German astronaut shares stunning photos of New Zealand from the International Space Station

A German astronaut has captured amazing photos of New Zealand from the International Space Station.

Alexander Gerst, who works for the European Space Agency, posted incredible images of New Zealand’s South Island, including a picturesque view of the Southern Alps, on Facebook.

The astronaut has a close connection with our beautiful country as he studied for his master’s degree in earth sciences at Victoria University in Wellington from 2001 to 2003.

While researching his master’s thesis, he developed a volcano-monitoring technique that could improve forecasts of volcanic eruptions, which was published in Science Magazine.

“It was in this fabulous country that I first learned what it means to travel beyond my horizons and how to see the world with open eyes,” Gerst wrote in the Facebook post.

The astronaut has previously captured stunning photos from New Zealand, including Mt Ruapehu where he spent a lot of his time studying volcanoes.

Gerst’s Instagram is full of incredible images from around the world, including Chuquicamata copper mine in the Atacama Desert, and Great Salt Lake in Utah.

In August, the astronaut made headlines when he plugged a hole in the International Space Station with his finger.

During a live feed from the ISS, Nasa’s ground control said: “Right now Alex has got his finger on that hole and I don’t think that’s the best remedy for it.”

Nasa confirmed the problem, saying it consisted of a “minute pressure leak” and that the crew was in the process of repairing the damage.