Autumn colours in Twizel: My top 10 places

We all know autumn is beautiful across New Zealand. Autumn colours in Twizel draw me to the MacKenzie every year.  This blog captures some of my favourite places to gather shots of the stunning displays. There are photography tips at the end if you’re interested....

10 spots to explore in and around Golden Bay

On a recent holiday in our camper, we had more time to explore in and around Golden Bay. This is an amazing part of New Zealand and it was great see it in more depth. While we have walked the Able Tasman we have not been over Takaka hill for 20 years.  To ensure...

New Zealand Birds

This blog documents the New Zealand birds I have photographed . Some are endemic (only found in NZ) some native (naturally occur in NZ). I have put a table of contents at the back if you want to look for a particular bird. I put this together almost 2 years ago so am...

A night at Lake Angelus

Mid January with a perfect weather forecast we headed up to the Nelson Lakes from Greymouth. I had been working and exploring around Greymouth quite a lot so we decided to head a bit further afield. Lake Angelus has been suggested by a number of people so topped our...

Diary of a COVID-19 Lockdown

Two weeks before a total lock down in New Zealand I was attending a book festival and visiting my daughter in Wellington. COVID-19 was know as coronavirus and was happening somewhere else. This is the diary of a COVID-19 lock down in Christchurch. We knew it would...

Exploring the Ashburton Lakes

You can be exploring the Ashburton Lakes in just a few hours from Christchurch. This area, while known as the Ashburton lakes, is actually the Hakatere Conservation Park. Its an outdoor lover’s dream, a little hidden piece of paradise with some awesome walks and...