So many people ask us if we’ll be able to see Tahu-nui-a-raki (The Southern Lights) when they are inquiring about our AuthenticAs Starry Nights Tours. Unfortunately, this isn’t the easiest of phenomena to predict, especially a few months in advance. On Friday night, Jakob & Taryn were treated to a spectacular show, that literally came out of nowhere.

Wai Tāhuna (Queenstown) is often thought of as a high adrenaline, bungy bouncing, jet boat spinning, ski adventuring and snow boarders paradise. This is true, but then what we would like to do is offer up a different side, one that’s not always advertised so boldly- Authentic As - breathtaking photography & guided 4WD tours.

Without a doubt, this beautiful part of the world that we like to call home, is the absolute perfect place to spend some time with your family and connect, to each other and to much more.

People come to Wai Tāhuna (Queenstown) for so many different reasons. One of them, is to celebrate a birthday with their friends. Our amazing little town has so much to offer, it’s perfect, as this group of girls found out as they headed here to celebrate Ash’s 30th. An AuthenticAs Starry Night Adventure proved to be the perfect addition to their packed itiinary.

We love having solo travellers come on our adventures, it allows us to deliver a truly tailored experience so that our manuhiri (visitor) gets exactly what they are looking for. Read about our night under the Stars with Nick, an exceptionally inspiring young man from Melbourne, here in Tāhuna (Queenstown) for a week of snowboarding and adventure seeking.

Is there a more romantic way of proposing than being halfway up a mountain, in the snow, under the stunning Southern Night Sky? We’re not sure there is. It’s even better when it’s disguised as a Star Gazing Tour, keeping the secret safe and amplifying the surprise. Read about Sue & Tania’s unforgettable AuthenticAs Starry Night Adventure here in Tāhuna, Aotearoa (Queenstown, NZ)

AuthenticAs offer a truly unique range of services and skills. During their holiday in Queenstown, Kritika wanted to honour her culture by exchanging rings with her fiancé Sam under the Southern Night Sky. In her dreams, they’d be able to have a personalised star gazing tour and a collection of breathtaking photographs to treasure for years to come. Imagine her delight when we told her we could take care of all of her desires.

Even with an 87% moon and closed roads, we made an epic evening of Astrophotography in the Wakatipu Basin happen for Keng & Victor who were visiting Tāhuna from Singapore

Orion sets over the Southern Alps. Simon soaks up the beauty of view to the West of the Southern Night Sky in early Autumn, all the while capturing images to create beautiful photographs

What a backdrop for a maternity shoot. It was such a pleasure to spend time with Elaine and Jimmy under the stars creating these amazing photographs

We were approached by Already Ancient Aotearoa to help them produce some content for their new website and online store. Our brief was to capture in photographs, and then video, the way that these stones interacted with light. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and it soon became apparent that this was going to be extremely challenging in places.

We met up with Calum Booth at Dream Track in Queenstown NZ, to shoot a few photos of him on board his new Trek.

We headed toward Aoraki for a weekend retreat. With warm clothes packed and all the necessary camera gear we were prepared for a couple of nights under the stars in this International Dark Sky Reserve. Having access to a telescope was the icing on the cake

Authentic As offer a unique experience for visitors to the Southern Lakes. Rather than remind you to bring your camera with you, we recommend you leave it at home so you can sit back and relax whilst we take care of everything. We took the Johnson’s on a mid winter adventure along the Glenorchy road and beyond.

Simon explores the terrain above the Skyline Gondola in Queenstown New Zealand. Fresh snow has fallen on the slopes of Ben Lomond and armed with his camera he sets out to capture this incredible Winter Wonderland

The Lake Dispute - Moke Lake Loop is one of the most stunning Mountain Bike Rides in Queenstown. Riding it on a high end eBike makes it even more fun. Join Simon on his lap

Queenstown offer some of the best night skies in the world. Come on a Starry Night Adventure with us to witness this beautiful sight with your very own eyes. You’ll not only take with you many precious memories, you’ll have a collection of breathtaking photographs to treasure for decades to come

Ginnie wanted to see the beautiful Southern Hemisphere night sky. We took her out exploring capturing beautiful photographs as we went, we even bumped into Lady Aurora

The Monssens chose our day trip into Glenorchy, Paradise and Mount Aspiring Park. They love nature and recently moved up across Australia from a cooler farming background to the heat of Queensland. They loved slowing down and exploring some of the quieter and relaxing places in the Southern Lakes

Hannes and Suki were in Queenstown for a few days as part of their New Zealand adventure. They came on one of our ‘Top & Back’ tours. Suki experienced snow for the first time amongst many other things. Together we had lots of laughs and created the most amazing set of images

Jarin & Tashur visited Queenstown to celebrate their engagement. We worked with them to plan the perfect photoshoot for their very special day