This post is part of a short series that I wrote on hiking part of the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand. This post shows a sample of the experiences through my top 10 favourite photos.

First New Zealand photo and I'm cheating. This was acutally shot in Kingston Ontario. I'm counting this as fair game as I spent many nights trying to capture the milky way. I blame the lack of success on the kit lens I was using. Rokinon 12mm f/2.0

Shortly after leaving Taipo hut a thunderstorm rolled up. At first I regretted leaving the hut, but it ended up being one of the most memorable nights

Eventually I got my lightning photo technique down. Dusk, a tripod and remote shutter are helpful. A good storm is also required.

In general the weather was excellent, but the occasional cloudy days provided a unique and dynamic backdrop.

The busy river makes the effects of erosion obvious.

A welcome refuge during a storm while waiting for a river to drop.

Lovely lighting in the forest during the rain. It took quite a while to get feeling back in my hands when I was done taking pictures.

In general it was quite hard to get lost as the trails follow obvious natural features such as this river.

Was rewarded with a glimpse of this mountain through a tunnel of clouds.

Lake Tekapo is famous for it's brilliant blue glacial waters.