In the late 1960s, Smither spent some time living in Australia. He returned freshly energised, and set about painting the New Zealand landscape with gusto. He was based for a time in the South Island, where he created some extraordinary, pared back images of the Central Otago landscape. He subsequently returned to the familiar surrounds of his hometown environment in Taranaki. During this period, he created some of his most iconic images, frequently depicting the dramatic land and sea views that dominated the region. His distinctive stylised depictions of New Plymouth capture its near symmetry and its powerful presence in the landscape. He has painted it numerous times, and it appears in many of his best-known artworks.

Smither noted that, "New Plymouth's isolation is an advantage for me. Here I am forced to find things out entirely for myself, away from artistic groups or trends. I wouldn't want to be away from the sea. And here I am left alone to get on with painting without too many interruptions".

"After the initial terror of seeing a real city like Melbourne, whose lights on our ship's arrival escribed the curvature of the earth, New Plymouth was easy to get my brush around. I knew every building and often the people who worked in them. That's me, bottom left, with my mop being a commercial cleaner at the railway station, as seen from my new confident and god-like point of view". - Michael Smither