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Photography has changed the way I see the world around me.

Through it I discover new things and rediscover old ones. Like my island, New Caledonia.

This blog is just me sharing my world through my photography.

Hope you enjoy.

Posts tagged falls
TAUPO - NEW ZEALAND

TAUPO

We spend the majority of today, day 9, in Taupo visiting a couple of boutiques, falls and a extreme experience for one of us. We end the day thought, in Tongariro National Park.

As we were taking photos at the end of day 8, I saw a lookout from the bridge just in front of the Aratiatia Dam and a sign indicating a trail that may lead to it.

So this morning I though I’d checking that out. And I’m glad I did. It’s a beautiful, easy going walk that lead to two lookouts. Great views of Waikato River and the valley towards the Aratiatia Power Station, and beyond. Unfortunately the light was flat due the thin layer of clouds. The sun had a hard time piercing through. It did come out eventually but we were already on our way by then.

Our fist visit for the morning was Lava Glass. A glassblowing gallery and cafe. I wish I had filmed the inside of the boutique to show you the stunning glassware on display. When you see all the beautiful, vivid colours and designs, and the owner of the place tells you there’s nothing painted, it’s all coloured glass... that’s very impressive, even amazing. For a small fee you have access to the workshop where they do all the glassblowing and to the glass garden where you can wander around hundreds of glass sculptures. It’s not a long visit so if you have a little time to spare, stop by the Lava Lass for a visit. You won’t regret it. 

Our next stop was the Huka Honey Hive. I’ve never seen so many products with or made from honey. You’ll have to visit to check out their website for their line of products. I was equally surprised at the array of honey they had at the tasting stand. A must, is all I can’t say. An interesting place just to walk around. You’ll discover the materials used in the old days to extract honey and see the little bees at work. Fifteen minutes is all you need but I’m sure you’ll stay longer.

I have to apologies for not having any photos of the Lava Glass Gallery nor of the Huka Honey Hive. I filmed those two place which you can check out the video here or the links above. Sorry.

Huka Falls was our main objective today even though we were a little sidetracked. Now the falls are impressive in themselves but the surroundings are just gorgeous. If you get the chance to visit, don’t just stop at the bridge nor the lookouts, wander upstream a little and duck down little tracks to see the peaceful shores of the Waikato River just before it turns into a torrent of water. 

Paloma, my friend’s daughter, wanted to have an extreme experience. So Taupo Bungy was our next stop. She didn’t know which to choose from the Cliff Hanger or the Bungy. In the end she wasn’t too enthusiastic with her choice, the Cliff Hanger, even though we could hear her emotions as she swung (giggle). This part of the Waikato River is just as beautiful as upstream. The cliffs, the river, the vivid colours... just stunning. Even if extreme experiences isn’t your thing, just the beauty of the area is worth a quick stop.

Once the adrenaline settled (giggle), we headed into town for lunch. Then the boys and girls split up for some last minute shopping. Alain and I looked around for hiking shoes as his weren’t adapted for the hike we’re going to do tomorrow. We had pretty much given up when we decided to browse the Hunting & Fishing New Zealand store and found a pair there. Nice, helpful and, most important, knowledgeable staff. He took their advice and didn’t regret it. Also had a great conversation with another staff member about a variety of things. A very nice experience in all. 

So now that we had the necessary equipment  it was time to head farther south to Tongariro National Park. We stopped at a lookout just south of Taupo Lake that had a view north. A sunrise or sunset shot here would be nice. Kept going till we saw the gorgeous Mount Ruapehu. Just stunning! That’s when Alain told me about a chateau at the base of the mountain. Chateau Tongariro, we had to check it out. A beautiful, 200 year old building. A scene I had never seen before, mesmerising. We were going to stay just up the road then check out the chateau but the campsite was full. We ended up finding a spot at the Discovery Lodge Tongariro. Actually, there wasn’t a spot for our camper-van but the they were very accommodating. And very helpful with details about the hike we were going on tomorrow.

And talking about tomorrow, early morning means an early night. So that’s it for day 9 my friends. Hope to see for the next video where we seem to hike Mars. Goodnight.

p.s. I always have to thank Alain for the use of some of his material. Without it, some of these videos wouldn’t make sense.

NEW ZEALAND: NORTH ISLAND

TAUPO

day 09

We ended day 8 in Taupo and stay in Taupo today but end the day in the Tongariro National Park.

An early morning start, as I wanted to checkout a track I saw last evening. It lead me to a couple of lookouts that I could see from the Aratiatia Dam bridge, which is what I was hoping for. And what gorgeous views, from beyond the dam, down the valley past the Aratiatia Power Station. Magnificent! Pity I didn’t get nice light for my photos.

Our first unplanned visit of the day was at the Lava Glass gallery and cafe. For a small fee you can visit the workshop and watch the glassblowers do their magic and visit their private glass garden. Well worth the fee. Just stopping by for a coffee and browsing the gallery is worthwhile.

A second unplanned stop was the Huka Honey Hive. If for nothing else but the honey tasting, this place is worth checking out. There is so much more though. From well-being and beauty products to lollies and ice-cream. And much more. You’ll end up leaving with something, for sure.

Our first planned visit, Huka Falls. Impressive! Not just visually but the noise and velocity of the volume of water travelling beneath you... you can feel it’s power vibrating through your body. Quite an experience. But don’t stop at the bridge and the lookouts. Wander upstream a little and the atmosphere is quite the opposite. Calm, tranquil, peaceful. Beautiful. Worth the stroll.

Next stop was Taupo Bungy, for Paloma wanted an extreme experience. She went with the Cliff Hanger instead of the Bungy but later regretted her choice just a little. The Cliff Hanger wasn’t as extreme as she had thought, even though her cries say otherwise haha she did enjoy it.

After all that adrenaline, it was time for lunch and last minute shopping in town. Then it was direction Tongariro National Park, where we were staying the night. Oh what a scenic drive. Stunning views of Mount Ruapehu and just magnificent as the backdrop to the Chateau Tongariro.

We stayed the night at the Discovery Lodge Tongariro. We’re staying in the area because tomorrow we’ve planned an all day hike. So I hope to see you for day 10 where we walk 19.4 kms. Just to be precise. Goodnight.

p.s. once again a big thanks to Alain for his contribution to these videos.

THE 309 ROAD - THE COROMANDEL - NEW ZEALAND

FROM WARKWORTH THROUGH THE 309 ROAD TO COOKS BAY

Here are the photos from the last video. I’ve added a few extras that weren’t used in the video.

To recap the video and these photos, we stayed overnight at the Sheepworld Caravan & Camping Park in Warkworth (New Zealand) then traveled across The Coromandel via The 309 Road to Cooks Bay.

Though we didn’t stay very long at the Sheepworld Caravan & Camping Park, after walking around the place, I became very fond of it. The rustic country look. The Crash Start in the middle of the backyard. The volleyball net with stuff growing off it. The red sheep. Cow50 who posed for a photo but then wanted to eat my tripod. And beautiful, little, white flowers. Oh and the view of the mountains from the carpark was amazing too.

Our first stop of the day was Auckland to sort out some problems we had with the camper-van. We didn’t record any of that part of the trip. I regret it a little but can’t do anything about it now.

From Auckland we headed south-east to The Coromandel towards Preece Point. From there onto The 309 Road where we stumbled upon Stuart & The Pigs (without Stuart) and stopped at Waiau Waterfall. I really like this waterfall because the area is small, it’s completely surrounded by forest and there’s a small waterhole. Lovely little spot.

Our day ended in Cooks Bay where we parked our camper-van on a free site just behind the Purangi Regional Reserve, along the Oyster River (I think that’s the river’s name but am not sure). Only took a couple of late afternoon shots then we just sat back and relaxed. It was the end of a long day of driving.

Next post is a video where we visit a cathedral and a gorge. Hope to see you then. Ciao.

p.s. can not forget to thank Alain for his contribution to this set of photos as well.

NEW ZEALAND: NORTH ISLAND

The 309 Road

day 4

This video is short but fast paced. We drove quite a bit that day so I took a few time-lapses. I hope you don’t get too queazy.

Day 4 of our trip around the North Island of New Zealand, took us from Warkworth to Cooks Beach on the east side of The Coromandel. With, of course, a quick stop back at the camper-van hire place in Auckland. We were having two or three problems with our camper-van.

On the last video, we ended the day at the Sheepworld Caravan & Camping Park in Warkworth. I didn’t get the chance to wander around the place the night before so I thought I’d do that this morning. Apart from the common lounge you would have seen on the last video, there was also a large dining and kitchen area as well. Outdoors and country style looking. Rustic and beautiful. I found the Crash Start stranded out the back. Unusual place to have a boat. I saw red sheep. Yes, red sheep. And I don’t mean a red spot on their bottoms but the whole sheep painted red. And I almost had my tripod eaten by Cow50. The weird and wonderful Sheepworld.

Anyway, it was time to head to Auckland to solve our camper-van problems. From the three problems we had, one was legitimate (heater problem), one was our misunderstanding (can’t use power socket without being plugged to a powered-site) and one was our misuse (not plugging the powered-site cable properly). Well, didn’t we feel stupid for a moment there.

Onwards with the trip. We made our way to Preece Point and I must say, the scenic road of the east coast of The Coromandel is just magnificent. It’s so beautiful that we all forgot to record it. Darn it! From Preece Point we turn onto the very winding The 309 Road to cross over the mountains to Cooks Beach. Many view points along this road. We stopped at one that was at the entrance to the Ohana Farms. A while later, we stumbled upon Stuart & the Pigs. Well, just the pigs. They were crossing the road to head over to their… car yard?! Then we stopped at a place we all wanted to visit, the Waiau Waterfalls. Small falls but with the waterhole at it’s base and the surrounding forest, it really is worth a visit. We didn’t stop again until we reach Cooks Beach where we stayed the night. A free campsite on the south end of the beach behind the Purangi Regional Reserve. I think it’s along the outlet of the Oyster River but don’t quote me on that.

That’s it for day 4 my friends. I hope you come back for day 5 where we visit a cathedral and a gorge. Goodnight.

p.s. Once again, a huge thank you to Alain for his clips and photos.

PAIHIA - BAY OF ISLANDS - NEW ZEALAND

THE FALLS AND THE HOLE

Here are the photos from the last video. I think I added a couple more in there too. 

So to recap the third day of our New Zealand trip of the North Island, we woke up in Kaikohe, a town west of Kerikeri and made our way to Haruru Falls in Waitangi. From there we headed to Paihia where we had booked a ferry to visit the famous Hole In The Rock on Motukokako Island. On the way there and back, we stopped over at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island. The Hole In The Rock is just after Cape Brett, where you will notice a hut and lighthouse on the hill. Back in Paihia I took a photo of the beautiful stone building, the St. Paul’s Anglican church.

We hit the road back towards Auckland that afternoon and stopped for the night at the Sheep World Caravan & Camping Park. A wonderful place and so is the owner.

Again, I’d like to thank Alain, my friend, for letting me use a couple of his photos.

KERIKERI - BAY OF ISLANDS - NEW ZEALAND

THE CLOUD & THE TOWER, THE STORE & THE FALLS

I thought I’d share the photos that were in the video of my last post. I’ve wanted to share them for a while but wanted to get the video out first.

You might have noticed that the first two photos are not from Kerikeri but Auckland (New Zealand). This was on our first full day in New Zealand, I got up early, before my friends, to check out the Piers at the end of Queen Street, where we’d eaten at the night before.

Later that morning we were picking up our camper-van and heading up to Kerikeri. We lost three hours at the camper-van company because of a problem with their system, which made us arrived in Kerikeri mid afternoon instead midday.

We headed straight for The Stone Store and Kiroripo Pa. A beautiful area along the Kerikeri River. We spent a couple hours there then visited the Rainbow Falls (Waianiwaniwa) a little farther upstream.

Unfortunately that’s all we had the time to visit. The next day we were off to Paihia. Kerikeri is a large town with plenty to visit and do, and absolutely beautiful. Well worth a visit.

NÉOCALLITROPSIS REFUGE FALLS

Cockington Miniature Village was the last of my photos from Australia. And even though I’m heading to New Zealand this weekend, I won’t be sharing photos from there but from home, New Caledonia. The reason being I don’t have a laptop to edit my photos on the go. I promise you’ll get to see them as soon as I get back in a couple of weeks though.

Néocallitropsis Refuge Falls is located in the Yate municipality in New Caledonia. A small waterfall ending in a nice waterhole, especially appreciated after a long walk. A few of us decided to hike the first stage of the GR NC1. Which is a fourteen kilometre hike that starts from the Prony refuge in Baie de la Somme (Mont Dore) and ends at the Néocallitropsis refuge (Yate). The refuge (hut) is located just off to the left of this photos. The hike doesn’t loop so either you retrace you steps back or drop a second car near the Néocallitropsis refuge to head back to the start once finished. I stayed the night in hopes of capturing a couple of sunset and sunrise photos. Unfortunately I missed out on sunset. I drove a couple of ladies and their dog, who thought the track looped, back to Prony refuge. By the time I got back, all the beautiful light had vanished and rain clouds were rolling in. It poured down pretty much all night so a shot of the stars didn’t happen either. I woke up to an overcast and drizzling morning. I want to pack up and head home but I didn’t know when I was going to be back here. I told myself “You’re here now, make the most of it. Go home with at least one photo.”. It stopped raining long enough for the ten minute walk back to the refuge (I didn’t anticipate the bad road to the refuge so I camped next to my car) and take a couple of photos before it started raining again. I got back to the car drenched but happy with myself for not giving up earlier.

Getting the long exposure time that I wanted for this photo wasn’t difficult with the lack of light from the overcast skies. The small aperture to get everything in focus helped as well. My aim was to get a silky smooth waterfall and it’s exactly what I got.

Never give up. You never know what lies in store.

1.3 sec @ ƒ/11, 55 mm, ISO 100