South Island Beach and Bays Photo Tour - 2021

Duration: 7 DAY

Location: Golden Bay - Marlborough Sounds - Kaikoura

Price: $5,900 (NZD)

1st - 7th October 2021

The top of the South Island offers a variety of fantastic and easily-accessible photography locations. Shaun Barnett and Richard Young will guide you on a seven-day workshop, where you will photograph stunning limestone formations, lush native forests, ever-changing sand dunes, and the place where the mountains meet the beautiful South Pacific Ocean.

You will spend multiple days exploring photographic locations and marine wildlife by boat in the world-famous Abel Tasman National Park, Marlborough Sounds, and the Kaikoura Coast. Travelling by boat allows us to access beaches and bays that take days to access on foot; on this tour, the most secluded and stunning spots are right at our fingertips.

HIGHLIGHTS

Private charter boat in Abel Tasman
Albatross Boat trip in Kaikoura
Stay at a lodge in the Marlborough Sounds
Iconic Archway Island sunset

Nelson - Christchurch

Abel Tasman National Park
Marlborough Sounds
Kaikoura Coastline

ITINERARY

Day 1 - Nelson - Golden Bay
From Nelson, we drive over to Golden Bay, heading inland over Takaka Hill and stopping to photograph the limestone formations and beech forests of this area. The day finishes with our first sunset shoot at one of Golden Bay’s many stunning beaches.
Day 2 - Golden Bay
We will spend today exploring Golden Bay, taking opportunities to photograph the stunning coastline of Wharariki Beach and Farewell Spit. Our day ends with a sunset shoot over the iconic Archway Islands.
Day 3 - Abel Tasman National Park
We have an early start to photograph the sunrise before boarding our private charter boat, where we will spend the day photographing Abel Tasman National Park. You will discover the most photogenic areas of the park, and there will be plenty of opportunities to head ashore to take in the pristine bays and beaches along this stunning coastline. This afternoon, we travel onwards to a beautiful lodge in the Marlborough Sounds that is only accessible by boat.
Day 4 - Marlborough Sounds
Today, we will spend the day exploring the Marlborough Sounds by water taxi, capturing some lovely coastal vistas as well as brilliant wildlife, etc. The Sounds are a haven for bird and marine life: visitors often spot rays, orca, dolphins, and numerous bird species.
Day 5 - Marlborough Sounds
We continue to photograph the Marlborough Sounds today, walking out on a small section of the Queen Charlotte track to capture forest birds, native forest, and waterfalls. Tonight offers another chance to shoot sunset from our lodge, looking out over the Marlborough Sounds.
Day 6 - Marlborough Sounds - Kaikoura
Following an early rise to capture the sunrise, we travel from the Marlborough Sounds to Kaikoura—where the mountains meet the sea. This region is home to incredible coastal photography and marine life, including New Zealand fur seals. Tonight, we will capture a truly spectacular sunset, with the Kaikoura ranges rising from the sea.
Day 7 - Kaikoura - Christchurch
This morning, we head out on a boat to photograph some of Kaikoura's local wildlife and royal albatross before travelling on to Christchurch to meet with late afternoon flights.

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PRICE INCLUDES

7 days’ photography guiding by Richard Young & Shaun Barnett
6 nights’ hotel accommodation (twin-share, single upgrade available) mostly 4✩
6 breakfasts
Stay at a lodge in the Marlborough Sounds
Private chartered boat in Abel Tasman
Private chartered boat in Marlborough Sounds
Albatross boat trip in Kaikoura
Transport during the tour
Nelson pickup / Christchurch 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

FURTHER INFORMATION

Class Size
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.
Itinerary
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 other 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.
Transport
Nelson pick up & Christchurch drop off: We will pick you up (approx 10 am) from any central location in Nelson, or Nelson Airport on the first day and provide transport to the whole tour. The tour will finish at Christchurch Airport (or hotel drop off) at 4 pm to meet flights after 5 pm to the main cities.
Accommodation & Food
Accommodation Type: Our tours use a standard of 4-4+ star hotel/lodge accommodation and we try where possible to stay 2 nights at each hotel. We sometimes will book a 1-night stay at a 3-star motel to be close to a place where we are shooting for sunrise/sunset at a location that does not have any other options.
Single Room Upgrade:All our tour prices are based on twin/double share rooms. If you are travelling alone you can book a single room upgrade for $600 or we can try and 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. Lunches 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 had great food and caters well for any preferences like allergies, vegetarian etc.
Physical Difficulty
A minimum level of physical activity is necessary to enjoy this tour. All locations we shoot will be within a short walk 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.
Experience
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.
Equipment
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 bing on the tour can be found here
Booking & Payment
A non-refundable deposit of NZD$700.00 is required to reserve your space for the workshop. The remaining balance is due 45 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 45 days before the workshop.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Please click here for our booking and cancellation policy.