Michael Kuschei from Salzburg went on a road trip through Australia and New Zealand and talked to us about the photo spots from his trip. New Zealand has made a lasting impression on the 28-year-old, as he says:
„First you are traveling in a very flat landscape, then suddenly there are 3,000 meter high mountains. - Michael Kuscheii
1. Whangarei
After the trip through Australia we arrived on the North Island, where the highlight was a glowworm cave. There are various caves for which you sometimes have to pay an entrance fee of 100 dollars and are often only allowed to enter them for 45 minutes. However, there is also a cave, the location of which I unfortunately cannot say so that we might not have to pay an entrance fee afterwards.
| camera | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | 30 seconds at f/2.8 | 3200 |
Whangarei is the name of a town nearby. To enter the cave you had to cross a small stream. When you're in the cave and your eyes get used to the darkness, you'll see lots of little green dots on the ceiling. Fireflies are beetle larvae and leave sticky threads hanging. They use the light to attract other insects, which they can then eat. They are only available in Australia and New Zealand. We also visited a cave like this in Australia, but you could only see two dots. It could be that there were so few of them because they were illuminated by tourists. It sometimes takes several hours for the shy animals to start glowing again.
| camera | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | 30 seconds at f/2.8 | 3200 |
2. Three Sisters
Taranaki is also an impressive place with the Three Sisters, which are rock formations that are gradually being eroded by the sea. To see the formations you have to go onto the beach and you can only get there when the tide is out. I actually wanted to see them at sunrise, but it wasn't low tide, so I could only do it during the day. One of my long exposures with this subject looks like sunrise, but it's not.ht.
3. Mount Cook National Park
Then we continued to the South Island. This island is better in my opinion. It is very interesting in terms of landscape. One of the destinations was Mount Cook National Park. There is a campsite right on Lake Pukaki where you can see Mount Cook, which is 3,724 meters high, as the sun rises and sets.
| camera | filter | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | ND8 + CPL | 30 seconds at aperture 5.0 | 200 |
The whole area is beautiful because Lake Pukaki is completely turquoise due to the glacier. The sunrises and sunsets in this area are breathtaking.
| camera | filter | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | ND8 + CPL | 30 seconds at f/9.0 | 100 |
From there we drove towards Queenstown. Very nice and modern and located right on the lake you can, among other things, go on fjord tours and watch the sun go down..
| camera | filter | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | ND8 + CPL | 1/80 sec at f/2.8 | 100 |
4. Milford Sound
Towards the end of the route we went to Milford Sound. We went to a campsite nearby. At sunrise I was completely alone. (Image available). Unfortunately, what surprised me was the flood. When she came, I was suddenly trapped on an island and had to take off my shoes to get back. So you should always pay attention to the ebb and flow there.
| camera | filter | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | ND8 | 30 seconds at f/9.0 | 100 |
5. Wanaka Tree at Lake Wanaka
We also went to the Wanaka Tree, unfortunately not at sunset, but we took pictures during the day. The tree has a really interesting history. A farmer marked out the area with wooden posts some time ago and one of the posts started to grow and become a tree again..
| camera | filter | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | ND1000 | 30 seconds at f/9.0 | 100 |
That's why the tree is now standing there in the water and there are signs everywhere that you are not allowed to enter it. It is believed that it has been standing there for at least 80 years and some of the branches have already broken off. Incidentally, we mostly camped wild along the route, and we were often lucky enough to be able to sleep under the stars.
| camera | exposure | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | 25 seconds at f/2.8 | 3200 |
In total we were traveling in New Zealand for two weeks. That means: four days on the North Island in New Zealand and ten days on the southern half. Overall, it was an incredibly great trip that I can only recommend to everyone.