A photo that melted hearts across the region has won the Otago Daily Times Magic Moments photography competition.
Photographer Stu Hardisty said he and his family had been holidaying in Central Otago and were on their way back to Dunedin on New Year's day when the photo was taken.
''It was 29C, so we stopped in at Roxburgh and bought an ice cream.
''Sequoia is only 1 and she can't eat a whole ice cream on her own. So she and Cypress shared.
''They just sat down outside the Commercial Hotel there and started feeding each other.''
Mr Hardisty was both surprised and humbled to have won.
''It was my mum that told me I should send it in for the competition.
''I feel absolutely amazed. There were so many other good pictures in there, and I thought there was absolutely no way I was going to win that.''
Second place went to Samuel Bingham, who captured a photo of his girlfriend, Tori Norman, rowing on Otago Harbour at sunset.
And third place was awarded to Ceri Macleod for her photo of her daughters Lily (5) and Matilda (7) running with the family dog through Bannock Brae Estate at Bannockburn.
The photos were among 428 entered in the Magic Moments photography competition, and among 147 published in the ODT.
First prize is a Nikon D3400 digital SLR with an 18mm-55mm lens; second prize is a Nikon B700 big zoom bridge camera; and third prize is a tough, water-proof Nikon AW130.
Everyone who had a photo published in the competition can take the original file to Jonathan's Photo Warehouse and receive a free enlargement.
The prizes were sponsored by Nikon and Jonathan's Photo Warehouse in Dunedin.
