All Souls Church, Clevedon

All Souls Church is an Anglican Church in the village of Clevedon just south of Auckland. The church was completed in 1861 and is steeped in history. Much of that original structure still stands to this day and a vibrant congregation still meets there.

I paid a visit to this church early in the year intending to photograph the exterior. As I always do I peered through the window and was stunned by what I saw. I gathered up the courage to knock at the Vicar’s door and this culminated in a great conversation besides going out of her way to open the church so I could photograph it. When I got home I realised the the exterior shots were not as good as I would have liked so decided to go back again, today’s photo is a result of that second visit.

This image is a 6 shot panorama, each shot is bracketed 2 stops apart and post processed with Photoshop, Lightroom and Nik Plugins.

Valley of Sheep

 

New Zealand is ever so often at the wrong end of a myriad of sheep jokes and one could argue rightly so. At first glance this country has a lot of sheep but then the more you look you find it isn’t just sheep but cows as well. There are far more sheep than people, I think the official statistic according to Statistics New Zealand there are currently seven sheep per person.

I was on my way to shoot at another spot at One Tree Hill when I drove past this scene. At first I drove past then changed my mind and took the panorama sequence. I like that although the area around One Tree Hill is a working farm the gates are open and you can wander around the pastures, makes for good exercise walking around the steep volcano slopes. 

Sky Tower

 

Before moving to New Zealand, the one structure that I associated most with this country was probably the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower dominates the Auckland skyline and rightly so, at a height of 328m it is the tallest free standing structure in the southern hemisphere. Completed in 1997 the Sky Tower has become the centre of a complex that includes a casino and restaurants. Thrill seekers can enjoy the 192m “Sky Jump”.

The morning I shot this photo I had no intention of shooting the Sky Tower, as a result of poor research I had found the gate to the park I wanted to photograph still locked. This is my first attempt at shooting a “vertorama”,  a vertical panorama. This one is made of five frames and each frame is composed of five bracketed shots spaced 2 stops apart.

ISO:100 | 1/8 sec @ f:29 | 5 brackets [-4, -2, 0, +2, +4] |40mm | tripod

Muriwai Beach

One thing I find really striking about New Zealand’s land and seascapes is how dramatic the scenery changes sometimes within a very short distance. One moment you are driving down a road with rolling hills, the next you encounter this amazing seascape that just stuns you.

Muriwai is a beach on Auckland’s west coast that seems to go on forever. It doesn’t quite go forever but about 50km. The rough waves draw surfers and other adrenaline junkies to play on the black iron rich sands. Although I am none of the above, Muriwai is one of my favourite beaches around Auckland, the fact that its only 42km north west of Auckland city probably means there will be more images of this amazing location in the future.

This image is a 5 frame panorama taken from the northern of the two viewing points looking north. Muriwai beach stretches northwards on the right and the Tasman Sea in the left.

Maraetai Sunrise

I have known about Meetup for a while now. I had never thought of using it but when we came to New Zealand I signed up for an account, my motive was to join some photography groups and find shooting locations based on where meetups were being held. It was never my intention to get on one myself until I saw a meetup being organised at Maraetai beach. Not only was this down the road from me so I could make the early morning time but I was motivated by a failed sunrise shoot the previous morning. Little did I know I would enjoy the company of fellow photographers, I am sure that this meetup will be the beginning of many more.

I arrived as the sky was starting to warm up and was intrigued by the leading lines of the wharf and the colours of the sky and the water. I setup for this shot and hardly moved throughout the meetup. This was a 5 exposure blend with the exposure 2 stops apart. 

Maraetai is a popular beach for Aucklanders, who flock here for a swim in the summer months while taking in the stunning views. Located on Auckland’s east coast, it boasts an incredible location on the Pohutukawa Coast.  Maraetai means ‘meeting place by the sea’ in Māori.

Misty Pastures

 

This morning I joined a Meetup group to shoot the sunrise at Maraetai Beach (watch this space for the sunrise photos). This was my first Meetup and I must say it is much more pleasant to be in the company of fellow photographers in those early hours of the morning than being all alone.

On my way back from the beach shoot I drove past this scene and had to stop to capture it. When I first saw it, there was a lot more fog but by the time I setup my camera I managed to catch the last bit of it. I think there are more photos to be taken in this area, I definitely will be back for more.

Manukau Heads Lighthouse

Manukau Heads Lighthouse sits atop the Awhitu Peninsula on the south side of the Manukau Heads. It was first lit on 1 September 1874 at 5:35pm. The original lighthouse was a wooden structure much like the one that stands on the site today but that structure gave way to a concrete structure that was completed in 1944.

The current lighthouse was constructed in 2006 using some part from the original construction  in 1874. The lighthouse is open to visitors daily between 9am and 5pm for a donation. Visitors can take in the spectacular panoramic views of the Manukau Harbour. The drive up the peninsula also offers grandiose sweeping landscapes. The lighthouse overlooks the site of New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster, the site where the HMS Orpheus sank on 7 February 1863.

I hardly had time to think when I took this image, we didn’t know that the gates to the lighthouse close at 5pm so we arrived there at 4:45pm and realised we only had 15 minutes to view the place. After the scramble up the stairs this turned out to be the only image worth sharing from that day.

 http://www.manukauheadslighthouse.co.nz/

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Kuala Lumpur International Airport has been on the news a lot in recent times. This was the last airport from which flight MH370 took off headed for Beijing and has not been seen since. The story of the missing airliner has baffled many.

KLIA, as it is affectionately known, is Malaysia’s main international airport and serves the greater Klang Valley. Built at a cost of US$3.5Bn it can handle 40 million passengers per year and 1.2 million tons of cargo. KLIA was officially opened on 27 June 1998 a week ahead of Hong Kong International Airport.

This 3 exposure digitally blended photo was shot hand-held from the balcony of the current air traffic control tower, a new tower has recently been constructed as part of the KLIA2 development. On either side of the main terminal building are two multi-level car parks in the background to the top left is the satellite terminal mainly used for international airlines.

Kohekohe Presbyterian Church

Kohekohe Presbyterian church is that one church that you just want to get married in. The church sits on a small property with a backdrop of stunning views of the surrounding hills and the Tsaman Sea peeking over the horizon. Built in 1886 the church was decommissioned in 1976. The church made the news in August 2012 when it was reported the premises was going under the hammer, the new owner seems to be using the church for wedding rental as evidenced by the sign at the gate.

Kohekohe Presbyterian church is located about 65km south-west of Auckland, near the town of Waiuku.

The image is actually 7 exposures, blended in Photomatix and tonemapped in Lightroom with further editing in Photoshop.

200 Years

2014 is a significant year in New Zealand’s religious history. This year marks the 200th year since the first Christian service was held in New Zealand. Christians of all denominations will celebrate this momentous occasion later this year. As my small contribution to the celebration I will be taking photographs of churches around the country but mostly in Auckland.

Baptist Tabernacle situated on Auckland’s Queen Street has a striking resemblance to Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. Metropolitan Tabernacle is famous because this is the church that the famed Christian preacher C. H. Spurgeon pastored. In 1881 Thomas Spurgeon, son of C. H. Spurgeon accepted the call to become pastor of Auckland Baptist Tabernacle and under his leadership the church constructed the current building.

On Easter Monday, 1884, the foundation stone was laid. At this ceremony, Pastor Spurgeon announced that the building should be opened free of debt. The Tabernacle was opened on 12 May 1885. When the service began, 100 pounds was still required, and this was raised. When the people heard that the building was opened debt free, they sang the doxology over and over again, giving praise to God.

Sources: Wikipedia, Auckland Baptist Tabernacle website