250mm telephoto lens
STOCK FOOTAGE

Our drone is likely flying over areas where no human has ever set foot! We’ve put in the hard yards with DOC permits and sorted access to one of NZ’s most remote spots, so you don’t have to. Fiordland National Park is in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island. It is best known for the glacier-carved fiords of Doubtful and Milford Sounds.

We hired a boat in Invercargill and towed it through the Southland area, stopping at the most scenic spots. Lake Manapouri, with the largest hydro dam in New Zealand, has much to offer. Lake Te Anau has more waterfalls than you can shake a cheese roll at. Native forest and bushland around the lake is beautiful also. We managed to shoot some dreamy slow-moving drone shots through there. One of my favourite shots is flying from Lake Te Anau and revealing another mini lake where we see the mountains in the background reflected. Actually, house prices are pretty good down there. Shall we move?

Once all the ducks are in a row, filming in Fiordland is like a photography playground. Sometimes the biggest challenge is deciding where to point the drone when every angle looks beautiful.

One of the aims is to show multiple layers of landforms to reveal depth. Mountain ridges and valleys echo into the distance.

I still can’t believe we were allowed to launch a boat in Milford Sound. We have footage of the towering mountains throughout Fiordland, including the iconic Mitre Peak. Since the mountain range there is so steep, the light was elusive. I’m pretty sure we could spend a month filming there and still not fully capture the scale. Mountains rising from the sea.

That’s why we will go back to film there. Sutherland falls, New Zealand’s tallest waterfall, is also on the hit list, with FPV and cinematic drones. We can’t wait.