Menu
WITH SPECIAL GUEST CO-HOST RICHARD TATTI AND AN EMPHASIS ON ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY
I have still have some places available on my New Zealand South Island Explorer Tour with Richard Tatti.
Please subscribe to my “Occasional Newsletter” at the bottom of this page for future tour announcements
After the highly successful completion of the April 2024 tour, it is my enormous pleasure to announce I have teamed up with world renowned astro photographer Richard Tatti who will co-host this extended unique and special 2025 tour.
While the tour still visits all the stunning locations for amazing seascape and landscape photography, the 2025 tour will have a special focus on nightscape astro photography.
After welcome drinks, dinner and the first night in Hobart on Saturday 22nd March 2025, we head along the east coast to the Tessellated Pavement, Swansea, Freycinet Peninsula, Bicheno, St Helens, Binalong Bay (Bay of Fires) and then inland to the magical Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake and finally finishing at Launceston. That’s 8 Days and 7 Nights of stunning locations, excellent accommodation, most meals and Photographic Heaven!
Just 7 of us in total, comfortable transport, your own bedroom every night, breakfast and dinner, National Park passes and fully guided with photographic tuition and education. The tour focuses on landscape, seascape, astro landscape photography and having a good time. Richard and I will also run astrophotography and composition training at various stages during the tour as weather dictates, so you can take full advantage of this opportunity.
The tour is suitable for intermediate to advanced photographers who want to explore new and unique locations and gain further knowledge and experience with their photography. A good understanding of your camera and how to adjust settings is essential to get the best from this tour.
The tour kicks off with a welcome “Meet & Greet” at 4pm over a few drinks so we can get to know each other. We’ll give a more in-depth overview of the tour and answer any questions you may have. This is a very informal get together where we’ll get to know you, your gear, what you hope to learn and capture in the week ahead. You’ll meet all the other guests in a friendly atmosphere before we head for dinner at one of the local restaurants.
Depart Hobart Airport around 9AM, we stop in at historical Richmond (home of Tassie’s oldest stone bridge) for lunch and a look around before heading to Eaglehawk Neck. We’ll look around Pirates Bay blow hole, Tasmans Arch and the Devils Kitchen before heading to our accommodation literally in front of the Tessellated Pavement. This is a very unique rock formation and our hotel is only 100 metres away from it. We’ll do a sunset shoot there and hopefully some Astro. Then it’s into your own bed in your own room for the night.
Tessellated Pavement is known more for it’s sunrise so it’s up early and out for a shoot. After breakfast, we start our journey north with lunch at Orford. We then head a little further north to our overnight stay in the holiday town of Swansea. Our accommodation is right on the water front and every room has an ocean view.
Richard has some special Astro locations install for us tonight so if the skies play nice it, it could be a very rewarding evening.
Depending on how late things went last night, its up for breakfast at a local café. After checkout we head north again to Bicheno and the famous Blow Hole and then a rough gourmet lunch at the Lobster Shack. This is the most amazing fish and chip shop and has the freshest, tastiest lobsters on earth (well, that’s my opinion) while roughing it on an old table and chair in the noisy shop.
After lunch we make our way to St Helens which is our base for the next 2 nights. Only 20 minutes from one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world, Binalong Bay is becoming well known for spectacular coastline and images. This presents another amazing location for astro photography and both Richard and I have some favourite locations.
After our sunrise shoot and an awesome breakfast, we have a day trip inland to St Columba Falls and lunch at The Pub in the Paddock. We then head back to Binalong Bay to explore the area from “The Gardens” down to some stunning local coves in the south. Sunset at at Binalong Bay then a Pizza dinner, before we head to a very special location for an astro shoot. It’s a long day but well worth the effort.
Dawn shoot, and a big day ahead. We’ll try for a relatively early departure (08:30 to 09:00) and then off to Cradle Mountain. It’s about a 4 hr drive today but we’ll stop for coffee along the way, lunch at an awesome bakery, Sheffield and arrive at the Cradle Mountain Hotel around 3pm where you have your own room for the next 2 nights. We head to stunning Dove Lake for a sunset shoot with a packed dinner and then hopefully some amazing Astro! No promises, but I have had full on aurora at this location for 2 of 3 years so there is always a chance for something spectacular.
This morning is up to you. You can have a well earned sleep-in or spend more time exploring the spectacular Cradle Mountain area. How far you go is up to you. After lunch at peppers tavern, we will explore some stunning little creeks and waterfalls in the village area. It’s a chance for rainforest, macro and waterfalls. It’s a day to explore or relax as you wish. But we will head out again for a final sunset shoot and astro with Dinner snuck in somewhere along the way.
Last chance for a dawn shoot at the lake (if you can still get up that early) before breakfast and our departure. For something different, we’ll be going to the Mole Creek Caves for a morning tour. Photography is welcome inside the caves except near the glow worms although you will want to travel light and no tripods allowed. It’s then lunch at Mole Creek before we make our way to Launceston Airport in time for your flight home.
That wraps up our tour but obviously you have the option to stay on in the Launceston area as you wish and I am happy to drop you at your hotel if you require.
While the accommodation is fixed to places and dates, I am certainly flexible with our activities. If there is a particular request, just ask and I’ll see what can be done. It is an excellent time of year with little rain and moderate temperatures. It is mostly “no moon” nights so a great chance for Astro photography, weather permitting.
If you come on board for this tour I will send through a full list of conditions, inclusions, exclusions, etc, but in a nutshell the pertinent ones are –
Please complete the following details and an email will be sent to you on how to complete your booking.
Note: Completing the details below is just an enquiry and if you are happy, will lead to a firm booking later.
Rare View provides Photographic Training and experiences through workshops and tours. I also create Time Lapse videos for production and advertising companies.
