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3 Day Private Photography Tour from Queenstown – The Maniototo
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Free cancellation
Up to 7 days in advance. Learn More
3 Days
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Overview
The name Maniototo, derived from M?ori, is said to mean `plains of blood’ and refers to the `flowing’ red tussocks that cover the land.
This region inspires Graeme Sydney, painter of some of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes. Home to tiny towns and locations that once swarmed with settlers, toiling to win riches from this sparse, rugged and graphic landscape.
Imposing mountain ranges edge the wide splendour of the Maniototo Plain. Candid skies of brilliant blue dance across the land. A tantalising magenta sunset slides behind flinty, tussock-clad ranges when evening falls.
Humble farming settlements are dotted thinly across the plain, huddled on long, straight roads that never end. Isolated they may be, but these are involved, connected communities where people look out for each other.
Steeped in nature’s rhythms, locals share an enduring bond with this place. The sweeping silent spaces, the contrasting hues of seasonal changes & the expansive beauty of starry black nights.
What's Included
- Photography editing workshop with professional photographer guide
- Transport during the tour
- Queenstown/Wanaka pickup
- Free loan of tripod
- Bottled Water, Tea, Coffee, Biscuits
- One to one tuition with professional photographer guide
- 2 cooked breakfasts
- Meals unless specified (Opportunity provided to buy lunch and dinner)
- Camera (Nikon D5100, available to rent) - $25/day
Meeting And Pickup
Meeting point
We will let you know prior to the tour where to meet.
Start time
08:00 AM
End Point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Queenstown to Ranfurly
1 Stop
Kawarau River
Embark on an eastward journey from Queenstown, tracing the rugged Kawarau and Cromwell Gorges—the very paths once tread by gold miners who pioneered The Southern Lakes and Central Otago. Along the way, we pause in historic Cromwell and Clyde, towns steeped in pioneer heritage. Our route leads us into the Maniatoto, a sparsely populated high country characterized by tussock-covered hills and craggy, rock-studded ranges—a landscape that vividly recalls the struggles of early settlers. Notable stops include Ophir, with its iconic wooden suspension bridge, and St Bathans, where a cyan-colored lake stands as a legacy of industrial mining in the late 1800s. The Vulcan Hotel, still operational, graces the bustling high street. We end the day in Ranfurly, the central town in the region, known for its art deco architecture. This will be our base for the next 2 nights.
24 Hours • Admission Ticket Free
Accommodations : Overnight at Hawkdun Lodge, complete with breakfast
Falls Dam, Ida Valley, Hayes Engineering Works & Homestead, Poolburn Dam
4 Stops
Falls Dam
Discover old fisherman’s huts against the backdrop of the Hawkdun range—a snow-and-ice-clad wall that frames the Maniatoto landscape during winter. Choose to spend as much time as you need.
2 Hours • Admission Ticket Free
Experience vast sheep farms under expansive skies, stretching toward tor-covered ranges. Choose to spend as much time as you need.
2 Hours • Admission Ticket Free
Hayes Engineering Works & Homestead
Step into a fully operational early 20th-century engineering workshop and a 1920s villa. Here, innovative pioneers Hannah and Ernest Hayes once raised their family. Explore the chilly workshop filled with lathes, drills, and pulleys—where Ernest Hayes crafted useful farm devices, including his renowned fencing wire strainer. Choose to spend as much time as you need.
2 Hours • Admission Ticket Included
Famously featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this otherworldly high country reservoir nestles among hills adorned with rocky crags. Its shores host a collection of Kiwi fishing bachs, often charmingly dilapidated. Choose to spend as much time as you need.
2 Hours • Admission Ticket Free
Accommodations : Overnight at Hawkdun Lodge, complete with breakfast
Ranfurly to Queenstown
2 Stops
Capture the stunning morning and evening skies against the backdrop of snow-covered mountains and endless valleys. Explore towns with evocative names like Drybread, Becks, Cambrians, Ophir, Omakau, Oterahua, St Bathans, Wedderburn, Moa Creek, and Lauder. Our return journey to Queenstown includes a side trip to The Nevis Valley, situated 1000 meters above Cromwell—the highest public road in New Zealand. From Duffers Saddle, the highest point, take in spectacular vistas: snow-capped Remarkables in one direction, the meandering Nevis River valley in another, and views across to Cromwell and Lake Dunstan.
4 Hours • Admission Ticket Free
Goldfields Mining Centre
En route, explore the hidden remains of a gold mining village dating back to the 1800s. Our final stop, the Goldfields Mining Centre, allows us to delve into the original Chinese miners’ village, wander through gold sluicings, and marvel at the machinery that once extracted gold from the landscape.
4 Hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Operated by Remarkable Imagery Photography Tours
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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