Who doesn’t love this area. I fell in love with it five years ago and any chance I get I head back. I love the shapes, colours and lines that make up the hard edged, inhospitable and austere environment.

Today we visit Mt Cook National Park in the South Island. You may have seen this image in Wilderness Magazine as a Way Points article. Funnily enough I was full of a cold the morning I took this. I remember taking this walk and feeling pretty average - but the sunrise made it all worth it. Sunrises are sooo good for the soul. You can view and buy this image as a print on my website.

It’s hard to believe when you stand on the peaceful shores of Lake Tarawera that it’s violent history destroyed a village and the lives of so many. When I first saw this image I thought the ring around the sun was something to do with the way the light had entered the lens but I think it might be a sun halo. Does anyone know anything about these?

While on my recent trip south we visited and stayed at Manapouri. With the lake near by, I was excited to photograph it at sunrise and sunset. Rugged up in my winter woolies, I watched the sun peak over the mountains as the mist danced over the surface of the lake. Although cold it was so lovely to be in this environment again.

Many parts of New Zealand are rural landscapes. As we are going about our business we often whizz by these without giving them second glance. It is only when the light plays in a different way that we notice them. This light show stopped me in my tracks.

Beaches, they are an important part of our NZ lifestyle, their sands stretching along our coastline. They are where we spend our summer days, where we walk our dogs, toss a ball around, go for a swim or a surf, build sandcastles and so much more. What memories have you created on NZ beaches?

I grew up with snow days in Dunedin. I remember many days off school taking advantage of the novelty playground that was right outside my door. As an adult I still get excited when it snows (not much chance in Northland where I live at the moment though!). I look forward to hearing that work starts late or is closed. This was taken on one of those days in Dunedin. Excited to see how the landscape had changed overnight, I ambled up the hill. Everything was white, untouched, crisp, magical and pure. By the time I had wandered back down the hill, the skies were lightening and people were beginning to go about their business leaving tracks in what was once a pure white road.

Who doesn’t love it when the light and clouds conspire to produce rays of light for us to feast our eyes on? During a road trip in Northland five years ago I camped at Ruakaka. Up until that morning I really hadn’t had much luck with great light during the trip. I was oohing and aahing as to whether I would actually get up at all. However, my perseverance paid off. I have since realized, 5 years on, that there is no such thing as bad light, it is all about learning to work with the light that you are given. Perseverance and acceptance, both appropriate qualities at the moment.

I lived with this mountain in my backyard for 15 years in Queenstown. This image reminds me of the excitement, and fear that can be found in adventure. Taken at 6.47am, it was one of the first and last photographs I took during the day. At this point in the journey, I was loving the light as the sun rose to illuminate Double Cone and Single Cone, it was great to be alive. Seeing the path I was about to take stretched out in front of me, evoked some trepidation but this traverse had been on my list for months. Today was the day, or so I thought.

A few hours later, I found myself sliding down the Grand Couloir as I frantically tried to self-arrest. Eventually stopped by the rope I was attached to, I could no longer walk. A heli-vac off the mountain to hospital revealed that I had broken my ankle and would be in cast for 6 weeks. I couldn’t drive, couldn’t work and had to stay at home most of the time … oh wait … that’s sounding familiar!

When I see this image it makes me feel warm despite the fact that it was taken in middle of winter. Coastal rocks, estuaries, sunrises and sunsets are all good reasons to visit the beach. For those of you who haven’t seen the beach for a while I hope this image reminds you of the warmth that it can bring to our lives and that in time you will visit again. Have you started bookmarking destinations for your New Zealand holiday yet?

Today we visit the forest on Great Barrier Island. I was there just over a year ago and what a special place it is. The forest is dense, lush and diverse with plenty of tree ferns. Looking up through the tree ferns, as they extend from Papatuanuku to Ranginui, gives me balance and grounds me – I find it is good for my soul. Do you have a little piece of forest, park or nature near you that you can walk in each day to balance yourself?

Milford Sound, one of the icons in our tourism industry. On a recent trip there I was reminded of how immense the landscape is, the sheer cliff faces rise stoically out of the sea, trivializing our size and power. There are many waterfalls in the fiord and one of those is Stirling Falls. It boundlessly, tumbles over a sheer face depositing fresh water on the salty waters of the Fiord. Definitely put this place on your list for after lockdown.

Still in Fiordland, today we have climbed up Mt Titiroa for a different perspective. Up here you will find alpine scrub, granite boulders, coarse white sand that is dotted with infrequent plant life and a fabulous view of Lake Manapouri. It is so worth the effort to get up here.

Here we are back up north at Mangawhai Beach. There is something about the flow of water that is calming, don’t you find? Whether it is waterfalls, the sea, a river or a babbling stream, it’s like nature is doing all the hard work for you and all you have to do is watch and be. Did you find time to watch and be today or sometime this week?

NZ Beech forest is found predominantly in the South Island. After my recent visit south (before lockdown), I was reminded of just how awesome this forest can be. When you look up in the canopy of a beech forest it looks like nature has woven a green lace blanket and draped it over the trunks. This particular day, the effect was complimented by delicate snow flurries and sunbeams piercing clouds, creating an unusual and yet magical scene.

This was one of those unexpected moments that planning couldn’t have made any better. We were driving from Waimate in the south to Mangawhai and had a booking at the Tongariro Chateaux in Tongariro National Park (one of my favourite places to stay in NZ) for one night. On arrival, it had just finished snowing - bonus! By evening, as the sun was setting the clouds were casting beautiful colours across the snow-laden trees and around the chateaux, creating a warm and magical feeling despite the cold. I love how snow transforms a place into a completely different experience.

This was one of those days that I was whizzing along State Highway 1 on a mission to get to Waimate, South Canterbury and the light was just doing its thing. Normally these trees do not get a second glance from me but this day the subtle light made them glow. These unplanned and unpredictable moments are the best!

The Routeburn Track is my all-time favourite Great Walk. I was a hut warden for a season and spent several seasons as a day walk guide on the track. The track has taken a hammering this walking season, but here’s hoping it will be open for next season for us all to get out there enjoy the many vistas it has to offer. To my mind it has the perfect mix and quantity of forest and alpine environments to explore and devour as you walk its length. What is your favourite Great Walk?

When I lived in Queenstown this was the view from my house. Mother Nature was really at her peak when she designed this landscape. The arrangement of the mountains and the shape of the lake, positioned in such a way to maximise where the sunrises and sets. It could not be more magnificent for photography and the soul. Definitely put this on your ‘must do’ list for after lockdown.

Today we go to the tippy-top of New Zealand – Cape Reinga, where Maori spirits depart and two oceans collide – the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It is a gentle walk out to the lighthouse and provides 360* views. You can watch the sun rise and set from this most northern point in NZ. Make it part of a Northland road trip after lockdown.

Another stop on your Northland road trip would be Langs Beach where you can watch the sunrise then spend the day swimming, boogey boarding, surfing and lazing on the beach. You will have views of the Hen and Chicken Islands (volcano remnants) on the horizon.

Another Northland stop is Waipu Cove and the Waipu Coastal Walkway. The layered rocks along the coastline are similar to the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki on the West Coast of the South Island. The walkway has some wonderful sea views and some tricky rocky sections but is well worth the effort, at either end you can reward yourself with a swim – perfect on a hot day.

Get out your puffer jacket! Today we head to Glacier Country on the wild, West Coast of the South Island. We are so lucky in NZ to have such a diverse country where we can be sunning ourselves on the beach one day and then traipsing through snow and ice the next. Fox and Franz Josef Glacier both offer opportunities to get up close and personal with glaciers. Whether on a heli-hike or valley walk – you can begin to understand how much of the southern part of New Zealand was formed. These bulldozers of ice scratch, scrap and force their way down rocky mountains creating towering vertical cliffs, valleys and fiords.

Fancy a bit of farming? Checkout NZ’s largest farm Molesworth Station at 180 000 hectares. Located in Marlborough, has some of the most spectacular high country views in the country. With the inland Kaikoura Ranges on the east, the St James Conservation area to the South and Muller and Rainbow Stations to the north and west it is well isolated. For some it would be a great spot to spend lockdown.

Want to learn about NZ’s history? Make a beeline for Waitangi in the Far North. Not only will learn about Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi), you’ll also be able to visit Russell and the venture out into the Bay of Islands. I have visited here three times now and have loved it every time. This image was taken in 2015 a few days after Waitangi weekend. It was great to see some of the waka still about from the festivities.

For those of you have walked the Hollyford Track you may recognize this tree. Situated right in the middle of the track it is a fine example of an ancient Rimu tree (approx 800 years old – give or take). Imagine the stories that this tree could tell and the events it has seen. Hanging from the tree are rata cables, the main plant perched high in the canopy to access light.

Some of us may feel a bit like this tree trunk at the moment – stuck, unable to go anywhere – locked down. This petrified forest is located in the Catlins in Southland. Along this section of coastline, at low tide, you will see remnants of a forest that existed as part of Gondwanaland 170 million years ago. At least lockdown is not that long for us!

NZ went into lockdown 28 days ago. Since then we have made great gains as a nation in beating this virus. I am so incredibly proud of the people of NZ and what we have achieved during this time. With lockdown at level 4 being extended by 5 days, I have chosen to extend 28 Days of NZ by 5 days so, lookout for these images in your newsfeeds over the coming days.

Todays image is a long exposure taken at Mangawhai Beach of the well known landmarks Sentinel and Wolf Rock. I am drawn to these rocks like so many photographers, but it is my constant challenge to find new unseen compositions. This was one of my attempts.

For 3 years, my job involved spending 3 weeks over the course of the year living atop the Pisa Range, in the Cardrona. During those weeks, I had the wonderful fortunate to witness amazing sunrises and sunsets, some in wintery snowy conditions and others that turned the alpine grasses golden. These rocks, ‘unofficially’ named Orc Rocks, were a distinctive feature on the skyline and may be familiar to those who have spent any time at the Snow Farm.

When tramping/hiking in the Southern Alps of NZ it is common to come across many crystal clear creeks, streams and waterfalls couched in mossy rocks and lush ferns. They are a welcome sight and offer the opportunity to fill up water bottles, chat with your friends or simply drop into a state of meditation as you listen to their sounds and watch their movement.

This was one of the local walks I did regularly when I lived in Queenstown. Some of you may recognize it! It takes you through time as you walk, offers fabulous views over the Wakatipu Basin, and you can drop your dreams in the basket at the top. On this particular occasion, snow had freshly fallen but only some of it had made it through the trees and on to the track. When domestic tourism is once more available to us – this is a track you must add to your list.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them. We will remember them.

E kore rātou e kaumātuatia
Pēnei i a tātou kua mahue nei
E kore hoki rātou e ngoikore
Ahakoa pehea i ngā āhuatanga o te wā
I te hekenga atu o te rā
Tae noa ki te aranga mai i te ata
Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou
Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou.

~ From the poem: ”For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon.

Well here we are on the eve of Alert Level 3. A total of 33 days at Alert Level 4 and we have done New Zealand proud. Our journeys have been our own, each of us has had our ups and downs and each of us has had to adapt to changes we may not have chosen. Level 3 will not be much different for some of us, while for others it is the chance to get the economy moving again. There is still work ahead of us. As we go about this work let’s all do our bit and shine the best way we know how, lets be kind, lets be grateful, lets be resilient and resourceful. Kia kaha Aotearoa.