New Zealand | An Ongoing Pictorial

[Fuzz]

Thanks for all the kind words.

Our adventures on the South Island ended after year in early April.

196. We went to Chicago to visit family.

Blue Chicago by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

197. Also made a quick trip to San Francisco to visit friends.

City by the Bay by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

We then came back to NZ, to our new home on the North Island at the beginning of May. I've lived in/near cities and mountains my whole life. This is the first time I've lived near the water. And we're really near to the water. Our new place is about half a block from the beach. It sits on a little rise, so that we can see the Pacific Ocean from our living and bedroom. It is quite a novelty for us.

198. Watching the sunrises from the living room doesn't get old.

New awakenings by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

199. The colours in the sky are amazing. This is Great Barrier Island, which lies at the edge of Hauraki Gulf, which is where we live.

New awakenings by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

200. The beach is great -- sandy, but with lots of interesting trees and rock formations all over.

Sunrise in Stanmore Bay by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

201. The gulf/bay is a very popular place for recreation. I may have to get a kayak or something.

Sailing Stanmore Bay by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

202. The weather here is gorgeous. A very tropical climate. Even though it's fall, it's very warm -- shorts and t-shirt weather everyday. And it's great to be able to take a walk along the water during those perfect afternoons.

Waves of reflection by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

203. Not to mention the fact that it is great to walk only 3 minutes to a scene like this, instead of having to drive an hour or more.

Sunrise in Stanmore Bay by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

[crashtestdummy]

Nice work, once again.

[Fuzz]

A few more...

204. Even though we live on a crowded peninsula (Whangaparaoa), there's a gem of an open space called Shakespear Regional Park. It is an open sanctuary for native animals and plants only. In fact, when you go it, you are supposed/required to scrub the bottoms of your shoes with a chemical to make sure you don't carry foreign stuff into the park. A great to get away and enjoy some open air.

Shakespear Regional Park by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

205. The park is basically a huge open space with trails all over. Views of the water on 3 sides, e.g. Te Haruhi Bay to the south.

Te Haruhi Bay by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

206. You can also see the Auckland skyline from there.

Auckland by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

207. This is the beach by our place. We live just by where you can see the white roof on the left, less than a 5-minute walk.

Exploring Stanmore Bay by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

208. The whole front of our house looks out over the water. So waking up to this view everyday is not hard.

House with a view by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

209. I was not very hopeful about doing much astrophotographer after moving here, since we're so close to Auckland. I was glad to be proven wrong after one clear night at Shakespear.
This is looking out east over Tiritiri Matangi (where the lighthouse is), an open nature reserve. All foreign animals and predators have been eradicated and native endangered species have been reintroduced.

Shakespear stars by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

210. Auckland is less than 30km away (as the crow flies). And while it does produce quite a lot of light pollution, it is still remarkably dark. This is looking out over Auckland, with the iconic shape of the Rangitoto volcanic island on the left. The stars are still quite clear above the city.

Shakespear stars by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

211. The ubiquitous "cabbage trees" of New Zealand.

Shakespear stars by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

212. One great thing about doing astrophotography in NZ is that the galactic core is in a prime position for most of fall, winter, and spring (unlike in the upper Northern Hemisphere, where it is relatively low towards the horizon). This was shot on a static tripod with a 50mm lens -- no tracking mount or specialized astro equipment.

Shakespear stars by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

[mtcham]

Awesome shots Fuzz!!! I love when you tip your camera up to the stars.

[From_the_NEK]

All great shots as usual!
I wonder if the very clear air in NZ has anything to do with the weaker than expected light pollution from Auckland. If the air is very clear, the light doesn't have anything to reflect off of in the atmosphere reducing the light haze when capturing a photo.

[supermodel159]

Love the astro stuff! Really nice!

[Fuzz]

Thanks, guys.

From_the_NEK, I think it's just that even Auckland, the largest city in NZ, is still very small (population of only 1.5 million in the whole metro area). The suburbs don't stretch out for miles and miles in every direction, so the "light dome" falls off pretty quickly. Not many billboards lit up from the bottom. Also not a lot of street lights every few yards.

213. This is the view from the front of our house.

House with a view by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

214. Auckland has an industrial silo park that has been converted into a recreational area, with kids' playground, art galleries, restaurants, etc.

Silo Park by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

215. Inside one of the silo art galleries.

Silo Park by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

216. Auckland Botanical Garden

Auckland Domain by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

217. The famous corpse flower bloomed, but we visited just a day too late.

Corpse flower by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

218. View of Hauraki Gulf from a lookout at Wenderholm Regional Park. This is the bay we live on (the cluster of inhabitation on the right horizon).

Hauraki Gulf by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

219. Fata morgana on the waters outside.

Stanmore blues by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

220. The Spirit of New Zealand, seen from our house.

Spirit of New Zealand by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

221. Despite it being not as dark here as it was on the South Island, I do love being able to get to nice foregrounds much faster. Rather than having to drive an hour to get to some good foreground landscapes, there are many great places within a 20-min drive here. Like Wenderholm Regional Park.

Night sky by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

222. And despite it being winter, the weather is really mild.

Winter sky by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

223. The Warkworth Radio Telescopes are a popular spot for local astrophotographers. There's active research being done here and it's great to see the huge dishes move.

Ground Control to Major Tom by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

224. The nearby town of Waiwera (a 15-min drive) is known for its natural hot pools. But I went for the stars.

Through the gap by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

225. This last picture doesn't have anything to do with New Zealand in particular, but I'm sharing to make a point about astrophotography. One of the more common refrains I hear when people see astrophotography is: "I wish I had a camera that could take pictures like that". In most cases, the answer is, "You already do". So in order to show that, I shot this with my point-and-shoot camera, a Canon Powershot S95, on a static tripod right outside on my front porch/driveway. Yes it's noisy, and no I won't be putting this up on a canvas anytime, but it is still a reminder of what very basic gear can achieve with a bit of patience and processing.

Pointing and shooting the Milky Way by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

[huckbucket]

Really enjoying living vicariously through your shots. Keep em coming and thanks!

[Fuzz]

Been doing a lot more photography recently.

226. Nearby Shakespear Regional Park is a great place not just as a nature reserve with great open space, but also for views over Auckland.

Golden hour over Auckland by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

227. It is a great place to catch the long white cloud (NZ is known as Aoteorea in Maori, Land of the Long White Cloud).

Land of the Long White Cloud by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

228. The bush is pretty cool. Feels like a dense rainforest, complete with waterfalls. Apparently there are glow worms in this pool -- need to go back in the dark.

Waterfall Gully | Shakespear Regional Park by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

229. The other day I noticed a light in the sea from the house...

Spirit in the sun by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

230. So I had to go down to the beach and explore. It was the Spirit of New Zealand, a sailing ship that is used for youth development programs.

Spirit in the sun by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

231. Although I missed the Venus-Jupiter conjunction due to clouds, I was able to capture Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS (left), Venus (top right), and Jupiter (bottom right).

C/2014 Q1 PANSTARRS, Venus, Jupiter by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

232. While the unsettled weather has meant no starscapes, it does make for some dramatic seascapes.

Storm front by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

233. And wildly different conditions from one day to the next.

What a difference a day makes by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

234. I've been on a city/urban photography kick recently. First off, managed to finally shoot the Auckland skyline.

Blue hour over Auckland by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

235. Visited the Glenfield Night Market -- a large market every Sunday night focusing mainly on food (mostly Asian). Feels almost like being in an Asian market.

Glenfield Market by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

236. The different foods were quite good.

Glenfield Market by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

237. I'd planned to shoot the skyline from a great location called Sulphur Point. After one failed attempt due to fog, finally made it one evening. Unfortunately, the sea was too choppy for any reflections, but the blue cast from the overcast sky was great.

Auckland blues by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

238. Went for a walk in the city. Auckland feels more like Denver and less like Chicago (but with a very strong Asian feel). Not very busy on one of the main streets during a weekday.

Auckland main street by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

239. Lot of tourists around though.

Auckland street by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

240. One thing AKL has going for it is the food -- lots of very good restaurants and cafes, including some awesome Asian ones.

Best coffee in town by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

241. And finally, managed to get up to Mt. Victoria just in time before the end of twilight last night, for a view over AKL.

Auckland twilight by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

242. Sky Tower was lit up in red for some children's heart foundation benefit.

Auckland twilight by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

[LightRanger]

Nice work man. Thanks for the update.

[Fuzz]

Time for another update...

243. The North Island is quite warm, with very mild winters.

Pasture path by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

244. Clear days like this can be quite chilly though, mainly due to the often strong breeze.

Lone tree by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

245. This is a popular spot for photographers. I can't get here in time for blue hour just yet (have to wait for later sunset), but wanted to check it out to for a proper shoot.

Electric Avenue by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

246. Went on a weeklong vacation to a place called Mount Maunganui. It's a beach town popular for vacations, but not very crowded now due to it being the off-season. Pretty place nevertheless, with Mount Maunganui quite prominent at the end of town.

Fire on The Mount by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

247. A quick 40-minute walk up the Mount provides fantastic views. Parts of the walk feel very Mediterranean, as if you're in Italy.

Mount Maunganui by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

248. Lots of walking tracks all through the sheep farms on the Mount.

Summit views by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

249. It's a big boating area as well.

Into the storm by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

250. Maunganui is known however for its surf (the local schools having surfing classes). Unfortunately, the sea was absolutely calm when we were there. Not that it wasn't still beautiful, but there were practically no waves.

Summit views by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

251. Did get a beautiful sunrise.

Sunrise at The Mount by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

252. The morning we left, the wind picked up and there were some stronger waves. The water was still very cold.

Storm surf by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

253. While we were there, we made a side trip to Matamata, to visit Hobbiton. Peter Jackson created the whole village on a farm outside Matamata for the LOTR trilogy. After filming was completed for that, the set was taken down. But so many fans came by to look at the place, that when the time came to rebuild Hobbiton for the Hobbit movies, the farmer asked Jackson to make it permanent. So now you can tour Hobbiton exactly as it was used in the movies. The amazing thing is that the "set" is all-encompassing. There is no "backstage". You can turn around 360 degrees and all you see are hobbit holes and no traces of modern life (e.g. roads, powerlines, etc.). And the level of detail and realism in every single aspect is just stunning. And unlike movie theme parks, they're not replicas, they're the real places and things used in the movies. If you're a LOTR fan (as I am), it is a magical place -- feels like you're really in Hobbiton.

Gandalf's Cutting by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

254. The view from outside Bilbo's house looking over Hobbiton. This is the view that Gandalf and Bilbo enjoyed while blowing smoke rings in Fellowship.

Party Tree and Party Field by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

255. Bilbo's house in Bag End.

Bilbo's house, Bag End by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

[smmokan]

Absolutely beautiful, Fuzz. You're one lucky SOB.

[Fuzz]

Absolutely beautiful, Fuzz. You're one lucky SOB.

Yes, yes I am. :-) Who knows how long we'll stay here, but it's been great experiencing this fantastic tiny island nation -- the people, the lifestyle, and landscape.

[uglymoney]

Fuzz this photo blog is awesome. Almost overwhelming. Talent and beauty. Thanks for updating.

[GBB]

Always look forward to these updates, Fuzz. Thanks for sharing.

[up an down]

Always look forward to these updates, Fuzz. Thanks for sharing.

What GBB said.. don't ever stop posting your pics

[Fuzz]

Fuzz this photo blog is awesome. Almost overwhelming. Talent and beauty. Thanks for updating.

Always look forward to these updates, Fuzz. Thanks for sharing.

What GBB said.. don't ever stop posting your pics

Thanks, guys. NZ does not seem to feature that much in a lot of the rest of the world's photography (or that I had seen before moving here), despite the beauty of the landscape. So it's been great to experience, capture, and share it. And I feel like my photography has improved quite a bit in the last couple of years as well, since I've gotten to practice it more often.

[Cabinfever]

GBB douche your box or better yet shoot me your email re ski headboard


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[ridinshockgun]

Fuzz - the wife and I are headed to the South Island the last week of November and first week of December. Mind if I shoot you a PM for some recommendations??

This thread is incredible!

[Fuzz]

Fuzz - the wife and I are headed to the South Island the last week of November and first week of December. Mind if I shoot you a PM for some recommendations??

Absolutely. Will try to share what I've learned.

[Fuzz]

Been shooting quite a bit, so time for another update...

256. Due to school drop-off, I have a hard time catching any morning fog, but this one time it hung around until after 9am. So I stopped by where the Orewa River meets the Pacific for some calm scenes.

Orewa fog by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

257. There is an abandoned cement factory nearby, and I made a visit with some friends from the local photography club. The ruins are fenced off for safety reasons, but we were able to enter through an opening (NZ is kind of lax in these areas!).

Warkworth Cement Works by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

258. Some very cool structures in there.

Leroy by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

259. We had a long stretch of very unsettled weather -- cloudy weather and intermittent rain. So it was time to focus on smaller parts of the landscape.

Swirls by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

260. Our local beach is not as well-known as the nearby Orewa Beach, but it was more interesting objects to photograph. Like this piece of driftwood that was positioned just perfectly.

Incoming by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

261. Lots of marine life come along the waters by our area regularly, including whales and dolphins. I hadn't managed to see one until this one Saturday morning. We were walking along, taking in the sun, when suddenly...dolphins! Hope to get better views in the summer (when we'll be out on the beach more).

Dolphins in the bay by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

262. The unsettled weather did make for some great views. Caught this while killing time before an appointment.

Mood indigo by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

263. And saw this scene another day while driving back from the morning school drop-off, and just had to stop.

Orewa Beach panorama by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

264. I'm starting a partnership with a local framing studio (for them to sell and print my stuff). I ended up doing a documentary-style shoot for them.

Orewa Framing Studio by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

265. It was completely on-the-go, with all natural lighting and no posing.

Orewa Framing Studio by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

266. I joined a local photography meetup group. They organized a small steampunk shoot at Auckland Museum that I was fortunate enough to join (space for only 5 photographers). It was a lot of fun.

Steampunk focus by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

267. These people are serious "steampunk-ers" with seriously detailed costumes and props.

Steampunk focus by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

268. The conditions inside the museum were quite tricky. Very low lighting and quite irregular roof and wall angles (making it tricky to bounce flash). Since the museum was open to the public as well, we had to shoot fast. And because I don't usually do portraiture, it was quite a quick learning experience for me!

Steampunk focus by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

269. The other challenge was shooting without other people and obvious modern conveniences in the frame.

Steampunk focus by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

270. This was a very experimental shot. Put my flash inside the box and triggered it remotely.

Pandora's box by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

[DeathVan]

Thank you for these beautiful pictures and informative posts Fuzz, you have real talent !

I spent last November to February flyfishing, camping, and hiking on the South Island and your pictures are taking me back in my mind and spirit.
-I took a couple thousand pictures, even bought a realish camera, but actual skill must play a role...

Heading to Abel Tasman?

So many beautiful places, people, and wildlife!
-I thought it was like a mix of Oregon and Alaska, with a bit of jungle thrown in the mix

I have a car still for sale in Christchurch if you need a cheap one, haha !

"By Durin's beard, this is one fine thread!"

[Fuzz]

Thank you for these beautiful pictures and informative posts Fuzz, you have real talent !

I spent last November to February flyfishing, camping, and hiking on the South Island and your pictures are taking me back in my mind and spirit.
-I took a couple thousand pictures, even bought a realish camera, but actual skill must play a role...

Heading to Abel Tasman?

So many beautiful places, people, and wildlife!
-I thought it was like a mix of Oregon and Alaska, with a bit of jungle thrown in the mix

I have a car still for sale in Christchurch if you need a cheap one, haha !

"By Durin's beard, this is one fine thread!"

^ Thanks, man. Not been to Abel Tasman yet. Yes, you're quite right about the mix of environments -- a great mix in a small area.

[Fuzz]

This is a good time as any to post some more shots because I've had to take a break from shooting for a little bit (more details below).

271. Spring is here. Cherry trees are blooming everywhere.

Spring by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

272. I've been exploring our local beach more. When the tide goes out, a large part at the end of the beach becomes accessible, filled with little rocky coves, beaches, and caves. So I planned to go out this one morning when low tide and sunrise coincided. Found this pool of water there that was just the perfect natural infinity pool.

Purple pool by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

273. Went to an InstaMeet, my first, and met a lot of interesting photographers. Already got together with a few to go shooting. It's such a small place, many of us had met online before. In fact, I met three of my "followers" there.

Vroom! by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

274. While putting away the laundry one evening, I noticed the Spirit of New Zealand coming into our bay. That night, I looked up where it was moored and planned to shoot it against the rising sun in the morning. Woke up and drove 10 minutes to Orewa Beach. Just missed sunrise, but still got it before the sun went behind the clouds.

Against the sun by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

275. And in fact, as the sun disappeared, rays of light burst through the clouds. And just to complete the picture, a paddle-boarder came out at just the right time.

Ship of gold by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

276. Went out shooting the city with one of the guys from the InstaMeet. Despite being relatively small, the Auckland skyline is quite pretty, especially against the water. Tried something a bit different.

Auckland bokeh by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

277. Explored a new spot for traffic light trails.

Auckland on the move by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

278. Parking garages are great spots for shooting in the city. Unfortunately, Auckland doesn't have many of them that are tall. We had to make do with this.

Auckland city shoot by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

279. And finally, we come to the reason for my forced hiatus from photography. I was out shooting at sunrise last weekend, and wanted to do something different. Held the camera really close to the sea (barely a couple of inches above the water) and shot. Moments after I took this shot, a wave rebounded off the shoreline behind me and dunked my camera and lens completely. Immediately took out the battery. Came home and rinsed it out (saltwater can be very corrosive to camera parts), dried in a bag of rice for several days. No dice. So my camera has been dead for almost a week. Starting to look at new bodies. Want a 5D3 but can't afford one. Maybe the 6D will have to be it. But it'll probably be a few days before I get one. This was practically the last shot with my 5D2.

Liquid metal by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

280. Determined not to mope around after losing my camera, I decided to go out and shoot with my little point-and-shoot. After all, photographers are always taking credit for shots taken with multi-thousand dollar gear ("It's not the camera, it's the person behind the camera!"), so if I'm any good, I should be able to get something decent regardless of the gear, right? It was an interesting experience. What I learned is that with "lesser" gear, it's about compromise and careful planning. It was a constant balancing act -- if I got the focus exactly right, then maybe not the exposure; if I got the focus and exposure right, then maybe not the noise; and so on. And of course, I picked the worst day to shoot -- steady drizzle with subdued colours everywhere and absolutely nothing in the sky. At least the Spirit of New Zealand was still hanging around to make a nice subject.

Keeping up Spirit in the rain by Faisal Syed, on Flickr

[summit]

WOAH!

AWESOME