I had an amazing experience recently perched high on Mt Taranaki at Syme Hut. Blessed with clear skies, the sunrise and sunset were stunning. Nothing beats being literally on top of the world far from the madding crowds.

After unsuccessfully trying to hunt an aurora for several years I finally struck gold…and pink and red and green! Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen on my own back doorstep so spectacularly! I’m delighted so […]

New Zealand has over 30 different greenhood orchids, rarely noticed unless you know about them, but often right alongside a track you may be walking. They flower in spring. They have a sneaky way of ensuring pollination, by trapping the […]

Fiordland’s dramatic peaks, valleys, waterfalls and rainforests are gob-smackingly beautiful. They take my breath away every time I visit, as they do for thousands of visitors. The forests are rich in a thousand versions of dense verdant green vegetation, dripping […]

On a stinking hot summers day, one of the best places to be is by a river or waterfall, and in some forest shade. Restful, cooling and good for the soul, what’s not to like. Imbibe some tranquility by a […]

Most people living in New Zealand will be familiar with these elegant little terns that frequent our coastlines and harbours. I call them the black-beret birds for obvious reasons. They are excellent fish catchers, diving for their small fish prey […]

I stopped by TiriTiri Matangi recently for a much-needed visit. It wasn’t so productive on the photography front but always a pleasure to be there. Big shout out to the visionaries who dreamt up the idea to rehabilitate the island […]

The Ashley River estuary and river mouth is a hotspot for birds. Thanks to the dedicated work of Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group https://www.arrg.org.nz/#about and others, it is possible to see large numbers of birds gathering here. Here are some images from […]

On a recent trip to Christchurch, I spent an afternoon with Grant Davey from Ashley Rivercare learning about wrybills (Ngutu pare). Wrybills are unique to New Zealand and the only birds in the world with a beak bent sideways (always […]