand’s highest peaks and its breathtaking glacial lakes. From our hotel, we’ll venture to the best locations within the park, including the Tasman Valley, the breathtaking Hooker Valley, and the striking landscapes surrounding Aoraki/Mt Cook. Photographic opportunities are endless, from the glacial turquoise waters of Lake Pukaki to the alpine lakes and towering peaks of the Southern Alps.

A walk through the Hooker Valley offers an immersive experience, with well-graded tracks leading to alpine lakes, sweeping river views, and majestic mountain scenery—ideal for capturing the raw beauty of this alpine environment. For an added adventure, you can choose a Mt Cook scenic ski-plane flight, providing incredible, expansive aerial views of the Southern Alps and the Tasman Glacier. (B, D)

Day 12 – Queenstown

Your tour will finish in Queenstown in time to meet late afternoon flights (B)

Optional Extras

If a client wishes to book these optional extras we can add these to their individual bookings. Please note that any flights are weather dependent, but may be arranged on the day of. If a flight does not fly you will be refunded.

Mt Cook Ski Plane Flight – Price TBC

Marvel at the grandeur of Aoraki/Mt Cook and the surrounding national park on a scenic ski-plane flight. From takeoff to landing, you’ll enjoy views of the snow-capped peaks, the vibrant turquoise and blue hues of glacial lakes, and the lush green vegetation that blankets the valleys.This unforgettable experience through the Southern Alps culminates in a glacier landing, offering a
picture-perfect moment to capture the breathtaking scale and beauty of this extraordinary alpine environment.

Fiordland Helicopter Landing – Price TBC

Experience the uniqueness of a remote landing within the majestic Fiordland mountains to photograph a high alpine sunrise overlooking fiords and alpine lakes. You’ll enjoy commanding views of Lakes Manapouri & Te Anau and the rugged beauty of the Kepler Mountains.

Services Included

• Accommodations (twin sharing basis) as indicated above in the itinerary. If you wish to upgrade to a single room, there will be an additional fee.
• The price tour includes breakfast each morning and dinner. Lunches 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. Please note due to the time of the year dinners would likely have to be at around 5 to 6 pm to then head out for a sunset after this.
• Local Photography Guide
• Local Driver
• Transport in 17 seater Sprinter with luggage trailer
• DOC concession fees & Licenses to enter National Parks
• Milford Sound Cruise

*Note: We will make every effort to connect you with a roommate should you like to share a room. However, if we’re unable to make a match, the single supplement will apply.

Services Not Included

• Any international Airfare, travel insurance or medical insurance. (health insurance is mandatory and travel insurance is highly recommended)
• Anything not mentioned in inclusion above.
• Tipping to accompanying escort is not included in our quote.
• Any expenditure of personal nature like alcoholic drinks, Fruit shakes, sodas, laundry, telephone calls, or internet
• Anything ordered from room service at any hotel including mineral water (other than what being offered by the hotels on their compliment).
• Any sudden increase in price due to steep hike in fuel cost, change in government tax policy or for any reason beyond our control like acts of god, natural calamity, law and order situation, riots etc and any forced change in itinerary for any unforeseen situation or reason beyond our control.
• Laundry services