For most of the year, I work as one of NPR's two staff photographers, shooting stills and producing multimedia for NPR.org. Though I travel a fair bit for my job, I've yet to make a successful pitch for a trip to New Zealand -- a country I've been dying to visit for years.

Last month I took matters into my own hands and headed off for a three-week vacation to the South Pacific. I brought along a shiny new little camera -- the Panasonic GF-1 -- in hopes of capturing some of the country's famous landscapes.

Last month I took matters into my own hands and headed off for a three-week vacation to the South Pacific. I brought along a shiny new little camera -- the Panasonic GF-1 -- in hopes of capturing some of the country's famous landscapes.

In a few days of driving and exploring, I took in a glacier, a volcano, rain forests and deserted beaches. Along with hundreds of pictures of my traveling companion and flightless birds, I was drawn again and again to scenes that I imagined would make perfect desktop wallpaper images.

Though that's probably a sure sign that I spend too much time staring at computer screens, now that I'm back and again peering into one, I'm happy to see New Zealand landscapes looking back at me.

For the Picture Show, I've picked out a handful of favorites that I hope will provide a taste of the North and South Islands. Though there's amazing diversity in the landscapes, one common denominator, during my visit at least, was a dependably overcast sky. Which is maybe why the Maori call the country Aotearoa -- the land of the long white cloud.

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Download wallpaper by clicking on these thumbnails (resolution 1920x1200):

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one, two, three, four, five, six

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