nordish.de

New Plymouth — A city like no other

Michael — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:03:15 +0000

We packed our bags in Waitomo and left reluctantly the world of miniature pets, glow worms and sunlit hills to go to our next big destination: New Plymouth, or Newps as the cool kids call it. On the way, I had three further highlights: my first black sand beach experience, and real fruit ice cream at a blueberry farm in … wait for it .. Piopio. What a grandiose name for a city. My third highlight was a coincidental conversation at one of the roadside cafes with three Maori ladies, who all three had Mokos. They answered were patiently our questions and we learned that it’s an honor to be allowed to have one and it take at least a year of intense mental preparation in advance. The tattoo process itself takes just a few hours, depending on the pain.

New Plymouth greeted us with its apparently new slogan on a big sign at the city border “New Plymouth – a city like no other”. The weather was superb, i.e. late afternoon sunshine. We used the occasion and went body surfing, which feels a lot like being in a mosh pit. But I learned, that if you know how to body surf properly, it’s a lot smoother.

We spent the time in New Plymouth in a very relaxed manner and even developed some routines, like going swimming every other day and going for coffee afterwards. Some big events were upcoming, like meeting Greta and Nick & Amy’s wedding. So stay tuned.

Top moments:

Sitting in the sun and having real fruit ice cream at the Piopio blue- and strawberry farm
Talking to the Maori women about their moku
Taking pictures at the black sanded beach and going body surfing afterwards

Waitomo – caves and miniature pet zoo

Michael — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:42:32 +0000

Our next destination after Rotorua was Waitomo. We had perfect weather and took the scenic route, which was the shortest, but also the most complicated route to take. Small and windy roads led us the way, and presented us with a wide array of photographic opportunities.

We made a stop in Otorohanga to visit the famous Kiwihouse. Unfortunately, this was the only time in New Zealand when I saw live Kiwis. What surprised me most, was how big Kiwis are. I’ve always thought they were less than half their actual size, which is depending on the specific type somewhere between 25 and 45cm. Fun fact: Kiwis lay the largest egg in relation to their body size and incubation is mainly done by male Kiwis.

After this short break we headed for our final destination of the day, the Big Bird Bed & Breakfast in Waitomo. This place was in retrospect one if not the highlight of the New Zealand experience. The B&B is operated by Ann, who is a lovely lady. She gave us a warm welcome and showed us the main attraction: the miniature pet zoo. They have mini alpacas, mini lamas, kune kune pigs, ostriches, emus, donkeys and highland cows. Look at the photos, it was awesome. Afterwards we went along the hills in the early evening sun, which is a treat for every photographer.

Waitomo is best known for its caves. So we took the opportunity and got on a tour through one of the caves. The main attraction was the glowworms, more specifically the fungus gnat Arachnocampa luminosa. They look like little LEDs mounted on the ceiling of the cave. The larva glows to attract prey into its threads, perhaps luring them into believing they are outdoors, for the roof of a cave covered with larva can look remarkably like a starry sky at night.

After the cave tour we drove home, opened a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and closed a highly eventful day.

Top moments:

Stopping in the middle of the road whenever it was nice to take pictures
Finally seeing tow real Kiwis and realizing that they are indeed quite cute
Standing in the evening sun on top of a hill with the perfect round view across the area

Going Beyond Shooting at Eye Level

Michael — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:49:35 +0000

A very good article discussing the benefits of not shooting from eye level but choosing different points of view.

However, if you’re one of those people who never moves or bends or crouches, then you’ve got a whole spectrum of shot angles available to you that are just waiting to be explored!

It’s one of those things, that I found helped me improve significantly. Definitely worth the read.

via Going Beyond Shooting at Eye Level.

Rotorua – Getting some Kiwi culture

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:29:38 +0000

After having spent the first few days in Coromandel, we moved on to go to Rotorua, the inofficial capital of Maori tourism. The way we tackled Rotorua is very well captured by having a look at the Wikipedia entry:

Rotorua is a major destination for both domestic and international tourists; the tourism industry is by far the largest industry in the district. The city is known for its geothermal activity, and features geysers – notably the Pohutu Geyser at Whakarewarewa – and hot mud pools.

We first met with Anna, Claire and Anna’s brother Michael, who were in the area by chance. We strolled around the city and pretty soon realized that with the geysers comes the smell of hydrogen sulphide emissions, which is very similar to rotten eggs. Highlights were the Rotorua Museum of Art and History, the local fun fair and the hot pools, that we indulged in later.

The next morning we got to one of the Maori sites, Whakarewarewa, had a tour around the premises and ate our Hangi. I got my picture with Maoris. My biggest revelation was that one of the integral part of this tribe’s culture was guiding, i.e. showing tourists the local sights. They’ve been doing this since as early as 1869, which pretty much impressed me.

Top moments:

Having breakfast and watching the sun rise on the deck in Tairua — the only day in Tairua with good weather
Going to the Polynesian Hot Pool Spa and spent a little more to get into the less crowded deluxe area
Meeting Anna and Claire for Lunch and strolling around the fun fair