I like it when my pictures make it to Explore. :-)
Surrounded by lights
One good example for what an extreme wide angle lens is good for!
Taken with my Nikon D40 and the Sigma 10-20mm lens @10mm. It’s inside a tree of lights.
A lens as wide as this gives you the ability to capture interesting views inside narrow interiors.
Shot from the hip, to get even more on the picture. (I wasn’t comfortable lying on the ground or setting up a tripod; it was too crowded under there.)
My mother just sent me this picture she took of the Dubai skyline.
Well done, Mom!
Is there anything better to start into the weekend than a cold bottle of New Zealand’s best beer?
Marilyn Moko
I found this graffiti on a wall somewhere in Auckland, after walking home from a concert. This was one of those moments where I was very glad of having my small Canon Ixus camera with me.
The graffiti shows Marilyn Monroe (obviously) with a Moko - Māori for “Tattoo” - on her chin.
37signals’ Rework arrived today. Can’t wait to read it.
Lake Harris from Conical Hill
I took this picture on the Routeburn Track (Mt. Aspiring/Fjordland National Parks) and it’s easily one of my favorites from this trip.
Fuck yeah. ;-)
One month after the Christchurch earthquake
We have been lucky. We weren’t in Christchurch when the 6.3 earthquake hit just before 1pm on Tuesday, Feb. 22nd 2011. We were hiking through the mountains near Glenorchy/Queenstown (approx. 400km away to the south-west).
A hut warden was present on this track and he told us on Wednesday morning what has happened. He also offered us to make one call via radio (there’s no cell-phone coverage in NZ’s mountains). The connection was short, but we managed to reach our neighbours to ask if they are ok and if their and our houses are still standing.
Everything was ok, and so we went ahead with the normal plan and continued walking for the next couple of days.
Only after we came back on Saturday, we realized the degree of destruction this earthquake caused. It was terrible to see all the pictures.
We drove home on Sunday only to grab a few things and then leave again. We didn’t feel safe in our house on the hill, although it wasn’t looking bad on the outside. The inside was a bit of a mess, but we expected things to be worse.
At first, we spent two nights on a campground in western Christchurch, before my company organised flights for us to Auckland. We ended up staying there for almost 3 weeks in an unfurnished flat. It was not exactly comfortable, but still more comfortable than being in Christchurch, having no running water and sometimes no power. No shaking was a big bonus, too.
We returned last Sunday. Wednesday evening I went out with my GF1 to take some pictures of the visible damage in Sumner, the suburb we live in.
I need to say that most buildings are looking ok and that you don’t see lots of obvious major damage everywhere. But you certainly won’t overlook it, either.
Recovering after the earthquake: The time on the Sumner clocktower is the one when the earthquake happend. Just before 1 PM.
You see quite a few of these Port-a-loos in the street. Water was not available first (it is restored now), and the sewage system is still not running properly again.
Sumner Church had some considerable damage after the quake in September, and the Febuary one made it worse.
Water tank: before running water was restored, you had to get water from one of these tanks.
A huge rock came down from the cliff in the background.
The Cornershop Bistro. Awesome restaurant where we spent a lovely evening not long ago.
“The Ruptured Duck” restaurant was heavily damaged after the September quake and this one now put it over the edge. It was still standing after the quake, but got demolished now.
zrick buildings are often hit worst.
Some properties are now a bit too close to the edge.
Where’s the roof?
You can see all the pictures in my Flickr set “Earthquake damage in Sumner”.
Alien Trees
Street Art Britomart
Found these stickers around the Britomart building in Auckland.
Nicole and I went on a little tramping trip to Pirongia forest park a couple of weeks ago. Spent one night in a cosy little hut.
You can see all photos on Flickr.
Dinner at Depot
It’s been the second time we visited this lovely restaurant right in the centre of Auckland.
This time we had our seats right next to the kitchen. It was absolutely fascinating to watch all the food getting made. And of course it tasted delicious.
