Aotearoa, the Maori name for New Zealand, roughly translates as the “land of the long white cloud.” New Zealand’s landscapes are dramatic, commanding and diverse. Winding glacial river systems weave from dominating mountain ranges; geothermal systems bubble and volcanoes simmer; ancient rainforests cling to mountains and granite above deep, dark fiords. Such landscapes stimulated and intrigued the Maori imagination. They inspired tales and metaphors of how they came to be.

In 2013, the New Zealand South Island was officially named “Te Waipounamu” meaning “the place of greenstone.” This collection of images is a derivative of my visual expression of these dramatic landscapes spanning over a six year period.