I’ll never forget when Maria walked into our 9th grade English class and told us that her family was moving to New Zealand for a year.

As a ninth grader, a year seemed like forever. I remember Skyping with Maria and trying to stay in touch over that year and then being so excited when she was finally back! I don’t think I ever understood as a teenager what that year must’ve been like for her, and I definitely didn’t understand the scope of what it meant to move across the world, meet new people in a new culture, and make new friends.

While Maria was in New Zealand, she met Tom. Years later, Tom came to the United States to attend college, where he and Maria reconnected. Long story short, they fell in love, married in 2022, and last December they moved back to New Zealand. They’re expecting their first baby (it’s a girl!). I flew down to New Zealand to spend 10 days traveling around the South Island with Maria and of course, we squeezed in some maternity portraits.

We stayed at a home that was right across the road from the beach. You can see this road in the behind-the-scenes on this Instagram reel. We crossed the road as the sun was rising and walked through a field in order to reach the beach. It was my first morning in New Zealand, and this sunrise was an incredible way to start.

The beach in Kaikoura is a dark beach (not technically considered a black beach), but the sand is very dark and rocky. Kaikoura is also known for its sea life, particularly whales and dolphins. As we were finishing up the session, Tom looked off into the ocean and saw a pod of dolphins, jumping and playing. We watched them as we walked along the beach to head back to the house. They were so close to the shore, and we have some incredible portraits of them surfacing in the background.

One of my favorite things about being in Kaikoura for these portraits was getting to experience on a very small scale what Maria and her family must’ve experienced for that year. This was such a special place, and I feel like I understand a little more what it must’ve been like for Maria to uproot her life and move to a new place. These portraits are so special to me and I am so excited to be able to share them with you!

More New Zealand Blog Posts are coming soon, along with a giant trip recap, links to our airbnbs & hotels, and all the amazing portraits I photographed!