If like me you are itching to get out & about, sit back & I hope this helps, I present to you #BitsOfNewZealand a thread

c/- @NikonUSA gear & my long suffering family across @PureNewZealand @PaulPhotographe

Kia Ora Aotearoa NZ #NZLockdown

Lets start Mt Victoria / Tangi Te Keo

The majority if images will be around the Te Wai Pounamu the South Island

The Maruia Falls are a sight to behold, created following the 1929 Murchison earthquake. The whole Murchison area is a Mecca for whitewater rafting and of course tramping @NZGeographic #BitsOfNewZealand

I still LOVE the trip I had with @OtagoLad and Ian many years ago now. Seminal trip for me with two of the most amazing photographers. I learnt so much that weekend.

Sunrise over the @Maniototo_NZ's Rough & Raggedy towards the Dunsan Mountains @CentralOtago #BitsOfNewZealand

I certainly developed a love for the panoramic format back then, and it carries on through to today.

My spiritual home is the mighty Mackenzie in Canterbry @Christchurch_NZ

Over two trips recently I captured Ben Ohau at sunset across the whispering tussocks. #BitsOfNewZealand

In face the 1st place I'm going to visit post- #NZLockdown will be the mighty Mackenzie Country in @Christchurch_NZ

#BitsOfNewZealand

The frozen waters of the Ahuriri Valley, the tussocks, the mountains - get me there asap

And one of the best ways to get from @LoveDunedin to the Mackenzie, is via the breathtaking Dansey's Pass.

Normally only an hour or so drive, last Sept on my own, took 6hrs just to get to the summit.

#BitsOfNewZealand

The rewards at the top of Dansey's Pass between Otago & Canterbury are phenomenal. Still don't know if I prefer summer or winter, or spring or autumn

#BitsOfNewZealand

Some of my #BitsOfNewZealand are taken from the wonderful @FlyAirNZ #AirNZShareMe. Being the old geography teacher, I can't resist annotating my trips, so you know what you're looking at.

Some might remember our trip to Waitangi for the week recently, celebrating the wonder that is our nation's birth place. How awful I had to fly over #BitsOfNewZealand with @FlyAirNZ #AirNZShareMe #SouthIsland

#BitsOfNewZealand with @FlyAirNZ #AirNZShareMe #NorthIsland

And of course when in the Far North, I had the time of my life exploring #BitsOfNewZealand that I can't wait to get back to asap. What a treat @Northland_NZ is.

Fair to say my family loved it as much as I did. Can you believe this is #BitsOfNewZealand the breathtaking Te Paki Sand Dunes just south of Cape Reinga are simply out of this world.

The focus of our all too brief trip up north though was to soak up the wondrous joy celebrating our national Day #WaitangiDay #BitsOfNewZealand

What a truly special place, I hope you can all get up north for Waitangi & immerse yourself in the celebration of our national day. #BitsOfNewZealand

So much joy & pride in Māori identity & nationhood.

If you can, 3,4,5, are the days to be at #Waitangi though.

The joint @NZDefenceForce celebrations there this year were unique & filled with emotion honouring the sacrifice of the Māori Battalion in WWII #BitsOfNewZealand

I do wish there was a way you could all get to #Waitangi a very precious #BitsOfNewZealand

Changing tack & back in @LoveDunedin when there's a fog you have to make the most of it.

Added bonus, my mothers side of the family came from Scotland (Borders region) in the late 1860s to the Burnside area where these were taken this year

#BitsOfNewZealand #DunnerStunner

It's easy to point the camera all over @LoveDunedin that's for sure, but it's also a place with the most amazing scenery all within the city boundaries. Water & night sky an easy theme

#BitsOfNewZealand

I have the patience but not the gear for wildlife photography, but @LoveDunedin @NZGeo @PureNewZealand has it all

#BitsOfNewZealand @NikonUSA

Continuing my love letter to Aotearoa New Zealand #BitsOfNewZealand

The observant of you will know my love for the night sky & Aurora Australis

Aurora Australis could be a thread of #BitsOfNewZealand all on it's own. But the night sky is something to behold across NZ. #BitsOfNewZealand

A wee dive into the history books will explain some of the love of Aotearoa NZ I have

#BitsOfNewZealand

My best mates & flatmates at Uni were fanatical about climbing all over the Southern Alps.

These were formative years for me. My best mate Blair had the most insanely funny & talented father, Warren Jacobs. His photography played a huge part of my work.

#BitsOfNewZealand Climbing Mt Rolleston in Arthurs Pass & Ailsa Pass on the Liebig Range looking back on Aoraki

Which brings me back to Aoraki Mt Cook in the mighty Mackenzie Country. I hope I can pass on my passion for this country to my boys

#BitsOfNewZealand

that landscape though #Mackenzie Canterbury @Christchurch_NZ #BitsOfNewZealand

ok where was I?

The mighty mighty Mackenzie Country. Bury me in a cardboard box under a tussock up the back of Lake Tekapo (Cass Valley) and call me a lucky guy

#BitsOfNewZealand

Or @CentralOtago_NZ & the @PureQueenstown @lakewanaka_nz #BitsOfNewZealand

Yip, I'm a Mainlander through & through

Right folks, off for my midnight #PaulsWalk on Otago Peninsula, continue this tomorrow.

So here's some Otago Peninsula @Lovedunedin at night

#BitsOfNewZealand

Take care all, be safe, and think of the rewards we will have when we are out of #Lockdown #NZLockdown #COVID19nz

Some more #BitsOfNewZealand I miss

@CentralOtago @PureNewZealand

And of course my old home @Christchurch_NZ #BitsOfNewZealand

and more @CentralOtago & #BitsOfNewZealand @PureQueenstown

Not going to exclude the North Island of course, having lived most of the 90s in Wgtn.

The Kāpiti coast a particular fav for #BitsOfNewZealand, from where you can see the South Island ;-)

And the South Coast of Wellington is another wonderful #BitsOfNewZealand

Shame about the full moon, was a cracking evening watching one of the plague cruise ships leaving Wgtn for Akaroa

and of course a trip over the Rimutaka mountain to the wonderful Wairarapa wine country is a must

#BitsOfNewZealand

As they say, you can't beat Wellington on a good day, eh @JohnJCampbell #BitsOfNewZealand

Back down south & the Lindis Pass (971m) between Central Otago & the mighty Mackenzie country in the middle of the South Island, Aotearoa, is a favourite for photographers & painters alike.

This #BitsOfNewZealand is the highest pass in the South.

Lends itself to night pics too

Some #BitsOfNewZealand you'd probably not expect.

I love urban settings that are somewhat forgotten, or suggestion of absent humans.

Lincoln University

And #BitsOfNewZealand that are a thing of the past atm, Music Festivals

@Krafty_Kuts & @Chali2na, @JonToogood rocking Electric Avenue festival in ChCh

Earlier in the day @dubpistols UNLOADED on an unsuspecting gathering of Youf under a sweltering Christchurch late summer's sky.

Surprise guests @TheRaggaTwins

#BitsOfNewZealand

remember gatherings & people fun? ;-(

Do quite like this #BitsOfNewZealand #NZLockdown

2 views from the same lookout vantage point in the Tasman Valley

Looking up to Mt Cook Aoraki (NZ's highest peak 3,724 m) at sunset, & down the valley to the head of Lake Pukaki and the vast expanse of the Mackenzie in a storm #BitsOfNewZealand @Christchurch_NZ @PureNewZealand

It's just a cloud over the @Maniototo_NZ as I was heading to the spectacular Ida Valley & @CentralOtago_NZ

But I had to stop as it reminded me of a Tardigrades (water bear)

#BitsOfNewZealand

Wellington on a good day (evening), unbeatable.

#BitsOfNewZealand @Wellington_NZ

but on nights like tonight when that bloody wind is absent, the view directly across the road from our front gate isn't too bad either.

#BitsOfNewZealand #DunnerStunner #OtagoPeninsula @LoveDunedin @NikonUSA @NZGeographic @PureNewZealand

I printed this one out for my wife's 50th. Her dear old school friend and our ex-flatmate was in the @nzballet

There was something about this #BitsOfNewZealand as I was dropping the boys off on the school run, on a dismal Dunedin morning that just screamed out shoot me.

unapologetically more from Otago Peninsula @LoveDunedin

The light is never the same, and the vistas are breathtaking @PureNewZealand #BitsOfNewZealand

Don't leave home till you've seen the country #lockdownnz

Bonus @Space_Station #SpotTheStation

And of course the awe inspiring St Clair & St Kilda beaches

#BitsOfNewZealand

I LOVE the Strath Taieri hills leaving Outram / Mosgiel to @CentralOtago_NZ via Middlemarch

They're 20mins from downtown Dunedin, and they're NEVER boring. #BitsOfNewZealand

I don't do a lot of daytime time-lapse work (all Aurora or Astro time-lapse), but the NorWester over Middlemarch this day screamed out for a short video.

#BitsOfNewZealand

I do like the Black and White format too

#BitsOfNewZealand

Castle Hill, Canterbury
Company Bay, Dunedin
That Peninsula Tree, Dunedin
Buchannan Peaks, Wanaka

Canal, Twizel
Tomahawk Beach, Dunedin
Cathedral Cove, Coromandel
Te Mata Peak, Hawkes Bay

#BitsOfNewZealand

We did a #GreatNZRoadie a couple years back

Dunedin - Central Otago - West Coast - Wgtn - Central Plateau - Coromandel - East Cape - Kaikoura - ChCh - Dunedin

How awesome is the East Cape of Aotearoa

#BitsOfNewZealand can't wait to see NZ again

The Coromandel @PureNewZealand is one of my fav places in the world.

Hot Water beach (for those who don't know), at low tide, you dig into the sand & hot geothermal water seeps into you hole.

#BitsOfNewZealand

Of course @RotoruaNZ Rotovegas is unique & lovely.

Te Mata Peak, Hawkes Bay is magical (I don't get sick of saying that).

Napier in general is fun

You REALLY do need to use @interislander as many times as you can to get between the North & South Islands.

#BitsOfNewZealand

Sadly where the family is standing, the last time I was at Fox Glacier, they would have been under several hundred feet of glacial ice.

It's quite heartbreaking returning to our West Coast coastal glaciers

#BitsOfNewZealand @NZGeographic @PureNewZealand

I spend New Years Eve watching an Aurora in the southern sky from just outside @Christchurch_NZ at a spot on Te Waihora Lake Ellsemere accessed via Greenpark.

I made a portrait of my beloved Banks Peninsula, last light 2015, 1st light 2016

#BitsOfNewZealand

Ah Rotorua again

I guess I should share some of my night sky & Aurora images...

#BitsOfNewZealand

Airglow Birdlings Flat Te Mata Hapuku ChCh (light painting)
Papanui Inlet, Otago Peninsula
Flight from Aus landing at Dunedin Airport
Blackhead, Dunedin

Hoopers Inlet, Otago Peninsula
Smails Beach, Dunedin
Lee Stream, Outram
Smails Beach @LoveDunedin #BitsofNewZealand

Some of my #BitsOfNewZealand are unashamedly botanical

These two are up there with some of my fav images all time.

some more botanical #BitsOfNewZealand

couple more #BitsOfNewZealand

Even for me, this 180° panorama of Falls Dam near St Bathans in @CentralOtago_NZ, even for me is an extreme format.

Incidentally it's the 1st one of mine I printed & had framed.

Another #BitsOfNewZealand in wide format.

Panorama of the famous Tasman Valley, this time quite a while after sunset, hence all the purple & mauve hues are gone.

Aoraki Mt Cook looking majestic with the last of the sunlight on it.

(I still don't like the foreground)

And this #BitsofNewZealand just out of Kyeburn heading towards Ranfurly in @CentralOtago_NZ was well into the evening after the eldest had a football game in Queenstown.

The stars were out, but the high clouds were catching the last of the western light.

We've been close this past week, but hoping the traditional 1st snow of the year in #Dunedin isn't until May...

#Dunedin #FlagstaffTrack #BitsOfNewZealand #DunnerStunner @LoveDunedin

RIP the Hoopers Inlet boat shed, lost in a massive southerly storm a while back now (2018?)

Waiting for an Aurora that just didn't happen

#OtagoPeninsula #Dunedin #DunnerStunner #BitsOfNewZealand

(haven't even extended my bubble to here, although I probably could)

As much as I'm missing my beloved land, tussocks, streams, lakes & mountains, my boys are missing their football.

Mind you, they didn't enjoy football in #Dunedin this morning.

#BitsOfNewZealand @NZ_Football

boy do they miss football.

Always fun to try new techniques, even the cliche ones.

#BitsOfNewZealand Port Chalmers @LoveDunedin Tiny House version.

Remember Aotearoa we are in this together. We love you all & appreciate the hard work you are all doing.

One day soon we'll gather again to renew friendships.

#FlukeArt @ Te Tumu @otago #BitsOfNewZealand

#LockdownNZ

Right time for some more #BitsOfNewZealand c/- my camera.

Just to prove men on classic motorbikes aren't always complete tossers, here's me on an Aerial 1954 (I think) single cylinder on Banks Peninsula.

The lighthouse at Akaroa Heads looking due south & Lyttleton Harbour

And a view of my old hometown @Christchurch_NZ from Banks Peninsula, and Sugar Loaf TV facility #BitsOfNewZealand

Not all #BitsOfNewZealand that I point my camera at are exclusively landscapes or the night sky ;-)

Sadly, not all buildings are with us - bloody #ChCh #EQNZ

Some #BitsOfNewZealand buildings lend themselves to wonderful light & shadow

@AUTuni @AucklandUni

#BitsOfNewZealand I am a sucker for University Campuses @waikato

#BitsOfNewZealand @MasseyUni

My old town of Wgtn, where I'd take plated dinner up to my wife office while she was doing her PhD #BitsOfNewZealand @VicUniWgtn

I do love Welligton & can see myself back there again one day #BitsOfNewZealand

My old alma mater @UCNZ where I had some of the best tutors & professors I could have wished for.

#BitsOfNewZealand

Time for more #BitsOfNewZealand

Sunset over @Northland_NZ from #Waitangi week this year.

Bliss (and HOT). Somewhere near Te Kao

@NZGeographic @NikonUSA @PureNewZealand

About to head out & capture the last night of #LockdownNZ #Level3, fingers crossed I can get some Milky Way above @Lovedunedin #NZ

In the meantime, here's the galactic core, with developing Aurora air glow above Hoopers Inlet on @otagopeninsula #FromTheArchives

Hard to believe that this #BitOfNewZealand was the same location same night, camera pointed 30° further to the SW with a pulse of Aurora Australis action.

ONE HOUR EARLIER than the above photo!

#DunnerStunner @Lovedunedin @PureNewZealand @NZGeographic