new zealand
glow worm + astrophotography adventure workshop
new zealand
March 20 - 26, 2026
Join Derek Culver and award winning Kiwi photographer Tom Rae as we take you on an incredible adventures to capture the Bioluminescent Glow Worm caves of New Zealand! We stay in Waitomo, the epicenter of Glow Worms, exploring underground tunnel systems, teaching you how to capture them, and even abseiling (rappelling) 300+ feet into the “Grand Canyon” of Waitomo at night to capture one of the most stunning caverns on Earth! There are some amazing glow worm tours in Waitomo and we’ve customized them working closely with the families and farms for these tours to be based around photography.
This workshop is a stand alone workshop but pairs well and with a discount with our New Zealand Astrophotography Workshop March 13-20 on the South Island the week before!
Our goal is to help you realize your creative potential, provide lessons to equip you with new creative techniques, guide you safely to world class night photography destinations, and send you home with amazing photos and unforgettable memories!
logistics and lodging
We start on Friday March 20th in Auckland, on the North Island of New Zealand.
We finish on Monday March 25th in Auckland, on the North Island of New Zealand.
Please reach out for assistance with booking your flights, we are happy to help walk you through the best airlines, times, etc. Once in New Zealand, we provide all transportation and lodging throughout the trip including pick up and drop off from the airports!
The entire trip you can expect single occupancy rooms in Wiatomo, including several nights at Wild Canvas which is a beautiful artsy house on top of Waitomo with great views to shoot astrophotography.
difficulty and group size
This astrophotography workshop is great for all levels of adventurers and photographers, and requires some modest hiking (hardest hike is 2 miles at Mt Cook and is optional) with camera gear on uneven surfaces at night and is best suited for astrophotographers who are ready to take their images to the next level and jump into tracking and panoramas.
We will cover astrophotography basics like single exposures, and build upon shooting and editing fundamentals as we get into tracking, stacking, panoramas, and combining exposures. Our small group size, 6 students to 2 teachers (some workshops have 12 students and only 2 teachers and call that small… crazy!) allows us to tailor lessons individually and give lots of 1on1 hands on instruction under the stars. We do quite a bit of editing throughout the trip and also provide custom editing videos.
technique highlights
High quality timelapses
Using a Star Tracker
Night sky panoramas
Blending multiple images together
Long exposures, especially complex Glow Worm shots and high quality Milky Way photos
location highlights
Mt Cook
Lake Tekapo
Castle Hill (pending permits)
Lake Pukaki
Coromandel Peninsula
Waitomo Glow Worms
Deep Space/Tracking right at Wild Canvas in Waitomo
workshop cost & payment terms
The tuition for this workshop is $8,500 total. A non-refundable deposit of $1,500 is required to reserve your spot with the remaining balance due 60 days before the workshop starts. Alumni, please reach out for a discount! Payment plan options are also available at check out.
itinerary
March 13
Meet in Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand anytime before 4pm! We pick you up at the airport, do an introduction, and head out to some epic rocks underneath the Southern Nights skies…
For the full itinerary or questions about this trip, please contact us in the form above or email adventures@blazingheavens.com
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