Kāpiti Island

Photography · Video · Storytelling by Johnny Hendrikus.
Travel & outdoors

A starry night sky over a tent with a silhouette of a person standing inside, reaching upward, surrounded by trees and dark landscape.

A night under canvas

My part: Photographer · Filmmaker
Where: Kāpiti Island, New Zealand
When: 2021

A boat ride, native forest, some very curious birds and a night in a glamping tent. My Kāpiti Island mission, photographing and filming a little of the wild that sits right off the coast.

A mission close to home

Kāpiti Island was right in my backyard, and I wanted to see what made its birdlife so special. The mission was pretty simple: photograph and film as many native birds as I could come across, and spend a night on the island.

We set up in a glamping tent, headed into the forest and made our way towards the highest point. Takahē on the ground, little birds following along the track, and a kākā doing exactly what a kākā does — being an absolute character.

From the forest to the stars

I shot the journey as well as the wildlife: the crossing, the tracks, the people and the place we came back to at the end of the day. Those details give the bird photographs a bit of context and make it feel like a trip you can step into.

As the light dropped, the story slowed down. A tent tucked into the landscape and a sky full of stars made a pretty good finish. The result is a photo and film story about getting outside, staying curious and seeing what’s close to home.