#Kuirau Park has so many gorgeous thermal springs #Rotorua #photography #NewZealand #springs

I really liked this tree at #Hobbiton, particularly the way the branch came down like an elephant's tusk to seemingly cradle and display a small bower of snowdrops.

The laundry hamper at my friend's place judged me for dropping trou. 😂 #pareidolia #anthropomorphism

Went to the National Aquarium in #Napier to feed #kororā for my birthday. This is Captain (the '20 Penguin of the Year), wondering why I'm not making with the fish already. He ended up getting 5 sprat during this one of his three daily feelings. #NewZealand #photography🪶

Went out on a Black Cat cruise from #Akaroa again, and watched this one Hectors #dolphin jump into and and bounce off of the other 🤣 #photography #NewZealand #Aotearoa

I just liked the colors and the clarity of their reflections even if it wasn't the exact angle I wanted. These pigeons were hanging out on a pylon at the #Picton Ferry Terminal. #NewZealand #roadtrip #photography 🪶

An adorable at-risk #kākā enjoying a snack at a feeding station at #Zealandia. Females are especially vulnerable to introduced stoats when nesting, so males outnumber them 5:1. Introduced possums compete for nectar, restricting breeding conditions. #photography #NewZealand #conservation 🪶

Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Freshwater #eels at the Wop Wops. Such neat critters! #NZ #photography #roadtrip

Temple monkey at Uluwatu admiring himself between unsuccessful bouts of trying to rip the mirror and orange scarf off the motorcycle.

Excellent night to be an insomniac. Not bad for phone photos (camera was doing time lapses). The show is going to continue on and off all night - so go outside! #aurora #Wellington #photography

Excellent night to be an insomniac. Not bad for phone photos (camera was doing time lapses). The show is going to continue on and off all night - so go outside! #aurora #Wellington #photography

Female Chaffinch (Pahirini) in Curio Bay #photography #wildlife #curioBay #NewZealand 🪶

Fun with sun rays ahead of the storm moving in yesterday, before things got to rough in #WaitataReach and we had to turn back. #NewZealand #PelorusSound #MailBoat

Two years ago today, I hosted my last crawfish boil. Not on purpose, but Life happened before the ones I would have had in 2024, and I left the country before the first one I would have had this year. I'm lucky and grateful to have so many great (and delicious!) memories with wonderful people.

Autumn in Blenheim

Red-beaked and black-backed #gulls going after offal and trim tossed overboard by fishermen in #Akaroa at the end of their day. I think I'll always be able to hear these photos. 🤣 #photography #NewZealajd 🪶

This little autumny #mushroom really caught my eye on a walk in the #Catlins on the way to #CathedralCaves. #photography #NewZealand #fungi

Here are some dusky #dolphins playing in #Kaikoura 's South Bay. Couldn't pick one photo for today, so you get 4. #photography #wildlife #marinemammal #NewZealand #conservation 🐙

Sleepy #NewZealand fur #seals in #Kaikoura. #photography #wildlife #conservation #Waterdoggos🐙

#NewZealand fur #seal pup at the colony in #Kaikoura The side-eye game is STRONG. I was sad to hear several adults coughing (not in warning), and wondered how many dead pups is normal to see on a visit this time of year (I saw 6). Really want to learn more. #wildlife #photography #conservation 🦑

Forgot the hashtags to boost visibility. Again. 😒 #photography #NewZealand #Canterbury #Akaroa #wildlife #penguin #adorable🪶

I got to briefly meet Arwen and Aragorn, a pair of Little White Flippered #Penguins at the #Pohatu Conservation Trust in Flea Bay a couple days ago. 😍 Support important efforts (conservation, rehabilitation, reforestation, predator control, education, etc) at www.pohatu.co.nz/Trust/adopt-...

Something different from my usual photography subjects, because this spray of wild rose hips popping off the drab late autumn drying grass at the south end of #LakePukaki just really caught my eye. #photography #roses

Watch the pole on the other side of the gate. 🫨 😳 🎼🎵Slide to the left Slide to the right Let me hear you clap your hands 🎶

Some quick phone shots this afternoon. #Akaroa gives me very strong SF Bay Area-adjacent vibes in the best ways. With bonus FANTASTIC legit French bakery that makes the best croissant and baguette I've had since Paris.

That time I wore my No Face/Kaonashi cosplay to see @joehisaishi.bsky.social conduct the #SeattleSymphony playing the wonderful #StudioGhibli music he composed, and got to meet some of the brass players who were about to play a piece from one of the boxes after the intermission.

This is totally a bookmark. #sewing #costuming #fiberarts #crafts

Throw-Back Thursday to a trip of a lifetime with #Lindblad / #NatGeo to the #Galapagos. This SUPER curious juvenile blue-footed booby didn't see me as any threat; walked right up while I crouched to take pics of other birds, and I had to move when it tried to get into my lap! #conservation 🪶

The #sunrise this morning from the VERY comfy bed at #Skyscape near #Twizel was stunning, and made it even harder to leave this beautiful part of the world. My hosts' hospitality was wonderful, and I really enjoyed tramping up to the saddle and seeing the next valley. #NewZealand has a hold on me

That time you're on a photography jaunt in a foreign country and the new tripod you bought a week comes apart and dumps your camera and telephoto lens on the ground, damaging the body and lens mount to the point that you can no longer remove the lens from the body. Tears have been shed. 😩

From today, here's a silver eye/wax eye, or tauhou in Maori. Native, but not endemic. These little ones can often be found in small flocks as I saw on Rakiura and in Curio Bay, and this one was kind enough to hold still long enough for me to get a shot. #Aoraki #MtCook #NewZealand #Photography 🪶

Lake #Tekapo is gorgeous in the snow. I'm really loving the autumn foliage on the trees contrasting with the white and blues of a clear winter day. #NewZealand #landscape #photography

A quiet moment on the trail to #CathedralCaves. The feather popped out at me, the bright contrasting so beautifully with the shaded forest home of the original owner. #NewZealand has gifted me with so many amazing moments. Big & spectacular ones, quiet & lovely ones, and everything in between. 🪶

Three Hector's Dolphins (the only cetacean endemic to #NewZealand, and the smallest dolphin species in the world) play near a lucky surfer in Curio Bay. The Māori have several names for this marine mammal, mostly calling it tutumairekurai, meaning "ocean dweller." 🐬 #photography #wildlife #dolphin

Here's a juvenile South Island Saddleback (tīeke in Maori) snacking on Ulva Island a couple weeks ago. This bird nearly went extinct, (no) thanks to humans introducing rats to this paradise, and their recovery is a great success of conservation efforts. #Ulva #Rakiura #NewZealand #conservation 🪶

Decided to try my hand at some night sky photography here in Lake Tekapo. I liked the idea of the #MilkyWay pouring into the #MtJohnObservatory telescope door last night. #NewZealand continues to amaze, and the #AorakiMackenzieInternationalDarkSkyReserve (there's a mouthful) is gorgeous.

We love Bluesky don’t we?

Waterfalls, Cathedral Caves, and a tasty burger at Peake's Kitchen in Papatowai today.

2 photos of the moon reflecting off the Southern Ocean, 1 photo of Venus/Saturn/Mercury in pre-dawn light, and one photo of this morning's electric early dawn over Curio Bay. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the beauty here in New Zealand.

Spent hours at Curio Bay in the hopes of seeing penguins come in, to no avail. Amazing moonrise and pretty ISS pass, though. Came home and see/hear a rustle a meter from the path to my door, so I shone my light expecting a rat. SO much better. LITTLE BLUE PENGUINS!!!! 😍 🪶

Ocean Beach, #Rakiura last night, lit so well by the moon that we could see colors! We checked to make sure it was clear of sea lions before enjoying the view - until a trio came galloping up from the water. New respect for how fast their 20kph is, but fortunately all made it safely away.

I SAW KIWIS FIGHT! (thread) Got a ride back to the place I'm staying and was talking with the guy who drove me. Door was open to get out, when 2 big kiwis ran through the headlights, with the car on. I stayed still, and we watched to see if they would come back. 🪶 #Rakioura #tokoeka #kiwi

White-capped albatross yesterday and today, Halfmoon Bay, Rakiura, NZ 🪶

I can't believe this is my view for the next 2 nights. Really need to win the lotto so I can reserve a peaceful place like this to conserve native flora & fauna, and live in peace. If I'm really lucky, I'll get you see a kiwi bird or two while I'm here. #NewZealand #rakiura #MamukuPointConservation

$DoubtfulSound is incredible. Milford had drama and angst the day I went, but Doubtful feels old and more serene. If not for the sandflies, I'd love to spend a week or two camping out there. Unfortunately, I'm entirely too edible to the insects to give that a real try. #NewZealand #wild #nature

@NewZealand @Fiordlands are absolutely stunning, and I'm so glad I got to see @milfordsoundnz.bsky.social in the rain. Murrey with @LuxeTours took great care of us, sharing plenty of stories and making sure we had great photo ops before and after the boat.

Here's 33 seconds of birdsong and the view from the jetty on Lake Matheson this morning. Enjoy. #NewZealand #LakeMatheson #southernalps #birdsong 🪶

Managed to catch a fairly still moment between bouts of rain this morning at Lake Matheson. The peace and birdsong were a balm to my soul, and I wish I could have spent several hours basking in it. #photography #landscape #NewZealand #LakeMatheson

Today was a good day. I can't get over how beautiful it is here. #NewZealand #Punakaiki #pancakerocks #beach #rockyshore #TasmanSea

5th bobbin ever, first on a drop spindle. Taking me a while to find my rhythm, but that's coming. My consistency is getting a little better, and I'm getting more comfortable with drawing. Still have a long ways to go, but this makes me happy. #wool #spindle #spinning #NewZealand #fiber #fiberarts