When thieves cleaned out Alison Turner's belongings at her first rest stop in New Zealand, she was left with her clothes, a rented camper van and an iPhone. She made the most of it. For three weeks she photographed New Zealand through the van's window, and the series she called Vanscapes turned the window frame into the signature of the trip.
Alison Turner's Vanscapes
Turner shot the whole series on her iPhone from inside the rental van, using the passenger window as a frame. The repeated border ties together very different places: misty hills, a blue lake, clouds caught on mountain tops. The van's interior forms a dark near layer, so every landscape reads as something seen on the move, from the traveller's seat. Photography blog Lenscratch featured the project in June 2014.
Of everything she saw on the trip, Turner has said Lake Wānaka was the most beautiful.
Who is Alison Turner?
Turner left a job in advertising sales in 2008 to travel. She first took to the road for a year with her dog Maggie and a teardrop trailer; after Maggie died, she adopted a rescue dog, Max, and lived with him in a tent for two years and then in a VW Westfalia Eurovan named Campy. Renting out her Los Angeles home as a holiday let helps fund the travels. She shoots mostly on an iPhone, and since 2010 she has also photographed strangers she meets on the road. She posts as @alisontravels.
Lake Wānaka, the highlight of the trip
Lake Wānaka lies in the Queenstown-Lakes District of Otago, in the lower South Island. It fills a U-shaped valley carved by glaciers during the last ice age, covers about 198 km² and stretches up to 42 km long, with a maximum depth of 311 m. The township of Wānaka on its shore is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park, and the scenic Cardrona Valley road links it with Queenstown. Its most photographed resident is That Wānaka Tree, a willow growing in the water just off the shore.
Travelling New Zealand by campervan
- Freedom camping: on most public land, only certified self-contained vehicles may freedom camp, unless a local bylaw says otherwise. Check council and Department of Conservation signs.
- Green warrant: the self-contained certification system began in December 2023. Since 7 June 2026, only green warrants are recognised, and a vehicle without one on public land can draw a NZ$400 infringement notice.
- What counts as self-contained: a fixed toilet, water supply, wastewater handling, ventilation and rubbish storage. Ask your rental company whether the van qualifies before you book.
- Keep valuables out of sight: Turner's trip began with a theft at a rest stop, so lock the van and carry cameras and passports with you.
To try the Vanscapes idea yourself, pick one repeated frame, such as a window or doorway, and shoot only when parked or as a passenger. Let reflections and the edge of the frame stay in the picture; they tell the story of the journey.
Explore more: Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy; a different photographic approach to Iceland.
Related reading
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- Balloon-Access Skiing in New Zealand: The Idea behind an Old Announcement
- A KiwiRail Train Clears Snow near Arthur’s Pass
- Rotomairewhenua/Blue Lake: Clarity and Cultural Significance
- Hobbiton near Matamata: Film Design and the Visitor Experience
- Waitomo Caves: Glowworms, Limestone and the People Behind the Tours
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