Exclusive Auckland Photography Tours 

Lesley Whyte Photography offers visitors to Auckland a unique tourism experience with our range of exciting and exclusive full-day photography tours for ladies.  As well as visiting some superbly photogenic Auckland locations, our escorted luxury photography tours include a real taste of the New Zealand experience with visits to a brewery or vineyard cellar door for locally produced wine or beer tasting, plus lunch at one of Auckland’s finest eateries. More importantly, for keen photographers our tours include options such as landscape photography at one of our famous West Coast black sand beaches, street photography in one of Auckland’s trendy suburbs, and opportunities for golden hour and night photography of our beautiful Waitemata Harbour from several land-based locations around the city. For the more adventurous and active visitors, we even offer a photographic day trip of the city on a three-wheel motorbike, a full-day walking tour visiting the points of interest in the city, or a two-day tour to the historic rural town of Dargaville, north of Auckland.  

Ideal for women travellers, singles, friends, or small groups, Lesley Whyte Photography’s all female staff will ensure your time with us is awesome, fun and safe, and that you are spoilt for photographic opportunities.   

From the time you are collected from your central city hotel and step into our luxury Mercedes minivan at 8.00am, until you are returned to your hotel around 5.00pm, you will be escorted by a Lesley Whyte Photography senior photographic guide and mentor and driven by one of our brand ambassadors.  

Interpreters for non-English-speaking or hearing-impaired visitors are also available on request.   

All Lesley Whyte Photography’s exclusive full-day photography tours for ladies are suitable for any level of photography expertise, from beginners to advanced, as full tuition on camera settings is given at each location. 

Should you wish to experiment with something new during your day out, you can get creative with our  loan equipment: Canon 60D crop sensor, Canon EOSR full frame, Canon EOSR to DSLR lens adaptor, ND2-400 filters, tripod, spare Canon batteries and camera bags and a selection of Canon mount lenses including 28mm and 50mm prime lenses, 18-55mm, 55-200mm and a Tamron G2 150-600mm.

Coast to Coast – Muriwai to Devonport Photography Tour  

For this full-day tour, you will be visiting places that are not on the regular tourist trail, but which offer the following fantastic photographic opportunities: 

• Landscape photography at Muriwai Beach, on the wild west coast.  Muriwai is renowned for its surfing, kite surfing, rock fishing, surf carnivals and its black iron sand which gets very hot in summer. The headland is also home to a large colony of gannets. We will send time walking the beach looking for patterns in the black sand, photograph fishers and surfers in action and perhaps, if the surf is up, you may get some great long-exposure shots.  Please note that your choice of shots will be guided by time, tide, weather and the season.  
• After the beach, it is traditional to have an ice cream and we recommend the iconic Kiwi hokey pokey double-scoop ice cream in a cone. Our treat! 
• Lunch at the historic Riverhead Tavern – two courses featuring fresh, locally–sourced ingredients, and a choice of still and sparkling wines followed by tea or freshly-brewed coffee. 
• Kumeu River Wines for some wine tasting (and the chance to buy if you wish). While you are here, take some photos of this important place in New Zealand’s history, where the Brajkovich family have been producing internationally–recognised world-class wines for three generations.
• Street photography along the esplanade and wharf of Auckland’s exclusive seaside suburb of Devonport. Here, you will find plenty of photographic opportunities with ferries, fishers and seabirds, along with some stunning views across the harbour to the city.  
• Before returning to your hotel, finish the day with hot chocolate or glass of New Zealand wine with us at the Esplanade Hotel in Devonport.

West Coast – Piha and Titirangi Photography Tour 

For this full-day tour, you will be visiting places that are not on the regular tourist trail, but which offer the following fantastic photographic opportunities:  

• Landscape photography at the rugged west coast beach of Piha with its unique rock formation, Lion Rock, and its black iron sand which gets very hot in summer. Piha is renowned for its surfing, kite surfing, rock fishing and surf carnivals. We will send time walking the beach looking for patterns in the black sand, photograph fishers and surfers in action and perhaps, if the surf is up, you may get some great long-exposure shots. Please note that your choice of shots will be guided by time, tide, weather and the season.
  
• After the beach, it is traditional to have an ice cream and we recommend the iconic Kiwi hokey pokey double-scoop ice cream in a cone. Our treat!
  
• Waiatarua, at the peak of the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland’s west, with extensive views across Auckland, offers fantastic panoramic photo opportunities
  
• Explore the bohemian suburb of Titirangi, which is home to some of New Zealand’s best-known musicians, artists, writers and potters.
  
• Enjoy a delicious two-course lunch at Iti, an eatery set in Titirangi’s native bush. Iti has an extensive selection of craft beer and local wines for you to enjoy with your meal.
• Babich Wines for some wine tasting (and the chance to buy if you wish). The Babich family have been making wine in New Zealand since 1916 and boast three generations of innovation, achievement and winemaking excellence.Take some photos of this slice of New Zealand history.

Trike the City – Landscape and Street Photography Adventure 

 For this five-hour photographic tour of Auckland city on a three-wheel motorbike, you will be collected from your central city hotel to spend the day with a Lesley Whyte Photography senior photographic guide and mentor. You will spend the day exploring these top local photography spots: For this five-hour photographic tour of Auckland city on a three-wheel motorbike, you will be collected from your central city hotel to spend the day with a Lesley Whyte Photography senior photographic guide and mentor. You will spend the day exploring these top local photography spots: 

• Tamaki Drive on Auckland’s waterfront offers landscape and seascape opportunities from Okahu Bay Wharf looking across Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour to our famous volcanic island of Rangitito.  
• Vibrant and exciting Wynyard Quarter. Auckland’s newest waterfront district always has something interesting going on and boasts cafés and bars to suit everyone.  
• We will ride over Auckland’s Harbour Bridge and then to the esplanade and wharf of Auckland’s exclusive seaside suburb of Devonport. Here, you will find plenty of photographic opportunities with ferries, fishers and seabirds, along with some stunning views across the harbour to the city.
• Finally, enjoy a beautiful two-course lunch with New Zealand wine, tea and coffee at Devonport’s Esplanade Hotel before being returned to your hotel.  

Auckland by Night – Long Exposure, Golden Hour and Night Lights 

 Photograph the lights of Auckland from three different locations for a variety of golden hour, city light trails and night light photographic opportunities.   

Your photographic experience will vary depending upon sunset times and the season, but you will need to dress warmly and expect to spend at least four hours with your Lesley Whyte Photography team.  

• Okahu Bay Wharf on Auckland’s waterfront offers wonderful night views of the city lights, the Waitemata Harbour and Rangitoto Island.
• From Devonport Wharf on Auckland’s North Shore, you will get spectacular views across the harbour to the city.
• Westhaven Marina provides the best vantage point for night photos of Auckland’s Sky Tower and whatever colours it is displaying during your visit. 

Before returning you to your hotel, we will make a final stop at either the top floor of the Grand Mercure Hotel for the very best views of Auckland’s harbour, or the Botswana Butchery restaurant at Auckland’s ferry terminal to enjoy a delicious cheese platter and some wine – all made in New Zealand, of course. 

Street Photography Tour

Be prepared to walk all day on this tour – from 9am until 5pm. On this day, a Lesley Whyte Photography senior photography guide and mentor will meet you at your central city hotel and guide you through Auckland city. Don’t worry, we do take rest breaks for morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea, with a glass of New Zealand wine to finish the day before returning you to your hotel.  

As well as the amazing street photography opportunities, you will also learn something about the history of Auckland itself through the people, places and architecture that you will see.  

Some areas of interest may include:

• Symonds Street Cemetery – Auckland’s oldest cemetery
• Karangahape Road – Auckland’s edgy alternative fringe
• The University of Auckland’s Gothic-inspired Clock Tower
• 1YA radio broadcasting studio• Entry to Sky Tower for views over Auckland
• Albert Park with views back to Sky Tower
• Wynyard Quarter – Auckland’s vibrant new waterfront precinct
• The Strand and Queen’s Arcade in Queen St
• Shopping precincts of Federal Street, High Street and O’Connell Street
• Auckland Town Hall.  

Two-day Dargaville and Kauri Coast Landscape Photography Tour

This two-day tour will take you 175km north of Auckland to Dargaville, a rural town steeped in significant Maori and pioneer history and famed for its giant kauri trees and stunning Kauri Coast beaches.

You will be collected from your central city hotel at 8am and travel in luxury in our leather–seated Mercedes minivan, accompanied by a Lesley Whyte Photography senior photography guide and mentor until you are returned to your hotel at 5pm the following day.

During this off-the-regular-tourist-trail tour in rural New Zealand, you will enjoy an overnight stay in a three-star Dargaville motor inn and eat all your meals at local cafes and restaurants, with local wines and beers included. Your Lesley Whyte Photography team will help you make the most of the wonderful photographic opportunities at these picturesque Kauri Coast locations:

• Sunset photography over the Tasman Sea at the beautiful west coast surf spot, Baylys Beach.  
• Photograph the sunrise during a cruise on the Northern Wairoa River in a flat-bottomed river boat called Daisy and learn some of the history of the area’s kauri timber milling industry.
• Ride Dargaville’s historical rail trail on a comfortable converted golf cart. The rail line, once the main line to Auckland, takes you and your camera along the river and through some beautiful farmland.  
• The historic Ratana church. This tiny, derelict church, built in 1889, is very picturesque, sitting alone and abandoned in a field on the outskirts of the town.