A room with a view
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/16 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
I felt the bed shake as Him suddenly jerked upright beside me. “The window!” Fully awake now, I watched as he flung off the covers and walked briskly to our hostel room’s window. And then I too remembered and grew alarmed. I joined him at the window and peered down to the single story below….
A 12-hour, nearly odor-free bus ride
- Aperture: f/4
- ISO: 1000
- Shutter Speed: 1/3 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We had stocked our bags with trail mix and fruit before boarding our 12-hour bus ride from Wellington to Auckland, but we soon learned our provisions had to be consumed in utter secrecy. John, our bleary-eyed, semi-retired bus driver, does not like food on his bus. And, as he warned us before each pit stop,…
Middle-earth (Or at least the middle of New Zealand)
- Aperture: f/18
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
I’m not sure if this is always the case, but when one tours Wellington just before, during or after a Tolkien-related theatrical premiere, there are signs. Everywhere. Times Square-grade Bilbo Baggins posters cloak entire sides of buildings. Gandalf banners flutter from light posts. Elephant-sized fiberglass trolls glare at passersby. While it seems the entire Kiwi…
Winding roads and rough seas
- Aperture: f/22
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We spent the morning before we had to head out toward Picton doing some kayaking around Abel Tasman park. The Kaiteriteri Kayak company was our operator of choice, and we decided on a two-hour self tour around the bay. We arranged the excursion through our lodge, but it is possible to just show up at…
Christmas abroad
- Aperture: f/29
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/160 s
- Focal Length: 14mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Kia Ora! We’re a tad behind on our posts, but we’re working to catch up! In the meantime, a very belated Merry Christmas to all of you! Christmas Day abroad was a strange experience for both of us. Her and I have spent every Christmas of our lives with at least one of our families,…
Fur seals, insects, and serious Lens Envy
- Aperture: f/25
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/60 s
- Focal Length: 20mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
The drive from Charleston to our lodge just outside of Abel Tasman National Park on the sixth day of our trek would take approximately 3 hours if one were to drive straight through, but it’s worth spending an extra couple of hours to explore Cape Foulwind. This negatively named area of the West Coast was…
The West Coast in two days (not enough time, but plenty of glaciers)
- Aperture: f/22
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/80 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Day 4 – Dec 22 – Te Anau to Fox Glacier Like the Great Ocean Road in Australia, Highway 6 on New Zealand’s South Island is jam-packed with stunning places to stop, both marked and unmarked. It seems that every turn in the road leads to a rushing river cutting through marvelously steep mountain passes…
Milford Sound
- Aperture: f/10
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We got up early to drive into Milford Sound, see the sights and go on a kayaking tour that included a 1-hour hike on the last couple miles of the Milford Track. The tour, through Rosco’s Kayaks, was worth every penny. Kayaking the sound is so much nicer than seeing it from a tourist cruise…
Clay cliffs and heaps of sheeps
- Aperture: f/13
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/100 s
- Focal Length: 11mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We hit the road early Thursday with three goals in mind: Get to Queenstown for lunch Arrive in Te Anau, the launching point for trips to Milford Sound, by early afternoon Take as many pictures of sheep and lupins as a 16GB memory card can hold. Possibly fill an 8GB memory card as well. Our…
The race begins
- Aperture: f/22
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
It wasn’t supposed to be a rally race around the island — it just worked out that way. Bookended by a Dec. 24-25 reservation at Abel Tasman Park and a family wedding after that, we had just four days to explore the south bit of New Zealand’s South Island. We touched down in Christchurch just…