Last week I went on my first ever ‘retreat’. I stuffed my bag full of merino sportswear and headed off to the newly opened Wellness Retreat – Aro Ha. This almost entirely self sufficient eco lodge is situated outside Queenstown on the banks of Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy. Having just opened its doors in January I was so curious to see what all the buzz was about. Little did I know I would be taken on a emotional and physical journey that would have a lasting impact on me. Call my cynical, but I went into this thinking that I was just along to shoot photos, enjoy hiking in the fresh air while staying in somewhere fancy, I would sail through hardly breaking a sweat. Man was I wrong.

The glorious Aro Ha

5.30am and we are softly woken from sleep in our comfortable wood cabins by the distant chiming of a bell. Its still dark. Yoga time. We have 20 mins to wipe the sleep from our eyes and wander down to the yoga room for an hour and a half vinyasa class. Barely awake we sit in the darkness on our mats being coached through our breathing, posture and slowly begin to work into our first pose of the day. With the rising of the sun, our bodies warm from the inside out and before you can say Im hungry, you are working up a sweat and feeling good about it. Breakfast is next… I won’t lie, I was a bit disheartened to see just one glass of thick liquid for breakfast. How am I going to function on just that?? Our bashful Brazilian chef, Ronnie, appears from the kitchen with his cheeky grin and explains that this smoothy is jam packed full of nutrients, and will give us all the energy we need for our 14km hike. Yeah right I think while glugging down the thick creamy liquid. No dairy, how can this taste so good? Coconut meat, almond milk, chia seeds, blueberries. Man it was good. This really was a detox. We were on a strict diet of vegan, gluten free, dairy free, almost all raw food (around 1200 – 1400 calories per day). No coffee, no alcohol. Pure detox.

Sunrise Yoga

Nianna Bray from  Away Inward was our yoga teacher for the week, along with her partner Ryan Patterson coaching us through. 

Bel Jones

Our fist full walk of the retreat  around the banks of Lake Wakatipu

I barely noticed that we had been walking for 4 hours. Wandering through the native beach forest, marvelling at the view of the aqua Lake Wakatipu and chittering away to my fellow retreat-ees. A quick swim in the glorious water and we were back to Aro-Ha for lunch. A plate full of salady greens and goodness was on the table waiting. After lunch was down time. No watches allowed in Aro Ha, you just do what you are told when you are told. In the early afternoon we were set free to hang out in the spa, have a nap or be called into our daily hour massage. Glorious.

An example of the spectacular food – how could you not feel good after eating this?

At some point in the afternoon we would be collected up and summoned to the yoga room for our afternoon classes. This was a mixture of experiences from Tai Chi, Chi Kung, partner yoga, cooking demonstrations, and sustainability talks. These classes I immensely enjoyed. Particularly the cooking! It was super inspiring to learn how eating well doesnt have to take up all your time, or cost the earth. We can all do it. Straight from classes was an hour long rest and restore yoga class. Here we would stretch and let our bodies recover from our days activities. It never felt so good. We also did a bit of meditation, which I personally struggled with, but managed to slow my brain once or twice and felt like I got into it…

Meal time at Aro Ha

The food was out of this world

Spa time before bed

After a little spa time it was early to bed as we would be repeating the days activities again, and again the next day and again… so on for 7 days. Day 2 hike was dubbed the hardest. And so it was. A 4 hr hike, straight up. I was a little bit disheartened to see our snack for the day was half a stick of celery.

Reaching the top of our hike, an old gold mining hut. Yes we did this walk on a smoothy for breakfast and half a stick of celery.

It was a super challenging walk, especially carrying my camera gear, but it was worth it. Im not going to lie but I ran pretty low on blood sugar by the time we got back to Aro Ha for some much needed food. Damien, our wonderful host and the brains behind Aro Ha had warned us about the roller coaster ride of the week. He said that we would feel a bit of a crash day 2/3 and this was our bodies flushing out the toxins, detoxing and reviving. Man was he right! Not much chatter at lunch as we all were pretty broken from our huge morning. Nothing that a bit of Ronnie’s food, massage and spa time wouldnt fix!

Ronnie our chef in the green house – Aro Ha grow heaps of their own produce in their vegetable gardens. Just one of the steps to self sustainability we can all do.  

Dawn at Aro Ha

Sam and Nianna playing with a pose in front of the cinematic view from the yoga space

Aro Ha from Pigeon Island

We had some stunning weather for our retreat. On day 5 our adventure consisted of kayaking out to Pigeon Island and going for a hike to the top of the island. This was the up day… The elation and energy returning to our bodies left us all in high spirits. And how could it not with the beauty of the lake surrounding us.

Kayaking with Bel Jones

Looking back up towards Glenorchy

Our team on top of Pigeon Island, happy as…

The last two days seemed to go very quick, and before we knew it it was our final morning and a surprise breakfast of courgette bread with macadamia nut cheese and a green juice. Oh how I enjoyed this! It was a tough week, and at times I struggled, feeling hungry (or my brain was telling me I should be) with mild attacks of low blood sugar, but I blame this on carrying heavy camera gear for all the hikes! But really we all eat far too much and it was interesting to learn how much my body could do on such a low calorie diet.

I left Aro Ha with a new understanding. An understanding of how to look after yourself and make time to do so. How our bodies should feel when fuelled with the right stuff, and how exercise invigorates both mind and body. Im striving to be realistic, as I won’t be able to create the wonders that Ronnie did in the kitchen, or have time for 2 & half hr yoga, 4 hr hikes and an 1h massage a day! But I will take away bits and pieces of how to live well from Aro Ha. And thats their goal. They are realists, who don’t make you feel guilty for enjoying that piece of chocolate, glass of wine, morning flat white. They teach you how to feel well by surrounding yourself with good food and some sort of body movement each day. And man does it work. I am sleeping like a baby.

Courgette bread with macadamia nut cheese. Seriously good after a week of next to no carbs!

I thought I would leave you with this photo of Nianna and Christina doing an impressive yoga pose… Something to aspire towards anyway!

Huge thanks to Paula and Damian. Aroha (means love in Maori)  Aro Ha.

Private Clubs magazine Fall 2013 issue

Packing for this trip wasnt easy. I learnt that gentlemen were expected to wear a jacket for the dining room and thus ladies would have to be complimentary dressed?! My adventure wardrobe is distinctly lacking in fine threads and pants that aren’t jeans. The brief was to shoot my esteemed writer Darrell Hartman doing various ‘adventure’ activities at each of the four lodges, so I packed a mixture of silk and high heels along with hiking boots and wet weather gear, not to mention all my camera equipment. Traveling light I was not.

I flew to Hawkes Bay to the incredible Cape Kidnappers Lodge being our first port of call. I was nervous to meet Darrell as he would have to spend two weeks with me, 3 meals a day, so help me if he was weird. Luckily for me he turned out to be an very interesting and fun loving guy and we never ran out of conversation! (poor him having to put up with me!)

I learnt that Cape Kidnappers Lodge was a very special place indeed. Being on a peninsula it has become a native bird sanctuary with a predator proof fence cutting out any nastys from the main land. We were fortunate enough to go out and track one of Kiwi birds in the sanctuary, learn all about their rehabilitation programme as well as have a cuddle before letting the poor bird go back to bed.

Cape Kidnappers Lodge, Hawkes Bay

The famous ‘Sharks tooth’ at Sunrise

After two days at Cape Kidnappers Lodge, enjoying 5 course designation meals with matching wines, massages, sunrise mountain biking and quad biking the huge grounds it was time to move on to the next luxury lodge. This one was Kauri Cliffs in The Bay of Islands, north of Auckland. I hadn’t been up this way before so it was very exciting to explore somewhere new. Although both lodges are owned by the same people, they are extremely different in style and feel. The golf courses at both resorts are extremely famous, with Kauri Cliffs course being voted one of the top courses in the world. Too bad me and Darrell didn’t play golf!

The gold course at Kauri Cliffs, not a bad view to T off from!

Adventures at Kauri Cliffs included horse riding and sea fishing. Both proved a wonderful way to explore the area. We needed to do as much excursions as possible to work of the fabulous food we were having at the lodges!

I love riding horses, especially along the beach! It was such fun shooting photos from horse back.

Here is the Kauri Cliffs part of the 8 page article. You can see the monster snapper Darrell was pulling from the sea!

Next stop South Island. We were fortunate to stay in Otahuna Lodge  just outside of Christchurch. This stately home has been made into a luxury lodge by two Americans who have lovingly restored it and made it into the fabulously different and amazing lodge that it is today. Unfortunately the weather had turned on us and we had a couple of very wet days here, but that didn’t stop us getting out. We took the train to Arthurs Pass, went hiking and jetboating! Just some of the delightful activities you can do around Christchurch.

Otahuna Lodge in all her glory. Amazing building and a vegetable garden to make any horticulturalist green with envy! (I was..)

After a few wet days here feeling like a member of the royal family and eating amazing food from their gardens it was time to move on to the last stop, a personal favourite of mine, Whare Kea Lodge in our very own Wanaka. I was super excited to show my New Yorker writer buddy my home town. More wet weather fell upon us but none the less Wanaka looked beautiful though the mist and brought us our double page spread opener to the article (below).

Darrell finding out what kayaking on Lake Wanaka is all about

Whare Kea Lodge under the full moon

As well as kayaking, other things on the Whare Kea activity list included taking a helicopter from the front lawn to go up to their mountain Chalet and go heli fly fishing. Unfortunately the weather didnt allow us to get to the chalet, but we did get a great scenic flight around the Kitchner Glacier and a good couple of hours fly fishing in the pristine waters of the Matukituki River.

The Kitchener Valley 

It was hard to go home after this trip. One course meals cooked by myself with a glass of water just aint the same after two weeks of 3-5 course dinners with matching wines! My expanding waste line had to have a break however!! Thanks so much to all the lodges for having us to stay and to Darrell, my adventurous writer for putting up with me for two weeks!

Firstly let me show you the rewards of a shoot for Marina Magazine, which has 1 million copy circulation on board the Holland America cruise ships. I was commissioned to shoot the gorgeous Milford Sound and Sutherland Falls in Fiordland for their piece on 10 Reasons New Zealand is different. To see the 5 page feature click here  Here is my cover shot

Cover shot for Marina Magazine Spring/Summer 2013 – 1 million copy circulation world wide 

5 page feature on 10 Reasons New Zealand is different from any place on Earth!

I blogged  a while back about my mountain bike trip that I organised, with Mike Hopkins, Kelly McGarry and Casey Brown, around the South Island of NZ. Im pleased to show you the fruits of our labor. We couldnt have done this trip without the support of Tourism New Zealand, The North Face, Classic Campers and Icebreaker as well as local tourism boards of Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson Lakes and The West Coast. Thanks to all these people for believing in my vision! Im pleased to show you slices of the full feature articles in Dirt Magazine (UK), Bike Magazin (Germany) Australian Mountain Bike and Spoke Magazine (NZ). Here are some of my favourite pages of the story written by Mike Hopkins:

Bike Magazine

Dirt Magazine

Spoke Magazine

Australian Mountain Bike magazine

I was also fortunate enough to get a cover shot of Mike for Revolution Magazine in Australia taken in Queenstown.

Revolution Magazine cover shot Feb 2013

Singapore Airlines ran a gallery of my work in their inflight magazine, Silverkris. Was stoked to get 7 page spread in May’s edition of the magazine.

Singapore Airlines inflight magazine, Silverkris – May 2013

The last thing I want to show you is a snippet from a new NBC TV show that I worked on – Bear Grylls – Get Out Alive, all filmed in NZ. It was such fun to work with a large group of people, get stuck in and do something completely different! And spend a lot of time in a helicopter checking out NZ’s incredible scenery…Check out a wee snippet of the show which airs this week.

Winter is upon us now in NZ and its time to turn my attentions to shooting skiing and all things snow. Watch this space

Page 2 of the catalogue 

The first day of the shoot was in the surrounds of Queenstown and Arrowtown in its rustic and autumn glory. After day one we made our way to the West Coast via Haast Pass shooting at various locations along the way. Below was one of my favorite shots of the day on the banks of Lake Moeraki. It is such a stunning drive up the coast and the skies where blue. With the weather on our side we got heaps done.

The final day of the shoot was the one to look forward to, Fox Glacier. The weather gods were with us again giving us the most stunning, still and blue sky day. We flew into Pioneer Hut which would be our base for the days shoot. It is really breathtaking flying from the jungle of the West Coast rainforest right next to the ocean, only to be up in impressive glacial terrain in moments.

Pioneer hut on Fox Glacier, giving us a base and a location for the shoot

We had two of the best guides Wanaka has to offer with us, Geoff Small and Phil Penney. With a list as long as our arm of things we wanted to shoot, including ice climbing, glacial terrain, blue ice caves and clothing details we had a busy day ahead. Glacial terrain is extremely dangerous and constantly changing. At all times we had to be roped together incase of crevasses and be extremely careful where we chose to shoot.  Phil and Geoff worked hard at finding us what we needed and in no time we were shooting in some of the most impressive locations I have ever shot in.

Model Peter Nolet

To shoot in this terrain you have to be extremely careful and aware of your surroundings. Luckily for me I had guide Geoff Small roped to me at all times so we could work in two groups. Guide Phil was with the models and instructed them where they could go. One of the ideas for a shoot was to lower a model into a crevasse, and myself so I could shoot. It was a little unnerving being lowered into this black hole I can tell you! Below is the photo that I shot of Mads Broberg and below that is the photo he shot of me getting the shot!

Model Mads Broberg hanging above the black crevasse

Me getting the shot! Thanks to Mads Broberg for the shot

The next location was ice climbing and an impressive ice cave that Phil had found us. It was tricky getting in there as we had to cross a narrow bridge but once inside the ice cave it was totally worth the effort! So impressive.

Me in the yellow helmet forging the way with Geoff into the ice cave

The result! I love this spread in the catalogue. 

Another behind the scenes shot of me getting the shot! 

Peter Nolet and Nathan Essenstam 

I had been separated from the group on the wrong side of a large crevasse in order to get the some wide shots of ice climbing so I had to get across to the other side. In order to save time, Geoff lowered me off an overhang to join to join the group on the other side of the crevasse!

Another shot of me! I did tell you it was behind the scenes… Going the great lengths to get the shot! Thanks to F-stop Gear for my adventure friendly camera pack. 

It was a huge day on the glacier and we got heaps done. It was made incredible by a dusting of fresh snow and sunny skies. We had noticed the ‘jungle’ fog building over the sea below as the day went on, which can leave you stranded up the mountain if the helicopter can find a hole to pop through! but luckily there was enough of a hole and we were homeward bound.

Glad to see our ride arrive out of the jungle fog

The beautiful West Coast on the heli ride down…

Thanks to Tim Rutherford for behind the scenes photos.

Road tripping on the West Coast. Can you spot the Kombi’s?

West Coast jungle caves… 

After doing the tourist thing and visiting the pancake rocks at Punakaiki, which are well worth the look! we went in search of some waves to surf before the afternoon’s activity of heli biking…

Greymouth surfing hotspot…

After Kelly caught a few waves it was time to pack our bags and bikes ready for the last and biggest biking adventure of our trip. We were to heli bike the Croesus Track. Let me tell you a bit about this track… It is an old mining trail, from Blackball on the Eastern side of the range to Barrytown, a small costal village right on the West Coast. Having spoken to many locals and got a good idea of what the trail was like we decided to bike the ‘gnarly’ side; the West Coast side. It is a walking track, but is open to mountain biking. We were warned that the track was steep, rocky and rooty, all the way down. Piece of cake for the professional bikers eh? I was a little apprehensive about my biking skills, especially with a heavy camera bag, but I was up for the challenge none the less. We couldn’t go down the easy side now could we? Where would the story be in that?? The West side it was.

Feeling a bit like rock stars we got scooped up on the beach by our heli to Croesus Knobb, just above the Cec Clarke hut, where we would be resting our heads that night. Thanks so much to Coastwide Helicopters for the ride and West Coast Tourism for helping with the funds! Being whisked up to the top of the range in seconds we were quickly riding our bikes downhill to the hut on the East side of the range. This part of the trail was fun wide single track amongst thick high alpine tussock.

Casey Brown

We attempted to shoot sunset photos on the ridge over the West Coast but the clouds started to build as the sun went down giving us some unexpected but awesome light! We had an early nights sleep in the hut before getting up at sparrows fart to catch the sunrise on the ridge, which was a 45 min bike uphill in the dark!

Cec Clarke Hut under the starry sky

Just made it before sun up!

Kelly hiking to get the shot…

What I thought was the top of the ridge was not quite. After a productive sunrise shoot it was a surprise to all to find we had a good climb still to go. We had to climb to the flanks of Mt Ryall (1220m). That meant we had to bike from 1220m to sea level…

The hike. Can you spot Mike (in red) Kelly and Casey on the hike with their bikes over their shoulders? This was fun with a camera bag!

The reward… Cripes it looked a long way to the sea! 

The downward track through some of the most beautiful ancient bush I have ever seen.

Yusssss!! 

Being spat out of that bush at the Coast, exhausted and very sore after such an epic ride was an amazing feeling. It was straight into the ocean for us for a well deserved swim… This was the last time we rode our bikes on this trip. It was time to pack up and get back to Christchurch, say goodbye to our great friends, the red and yellow Kombi’s who had been so superb to travel and sleep in, and we had all grown quite attached to them. Massive thanks again to Classic Campers for letting us borrow their well looked after, immaculate 1970′s VW Kombi’s, guaranteed to make you and everyone else on the road smile.

It really was such an awesome trip, made incredible by a number of contributing factors; the crew of Kelly McGarry, Mike Hopkins and Casey Brown. The help and support of those listed below, as well as locals we met along the way. Our amazing transport and accommodation of the Kombi’s and a North Face Rock 22 Tent. The incredible mountain biking that the South Island has to offer. Two weeks of relentless sunshine and great weather. And of course the diverse and mind blowing landscape of the country that is Aotearoa, New Zealand. I love you.

One last shout out to Tourism New Zealand, West Coast Tourism, Classic Campers, The North Face, and Icebreaker for helping make this trip happen.

The city of Nelson welcoming us with open arms! 

Nelson is where Kelly McGarry grew up, and he was psyched to show us his hood! With a well deserved sleep and shower we were off to check out the Fringe Hill Downhill track which overlooks the stunning Nelson bay. Pretty sweet to have this kind of trail right on a cities doorstep!

The team checking out Nelson from the top of Fringe Hill… Sweet view

Casey Brown ripping the DH… Go girl

After sessioning the DH trail it was back on the road, heading deeper into the Tasman to Kaiteriteri, the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park, one of my favorite spots in NZ. We decided to go show the Canadian’s what these beaches had to offer…

En route to Kaiteriteri in our sweet rides, thanks to Classic Campers!

Light…

Landed… Kaiteriteri beach

A mean feed at the Fat Tui, Marahau

Kaiteriteri and Marahau are such awesome spots, right on the doorstep of the stunning Abel Tasman National Park. Beautiful sheltered golden beaches, thick lush native bush and wicked hang outs. We made sure we stopped in for a burger at the Fat Tui, possibly the best burger in NZ!

The A Team, Kelly McGarry, Mike Hopkins and the one and only, Casey Brown!  

On the road again… 

After a good nights shut eye at Kaiteriteri campsite thanks to Nelson Tasman Tourism it was on the road to check out Kelly’s bike jump park he built in Ngatimoti… Time to get the jump bike out!

Kelly at Ngatimoti Jump Park 

After a good session in the scorching summer sun it was time to get back on the road and head South, West Coast bound and towards our next adventure.

On the road again driving the stunning road South through the Buller River Gorge…

Thanks so much to Nelson Tasman for having us, next stop West Coast…

Also thanks again to our sponsors to Tourism New Zealand, Classic Campers, The North Face, and Icebreaker for helping make this trip happen.

Mike Hopkins, Kelly McGarry and Casey Brown watching the break in Kaikoura

East Coast road to Kaiks… Its one of my favorite pieces of road in NZ

So our first night camping full team was at the popular camping spot just north of Kaikoura on a surf break called ‘Meat Works’ This place is truly magic. Watching the stars come out with a cold beer in hand, cooking a stellar feed on the BBQ and then to our delight watching a golden moon rise from the water before having a sweet nights shut eye in the brilliant Kombi’s thanks to Classic Campers. This was the life!

An orange moon rising…

Sunrise at Meat Works

And Im not kidding… Whilst having our morning brew, dolphins decided to come over for a play. 

Kelly tried to catch some waves, but unlike the dolphins he couldnt make the flat sea ridable! So it was paua and crayfish hunting time as we meandered up the coast. This happened to be our only day of rain the entire trip, so I cant complain! Next stop Blenheim… Kelly caught up with some friends to show us a secret trail on a friend of a friends farm amongst the Marlborough jungle, I played Tarzan for a bit, hanging off vines to get the shot and it was time to call it a day. The next camp spot was North of Blenheim at Robin Hood Bay, just over the hill from Whites Bay. I hadn’t been there before so it was great to check out a new spot! And what a wicked spot it is! We found a sweet place to watch the sun rise…

The good life, thanks to North Face for the tent!

Looking North to the Marlborough Sounds

We shot photos on the Whites Bay Downhill track before having a cheeky swim at Whites Bay beach. Epic spot.

Mike Hopkins shredding the Whites Bay DH

Casey Brown looking for Johnny Depp… 

The Kombi’s killing it in the huge NZ bush… We named them ‘Smile Machines’ as we got so many smiles and waves! They cant help but make you happy!

The next part of our adventure was to take us deep into the Marlborough Sounds to a trail off the beaten track called Nydia Bay. It is a walking route but is open to mountain biking and takes you Nydia Bay which is a stunning spot only accessible by boat, foot or bike! Here you have the option to camp or stay in On the Track Lodge at Nydia Bay, which I cannot recommend more!! This place is a wee slice of heaven! Another brilliant thing about this ride is that you get to start the trail at the top of the Opouri Saddle and bike down into Duncan Bay before you start the accent over into Nydia Bay. Some sweet single track here…

The drop in place at Opouri Saddle looking over Duncan Bay

Mike Hopkins deep in the NZ jungle shredding the Nydia track… 

After a pretty brutal up to the top of the saddle that would bring us over into Nydia Bay we stopped for a welcome spot of luncheon. 

The trail was pretty technical in places and you wouldn’t want to ride it wet, but the rooty, rocky and sweeping in places downhill made the struggle of pushing/biking uphill worth it! I have to say I was pretty slow (I blame carrying my camera bag!)

Kelly going HUGE. Nothing better than a swim after a seriously sweaty ride in the Marlborough jungle! I love the Sounds…

Being greeted at On The Track Lodge at Nydia Bay with a cold beer.. Words cant describe! 

The haven that is On The Track Lodge, Nydia Bay – Our cabins…

Thanks so much to Duncan, Norma, Tom and Grandpa at the On the Track Lodge for having us. After a well needed shower, an exquisite home cooked meal, a few beers and a hot tub it was such a comfortable night sleep in our cabins. I didnt want to leave! This place is  MUST for anyone thinking about visiting the Marlborough Sounds, such an awesome secret gem. It made the two day ride so do-able not having to carry camping gear, or food, we even got made a packed lunch for the ride out! What excellent people.

The ride back ‘home’ to our campers…

It was another huge day over a couple of saddles, but we made it back to the smiling face of the red VW Kombi in time to take our tired bodies to the yellow Kombi at the beginning of the trail and get ourselves to Nelson… Our next port of call.

On the road again… Damn it NZ is beautiful. 

MASSIVE thanks to Tourism New Zealand, Classic Campers, The North Face, and Icebreaker for helping make this trip happen.

After months of planning, many emails and more than a few set backs, we are on the road. With me I have the finest bikers to come out of Canada, Mike Hopkins and Casey Brown. Joining us today will be the infamous Kelly McGarry of NZ (with us a few days late due to unforeseen circumstances involving a jump and an unfortunate landing). We are traveling in two of the finest 1970′s VW Kombi Campervans in NZ thanks to Classic Campers. HUGE thanks for their support in believing in my harebrained idea! The perfect team.

Here are a few happy snaps from our journey so far.

Mike and Casey admire Mt Cook with Lady Bug (our Kombi affectionally named by Casey)

On the drive North, I couldnt resist but to have a cheeky stop of and google at the marvel that is Mt Cook. It was a scorchingly hot day so it would have been rude to drive past Lake Pukaki and not go for a swim.

Swimming in Lake Pukaki at the base of Mt Cook is meant to give you ’Spiritual healing’… It did feel rather good!

Exploring Lake Tekapo 

Sunrise over Lake Tekapo

After spending our first night in the vans at Tekapo, we ventured North, bound for Castle Hill in the Arthurs Pass. We had high hopes of exploring the Castle Hill rocks and riding the trails amongst the Canterbury Clubfields (ski fields).  We had to make a quick stop at the stunning Rakaia Gorge for another swim to relieve our bodies from the searing NZ summers day. The water was just heavenly.

Rakaia Gorge

We chugged ourway North to Springfield to have a pie with my good friend Mel Parsons, and catch up on where was good to camp in Castle Hill and the best spots to check out. We were not to be disappointed after exploring the incredible sculptured glacial rocks, spat out by a glacier millions of years ago. What a place. You must check them out if you are ever driving over the Arthurs Pass.

Castle Hill

Casey admiring the giant rocks

Camping under the stars and the full moon at Castle Hill

Yesterday was the first big day of riding. We had read about the wicked trails built by dedicated Cantabrians in the Broken River/Craigyburn area and it was now our turn to explore. After a grueling 6km ride straight up the Craigyburn access road to the ski field, we were above the bush line and met by spectacular views of the wild mountains clad in native bush mixed with huge scree slopes that I unknowingly ski over every winter. With slightly wobbly legs after such a ride up we set off along one of the sweetest trails I have ever ridden.

This is the trail. Can you say ‘epic’?

Shooting many photos on the way down, I quickly forgot the pain of the uphill push and really enjoyed the sweeping, technical in places, and very long decent. A mixture of crossing scree slopes, bush clad roots and flowing sections; this trail delivered.

Mike Hopkins loving it

Just a bit of blood on the first day riding… Casey is hard core!

After this epic ride it was into the big smoke of Christchurch to find some surf. We headed to Sumner to have a swim in the surf and watch some locals get barreled in the pumping waves. One of these locals being good friend Guy Nurse.

Sumner. I love the fact you can surf in Christchurch…

Katrina and Guy Nurse offered us a much needed shower, a driveway to camp in and great company for the night in Christchurch. It is in their living room I now sit, telling you my story of our trip so far as we wait for Kelly to then head north in our Kombi’s, Kaikoura bound. If you see bright yellow and red Kombi’s on the road somewhere in Canterbury, give us a toot!

MASSIVE thanks to Tourism New Zealand, Classic Campers, The North Face, and Icebreaker for helping make this trip happen.

Location # 1 – golden sandy beaches of the Abel Tasman National Park

Me shooting Peter Nolet on the beach

Location # 2 – The models kayak a lagoon at high tide

Here is a page from the NZA Spring/Summer 2013 Catalogue 

Location # 3 – Kaiteriteri Beach

A page from the NZA Spring/Summer 2013 Catalogue  - Nathan Essenstam on Kaiteriteri Beach

The changing room!

After two successful days shooting we left for the Nelson Lakes and the Buller River.

Location # 4 – Lake Rotoiti – This location was for some winter clothing shots. Just as well as the sand flies where out of control!

The light was pretty awesome, 7pm after a day of heavy rain. I hadnt been here before so was cool to see the famous lake!

Next location Maruia Falls – Murchison – Me in action taken by my assistant Roo Stanford!

Maruia Falls thanks to Ultimate Decents rafting company – I love this page in the brochure, not your typical designer brand catalogue! Thats why NZA are awesome…

Last location of the shoot, the sun going down on the Buller River. 

The last shot and my favorite of the whole shoot – Nathan Essenstam in the NZA Spring/Summer 2013 Catalogue 

I really enjoy shooting fashion. As Im not a fashion photog, it presents fun challenges. I love working with people, especially professional models as they are so easy to shoot! If you want to see the whole catalogue check out their website www.nzanewzealand.com

The Point looking back down to Wanaka.

There are not many nights where the air is so still that you would even think about pitching a tent at the top of the farm, so when this extremely calm and still night came to us we took the opportunity, packed the truck and got up the hill before sunset, with only one stop to hunt some fellow deer on the way up (just trying to get some fresh venison for the BBQ!) I  had an ulterior motive too in that I wanted to test out my new North Face Rock 22 tent given to me for an upcoming shoot. A perfect night for it.

Tim and our dog Flo watch the sun go down.

Golden hour looking over to Lake Dunstan, Cromwell and Queenstown.

Looking the other way over to Lake Wanaka (bottom left) and Mt Aspiring (top right)

Catching those last rays…

The lights of Wanaka twinkle down the valley

Camping under the stars. 

6.22 am sunrise over the other side, such a different light to sunset!