Central Otago and Queenstown Landscape Photography

Central Otago & Queenstown Landscape Photography

Falling in love with the Central Otago and Queenstown region is a common reaction to the beauty of this area.
With stunning Lake Wanaka and Lake Wakatipu surrounded by mountains and the Southern Alps, and far flung New Zealand landscape photography locations of Mount Aspiring National Park, the Haast Pass and the Crown Range; this area is something to be cherished.

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Glenorchy Jetty at the pier end looking north towards the South Alps on the brilliantly fine early morning with a calm mirror like Lake Wakatipu in the foreground.

GLENORCHY JETTY Lake Wakatipu Sunrise.

Golden morning colours bathing a Lone Cypress Tree with a long gravel road and fence line creating a viewing line to the tree and mountainous ranges in the distance. St Bathans Otago New Zealand.

SUMMER DRY Saint Bathans.

An old rustic corrugated iron hut in the Maniototo Central Otago Hills.

CORRUGATED RETREAT Maniototo.

Beautiful shafts of light casts across the valley below Coronet Peak as the sun begins to set.

CORONET ROAD SUNDOWN.

Wanaka Tree in calm dawn light surrounded by a very calm Lake Wanaka.

ICONIC Wanaka Tree Dawn Light.

Rustic Pioneer Hut with plaster covered chimney on the golden Maniototo Plains.

PIONEER'S HUT Maniototo.

Sun setting behind Walter Peak Station Lake Wakatipu New Zealand.

WALTER PEAK SUNSET.

Wanaka Tree in early morning light with Southern Alps as a backdrop.

ALONE Wanaka Tree Dawn.

Stunning dawn with pink cloud above the barren and golden landscape of Kopuwai (Old Man Range).

BARREN DAWN Kopuwai (Old Man Range).

Old piers of a dilapidated jetty with Southern Alps in the background. This is part of the now defunct Meiklejohns Bay Jetty Lake Wakatipu New Zealand.

MYSTERIOUS Meiklejohns Bay Jetty Lake Wakatipu Sunrise.

Golden first light striking a monolithic rock on Kopuwai Central Otago.

LIGHTSTRIKE Kopuwai Dawn.

BECKONING Spring Snow Lewis Pass

Blue Pools on Blue River with a gorgeous blue colours before the water enters the Makarora River.

BLUE POOLS Blue River Haast Pass.

Small jetty in foreground pointing at the perfectly calm waters that are Blue Lake St Bathans New Zealand.

PERFECTION St. Bathans Blue Lake.

RAILSHED Glenorchy Sunrise.

Dawn sunstar bursting over the horizon amongst rocks on Kopuwai Central Otago.

MORNING SUNBURST Kopuwai.

Autumn colours down a straight road in Cromwell New Zealand.

AUTUMN TONES Cromwell.

BENNETS BLUFF VIEW Lake Wakatipu.

BLUE LAKE JETTY Saint Bathans.

St Bathans Lake with rolling hills in the distance.

BLUE LAKE Saint Bathans.

Sunrise at Glenorchy with golden colours of the distant mountains.

JETTY VIEW Glenorchy Sunrise.

A straight ahead view of the old piers of a dilapidated jetty with Southern Alps in the background. This is part of the now defunct Meiklejohns Bay Jetty Lake Wakatipu New Zealand.

JAGGED MEIKLEJOHNS BAY Lake Wakatipu.

Sister Trees in a row in Lake Wakatipu at Glenorchy.

HARMONY Glenorchy Sister Trees Lake Wakatipu Sunrise.

Rustic stone building on Speargrass Flat Arrowtown.

RUSTICE STONE BUILDING Speargrass Flats Arrowtown.

Wanaka Tree with a broad view across Lake Wanaka to the Southern Alps at Dawn.

SERENE Wanaka Tree and Southern Alps Dawn

GOLDEN MORNING St. Bathans Backcountry.

Golden hills with an old bridge over a rural stream near St Bathans New Zealand.

RUSTIC BRIDGE St. Bathans Backcountry

Old gold sluicing forms that look like a giant sharks tooth reflecting in the perfectly calm waters of Blue Lake St Bathans New Zealand.

SHARK TOOTH Blue Lake St. Bathans.

Rustic wooden hut at the Speargrass Rd reserve near Arrowtown.

RUSTICE TIMBER BUILDING Speargrass Flats Arrowtown.

Early golden light shining across a monolithic rock in the foreground with snow covered ranges in the distance on Kopuwai Central Otago.

KOPUWAI FIRSTLIGHT.

Rising sunstar at dawn peaking around the rocks on top of the Kopuwai Range Central Otago.

CRACK OF DAWN Kopuwai.

Lone rustic cottage on the Maniototo Plains Central Otago.

SHEPHERD'S REST Maniototo.

Rough dirt road across the top of Kopuwai Central Otago as it heads towards to Obelisk near the cell communication tower in the far distance.

OBELISK ROAD Kopuwai.

Early morning sunstar around the Obelisk on Kopuwai Central Otago.

OBELISK SUNSTAR Kopuwai.

Beautiful blue colours of
Blue River as it discharges towards Blue Pools in Haast Pass New Zealand.

BLUE BEAUTY Blue River Haast Pass.

19th century wooden but used as a Police Hut during the gold rush era in Arrowtown, New Zealand.

ARROWTOWN POLICE HUT.

Light shafts casting across the valley below Coronet Peak at sundown with The Remarkables in the distance also lit up with late afternoon light.

REMARKABLES SUNDOWN.

Bush covered mountainsides with beautiful drifting mist amongst the bush.

FOREST EMBRACE Haast Pass

Some Detail about Central Otago & Queenstown Landscape Photography

The iconic Wanaka Tree, photographed by thousands, while a stunning feature at sunrise and sunset is not the only magic that this region has to offer. It certainly is beautiful and is a sign that points to other New Zealand Landscape Photography gems in this region.
The alternative landscape photography locations are simply endless - mountain and lake views from Lake Wanaka and Glendhu Bay at sunrise and sunset, The Rob Roy glacier walk at the head of Lake Wanaka plus the Blue Pools in the same area, the drive to Glenorchy with views from Bob's Cove and Bennetts Bluff viewpoint, sunrise from the jetty at Glenorchy and the sister trees nearby, Moke Lake for the energetic, the Remarkables Mountain Range at sunset, Lake Hayes, and the iconic Arrowtown especially under the magic of autumn colours and more. Travel through to Alexandra and a whole new tapestry of landscape photography opportunities open up with lake reflection views at the upper and lower Manorburn lakes, vineyard vistas with mountain backdrops and backcountry trails that wind their way back towards Omarama and the Lindis Pass.
And amongst all of this the sensational Saint Bathans' Blue Lake and historic village - Saint Bathans is a former gold and coal mining town in Central Otago. The settlement was a centre of the Otago gold rush, but mining ceased long ago. It is now largely a holiday retreat due to the preservation of many of its historic buildings. Saint Bathans is well known for Blue Lake, a small man-made lake created by gold-sluicing that transformed the 120-metre high Kildare Hill into a 168-metre deep pit. On a calm day the reflections are gorgeous. Then if you drive out of town and down Saint Bathans Downs Road fantastic country road landscape photography locations can be found.
I hope the images in this section will wet your appetite to visit this region - it is a region in New Zealand that you should not miss.

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Visit my Online Print Store or contact me to make purchasing inquiries. All prices are In NZ dollars