New Zealand in June

[nik.hisham]

Hi all,

I'll be going on a 2 week excursion to New Zealand next year - and of course I'll be bringing my camera with me :)

Arriving there on May 30th. Will it be too late to capture autumn colors by then?

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thank you.
Nik.

[Moppie]

Yes, you will have missed the best of them by a couple of weeks.

However 90% of the trees are evergreens, so your not actually missing much by coming May. :)

[nik.hisham]

Yes, you will have missed the best of them by a couple of weeks.

However 90% of the trees are evergreens, so your not actually missing much by coming May. :)

Hmmm... would arriving there in mid March (say Mar 13) be too early?

I'm limited by the school holidays. My kids only have their school holidays either starting March 13 or May 30. We live in a tropical climate (Malaysia) and autumn colors are non-existent. So seeing the cool reds, yellows and orange on the trees is an attraction itself...

[Moppie]

If your after Autumn colours then you really need to go to the South Island and have a look around the East Coast farms.

Otherwise it is a bit of a non-event here.
April is the month that it really happens though. Your going to miss it that early in March, or late in May.

[nik.hisham]

If your after Autumn colours then you really need to go to the South Island and have a look around the East Coast farms.

Otherwise it is a bit of a non-event here.
April is the month that it really happens though. Your going to miss it that early in March, or late in May.

Oh well, looks like either way, I'll miss out. Will have to just decide then. But for sure, we will be spending a week on the South Island. Thanks for the help.

[empire88]

New Zealand is a BEAUTIFUL place, all year round.

I was there for a week last march, and I loved it more than any other place in the world I'd been to.

[nik.hisham]

New Zealand is a BEAUTIFUL place, all year round.

I was there for a week last march, and I loved it more than any other place in the world I'd been to.

I'll agree that its a beautiful place. Seeing pictures of friends who've been there, I'm really looking forward to going there myself for my own pics. In fact, I'm even thinking of picking up a Tokina 11-16 to make sure I don't miss any of the scenic landscapes! I also hear a lot of people say that New Zealanders are the friendliest people. Can't wait to get there..

[S-S]

there should be some autum colour left at end of may - this year i was shooting TONS of autumn colour (trees & toadstools) mid-may (15th actually) and the trees didnt go bare for quite some time after that

[dgcorner]

May isn't too late... though it does depend on where you are goin to be. As Moppie mentions, most of the trees are evergreens... and then we don't have enough type of trees to give you those nice rich reddish, brownish yellowish colours...

Drop by (search) the GKPE (Great Kiwi Photo/POTN Expedition) thread closer to to when you are coming. I am sure that there will be at least one or two of us who can take you around Auckland if you want...

[empire88]

I'll agree that its a beautiful place. Seeing pictures of friends who've been there, I'm really looking forward to going there myself for my own pics. In fact, I'm even thinking of picking up a Tokina 11-16 to make sure I don't miss any of the scenic landscapes! I also hear a lot of people say that New Zealanders are the friendliest people. Can't wait to get there..
Oh, they're definitely nice as hell, and VERY laid back. The rental car we picked up was dropped off by a guy in sandals, a t-shirt, and some jean shorts.

[Wilt]

Since you can't get there in the peak of autumn color, here is something to provide a bit of what you'd miss. Put your nose quite close to the monitor as you look at these, to recreate the perspective

...taken in late April, in Wanaka, South Is. of N

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i63/wiltonw/IMG_1972s.jpg



driving between Wanaka toward Mt. Cook, South Island of NZ

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i63/wiltonw/IMG_1973s.jpg

[BrendanT]

In all honesty, I have lived and travelled around NZ heaps in the last 6 years.....you're not gonna miss anything no matter what time of year you come. It's so incredibly beautifully diverse I hope you bring a pillow for the bottom of your jaw....cos it's gunna be dropping a lot. ;-)

[nik.hisham]

Since you can't get there in the peak of autumn color, here is something to provide a bit of what you'd miss. Put your nose quite close to the monitor as you look at these, to recreate the perspective


lol... now I have to wipe the smudges off of my display .... and thank you for making my wait more agonizing.

Nice pics, btw. Hope some of it is still there when I arrive.

On another note, how's the weather there in early June? Is it always cloudy or sunny? Do you get lots of Rain? I'm just wondering if I'll be able to make do with my 55-250. OR, if I should pick up (rent or buy) a 70-200 2.8 IS just for this trip, in case its always overcast. I'm almost hoping for the latter as I'll have a pretty good excuse to get that lens. My only other worry is lugging the thing around all day..

Cheers!