It was nearly ten o’clock at night 181>> when I took this shot of Lake Te Anau. Having come from winter in the Northern Hemisphere, I was thrilled by days that lasted 15 hours.

A lone competitor gets what New Zealanders would call “a wee bit” of practice 39>> on Lake Manapouri half an hour before the race begins.

Spectacular vistas like this 190>> become almost, but never quite, ordinary as you explore New Zealand’s South Island.

Just as I was lapsing into sentimentality about New Zealand being another Eden, I encountered a barbed reminder 66>> that humankind has indeed left its mark.

Sheep seemed to be everywhere 137>> on the South Island. I was surprised to learn that Kiwis also raise deer for food.

A helicopter ride offers this perspective on the Waiau River 55>>—once wild, now neutered by dams and power stations.

This glimpse 72>> of the Waiau River came from the back of a jetboat.

I could tell you it took years of art school to achieve this effect, 142>> but we’d both know I was lying. It was both wonderful and anticlimactic to watch the winners ride in.

This lucky snap of Lake Wakatipu 114>> is the closest I’ll ever get to being an impressionist painter.

The 1,076-foot (328-meter) Sky Tower 07>> soars above Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.

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