-
RECENT BLOG POSTS
BLOG POST CATEGORIES
BLOG ARCHIVES
Join us on an incredible journey through the majestic South Island of New Zealand in pursuit of the most beautiful spots for Autumn foliage! Located in the vast, South Pacific Ocean this land is exceptionally unique and was the setting for filming the popular ‘Lord of the Rings ‘ movie trilogy. Over the centuries New Zealand has been exposed to every type of weather pattern imaginable and thanks to its seclusion, a natural and scenic wonderland has formed. New Zealand boasts 14 National Parks in all, four located on the North Island, one on Rakiura/Stewart Island and the remaining nine are on the South Island. Each different park offers its own unique beauty; snowy mountains and glaciers; valleys filled with pristine, wild rivers and streams; prehistoric lakes, bogs and swamps; fiords and waterfalls; wild and remote coastal scenes; limestone formations and blowholes; palms trees; lagoons; dense, lush, green rainforests; alpine meadows and so much more. New Zealand is home to some of the most diverse, wild and colourful landscapes on the planet. For this reason, it is a once in a lifetime dream destination for many. The South Island in particular is a paradise for any photographer, offering a remarkable diversity on such a small geographic land mass that is unparalleled anywhere in the world. Photographers of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals will benefit from our tour. Beginners should have a good working knowledge of their camera system to benefit the most from this tour. Professionals will benefit from this tour since we take care of all the logistics and bring them directly to the best locations so they can concentrate on shooting, rather than scouting. All these breathtaking regions and settings await participants of our premiere photographic tour of New Zealand’s South Island!
* In order to provide participants with the best photographic opportunities the itinerary is subject to change based on weather, lighting and other variables.
DAY 1: April 19th, 2026 – ARRIVE IN QUEENSTOWN
First evening welcome dinner and orientation. Introductions and itinerary – official start of the tour, stay overnight in Queenstown.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 2: April 20th, 2026 – QUEENSTOWN/TWIZEL
Depart Queenstown after sunrise at the waterfront and breakfast for Mackenzie Country, traveling via Cromwell/Lake Dunstan and Lindis Pass arriving in the early afternoon to explore the Mackenzie area and over to Lake Alexandrina/Tekapo for sunset.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆Hotel
DAY 3: April 21st, 2026 – TWIZEL
Sunrise at one of the lakes around Twizel, before heading into Mt Cook for the afternoon/evening, with sunset at Tasman Lake.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆Hotel
DAY 4: April 22nd, 2026 – TWIZEL
Sunrise at one of the lakes around Twizel or Lake Ohau, spend the day exploring autumn scenes around Twizel – Ohau C, Old Iron Bridge, Red Shed, Canals, Twizel Jetty, Lake Ruataniwha.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 5: April 23rd, 2026 – TWIZEL/QUEENSTOWN
Sunrise around Twizel and travel back to Queenstown via the Clay Cliffs or Ahuriri Valley either over the Crown Range Road or via Cromwell/Lake Dunstan/Kawerau Gorge. Shoot sunset at Moke Lake or along the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 6: April 24th, 2026 – QUEENSTOWN
Sunrise in the beautiful Glenorchy area with time to explore into the valleys of Paradise and the Routeburn forest during the day finishing with sunset at Moke Lake. Option to shoot sunrise or sunset at Lake Wanaka instead.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 7: April 25th, 2026 – QUEENSTOWN
Sunrise flight over Mount Aspiring and then spend the day exploring the wider Central Otago area around Alexandra, Poolburn.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 8: April 25th, 2026 – QUEENSTOWN/TE ANAU
Sunrise in the beautiful Arrowtown historical area and explore the back roads around Speargrass Flat, Coronet Peak before traveling south to Te Anau.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 9: April 27th, 2026 – TE ANAU
Explore lake, river and waterfall views along the Milford Sound road during the day, staying to experience the sunset over Mitre Peak, returning to Te Anau after dark.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 10: April 28th, 2026 – TE ANAU
Full day excursion on Doubtful Sound from 10am via boat over Lake Manapouri, bus over Wilmot Pass and boat along Doubtful Sound out to the Tasman Sea and exploring the arms of the Sound. Sunset likely to be at Lake Manapouri after returning from the trip.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Minimum ☆☆☆☆ Hotel
DAY 11: April 29th, 2026 – TE ANAU/QUEENSTOWN
On our final morning, we’ll shoot sunrise at the Te Anau or Lake Manapouri foreshore before returning to Queenstown for afternoon flight departures.. The tour officially concludes back in Queenstown at 1:00pm on April 29th. Stay overnight in Queenstown or transfer to the Queenstown Airport with a new group of friends, wonderful experiences and memory cards loaded full of image files to remember it all by. Upon arrival at the airport you will check in for your outbound flight home or continue on to the next destination. Bon Voyage!
This cancellation policy protects our business losses and as such is strictly adhered to. Exceptions will not be made. We strongly encourage participants to purchase travelers insurance through an agency like Global Rescue so that you’ll have coverage should you unexpectedly need to cancel your trip. At his discretion, Nathaniel may lead the tour even if it does not meet the minimum number of participants required.
1). Cancel more than one year prior to the original tour start date:
Full refund, minus any initial deposit and all PayPal transaction fees. Refunds will be paid via PayPal and processed within 72 hours of the request being approved.
2). Cancel less than one year prior to the original tour start date:
A refund will only be issued if the tour is sold out and your vacated spot filled by another participant signing up. This refund would exclude your initial deposit, single supplement payments and any PayPal transaction fees.
* Should you fail to complete the payments as scheduled for this tour you will forfeit your deposit, all payments and your spot on this tour.
** You’ll be promptly notified and provided a full refund (including your deposit) should the tour be canceled by Nature Odyssey Worldwide Tours.
• Participants must arrive in Queenstown, New Zealand prior to 5:00pm on April 19th, 2026!
• We strongly encourage participants to purchase travelers insurance through an agency like Global Rescue so that you’ll have coverage should you unexpectedly need to cancel your trip.
• Traveling in remote locations can present challenges that may require slight changes to the itinerary. We will always try to run the tour as the initial itinerary. In the event, beyond our control, such as political unrest, natural disasters, over bookings by the lodge, where a change is required, we will do our best to keep you close to the original shooting location. It is our intention for you to have the best possible experience. We will try to notify you of any changes as soon as we are made aware of them. If, however these changes cause an increase to the price, the increase will be passed on to the participant.
Only 1 Spot! (Maximum 8 Participants)
* A late fee of $250 may be added to the balance for any payments not received by the due date.
Fill Out Registration Form (Required To Secure Booking)
Fill Out Flight Itinerary Form (Due 60 Days Prior To Tour)