South Island Expedition
(June 2024)

After nearly two years of careful planning and logistics, PhotoPill’s first ever expedition in New Zealand got underway. Led by Marco Grassi and Daniel Murray, our group of 16 (bus driver included!) first met on a cold winter’s morning in Christchurch. Thirteen days later, we’d be back in Christchurch having made new friends, created some incredible memories, and loaded our camera cards to the brim with stunning landscapes.

Our PhotoPillers had come from all over the world: the United States, Singapore, Uruguay, Canada, Kuwait, Mexico, and even a fellow New Zealander from Wellington. A small number had been to New Zealand before (though not for some time), but most had not. They were in for a treat, and as we got underway, the excitement was palpable.

Our first few days were spent at coastal locations in the northern part of the South Island – Kaikōura, Wharariki Beach, and Punakaiki. The weather and conditions couldn’t have been more perfect, with the Milky Way and sunrise over the Archway Islands being especially spectacular.

Southwards and inland we then tracked. After a visit to Fox Glacier and the always reflective Lake Matheson, we made our way through the Southern Alps (via Haast Pass) to spend a few days around Wānaka and Queenstown. During our stay here we embarked on one of the many highlights of the trip: a charter flight at sunrise over the peaks and glaciers of Mt Aspiring National Park. The applause at the end of the flight said it all!

Further south we then went and into the heart of Fiordland National Park. Here we spent three days soaking up the dramatic and wild landscapes of the fiords and enjoyed our luxury accommodation in Milford Sound. At times we experienced some rain (and snow!), but in Fiordland that doesn’t matter, as it makes the landscape come alive. A charter boat cruise on Milford Sound to photograph the waterfalls and wildlife was an incredible highlight of our time here.

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, our last few days in Aoraki-Mt Cook National Park proved us wrong. First up, we embarked on our second charter flight of the trip and experienced some golden late afternoon light falling across the peaks and snowfields of Westland Tai Poutini National Park. Then, as if that weren’t enough, the gloomy conditions departed at just the right times for us to photograph iceberg filled glacial lakes and towering peaks among the clouds.

The images and video below speak for themselves… this was one helluva trip!