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WINTER IN NEW ZEALAND’S SOUTH ISLAND – JUNE ITINERARY

May 20, 2011 Posted in New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized, Workshops and ExpeditionsLeave a comment

My trip to New Zealand has started to sneak up on me (now three and half weeks away) and its time to formalise an itinerary of places to visit during the trip. I have booked a camper van / motorhome complete with kitchen, mod cons etc. which means I have a great deal of flexibility for the duration of the trip. I can move from location to location and not have to worry about finding accommodation for the evening, or having to constantly pack and unpack (which can be a real hassle). As I like to work primarily at Sunrise and Sunset its far more convenient to be based in a camper van on site – rather than checking out of hotels or bed and breakfasts at 5am in the morning.

I am keeping my itinerary fairly loose as much will depend on the weather. It can be bitingly cold in the South Island of New Zealand in winter and if the weather is socked in around the alps it can make photography problematic so I plan to be flexible and ‘go with the flow’ in terms of weather. If the mountains are clouded in I will spend more time on the coast. I have some business matters to attend to before I can get underway with the photography side of the trip but they should not take more than a couple of days. My loose itinerary is as follows:

Day One: I am going to head from Christchurch to Lake Clearwater and Mount Somers and spend some time around this area before driving down to the Moeraki Boulders for a sunset and sunrise the following morning.
Day Two: After Sunrise at the Moeraki Boulders (assuming the light has been good) I will head back up to Omarama for Sunset at Wanaka.
Day Three: Spend the day at Wanaka and visit surrounding locations
Day Four: head up to Mount Iron and spend the morning in this location before visiting Diamond Lake
Day Five: Drive over to Fox Glacier stopping at several locations I want to shoot along the way
Day Six: Fox Glacier – If the weather is good I may charter a helicopter for some aerial photography.
Day Seven: Another day around Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson
Day Eight: Drive up to Punakaiki and Pancake Rocks
Day Nine: Driver over to Kaikoura for some more locations I want to visit.
Day Ten: Home

In terms of photographic equipment. I am taking my entire kit of cameras and lenses except the 85mm F1.2L which I really only use for specialised portraits and wont need for this trip – since this is a dedicated landscape and wilderness expedition. I am currently having a mental debate with myself on what to do in relation to a back up DSLR camera. Canon 1DS MKIII’s are now available at quite reasonable pricing making them quite an attractive proposition as a back-up. I am reliably informed from various sources that there will not be a MKIVs this year; which adds some weight to the argument of purchasing an additional 1DSMKIII (both for New Zealand and Antarctica later this year as a back-up). I just won a high end Fuji camera in the 2011 Extreme Environment Photographic competition; however, this camera is a different lens mount to my Canon and (although an excellent and well reviewed camera) does not really work for me as a back-up since I prefer a body I can use my existing lenses with. The Canon 1D MKIV is also a potential option I am considering and may actually be the best choice since it provides a little extra reach for wildlife with its 1.3 crop factor.

New Zealand – June this Year

March 18, 2011 Posted in Landscape Photographs, New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have been able to align the planets today and confirm a trip to New Zealand for ten days in June this year. I had originally planned on July but other work and office commitments necessitated pulling the trip forward by a few weeks. It will be almost two years to the day since I was last in the South Island of New Zealand and I am very much looking forward to going back – it has been far too long between visits. At this stage I have no real itinerary as yet – just a loose idea in my head of places I want to visit for photography. I will endeavour to put together some sort of plan and itinerary over the coming weeks to ensure I maximise my time there.

Based on my last trip to New Zealand in 2009 I will definitely be taking my entire photographic kit with me as there are wonderful landscape photographic opportunities in New Zealand regardless of lens focal length or camera. I will be moving from location to location in a rental 4WD so weight and bulk will not be too much of an issue. In any case, I prefer to have all of my lenses available even if some of them may actually get little or no use. On my last trip to New Zealand I left my 300mm F2.8L IS lens at home and although I was able to make do with my 70-200mm F2.8L IS with 1.4X Extender I would have preferred to have the 300mm when photographing the Whales and Sea Lions at Kaikoura.

Two definite ‘must-visit’ locations for this trip will be Fox Glacier – which is probably my favourite part of the South Island and the famous Moeraki boulders. The Moeraki Boulders are a number of huge spherical stones, found strewn along a stretch of Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, a small settlement just south of Hampden on New Zealand’s Otago coast. The boulders weigh several tonnes and are up to three metres in diameter. I have not visited this part of New Zealand before nor photographed the boulders so am very much looking forward to this part of the trip. Once I work out exactly where I am going and what my plans are I will post an itinerary of the locations I intend to visit.

This photograph was taken at Fox Glacier by chartered helicopter on my last visit in 2009. If you have really good eye sight you may just spot the very tiny distant helicopter above the mountains!

LICENSED PHOTOGRAPHS FOR 2012 NEW ZEALAND CALENDAR

January 16, 2011 Posted in New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized6 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I licensed some of my photography to a New Zealand company named Black Fish that produces high quality calendars that contain iconic images of New Zealand’s North and South Islands. The Calendar should be available for purchase around the middle of this year 2011 in New Zealand. At this stage I am unsure if copies will be available outside of New Zealand in retail outlets – however, it will no doubt be possible to purchase copies online for various online e-tailers. Or, I will have several copies which I am happy to make available to any readers who wish to purchase one. Revisiting my 2009 photography from New Zealand’s South Island for this calendar project has been a very enjoyable experience for me – almost as enjoyable as actually being there. I am now very much looking forward to going back in July this year. This photograph was one of my favourites from my last trip to the South Island. Taken by helicopter as the sun was setting across Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. We had removed the doors from the helicopter to enable better viewing for photography. My primary memory is how cold it was. It was-19 degrees celsius ambient air temperature and a fair bit colder with wind chill; but the scenery was stunning, the conditions perfect and the frost nipped fingers well worth the effort.

Travel Tip – Wash Your Trekking Boots

July 25, 2010 Posted in Equipment, New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized1 Comment

Upsetting customs officials when you first enter a foreign country is never a good idea. Yet, this is something I almost achieved last year in the South Island of New Zealand when I got pinged for packing my favourite trekking boots in a rather dirty state. Lesson learned – Never pack a pair of dirty or muddy trekking boots in your baggage without giving them a good scrub and clean before you leave home. Customs in many countries have strict quarantine procedures to protect their individual and often unique eco systems and can either confiscate or fine you accordingly for either not declaring muddy boots and/or not cleaning them before entering a foreign country. Always better to be safe and clean them before leaving home.

New Zealand – Fox Glacier by Helicopter

July 13, 2010 Posted in Landscape Photographs, New Zealand, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The definite highlight from my trip to the South Island of New Zealand just on a year ago was the helicopter flights over Fox Glacier and the Southern Alps. A helicopter ride is far and away the best way to see, experience and photograph both Fox Glacier and the Southern Alps. Whilst you can walk up to the Glacier (and even climb on sections) most of the glaciers slowly moving mass is generally just to unstable, too difficult to traverse and too dangerous to access in any other way except by helicopter. Not to mention its otherwise impossible to get these kind of shots from ground level. This photograph was taken over Fox Glacier leaning out (but well strapped in!) with the door off for better visibility during one of the many passes we did over the seracs and crevasses. Although quite hard to tell in this small jpeg the scale of the ice wall running through the frame is immense and that crevasse seemingly bottomless. A higher resolution version of this photograph is on my portfolio website at www.jholko.com in the New Zealand section. At this stage I am likely heading back to the South Island of New Zealand early next year and will definitely be returning to Fox Glacier for more aerial photography.