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Archive 2017 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018

  
 
Nick_Brisbane
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


I used two cameras, one with a 24-120 lens and the other with a 70-200 and never felt I needed anything else.


Dec 13, 2017 at 07:52 PM
nampramos
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


haha I'm not surprised there Nick!


Dec 13, 2017 at 11:27 PM
mjm6
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


I didn't see a mention of it, but if you are mobile enough, I strongly recommend hiking Cave Stream...

http://www.castlehill.net.nz/castlehill/cavestream/cavestream.php

With a flash, you can get some images inside, but I just took shots at the entrance, which is quite amazing, really. You will need headlamps or flashlights (torches).

You'll want to use a wet bag for the gear, and bring some old tennis shoes for the wading. The water is quite cold, so you may want some tights or something to keep a bit warmer.

It takes about 45 minutes to go through.

It's really safe, as long as the weather is good. Schools take the kids there, so it isn't really anything that dangerous.

Another place that I liked is the Moeraki Boulders:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders

This is pretty well known, but I think highly worth it. Go in the early morning or evening and you may have it mostly to yourself... While there, go into Moeraki nearby and stop at Fleurs Place for dinner. Excellent seafood there.

One other place that I really liked, and I made some great images out there in the evening and after dark is Wharariki Beach:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wharariki_Beach

Lastly, there is a really great stretch of beach with all kinds of interesting geology at low tide... Paturau Beach. Google that one and look at the images. We spent most of a day hiking out there and both felt that we could have easily spent a lot more time there. We'd probably plan to spend a night or more out there to explore it better.

Beyond those, there are a lot of great places that are pretty well known, like the glaciers, the fjordlands, etc. Pretty much they are all worth seeing.



Dec 21, 2017 at 07:56 PM
PatrickSweeney
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


Yep on the boulders, but check tide charts and go there at low tide.


Dec 22, 2017 at 02:41 PM
Frogfish
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


If you are starting out in Christchurch and love wildlife you would be remiss not to take the short trip North up the coast to Kaikoura (hopefully it's recovered after the earthquake and landslides). One of my favourite places in NZ.

The wildlife off the coast is astounding (do take the Albatross boat out - even my non-birding and non-photography loving wife thought it was amazing), huge dolphin pods and seal colonies included at no extra charge. Many whale viewing trips too.

After we had finished 3 weeks in the North Island, where my sister lives, we spent 3 weeks on the South Island taking the train across from Christchurch to Greymouth to pick up a hire car there. Greymouth looks soul-less and we were out of there pronto but the drive down the coast (past the glaciers - do take a heli-trip up if you can afford it, just spectacular) was great but even better were the lakes when then going across country to Queenstown and Wanaka.

With more time we'd definitely have gone even further South to Otago and all three coasts. Disappointed to miss out on that area but then that's another 2 weeks for me and another reason to go visit my sister again

Driving : absolutely some of the easiest driving imaginable. Narrow roads ? Only if you live on 10 lane highways. Fast ? Not that fast to be honest. I guess it all depends on what you're used to. If you've ever driven in the UK / Italy / Spain etc. you'll have zero problems out there. We loved it.

Accomodation : not the cheapest, not the most expensive. I'm sure you can find a BnB in most stops along the way. You're going in Summer, if desperate take a blanket and sleep in the car after taking reasonable precautions to hide yourself from police and any would be muggers (highly unlikely anyway - the threat is almost always highly exaggerated no matter where you are in the world. My sister has been a probation officer over there for many years and deals with many gang members, she's never ever had any issues whatsoever even driving around very dubious areas).

Take two cameras. Your lenses look fine !







Dec 24, 2017 at 05:02 AM
nampramos
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


Awesome with the extra tips and info, thank you guys!

I actually managed to upgrade my rental and I am now able to have an inflatable mattress on the back and have a comfortable sleep. So the plan is to sleep all nights in the car and be able to go more or less anywhere and avoid any extra bad weather if necessary.

With that said, now that I do not depend on sleeping arrangements, would there be any other places, totally off the beaten path, you'd recommend? I don't have a 4x4 and won't have a tent, so any hiking trips must end up back at the car. But I don't mind hiking during dawn or dusk and will have a good head torch with me.

How cold should I expect to have it during the night?



Dec 29, 2017 at 09:57 PM
Aztatlan
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


nampramos wrote:
Awesome with the extra tips and info, thank you guys!

I actually managed to upgrade my rental and I am now able to have an inflatable mattress on the back and have a comfortable sleep. So the plan is to sleep all nights in the car and be able to go more or less anywhere and avoid any extra bad weather if necessary.



Be aware (if you aren't already) that doing this in a "freedom camping" style will be strictly prohibited in most areas - you will need to stay at a designated camp site (paid or free.) In order to freedom camp, you must have a fully self-contained vehicle. They enforce these rules strictly, as they have big problems with tourists illegally camping and using the side of the road as a toilet, or people's front gardens etc.






Jan 06, 2018 at 12:03 AM
nampramos
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


Thanks for the advice. That's pretty much what everyone would say for any country in the world I've been where big open landscapes are the thing you mainly go there for.

A bit of common sense will come a long way in no getting fined. But sure, you are right in what you say. If I'm way out in woop woop land then there wouldn't be a reason for authorities to be there anyway.

Any more tips and places to visit on the South Island?

I'll be there in a month from now



Jan 06, 2018 at 06:44 PM
elkhornsun
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


When planning a trip to an area I first research the photo tours as they provide information on where to go and how long to stay in a spot and best time of the year to go there. Then I plan my route and my lodging.

In years past there was a shortage of hotel rooms and most tour groups would be dispersed into the homes of people in the towns and outlying areas. This was a win win as it provided needed income for the locals and a much better experience for the tourists. A precursor to AirBNB but with homeowners functioning as a temporary B&B.



Jan 07, 2018 at 06:17 PM
nampramos
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


I do that as well. Always a good source of inspiration. Thanks!


Jan 10, 2018 at 03:31 PM
Aztatlan
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


nampramos wrote:
Thanks for the advice. That's pretty much what everyone would say for any country in the world I've been where big open landscapes are the thing you mainly go there for.

A bit of common sense will come a long way in no getting fined. But sure, you are right in what you say. If I'm way out in woop woop land then there wouldn't be a reason for authorities to be there anyway.

Any more tips and places to visit on the South Island?

I'll be there in a month from now


You might think it's common sense although evidently it wasn't for the many thousands of problematic tourists which prompted the "crackdown" on freedom camping to begin with... For what it's worth some other countries I've visited don't have much in the way of established rules with regard to freedom camping. When I visited Iceland a number of years ago (and camped for most of it) as far as I could ascertain there were very little restrictions on camping. You could camp almost anywhere, even without a self-contained vehicle, unless sign-posted otherwise. Given the tourist boom they've had over the past few years though they may well have cracked down on this in the time since I visited.

Ultimately, my post wasn't designed to imply you intended to break rules or lacked common sense - but instead to point out that at least if you wish to act in accordance with the local laws, you still lose some flexibility if you don't have a self contained vehicle. Eg, when I was over on the South Island a few months ago there was a remote spot I wanted to shoot for sunrise. I had a self-contained vehicle so had a reasonable amount of freedom, but the closest designated campsite was almost an hour's drive from the shooting location.



Jan 15, 2018 at 05:53 PM
nampramos
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Help: NZ South Island Feb 2018


So, as the date approaches, anyone on the South Island next week and the following?


Feb 04, 2018 at 02:11 AM
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