New Zealand 7 — Ruakuri Glow Worms Cave

Waitomo Caves is just an hour south of Hobbiton. Three caves make up the Waitomo caves network, and Ruakuri Cave is the only one where photography is allowed. These caves are famous for their abundance of glow worms, stunning stalactite and stalagmite formations and an underground river. Each cave has its unique features. In Waitomo […]

New Zealand 6 — Hobbiton and Te Papa Museum

Whenever we hear New Zealand, certain images, including sheep, wine, and Middle Earth (since the release of movies ‘The Hobbit’ and “The Lord of the Rings”) automatically come to mind. We are fans of the Hobbit movies, so we went to Middle Earth to see where Bilbo, Gandalf, and Gollum lived on the Hobbiton movie […]

New Zealand 5 – Christchurch 2 & Beyond

Our last supper in Christchurch was at Astro Lounge, a vintage beer garden, which was a 5-minute walk from our hotel in pouring rain. The poster (lower-right) is from one of Burt’s favorite Sci-Fi characters (Dr. Who). It rained most of the time we were in New Zealand, even though we were starting summer. The […]

New Zealand 4 – Christchurch 1 & Surroundings

We had the pleasure of exploring Akaroa, just outside of Christchurch, with our friends, Faye and Ian. We visited some of their favorite bars, enjoyed Blue Cod Fish and Chips, art galleries and another delightful place, The Giant’s House (above), an art gallery and garden filled with whimsical mosaic sculptures created by artist Josie Martin, […]

New Zealand 3 – Landscape Photo Tour 3

Glen Howey, our local guide, kept bringing us to new photogenic places in rapid succession. One late afternoon he brought us to the Glenorchy jetty on Lake Wakatipu and suggested it would be a good location for dramatic images. I was skeptical at first, and captured a standard photograph of the pier (lower-left) in late […]

New Zealand 2 – Landscape Photo Tour 2

Sunrise on Aoraki/Mount Cook, which is home of the highest mountains and longest glaciers in the Southern Hemisphere. It is an impressive landmark in the Southern Alps at 12,218 feet. The mountain was formed by the collision of tetonic plates that uplifted to form the Alps. Aoraki is the Mäori name for Mount Cook, meaning […]

New Zealand 1 – Landscape Photo Tour 1

New Zealand is photographically best known for its stunning landscapes. Many of the best locations are well off the beaten track though, and difficult to find when traveling solo. We therefore decided to include one more organized photo tour to finish 2023, and to introduce us to the grander landscape scenes in New Zealand. Our […]

Australia 2 – Melbourne 2

As part of our 3-hour long walking tour of Melbourne, we were introduced to the story of Chloe (right bottom). Chloé was painted in 1875 by a French painter, and was displayed at the National Gallery of Victoria. Chloé grew controversial when the painting started being exhibited on Sundays, when a local minister condemned it. […]

Australia 1 – Melbourne 1

Whenever we travel to a new city, we love going on walking tours. We love discovering the off-the-beaten-track places that only a local will know. We signed up for a fun 3-hour walking tour with Depot Adventures in Melbourne. We explored the cafe scene for coffee, hidden speak-easy bars, Aussie chocolates, art galleries, museums, great […]

Tasmania 2 – Hobart

Tasmania is widely known for its clean air, unique wildlife, stunning scenery and a rich history of slavery. They also drive on the wrong side of the road, so coming from America, it can be a terrifying experience, when we drove from Launceston to Bichena to Hobart. We never overcame turning on our windshield wipers […]

Photo Galleries

At the top of this page is a menu that will take you to a variety of galleries showing our favorite images.