Darryl Torckler
Darryl Torckler is the eldest of three sons and was born in Whangarei in 1956. He grew up in many different parts of Auckland before his family eventually settled on the North Shore where he attended Rangitoto College. Darryl grew up with a fascination for fish – his bedroom was covered with his own fish paintings – and he turned this interest into a life-long profession.
Darryl has been diving and photographing fish, beaches and nature for three decades. As a result, he knows all the tricks for finding and getting up close to creatures in their wild habitats. Darryl enjoys finding new and interesting ways to illustrate New Zealand's natural world. Whether it is through the life-size montages he creates for the Real-Size Guides or the panoramic images he produced for Maria Gill's Bird's Eye View.
Darryl’s marine photographs have won international acclaim and many awards. Most of Darryl's books have been written by his wife, Gillian Torckler, who shares similar passions for the ocean and its life. They live surrounded by native bush, and the animals they've encountered there have become another focus of their books. Darryl aims to spark children's interest and awareness of New Zealand's native animals – above and below the tide line – through colourful and interesting photography.
Selected bibliography:
- Underwater Wonders of New Zealand text by Gillian Torckler (New Holland 1999).
- Snorkelling – Kiwi Adventure text by Gillian Torckler (Reed 2002).
- Trout Fishing – Kiwi Adventures text by Gillian Torckler (Reed 2002).
- What Am I? – Water text by Gillian Torckler (Reed 2003).
- Life Size Guide to New Zealand Fish text by Gillian Torckler (Random House 2003).
- What Am I? – In the Bush text by Gillian Torckler (Reed 2004).
- Real Size Guide to the New Zealand Rocky Shore text by Gillian Torckler (Random House 2004).
- Destination Auckland text by Gillian Torckler (Reed 2006).
- Bird's Eye View text by Maria Gill (Penguin 2006).
- Destination Southern Lakes text by Gillian Torckler (Reed 2007).