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FROM EDITOR NZ Travel Magazine
Kia Ora and welcome to Issue 11 of the Mag We have had some epic exploring up at Lake Ohau the past month and head up there again next week and Mount Cook Area for some astrophotography and landscape photography shoots and adventures. This month features some fantastic stories of photography and travel around the North and South Island With Winter officially in next week we are looking forward to the snow and fun that Winter brings Take care and see you in Lake Wanaka! Rachel Gillespie Editor-In-Chief
CONTENTS Lots of great stories and adventure inside
INSIDE TOURISM TRAVEL SHOWCASE
LAKE WANAKA JUNE 2017
ACTIVITY REAL COUNTRY
with Professional Guide Laura Douglas
FEATURE
PHOTOGRAPHER CHRIS PEGMAN
By Rachel Gillespie
IMAGE LEFT Shine - At the end of the eastern arm of the Bay of Islands, just landward of the famous Hole in the Rock, is the Cape Brett lighthouse in the Bay of Islands, NZ. I’d been all over this hillside for several hours on a chilly night before this one fell into place. I’d only just started DSLR photography; It’s what I consider to be my first decent shot.
FLIY WITH AIR SAFARIS
ON THE WATER TAYLOR WESTON KAYAKER’S DREAM
ADVENTURE Brando Yelavich Wildboy Adventures
LAKE WANAKA
JOIN US ASTROPHOTOGRAPHER MARK GEE THE ART OF NIGHT
PHOTOGRAPHER rina sjardin-thompson
editor rachel gille nz travel mag
espie gazine
16TH JUNE MEDIA EDUCATION DAY FOR TOURISM OPERATORS & CREATIVES www.nztravelmagazine.com
3 EVENTS - 3 DAYS
business owner senka radinoch nz adventure girls
marketing kate baxter ngai tahu tourism
south island manager lisa chambers mt cook ski plane & helicopter
MOKE LAKE
In awe of Northland’s Sky of Stars
with Photographer and Astrophotographer Chris Pegman by Rachel Gillespie
Don’t dream - do it. I have to thank my Mother in Law, who is still living life to the full, for that mantra. We caught up with with Chris recently and asked him how he got into photography Hey Chris tell us a little about yourself? “I reckon I was born scampering all over the north of England, but in reality I was dragged up in the Lake District Fells (Cumbrian mountains) by my father & mother for several years until I fell in love with the soliloquy of the mountain tops & lakesides. I’m most grateful for their persistence there. Fast forward through unhappy schooldays in the late 1970s, and it felt like home was in the family static caravan in Keswick, such was the amount of time I was running to be there for as long as I can remember. When I was really young I drew the lakes & mountains with my Cumberland pencils and colour blocks. About the time school art lessons started it was a natural progres-
sion for me to pick up a camera and make pictures with that. I also had a bit of a thing for watercolours back then too.” “Then later on I met my wife in Keswick, and we married in a tiny rural church in Mungrisedale.” When did you come to New Zealand and what brought you here? “From the early days I’d poured over the huge family Atlas, so had an interest in what was where in the world, even as a pre-schooler. I would cry myself awake trying to work out where space ended, so obviously my brain was looking out to the night skies even then.
Left the beautiful Northland beach of Matauri Bay is this huge sculpture by Chris Booth commemorating the final resting place of the Rainbow Warrior following bombing & sinking in New Zealand. - Eight 30secs exposures stitched in a roughly 270 degrees panorama. Below - capturing the nightime mood at a peaceful church yard in the historic Stone Store Basin - the cradle of the nation - in Kerikeri, Bay of Islands. NZ. A 270 degree or so stitch of 8 images (edge cropped) taken with 14mm lens on Canon 6D. The stained glass was taken at 1/125th of a sec & blended to the rest of the images which are 15secs exposures.
During osteopathic studies in London I was lodging for a time at a YMCA above Brixton, where someone from Wellington ignited my interest in New Zealand. This interest was cemented by four ‘Kiwis’ in my year, and that the college was but a few hundred metres away from NZ House. Ultimately I came to New Zealand because it offered much of what I wanted to see in the rest of the world. Compacted into one country, were mountains, fiords, beaches, geothermal, lakes and so on, a better climate, better lifestyle, a better future for the kids, and better job opportunities. Aotearoa has superseded all these expectations. Tell us a little bit about your businesses, where and what made you settle in Northland? Emigrating to NZ mid 1990s I initially chose Christchurch as a main centre close to the Alps that promised high temperatures. I worked as an osteopath there for 18 months before needing to work further North. The short answer is we came up to Kerikeri as somewhere we could base ourselves for a while exploring the North Island. Exploring being done, that base has become home. Now the long answer …. We flew up to Northland and secured a job, but a crazy set of happenings meant we would not be living there. Further craziness found my wife and I in separate seats on the return leg. During that flight I remembered a huge Air NZ poster of Russell from Flagstaff Hill, I have hung that poster up everywhere I’ve been since the mid 1980s. Having had that lightbulb moment, I was then relaying thoughts to and fro to my wife down the plane via others, much like the subway scene at the end of Crocodile Dundee. ”Where is it?” says she, ”Bay of Islands” I replied. “Will I like it?” again she asks, then from a passenger he says “ yes, now shutup!” So that’s how we ended up in the Bay, an
old poster, now framed and still hung to this day. I’ve been an osteopath in Kerikeri helping infants to elderly ease conditions like back pain, sciatica, neck strains and headaches for over 20 years, so I’m obviously doing something right with my therapeutic work there! One day 5 years ago I was sat at my work desk, the next moment, so it seemed, there I was shell-shocked in Ronald McDonald house, my wife & daughter suddenly diagnosed with genetic heart conditions, one in Starship, the other in Auckland City, 220 paces bed to bed. In the troubled days following this I saw I was not living life as I had dreamed. With that in mind I rekindled my photography after a 35 year break and bought my first DSLR camera. For all Northland has, it has no mountains, this is the community I love and live in. There is so much for me to capture up here, right now I’m engaged in capturing over 20 night sky panoramic images over iconic and also not so well known places in Northland for an exhibition at Waitangi Museum October 2017-January 2018. I favour astrophotography and landscapes as I’ve said above, both were in my bones since childhood. Photography and Gear Where did you start and what do you use now? The first camera I had in my teens was a Praktika, the shutter made a noise like a rifle! Of note was that at the time I was hiking in the Cumbrian mountains with grown ups who were sporting the latest thing – semi automatic SLRs. Sadly at close to zero temperatures, their gear failed, but the East German Praktika kept on going, solid as! Back then I favoured 35mm ISO25 slide film (to explain, these days that’s an exceptionally low light sensitivity, which brought out richer colour back then). I now have a Canon 6D with a few lenses depending on the job, but the go to is the new and well respected Sigma Art 20mm lens. With this combo I’m shooting the night sky at a go to of ISO 10,000 (flick on a torch for an instant & the image is ruined – it’s that light sensitive), and recently in caves I shot a
Chris Pegman Photography
beaut vertical pano at ISO 25,600, lens wide open, 30 seconds each frame. Particularly for astro, I mount my gear on the well engineered Sirui tripod & Novaflex panoramic apparatus. This lets me shoot 360 degrees round, multi row and I can point the lens to the exact same spots if the light gets better. Tell us a bit more about the type of photography you do, it’s is very technical and complex to plan out your kind of shots right? Yes true! Just last night I was trying to photograph my daughter in front of a rising moon – loads of planning using programs on the computer, and a good deal more on-site as sadly I’d forgotten to bring my trusty compass. In the end I was only 10 metres out & I got the shot. Some people see bugs and details; I’m wired such that I’m always turning my head side to side (at least 180 degrees) onsite contemplating an image: it’s probably a handicap as well as a blessing, and
a point of difference. I feel in awe of the scene before me and I yearn to capture the emotion along with the hugeness of it. I’m so often aware when in front of a landscape or a night sky that there’s more to life than just this Earth: it’s my hope that viewers see that from many of my images. So to achieve all this, especially with a night sky, I’m pushing the (task specific) gear to its limits. In addition I have the complex set of arms & swivels (I favour the compact but sturdy-as Novoflex Slim) that allow me to capture anything from floor to sky & even all the way round, and very importantly all this without ‘parallax’ (a post processing nightmare where things just don’t join). Mustn’t forget the tripod: this also has to be very stable. I’ve successfully stitched up to 60 images – this is a waterfall that hangs in the foyer of Kerikeri New World. I’ve images in Kaitaia McDonalds at up to six metres wide too, so yes it’s technical & complex, but when you get it right, it’s incredible what you can achieve.
The worst I’ve had was an image that took 20 hours of post processing, it was hanging at the Pear Tree Restaurant in the Kerikeri Stone Store Basin, and will be in my Waitangi Museum exhibition. Who if any have been your mentors or people you have learnt from? I dared to dream I could become an astrophotographer on seeing an image Rob Dickinson (from Christchurch) took whilst visiting Northland. Particularly he, and Tim Dobson (Fatboy Photography, Auckland), I feel have tucked me under their wing & cheered me along. It’s such a buzz to be in a community of folk doing something new – new tech in cameras & newness of computer software has just recently exploded allowing us to capture scenes impossible just a few years ago. With that in mind I’ve been mentored my many many others, I think it’s safe to say we’re all in part of the Facebook group ‘The New Zealand DSLR Photography Group’ a great place to be. What were the unexpected things you found about traveling in NZ? I am just so amazed at the friendliness and help from everyone. It still stuns me that you turn a corner and it’s like you’re in a different part of the world. What were your favorite spots to take photos, if you could pick your top 5? Gah! I’m glad you didn’t ask me my top 5 albums … that always runs to at least 20. 1. Derwentwater overlooking Cat Bells in the English Lake District – ever changing, always sublimely serene. 2. Bowfell,again in the English Lake District – what a mighty mountain, and such interest there and in it’s views 3. Hooker Valley looking up to Aoraki and that fabulous ridge, icebergs below in the lake, I’m in awe each time I’m there. 4. Roy’s Peak in Wanaka - though I’ve only climbed it once, it instantly became one of my favourite hikes, from the soft verdant
view of the lake, rising through a marvellously engineered path to the loftiness of the lake far below with the mountains threading in behind, and the epic peak that has been so often photographed. 5. Te Rerenga Wairua/Cape Reinga – consistently spiritual yes, but also offers something different every time I’m there. 6. (cut me some slack here guys, it’s tough doing just 5!) I used to dream – before I knew the difficulties – of assailing Aoraki – now my energy is fixed on a night at Plateau Hut (at 6000 feet up on it’s shoulder): I’ve seen astonishing astro images from there, and am in earnest to experience and capture this. Out of the activities you experienced which did you love the most? I was a keen play sailor in my Mirror Dinghy on Derwentwater – spending most of my time on the daggerboard (see, I was playing!), I’ve run several half marathons, and done some brutal cycles (with the wind in my face no matter which direction I was in) but my heart is never happier than when my feet are in hiking boots and I’ve my world in a rucksack on my back :o) What is your quote or mantra do you live by? Don’t dream – do it. I have to thank my Mother in Law, who is still living life to the full, for that mantra. Also, for all I am burdened to promote the beauty of the land we live in, I seek to have humility as I do this. See more on Instagram and FB and at the web www.chrispegman.com
Supermoon! A Composite NZIPP New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography 2016 “IRIS” Gold award winner. This image was front page of www.reddit.com twice (6th place and then 1st place) & had two million views from imgur.com, was the subject of an article on snopes.com, shared on one facebook group alone 55,000 times, and even made in to a meme! Sadly, it was cropped - my explanation of this being a composite was lost - and went viral on twitter with the title ‘Perfect Framing, Perfect Timing’ and has been featured goodness knows how many times in articles with titles like ‘30 perfect photos you won’t believe aren’t Photoshopped’ such as the www.brightside.me article which sadly had this and many other images that to my eyes also look photoshopped! Contrary to this, 500px iso published an interesting article using what happened to my image: https://iso.500px.com/the-supermoon-composite-that-went-viral-without-credit/ Again, it is a composite image of the a radio telescope from the Warkworth Observatory & a recent supermoon. search “ supermoon in radio telescope “
CHRIS PEGMAN
OVER THE ICEBERG BY CHRIS PEGMAN
On the Lebig Dome looking down to the Tasman Glacier Valley, Mt Cook. NZ .... at minus 15 degrees celsius or lower ..... brrrr
In Summer the local teenagers - & teenage at heart - ‘do bombs’ off this rock ... reasonably scary! This lovely waterfall is located near Waipapa Landing in Kerikeri, NZ Just under 30 images stitched together; each frame 8secs exposure
WANNA JUMP by Chris Pegman
Northland
Supper’s Ready by Chris Pegman
On our way to The Pear Tree Restaurant (left of image) for supper, I noticed that a horrid orange light that blasts all around this area was switched off! Not to be distracted, I enjoyed a wonderful meal with my wife (it was the 24th Anniversary from when we 1st met) we retired home ‌ and I got up 2am & returned to the same spot with camera tripod Gigapan etc. Incredibly with the horrid street light gone, I was able to view & capture the Milky way arch right from within the township of Kerikeri.
Lake Matheson Good things take time, great things longer. I’ve been 20 years in New Zealand & have longed to see Aoraki Mt Cook reflected in the stillness of Lake Matheson. When I finally got there this morning with a bunch of photographer mates, we were rewarded fully.
WAIT FOR IT by Chris Pegman
From Red Crater by Moonlight by Chris Pegman
by Chris Pegman
3 hours hike to here & 6000 feet up: the top of Red Crater & the highest point of the Tongariro Crossing, Central Plateau, NZ ... and it’s night time! Emerald Lakes below centre, Blue Lake below horizon of left quarter, the lights of Great Lake Taupo behind, Ngaurohoe “Mt Doom” far right.
Beaming on the Surf The dramatic seascape of Gillespies Beach, South Westland. NZ Taken in daytime , exposure slowed to one second using Lee Luttle Stopper & 0.9 grad filter
Peak Photographer
by Chris Pegman
High Above
AORAKI REFLECTIONS by Chris Pegman
Thanks to a small hole in an otherwise iced over glacial lake after a metre fall of snow on the peaks. A still peaceful evening at the foot of Aoraki Mt Cook and the Hooker Glacier as evening was giving way to darkness. Lucky shooting star
Hooker Val ley Aoraki Mount Cook
NZ Photography Adventures
www.nzkiwiadventures.com
An interview with ADVENTURER
Live outside (no box required), what goes around comes around but in the end only kindness matters. by Rachel Gillespie
brando wildboy I am stoked to introduce you to Brando Yelavich AKA the Wildboy, Brando will be doing a regular article with us on his New Zealand Adventures, and share with us the reasons behind why he challenges himself so much. Brando has inspired me since the first time I saw him on TV and since I have followed his story a little more, we have become friends. There is a lot of wisdom in this inspiring young man, something we can all take on board and remember that life is for living everyday, get out there and challenge yourself. This article is to introduce Brando to you all and over the coming months you will learn more indepth about his journey and stories of where has been and importantly often why has been there. Being involved in a number of charity and fundraiser trips Brando will inspire you go outdoors and explore, find your own kind of wild. Tell us a little about yourself? I am 23 year old kiwi adventurer I spend most of my time in the outdoors doing something extreme like kayaking, climbing wilderness hiking... the list gos on and on!
Where did you grow up and what got you interested in the outdoors?
hardly move! The alone time really affected me though it was a struggle!
I grew up in Auckland New Zealand’s biggest city. However I lived on the outskirts on the edge of an estuary where I spent most of my childhood exploring the native bush around my home and in the dense mangrove forests that littered the coastline, spearing flounder and looking for crabs. I think this is where I truly fell in love with the outdoors.
Out of the activities you experienced which did you love the most?
Tell us a bit about your travels, where you go and what did you love about those places? Haha were don’t I go! I have visited every beach in New Zealand! I like to go where I feel nobody has gone before the wild places! I love the feeling you get when you’re in deep bush and have no idea what the time is and you have been out there so long the date doesn’t matter! What were the unexpected things you found about traveling in NZ? As I mentioned I grew up in the city! It restored my faith in humanity know how many strangers were willing to help! What has been your most challenging and yet rewarding Adventure so far? I spent 30 days alone on Stewart island that was definitely one of the hardest places I have ever been the bush is so thick I could
Rock climbing is definitely my favorite but I enjoy all of the outdoor activities What is coming up next on the Wildboy Calendar? I’m studying to gain a diploma in adventure tourism at NMIT at the moment but I’m hopefully going to Nepal at the end of this year. Otherwise my next big adventure will hopefully be in Mongolia What is your quote or mantra do you live by? Live outside (no box required) and what goes around comes around but in the end only kindness matters. GEAR I wear Kathmandu gear and take all my photos with a GoPro hero5 it’s so important to have a camera that I can take anywhere and doesn’t break! CHECK OUT THE EPIC VID FOLLOWING THIS PAGE Follow on Social www.wildboyadventures.com
BRANDO WILDBOY ADVENTURES
Kaikoura
Expose: Taylor Weston.
‘The river’. It is all about the river.
Weston lives by his name, a ‘West’ coast lover - living and breathing all the western goodness both here in his home of NZ and on the west coast of Canada. Based in Hokitika, he is a landscaper by day and river rat every other moment he breathes. Living in his van to make sure the gardening job only takes the bare minimum of his time so he can keep on living his dream – kayaking and raft guiding. Living on the west coast of NZ calls for hardy souls. Grey skies and endless rain makes the life somewhat damp and chilly, however the clouds don’t dampen this boys’ soul – the pitter patter of fat rain drops on his van roof just makes him smile a little bit more. The river is swelling and he must go. Taylor has made Hokitika his home for four summers. It boasts about 20 different good runs within 15 minutes of town. Some are easy to get to, others more of an epic adventure before even hitting the water. Walk in’s for some up to 4 hours long, which are not for the faint hearted! Bush bashing and mud up to your knees all while carrying a heavy load. It’s up to Taylor and his mates to carry in the boats, safety gear and his other favourite toy, his camera with full water proof casing. Safe to say this guy loves his sport and capturing it on camera. Climbing, swimming, rock-hopping and some mighty river jumps are just part of the fun to capture some epic runs like this one of Ari Walker at Crooked River, just east of Greymouth. A local secret due to the brutal 4 hour walk-in. Taylor and his mates can now make it in under an hour, after loads of epic missions to fuel this labour of love (all while carrying that gear - close to 30kg worth - us mere mortals can only read and weep). I asked him why? ‘The river’. It is all about the river. ‘Good rapids, drops, continuous and clean’. Endless summers in the mountains mean summers in Whistler, Canada, doing more guiding and kayaking. Living his own dream there is not much to change even if he won the lottery – just more kayaking with less landscaping, oh, and did I say more kayaking? Taylor’s heart is clearly in the mountains and full flow down the river. Paddling hard technical rivers he is happy with his lot. Living in his van and making the most of the landscaping as a training tool for the long hikes lugging his boats up valleys. I expect we will see more of Taylor sooner rather than later, with many folk coming along for the ride. And while life continues in Hokitika this boy isn’t afraid of the West Coast truth, clearly stating with a smile on his face, ‘I like rain. It fills up rivers’. Yes Taylor Weston, yes it does.
by Jules Walker Jules Walker loves to run, ski and ride. When she is not out there getting dirty you can occasionally find her scribbling away for a variety of outdoor magazines. However most of the time she and her dog Badger are behind hanging the scenes at Further Faster NZ and generally just having a good time.
Kayaker: Brian Kish Photographer: Taylor Weston River: Crooked The Crooked is an hour walk in, roughly, and an hour drive east of Grey.
Kayaker: Ari Walker Photo: Taylor Weston River: Kakapotahi ‘kakas’ Kakas is 15 min south of Hoki and is a drive in. One of the few but definitely one of the rivers I have paddled the most. Possibly over 100 laps.
www.nzkiwiadventures.com
COME AND RIDE THE ALPS TO OCEAN CYCLE TRAIL
KAIKOURA
THE VEINS OF MOTHER EARTH by Rachel Gillespie
air safaris lake tekapo
Flying Over Wonderland
IMAGE RACHEL GILLESPIE
Last Winter Astrophotographer Mark Gee and I went out on a flight with the local Lake Tekapo Air Safaris Plane, it was an exhilarating and stunning experience, one of the best scenic flights I had taken in a long while and the photography was amazing. The stunning blue colour of the iconic Lake Tekapo takes my breath away every single time, seeing it from high above is a whole another level of beautiful and flying up into the Godley Peaks area where you see the water source, where it flows from the snowfed glacial run-off and into the river down to the river braids that form the magnificence of Lake Tekapo. This area really is real middle earth and some of the Lord of the Rings Movies were filmed right in there! For me this area has a very special meaning as I spent a large part of my childhood here and I have always felt like I am a guest in nature’s playground, I feel extremely grateful to have played along the lake shores as a child, at that time not yet realising the importance of an area like Lake Tekapo. Today I am fiercely protective of New Zealand’s waterways and this one is 100% one of the most pure waterways in the World. I ask you on my behalf and all other kiwis that you take extra special care of this area, it is a place that can forever remain pure and magical if we are its caretakers and it is an honour that we remain able to wander freely through it. I asked the team over at Air Safaris a bit about their history as they have been around some 47 years now, this story is what follows. THE HISTORY OF AIR SAFARIS Air Safaris was established 1970 at Mesopotamia Station in the Rangitata River Headwaters, operating guided hunting, fishing, photography and outdoor experience trips using airstrips and outback huts on Mesopotamia Station as well as NZ wide tours. One Cessna 180 aircraft, and a charter and scenic licence, allowed the company to fly local hunters, and overseas visitor clients out to the remote airstrips
and huts on Mesopotamia, and to transfer clients to and from Christchurch, Mount Cook, and aerodromes around NZ. Scenic flights into the Mt Cook and Glaciers area, and as far as Milford Sound, were operated from Mesopotamia and surrounding holiday locations like peel Forest and Lake Clearwater. The company started building a scenic operation from lake Tekapo on the main tourist route, supported by local accommodation providers, and moved to Lake Tekapo in 1974 where it has had its main base ever since. The operation expanded rapidly. For a number of years the Cessna 185 and Pilatus Porter were equipped with retractable skis during the winter months. In the early 1980`s the Cessna 206`s and Cessna 185 were progressively replaced with Cessna 207`s carrying up to 6 – 7 pax and the first twin turboprop Nomad fleet, during the 1990`s operating scheduled services on local routes for Air Nelson, Mt Cook Airline and in the Air N Link network. Air Safaris has always been committed to minimizing the impact of aircraft on ground based interests, particularly in noise sensitive areas. While proud of the principle that aircraft provide all people, regardless of age or physical ability, the opportunity to experience our remote alpine areas without requiring ground infrastructure and without leaving any lasting trace, the company has always recognized the responsibility to show consideration to ground based interests and use operational procedures and aircraft types which minimize noise emission and frequency of movements. This commitment has been a driver in the development of the aircraft fleet and environmental procedures. With the present day main base at lake Tekapo, the operation is run from the Air Safaris Tekapo Aerodrome approx. 3 km west of Lake Tekapo Township, with a booking office in Lake Tekapo Township. A West Coast base at Franz Josef consists of the Air Safaris Franz Josef Aerodrome approx. 5 km SW of Franz Township and a booking office located in the township.
The current aircraft fleet consists of two 15 passenger Twin Turboprop, one 13 passenger single Turboprop and four 7 passenger aircraft.
the Mackenzie Basin to the lush forest and plains of Westland. The Grand Traverse covers all our largest glaciers and mountains, including the Murchison, Tasman,
The company`s main operation is the scenic operation around the Aoraki Mount Cook area, taking in both eastern and western sides of the main alps and featuring NZ`s highest mountains and largest glaciers in the Aoraki Mt Cook and Westland Tai Poutini National Parks. We carry out flights to Milford Sound on demand, and also a variety of charter work. Our main scenic flight is the Grand Traverse, a 45 – 50 minute approx. 200km circuit taking in a wide variation of scenery from the tussocklands, glacial lakes, and glacial valleys of
If you are heading to Lake Tekapo on your travels give them a call or email prior to arrival to get your place as a small place it sure fills up these days, it is one of those bucket list experiences. Rachel Editor www.airsafaris.co.nz
Sam Deuchrass
Commercial, Landscape, Tourism, Event
A Real Southern Girl
“
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Einstein’s words have always been my mantra and have pushed me to challenge the status quo in both my personal and professional life.
Rachel Gillespie with Laura Douglas On a recent trip to Queenstown I had the absolute pleasure of going out on a tour with Professional Guide Laura Douglas, it was the most kiwi kind of fun I have had in years. Having grown up on a farm it reminded me of all the amazing places and activities we used to get stuck into as kids.
We start the tour in Queenstown on a somewhat foggy morning, hopeful that as we head out past the famous Devil’s Staircase that it will dissolve into a beautiful sunny day, the gods must have been looking down on us, because that is exactly what happened. The drive to Laura’s property where she holds her tour of archery, claybird shooting and cracking a stock whip is one of the most breathtaking you will ever experience in your lifetime. Huge craggy mountains, stunning blue water and flora and fauna native and green. This part of New Zealand really gets into your soul, it remind me of something from the jurassic times. Laura was an amazing guide, her knowledge of the area and countryside extensive, very interesting and entertaining. I found her to be a real breath of fresh air among the industry, and you could see how passionate she was to share it right from the beginning. On the drive out to Kingston, I ask Laura how she got into guiding? Tell us a little about yourself? I am a proud Southern Girl who ditched my corporate career, MBA and city lifestyle to return home so I could showcase the real, rural, New Zealand to people that want more than just the usual tourist experience. I have always been more comfortable in gumboots than heels and it was time to follow my passion, which is interacting with people in a genuine way and showing them my New Zealand, which I think is the real New Zealand. I love teaching new skills to people and I get immense satisfaction knowing that I am giving them the confidence to try new activities and giving them an experience that they won’t forget. Where did you grow up and what got you interested in the outdoors? I was born and bred on a sheep and deer farm in a tiny farming town called Mossburn in Northern Southland. I grew up in a fairly typical rural New Zealand setting where my brother and I were told to “go play outside and don’t come back in un-
til dinner time”, so most days were spent outdoors entertaining ourselves with whatever activity took our fancy. My Grandad, Lala, first taught me how to crack stock whips, Dad taught me how to use a shotgun when he would take my brother and I duck shooting, my Stepdad taught me how to use a rifle to shoot deer and how to hunt pigs, my Mum and Dad taught me how to ride horses and making our own bows and arrows to shoot at rabbits was something that us cousins did together when we were on Nan and Lalas farm. Our family holidays were usually camping in Mavora, where collecting wood, lighting fires, fishing, eeling and having a bath by launching yourself off the homemade rope swing into the river, were just normal day to day activities. Reflecting on my childhood makes me increasingly grateful for the awesome upbringing I had and fuels my motivation to share that with as many people as I can. What inspired you to start Real Country? I grew up hunting and fishing as a teenager and when I went to University I would go pig hunting with a group a guys. Their girlfriends would tell me that they wished they could go hunting with the guys too, but that they were worried they would embarrass themselves in front of the guys and said that they were too shy to give it a go. So I started taking the girls out and teaching them the hunting basics, everything from don’t wear perfume and don’t slam the truck doors to how to handle a rifle. They then had the confidence to then go out with their boyfriends and enjoy the hunting experience. I reflected a lot on that feeling of satisfaction that I got from teaching those skills and when I decided to quit my corporate career, it was important that I focused on building something that I could be proud of and that is how the idea for Real Country initially started. What kind of feedback are you getting from your guests, as they are international I am sure many have not done this kind of tour before? When I started Real Country I focused a lot of the marketing content on the activities
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was what the trip was all about. However I quickly learnt through customer feedback, that I was the highlight of the experience and although customers loved the shooting and whip cracking, spending time with me, having me teach them how to do the activities and hearing my stories, was what made the experience awesome for them. The majority of my guests are international and most of them have never tried the activities that Real Country provides and after some dedicated, one on one tuition by me, they master the activities and feel empowered by doing something new which is outside their comfort zone. I have often been told that the environment I provide feels safe and not at all intimidating, so people that would usually feel embarrassed at giving the activities a go, actually feel empowered and excited by the experience. The other very common feedback I get is that guests are blown away by the amazing landscape and rural surroundings. Getting out of the usual Queenstown ‘tourist trap’ activities, experiencing something that is authentically and genuinely Kiwi and feeling like a local rather than a visitor, is also something that pops up regularly in the guest reviews.
What has been your most challenging and yet rewarding part of getting into business so far? The most challenging aspect is dealing with the same uncertainties that all new businesses face, because you don’t know what you don’t know. I have a very flexible business model and I adapt aspects of it as I learn more about the market and the Real Country customer. As an example, finding out that spending time with me was a highlight of the trip for most of the Real Country guests meant that I quickly had to adapt my marketing content to mirror what people were actually getting out of the experience. However making the necessary changes to my business model isn't always easy, in this instance, promoting myself was not something I was comfortable with and I truly didn't feel like I should be talking about myself, but I chose to listen to the customer and not my internal voice and have slowly been getting more comfortable with marketing myself more which has helped attract great guests! The most rewarding part of having the Real Country business is that I feel like I am giving guests a very authentic experience that they won't forget and showcasing New Zealand in a way that very few can. I spend every experience grinning from ear to ear with my Real Country guests and when you enjoy something that much, it’s becomes extremely rewarding and motivating. Tell us about each part of the tour Experience Real NZ From my Real Country attire which includes a New Zealand made oil skin hat and red band gumboots, to the ride on the back of JYM The Truck through the paddocks of sheep, to the homemade bacon and egg pie that is made using my Mum’s recipe, everything that guests experience while on a Real Country trip showcases the real, rural New Zealand lifestyle. Cracking the Stock Whip Teaching guests how to crack a stock whip is most unique of the four activities as it is not something that you often come across. It is traditionally difficult to teach but I was lucky enough to find Peter the Whip Man, who makes handmade stock whips from scratch in his garage at Timaru. He uses only the best materials and gives all new ‘whippers’ a beginner's pack which includes his instructional DVD and additional crackers for the whips. I now source all of my whips from Peter the Whip man and his one on one tuition has helped me instruct guests on how to successfully do the ‘stockmans crack’. Archery Two people at a time can try out the archery component of the experience, so guests naturally compete against themselves to try and get the highest score. This friendly competition is a really fun aspect of the trip and whether guests are channelling their inner Katniss Everdeen or Legolas, shooting arrows at targets on big bales of hay always provides a lot of laughter. Target Shooting The hardest aspect of target shooting for most guests is learning how to look through the scope to zero in on the various targets. I use an air rifle to teach guests how to target shoot as it is very safe and you still get the satisfaction of seeing your target disappear when you hit it. I experiment with various targets, cans, balloons with flour, helium balloons and arcade game style targets to make sure that the guests enjoy the experience. Clay bird shooting Like the target shooting, the claybird shooting takes place on the deck of the mai-mai (camouflaged hunting hut), overlooking the duck pond, which is used as a base for local duck shooters in May and June every year. I use a very light and safe, single shot, shotgun and teach guests how to visualise casting a net of shotgun pellets to ‘catch’ the claybird, rather than aiming at the moving claybird like a target. I didn't explain claybird shooting in this way at the beginning, but like a lot of my experience it evolved and instructing this way helps beginners hit the claybirds.
What is your quote or mantra do you live by? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Einstein’s words have always been my mantra and have pushed me to challenge the status quo in both my personal and professional life. In a personal sense, leaving my corporate career to set up Real Country and follow my passions happened because I wanted more for my life (more challenges, more passion, more satisfaction) and I recgonised that if I continued down the same path I was on, doing the same things every day, that I would possibly never get what I really wanted. In a business sense, both my time and money are scarce resources so I do not invest these resources just because that is what all other tourism operators invest in. I question why things are done that way and often if the answer is ‘because that is the way it has always been done’, I will choose a different approach. For all photos and videos I use my trusty Samsung S7 which takes fantastic photos and I don’t need to carry around bulky cameras. It also means that I can instantly upload images to social media and do live broadcasts to my followers. I built my own website and regularly update the images and content . As well as the usual social media channels, I also use Periscope which is an awesome live broadcasting tool and WeChat which is how most Chinese guests get in touch with me. So if you are keen on a real kiwi experience go out with Laura, you will definitely have an awesome fun time in one of the best locations in New Zealand, it really is like real middle earth out there on the farm. Thanks heaps Laura for taking us out and talking to us, we look forward to coming back out soon
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