Great NZ pics Chai I was there last October and posted some here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150858061465724.750324.830010723&type=3&l=5515292d93 Big problem there with outdoor shots getting the settings right - there's so much sky and upper light, you have to be a real expert to overexpose just right. I should practice bracketing more. Anyway, a few turned out not too bad. Here's a shot from my sister's farmhouse. Unfortunately I lost the original in a corrupted file transfer so all I have is a low res one.
Not really...I left everything to the camera most of the time... Maybe it's the season or the weather. It is not as sunny as most of your shots. And yeah, you have to drive like a New Zealander there. You will feel guilty and out of place if you don't.