Josh Overend Photography

31/08/2026

Popoikore | Leopard Seal

Last week, Christchurch was fortunate to have one of the apex predators of the Southern Ocean visit our shores.

This leopard seal spent a few days hauled out on our beaches, resting after travelling thousands of kilometres north likely from the Antarctic pack ice. While they can occasionally be seen around our shores during the winter months, they are still very infrequent visitors.

Sightings like this are a great reminder of the importance of giving wildlife the space and respect they deserve. While most people kept a respectful distance, it was concerning to see a few getting too close and even allowing their dogs to come within metres of the seal.

Remember, these are wild apex predators that can easily injure a curious dog. More importantly, this animal has travelled a long way and needs to rest before making the journey back home. Enjoy these incredible encounters, but give them the space they need.

All images were taken beyond 20 metres, with a telephoto lens, and have been cropped.
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Canon ANZ

16/08/2026

Weweia | New Zealand Dabchick

Living in the South Island of Aotearoa, we don’t often get many opportunities to photograph Weweia. So whenever I’m in the North Island, I always try to make time to visit some of the freshwater lakes in search of these special little birds.

Anyone who has tried photographing Weweia will know just how challenging they can be. They spend very little time on the surface between feeding dives, often disappearing underwater for up to 40 seconds before briefly surfacing to catch their breath, and diving straight back down in search of food.

What makes seeing them even more special is that they have recently started spreading back into parts of the South Island, after becoming extinct here in the 1940s. With stronger protection of our freshwater waterways and reducing sediment we deposit into these systems, we may be able to give Weweia a chance to reclaim more of their historic range across the South Island.
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Canon ANZ

08/08/2026

Ihu Koropuka | Southern Elephant Seal

Back in April, while visiting Dunedin, I was incredibly lucky to come across this Southern Elephant Seal hanging around the coastline.
I’ve always been blown away by the sheer size of our native New Zealand sea lions that call this part of the country home, but rounding the corner and seeing this absolute giant hauling itself along the beach and into the water genuinely blew my mind!

Adult males can grow to almost 6 metres long and weigh up to a whopping 4,000 kg.
We don’t often get these impressive animals visiting our shores, but we’ve had a few Southern Elephant Seals turn up around New Zealand over the last few years. And after seeing one up close, I can definitely understand why they get so much attention!

What an incredible animal to stumble across! 🦭
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Canon ANZ

04/08/2026

Check out some of the incredible shots in the Property Brokers Annual Photography Competition People’s Choice category!

My image of a Ruru Nohinohi | Little Owl pair has made it into the competition, and the photo with the most reactions wins a $500 voucher.

I’d really appreciate your support and every single reaction counts! There are some incredibly talented photographers in the competition this year, so make sure you have a look through all of the amazing entries.

Little owls, Tasman District - Josh Overend

26/07/2026

Tawaki | Fiordland Crested Penguin

Seeing multiple Tawaki out on the water off Rakiura was the perfect way to begin my first trip to Stewart Island. Within five minutes of leaving the wharf, our guide spotted a flock of Tara (white-fronted terns) feeding. He explained that the terns are often feeding on baitfish being driven to the surface by Tawaki hunting below. Sure enough, moments later, the penguins appeared.

Over the course of our pelagic trip, we encountered more than ten different individuals. Tawaki were one of my biggest target species for this trip, but I never expected to find them so quickly. Watching them surface alongside the boat was an experience I’ll never forget.

Rakiura is an incredibly special place, and this trip only made me want to get back there again. If you’d like to read more about the adventure, I’ve written a blog on my website. The link is in my bio.
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Canon ANZ

24/07/2026

Paikea | Humpback Whale

Humpback whales are always a special sight when you’re out on the water off Kaikōura. Each year they migrate north along the coasts of Aotearoa to warmer waters, including Tonga, where they breed and give birth. In recent years though, more humpbacks have been spending longer in our waters, taking advantage of the abundant food available here.

On my most recent trip, I was lucky enough to witness a behaviour I’d never seen before known as lunge feeding. These two whales spent around 20 minutes feeding on krill at the surface in South Bay during a Whale Watch Kaikoura trip. Watching them surge through the water with their mouths wide open was an incredible experience, and one I’ll remember for a long time.
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Canon ANZ

19/07/2026

Tākapu | Australasian Gannet

Tākapu have quickly become one of my favourite species to photograph. Over my last few trips to Kaikōura, I’ve been lucky enough to have multiple encounters with these incredible seabirds around the peninsula. They’re famous for their spectacular high-speed plunge dives, and while I’m still chasing that perfect action shot, I’m pretty happy with these portraits in the meantime.

In Aotearoa, tākapu are considered common and breed in large colonies at three main sites around the country. With wingspans reaching up to 1.8 metres, they’re certainly hard to miss.

With HPAI (avian influenza/bird flu) now detected in New Zealand, however, our seabirds face a new and significant threat. If you come across three or more dead birds in one area, please report it to MPI and keep both yourself and your pets well away from the birds.

Hopefully we can all do our part to help protect these incredible seabirds for generations to come.
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Canon ANZ

13/07/2026

Kekeno | New Zealand Fur Seal

Something a little different from my usual style! I haven’t experimented much with silhouette photography before, but I had a lot of fun giving it a go.

The New Zealand fur seals along the Kaikōura coastline made the perfect subjects. I’ve attempted shots like these a few times before, but the conditions and lighting never quite came together. This time, everything lined up, and I’m really happy with how they turned out.

I’m always looking to improve, so if you’ve got any tips or feedback on silhouette photography, I’d love to hear them in the comments!
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Canon ANZ

03/07/2026

Kōkako

Yes, I’m still thinking about my trip to Tiritiri Matangi Island last year and the incredible encounters I had with Kōkako. Spending time with these birds was easily one of the highlights of the trip, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.

They’ve also been making headlines recently, with the fantastic news that the latest Auckland Council census recorded a record 418 breeding pairs in the Hūnua Ranges, a 61% increase since 2022. For a species that was once on the brink of extinction, that’s an incredible conservation success story.

If you’ve never had the chance to see these magnificent birds, I can’t recommend it enough. A visit to an ecosanctuary or predator-free island like Tiritiri Matangi offers a rare opportunity to experience one of Aotearoa’s most iconic birds in the wild.
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Canon ANZ