*Always* turn around !

I wasn't all that certain that the "Always turn around" rule in case you missed an interesting subject, really applied to shooting landscapes - as things generally don't change very fast. I was out practicing panoramas at the weekend however, and turned round to see this sqall approaching at high speed !



It was a fifteen minute jog back to the car, and I just made it before it hit !
The full shot is at http://www.pbase.com/dmcg/image/42593293/original
It's the entrance to the Manukau Harbour just outside Auckland.

 

It depends greatly on what you like doing, how long you've got and where you're flying in/out of.

A first pass would be -

North Island
Auckland - big city but quite scenic
Rotorua - Thermal area - geysers, boiling mud, hot pools etc
Coromandel - Picturesque area - lots of quiet beaches, insane roads and orhinla Kauri forest.
Central desert - desert area - active volcanoes (gently steaming just now)
Napier - Art deco city rebuilt in 1930 after being demolished by a quake
Wellington - Capital and Cultural centre - Te Papa museum.

South Island
Marlborough region - wines and food - and scenery !
West coast - rugged areas, old mining towns, crashing waves
Glacier country - Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers glaciers - walk from the car park.
Queenstown - insane activity sports
Milford Sound - spectacular fiords
The mountains - views of mount Cook, Mt Aspiring, more glaciers
The east coast and Otago - Wildlife, penguins, albatrosses, seals, whale watching.

Have a look at my pbase sight at the link in my sig, I'm trying to do a major update soonish.