Bay of Plenty
Photography Courses in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui
Every New Zealand Photography School course is studied online, so a student in Tauranga, the Mount or Pāpāmoa shoots the assignments at home, uploads them, and gets written feedback from a working photographer. There is no campus, which suits a region where most people would rather be on the beach at 6am than in a classroom at 6pm.
Tauranga has some of the sunniest, cleanest light in New Zealand and a coastline that gives you the sun rising out of the sea and setting behind the harbour on the same walk. Behind the city are orchards, the Kaimai bush and waterfalls; offshore are islands and a working port that is the largest in the country. This guide covers where Bay of Plenty students practise, the calendar, the port-kiwifruit-property market that shapes local photography work, the other ways to learn photography here, and what to expect from us.
Bay of Plenty students receive the optional optional Digital Camera by courier anywhere from Waihī Beach to Whakatāne; there is no campus visit at any point in the course.
Also studying with us from Mount Maunganui, Pāpāmoa, Te Puke, Ōmokoroa, Katikati, Whakatāne, Rotorua and nearby.
Great Places to Shoot in Tauranga
Main Beach and Moturiki (Leisure Island)
Surf, long-lens action, the blowhole, sunrise over the sea
Best time: Sunrise; big swells for the blowhole
Access: Free. Moturiki is a short walk from the beach at all tides.
Pilot Bay
Sunset over the harbour, boats, calm-water reflections, families
Best time: Sunset
Access: The Mount's sheltered side. The easiest good sunset in the region.
Pāpāmoa Beach and Pāpāmoa Hills Regional Park
Dawn on an empty beach with Mauao in the distance; the hills for sunrise over Motiti Island
Best time: Sunrise
Access: The hills are a 45-minute walk to the summit; pā sites on the track.
Tauranga waterfront, The Strand and the Harbour Bridge
Blue-hour reflections, the marina, long exposures of the bridge traffic
Best time: Blue hour
Access: Flat and central. Tripods fine on the boardwalk.
Port of Tauranga from Sulphur Point
Cranes, containers, ships at scale; the largest port in New Zealand
Best time: Late afternoon; cruise season for ships
Access: Public viewing from Sulphur Point and the Mount's base track.
The Historic Village, 17th Avenue
Heritage buildings, murals, street and event photography; The Incubator arts hub
Best time: Late afternoon; market days
Access: Free entry.
McLaren Falls Park
Waterfalls, lake reflections, autumn colour, glow-worms after dark on the Waterfall Track
Best time: Autumn for colour; a dark night for glow-worms
Access: 20 minutes south-west. Long exposures at night; no torches on the glow-worms.
Minden Lookout
The whole harbour, Matakana Island and Mauao from above
Best time: Sunset
Access: Drive-up, 20 minutes west.
Katikati murals and Te Puna Quarry Park
Street art; sculpture, gardens and macro
Best time: Late afternoon
Access: 25 to 35 minutes north-west.
Day trips: Rotorua's geothermal parks; Whakatāne and Ōhope
Steam, colour, low light in geothermal areas; long white beaches
Best time: Cold mornings for steam
Access: Rotorua about an hour; Whakatāne about 90 minutes.
The Tauranga Photography Calendar
January
Mount Festival of Multisport and the Tauranga Half
Action and panning on the beach and the Mount
Easter (March or April)
National Jazz Festival, Tauranga
Stage light, crowds, The Strand at night; the region's biggest event
April to May
Autumn colour at McLaren Falls; kiwifruit harvest across the Bay
Colour; orchard and pack-house activity
June to July
Matariki
Dawn from Mauao; night sky from the Pāpāmoa Hills
October to April
Cruise season at the Port of Tauranga
Ships against Mauao
Summer
Surf lifesaving carnivals; Christmas and New Year crowds at the Mount
Action and people
The Tauranga Photography Community
Industry
NZIPP Waikato/Bay of Plenty region; PSNZ.
Ways to Learn Photography in Tauranga
Tauranga Photographic Society
Club nights, competitions, outings
Annual membership
You want community and critique
New Zealand Photography School
This courseOnline, structured assignments, tutor feedback on your photos, start any week, up to 12 months' access
From $35 per week
You want a certificate and months of feedback around work and the beach
Courses Available From Tauranga
FAQs for Tauranga Students
Ready to start from Tauranga?
[Compare the seven courses](/locations/tauranga/compare) or [talk to us](/contact).