Everyone has a story to tell, and this course helps you develop yours through the culture of New Zealand. Create audio and video projects on location, using digital media to explore and express cultural identity while documenting your experience as a participant observer of New Zealand and Māori culture. Visit sites like the New Zealand Maritime Museum, Auckland Zoo, and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum, then head beyond the museums to the Hobbiton film sets and a Māori village to see how stories are shaped by land and tradition. Through these hands-on projects, you’ll build your portfolio, develop cultural competency, and use your digital skills to capture and share the stories of New Zealand from a fresh perspective.

See New Zealand through the lens, capturing its breathtaking landscapes while sharpening your skills behind the camera. Travel from Auckland’s vibrant streets to Rotorua’s redwoods, geothermal fields, and Māori cultural sites, finishing in Wellington with iconic viewpoints, scenic trails, and film-famous locations around Mt. Victoria. Along the way, you’ll develop technical and creative skills in composition, lighting, and visual storytelling, learning how to craft compelling narratives through your images. Whether you’re new to photography or building your portfolio, this course combines hands-on learning, travel, and artistic exploration in one of the world’s most photogenic countries.

Discover how music and place shape the movies you love in one of the world’s most cinematic countries. Explore the history of film music through New Zealand’s globally influential film industry, known as the “Hollywood of the Pacific,” examining everything from classic orchestral scores to contemporary styles, with a focus on Howard Shore’s music for The Lord of the Rings and the pioneering work of Māori musician Dalvanius Prime. Your learning extends beyond the classroom with visits to the Hobbiton film set in Matamata and Wellington’s Wētā Workshop, where major films come to life, along with museum and cultural site visits in Auckland and Wellington to deepen your understanding of Māori culture and its influence on New Zealand’s creative industries. By the end of the course, you’ll see firsthand how music, culture, and storytelling come together on screen.

Explore one of the most geologically active places on Earth while studying ecosystems found nowhere else. Travel across New Zealand’s North Island, from Auckland’s volcanic fields to Rotorua’s steaming geothermal landscapes, snorkeling near Waiheke Island, hiking volcanic terrain in Tongariro National Park, and investigating wetlands at Wellington’s Waikanae Estuary. Through hands-on fieldwork, you’ll practice sampling techniques and see how volcanic soils, tectonic activity, and geothermal processes shape biodiversity and evolution. Cultural experiences, including a traditional Māori hāngī and visits to wildlife sanctuaries like Zealandia, show how land, culture, and conservation intersect in New Zealand’s extraordinary environment.

New Zealand’s creative landscape blends Māori, Pacific, Asian, and European influences, making it one of the world’s most vibrant cultural hubs. Go beyond galleries to see how world-class arts and cultural organizations operate, exploring “creative placemaking” firsthand and discovering how heritage and art shape the economy and national identity. Navigate Auckland’s street art scene, experience live theatre, and tour historic collections at Parliament, then visit the Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) and the globally famous Hobbiton film set to see how these spaces manage everything from community engagement to large-scale operations. Along the way, you’ll also explore New Zealand’s legendary landscapes, from Māori villages and geothermal wonderlands to coastal snorkeling spots, gaining insight into how culture, creativity, and place come together.