Some years ago I had the special opportunity to teach a homeopathic seminar in Auckland. 

Afterwards I was able to fulfil a dream and travel around the North Island. Coming from a rather crowded Europe, I was deeply touched by the spacious landscapes, the peaceful nature, especially inside Tongariro National Park (except for the bubbling volcanos :)) 

During my hikes in the early spring time I was mostly alone and I was lucky to encounter with a New Zealand Falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae). 

All the images were taken with a Canon EOS 5 mark 3, EF 17-40mm L, EF 100-400 L. 

Edited and processed with Adobe Lightroom.