Marlborough mini gecko

A close-up photo of a common skink. Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, 1/160 s exposure at f11, ISO 1250, flash held off camera.

The Marlborough Region is rich with lizard species, and I managed to catch up with a couple of them this past spring while staying with friends on their high country station.

The common skink is a widespread species, found through much of New Zealand from about the middle of the North Island south, but the Marlborough mini gecko is endemic to the region.

The Marlborough mini is a small brown gecko, and like many of our native lizards it has not yet been formally described as a species. Many of our skinks and geckos are very similar in appearance, and the true diversity of our lizards is still being unravelled.

Marlborough mini gecko
A Marlborough mini gecko crawling over moss and lichen covered rocks. Taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, 1/60 s at f9, ISO 1000, flash held off camera.

I was a little unprepared when I found these lizards (the joys of flying and luggage restrictions), and didn’t have with me some of the gear that I’d normally use in that situation. Still, I managed to improvise and make a few photos that I think were worthwhile.