Whangarei Beach Scenes

Even on a dull, cloudy day, the beaches of New Zealand are beautiful. 

Now We Climb.....

........Seven Hundred and Fifty Seven Steps

I know because I counted every one of them, and with every step after about 200 I kept asking myself if the climb was worth the effort.  And it was!!!  The next photo will be the view from the top and the end of our journey.

We're Amost There!

Can you see the tiny lighthouse??  That's where we are heading, the East Cape lighthouse.  Check back to see the beautiful view from this lighthouse and learn why this location has a special significance.

Amazing Sky

Have I mentioned how amazing the skies are in New Zealand!!

By now we've spent over two hours enjoying this amazing coastline and have missed breakfast and lunch, because there are no services in this remote area.  But, we are getting closer to our destination.  (See several previous posts.)

Raukokore Anglican Church

Raukokore Church
 

Rounding yet another bend on our journey, (see last 3 posts), was yet another picture postcard scene.  This beautiful little Anglican church was a brilliant white reflecting the morning sun.  It is isolated on what looked like a small peninsula and appeared to be sitting right at the water's edge.  Its design looked somewhat out of place and in sharp contrast to the red carvings on the outside of typical Maori maraes, (sacred meeting places), that dot this part of New Zealand.  The church was one of several built in the area by Captain Duncan Sterling, a pakeha, (generally translated to mean a New Zealander not of Maori descent), from hand sawed timber.  Eventually he was married there in 1896 to Mihi Kotukutuku.  Mihi became the chief of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, (her Maori tribe), and she and Duncan had 10 children.  Stirling knew very little Maori, but connections between the Anglican Church and the local Maori people were strengthened through their marriage and Duncan's skill as an architect/builder.

 

Cliffs Near East Cape, New Zealand

 Cliffs reaching down to the clear turquoise waters of the Bay of Plenty

We're getting closer to the edge of tomorrow......no wait, I think it's the edge of yesterday!  I'll have it figured out by the time we get there! (See previous 2 posts)

As we travel farther east, the road gets bumpier, the little Maori villages are few and far between, and we haven't seen a petrol station, or a place to get some breakfast, for miles.  I don't seem to mind, though, as the wild beauty and remoteness of this place seems to sing to my soul. 

A Few More Miles Down the Road......

......with only an occasional wandering horse or cow to watch us pass by.  We're a little bit closer to the 'edge of tomorrow'.

(See previous post)

On Our Way..........

........... to the Edge of Tomorrow!

Last weekend we had a little break in our rainy weather, and no assignments so we headed out to explore another beautiful part of the north island of New Zealand.  Although it is winter, the grass is spring green, the mountains are covered with a variety of ever green trees and vegetation, and the weather was a pleasant 60ish degrees.  We traveled down the east coast on an isolated road and saw vista after vista of a wild and unspoiled coastline with turquoise water and rugged cliffs intermixed with beautiful green pastures. 

We were on the way to the edge of tomorrow.....literally!  Check my next post to follow our journey and see where we end up!

Winter Beauty

This  blossom adorned the the grounds of the Sydney, Australia temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  By the time we arrived at the temple, it was dusk, and I worked quickly to take my pictures before dark.  Walking back to the car I noticed this single blossom in front of a slatted fence.  Even though it was dark, the soft white petals stood out from the colorful background and I stopped to photograph it.  This was the type of image to throw caution to the wind and edit to my heart's content.  I had to bump up the exposure, and bring out details in the background.  Then I added some texture and pattern to finish it up.

Endless Summer

Beach in Whangarei Area

A War Story

I hate war, and I hate war movies.  I never thought there could be anything funny or entertaining about a movie depicting war............however, this talented film maker from Utah changed my mind.

Well, maybe you Nikon enthusiasts didn't think that was very funny!!

I posted this photo on our Kiwi Krossings missionary blog, but thought I'd post it here as well, since I rarely post family photos:

 Here we are ready to go to a fancy dress ball put on by our stake.  Missionaries, however, rarely bring ball gowns on a mission (haha), so the best we could do was for me to wear a black suit and for Jeff to wear what he wears every day, (although I thought the kiwi tie was a nice touch).  I haven't taken many photos of us together so I thought I'd take a quick one before our guests, (fellow missionary couples), came to dinner prior to the dance.  

For those of you interested:  I set my camera on a tripod, (with a diffuser on my flash to soften the light),  and we stood in front of a plain gray wall.  I tweaked the white balance to make the color 'warmer' and then I added a textured background so it wasn't quite so boring.  A few other tweaks and in 2-3 minutes I was done.  I kinda like the color wash look.

Hamilton Gardens, New Zealand

Where's Waldo?????

Hamilton Gardens in Winter, New Zealand

I think I found an interesting foreground element for this shot!

Quirky Yard Art

I'm trying to think of something clever to say about this photo, but I'm at a loss for words.  It struck my fancy because it was unusual and I really liked the reflection.

Hamilton Gardens, New Zealand

Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton, New Zealand

A little over a week ago we had an assignment in Hamilton, which is about an hour and a half drive south of Auckland.  We arrived early for our meeting so we decided to spend a little time in the Hamilton Gardens.  It was a dull, cloudy day, not very enticing for photography.  But as usual, I hauled around my camera bag, mainly because I never, ever leave my camera equipment in the car, not even in the trunk.  Anyway, I took very few photos, but this one I really love.  I adjusted it with the 'simplify' filter in Topaz Adjust.  This eliminated distracting specks of light and helped bring out the colors and reflection in the water.

Sydney Opera House at Night

This beautiful building is photogenic from all angles and any time of day or night.

Play Your Didgeridoo, Blue

Remember, 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport'????  There's a line that goes, 'Play your didgeridoo, Blue'.  This is a didgeridoo.  It is basically a hollowed out log.  The 'real' ones are hollowed out by termites, so we were told.  The ones made for tourists are not and are colorfully painted.  It was amazing how many different sounds he produced.  Now for a few behind the scenes snaps:

Nice looking accompanist!

And one for the grandkids back home!
(I was shooting in bright midday sun,  trying to get a clear shot amid dozens of tourists, so not great technically, but sometimes the subject is more important than the technicalities!)

Harbor Bridge - Sydney, Australia

View of the Harbor Bridge taken while walking toward the Opera House

Feathered Friends in Sydney

There must be a clever title for this shot, but I can't think of it!