The field trip scheduled for Friday (and repeated Saturday) morning on the MV Monarch will offer participants a very special opportunity for nature photography with a capital “N”. The Otago Peninsula is abundant with wildlife, with many species of seabird nesting on its craggy outcrops. Most famously, it is the only nesting place on inhabited land in the world for the Northern Royal Albatross.
The chartered MV Monarch will take participants on a personalised trip out past the Albatross colony, hopefully enabling participants to catch more than a glimpse of these magnificent birds in flight. If conditions are favourable, the MV Monarch may also be able to get close to the Otago shag colony and New Zealand fur seal pups.
Once out in the open ocean we plan to attract seabirds to the vessel by ‘chumming’. Chum is bait consisting of fish parts, bone and blood; when thrown in to the water it aims to attract fish which in turn attract the bird life. Through this, we should be able to attract other species of albatross and smaller species to the boat for close photographic opportunities. We will spend most of the time of this field trip at sea so ‘sea legs’ and wet weather gear will be as essential as your photographic gear.
This trip is partnered with Panasonic NZ Ltd. A Panasonic representative will be on board each day with a selection of the latest Panasonic Lumix G bodies and lenses for you to try.
Convention speaker and well-known local wildlife photographer Craig McKenzie will also be joining participants on this trip.
Please note: There will be an extra charge of $75 to cover the charter cost for this field trip.
Images by: Craig McKenzie
