New Zealand

New Zealand is an island nation located more than 2,000 kilometres southeast of Australia, at the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. This unique geological setting has created an extraordinary diversity of landscapes, including volcanoes, mountain ranges, glaciers, ancient forests, glacial lakes and rugged coastlines. Its isolation over tens of millions of years has also allowed a unique flora and fauna to evolve, with many species found nowhere else on Earth.

The photographs in this category were taken across both of the country’s main islands, exploring some of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes. Dominated by Aoraki / Mount Cook, the nation’s highest peak, the Tasman Glacier stands as a reminder of the powerful ice ages that shaped the Southern Alps. At its foot, the striking turquoise waters of Lake Pukaki owe their colour to fine glacial rock flour carried by meltwater. Further north, the majestic kauri trees, among the largest and oldest trees on Earth, bear witness to New Zealand’s unique ancient forests and exceptional natural heritage.

2010, Birds, New Zealand Selection

The Nestor Kea, the rebellious intelligence of New Zealand’s mountains

Portrait of a Kea, New Zealand

The Kea, the Rebel Intelligence of the Alps.

Behind this sharp gaze and olive-tinted plumage hides one of the most intelligent birds on the planet: the Kea.

Living exclusively in the mountainous regions of New Zealand’s South Island, this alpine parrot has an exceptional lifespan of up to 40 years. This longevity allows for an extended learning period, essential for developing its complex problem-solving skills. However, this intelligence comes with a trait well-known to travelers: an immoderate love for rubber. Door seals, windshield wipers, or hiking gear—nothing resists its powerful beak. This specimen, captured under a light drizzle, made its mark by nibbling on my tripod handle, leaving an indelible beak print—a wild “autograph” that I still cherish today as a reminder of a meeting as mischievous as it was memorable.

2010, New Zealand Paper, Paper

New Zealand: Tasman Glacier and Pukaki lake

Tasman Glacier, the largest of New Zealand, offers to its visitors a beautiful sight. Ice blocks collaps from its southern face, and remain afloat in a dark gray lake. While walking around the lake, these icebergs give us an image of a polar excursion.

The visit will continue up to the Pukaki lake, an attractive place of this glacier valley due to the turquoise color of the water.

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2010, New Zealand Paper, Paper

New Zealand: Color palette

New Zealand offers to its visitors varied and colorful landscapes. The pure white glaciers rubs turquoise blue or emerald green mountain lakes. An intense geothermal activity that reveals from soil gray mud pools, or sulfured water springs they brings small particles that colors the ground to yellow…

The pictures in this series, issued from a grandiose landscape or a small detail of a curious source, are, therefore, also rich in color.

Continue reading“New Zealand: Color palette”

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