Road trip to Queenstown | Queenstown Lifestyle Photographer

Hey, it’s been a while hasn’t it! I’ve spent the last few months settling into my new hometown and I’m finally finding my feet. How did I get here, and where have I been lately? This blog is less about photography and more a diary of my road trip from Auckland to Queenstown. I had lived my whole life in Auckland, and I swear it took about two years to actually bite the bullet and leave. I still have close family and friends there, but my daughters and other family and friends have slowly moved out of the big smoke, and I knew I wanted to do the same before I got too old to enjoy my move. Although I never thought I’d say it, I was over the hustle and bustle, the (slowwwww) traffic, the jamming of houses into every spare piece of land, and every time I visited Queenstown it made my heart happy. So, I did it. Once I had ‘escaped’ Auckland, I drove all the way to Queenstown, mostly by myself, and with some very special stops along the way.
I had a few people I was meant to catch up with before I left Auckland but I only caught up with a couple before the city was sent into another lockdown. I did get to see my dad and stepmum as we were all in the same ‘bubble’ but as soon as I could, I left my old town behind me.

My first stop out of Auckland was Tairau on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula to stay with my eldest daughter Penny. Tairua is a cool little town where we can walk to restaurants, the beach, or lagoon, or spend an afternoon in my daughter's amazing garden! It is such a relaxed and friendly town and I love that she has her own piece of paradise there. I then headed to the mural town of Katikati to spend a couple of nights with my mum, and one of my dearest friends drove up from Tauranga to join us for dinner. It’s really hard not knowing when you will catch up with people again so I was rapt when she said she would drive up to Katikati.

The next day I was on my way to Napier in the Hawkes Bay. I was hoping I timed this stopover perfectly as I was staying with my youngest daughter Jess, and my son-in-law, while they awaited the birth of their daughter. So, so exciting! Beautiful, gorgeous, adorable Kaia Jade arrived a few days later and oh.my.heart!! Words cannot describe how special it is to see your daughter become a mum. Lockdown meant she could only have one visitor a day in hospital, but once they were home we were joined by a very excited new auntie. My eldest daughter Penny came to stay for a few days and it was just love at first sight when she met her wee niece. A few days later Penny joined me on my road trip as I headed further south. I had been looking forward to us travelling together for part of my big, new adventure! We drove from Napier to Wellington where we stayed overnight with my dear friends and my beautiful goddaughter.

It was a brief but lovely visit in Wellington, and Penny and I headed off early the next morning to make it onto the ferry. This was my first trip across the Cook Straight by ferry and I was so happy to tick it off my list. Even better that I was travelling with my daughter.

As soon as we arrived in Picton, it was a quick stop for some lunch, and to buy a few beverages for the evening. We drove straight to Christchurch and spent the night with my daughters’ friend and her family to celebrate a birthday. I have been wanting to visit Malina’s family and their home for a long time. Their home and garden is an amazing, eclectic collection of furniture, sculptures and design of every sort. I loved it! You have to see it to believe it and I could spend days discovering surprises around their home. The next day, I dropped Penny at the airport and she flew back to Napier, had some more baby cuddles then drove all the way home to Tairua, some 5-6 hours away. She had work the next morning and is one of the hardest workers I know, who is living her dream at the beach.

My next leg was a three hour drive to Tekapo. Another new place for me, and such a lovely town. And yes, I was up early to capture a few photos of the famous Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Tekapo. A couple of years ago I would have been fighting for a photo spot amongst all the tourists and while it was nice being there on a quiet, peaceful morning, I couldn’t help feeling sad for the locals who relied on tourists as their main source of income, as now there are almost none.
Breakfast done, and it was time to head to Queenstown baby! I had only just managed to secure a place to move into at the very last minute. I thought I might have to book into a hotel but not quite. I rented a cute little one-bedroom place in Lake Hayes Estate, the only downside being the super crap wifi. It has prevented me from doing so much photography work up until now. But here I was, 1800kms later, a new home, new adventures, in Queenstown!

A few months on and my eldest daughter has already been down here to visit with her partner, and it was so good to have them stay. Such a bonus as I didn’t know when I would get to see her again! I got a full time job quite quickly and I have just had a promotion as well. And the latest bonus? My daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and their pets have just moved back to Queenstown and we have moved into a large home with space for all of us! No more crappy wifi, I have unlimited baby and fur kid cuddles, and I’m sitting in my office looking out over Lake Wakatipu. Be still my heart…

Now that I have settled in, if you are looking for a relaxed and fun lifestyle photo session I’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions, send me a message x