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W W W . N Z T R A V E L M A G A Z I N E . C O M
FROM RACHEL NZ Travel Magazine
Kia Ora and welcome to Issue 12 of the Mag Some big challenges and changes are taking place here at NZTM. You may be aware that for the past number of years I have been running the Magazine and Events pretty much on my own as well as being a busy Mum and unfortunately this has caused me some health issues which I am starting to get on top of now. Some really great things are coming into the business so I have sat back and remodelled the Magazine and starting next month you will meet our new Co-Editor Chad. I am moving into Photograpy Journalism and Adventures which I am stoked about and have also brought on team member Tracy Pepper as Adventures Sales Manager. We have some exciting articles coming over the next 3 months by some of your favourite people and education events in both Christchurch and the North Island into 2018. Thanks for being patient with me, and I hope you love this Issue as much as I have putting it together. Rachel Gillespie Editor-In-Chief
INSIDE & MORE Lots of great stories and adventure inside
GUIDED WALKING TOURS
EXPERIENCE IGNITION SELF DRIVE with Laura Moore
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHER RINA SJARDIN-THOMPSON
By Rachel Gillespie IMAGE LEFT ALMER HUT
STARLIGHT FESTIVAL
GUEST BLOG LEVI HARRELL CAMERAS
ADVENTURE Brando Yelavich Wildboy Adventures
MT ASPIRING NATIONAL PARK, WANAKA BY RACHEL GILLESPIE
Just Run My Own Race
with Photographer Rina Sjardin-Thompson by Rachel Gillespie
My Philosophy I live by is to keep it simple, don’t complicate things, that way less things can go wrong and it helps me to move forward easier. Crawl, walk, run.. . . SOAR. That’s what I live by. I was connected to Rina through my photography friend Neil Protheroe, he talked with me about her amazing works and how beautiful they were without editing and the like, I started following on Facebook and fell in love with the kind of photography and vibe of Rina’s work, after some time we chatted and I realised what a special and inspiring lady she is. I invited Rina to speak at our Tourism Travel Showcase earlier this year, and found not only an awesome photographer in her but a stunning lady all around, I am stoked to share with a part of her story. Tell us a little about yourself. Born and bred NZ, I was raised in Rotorua until I was 16 years old. The family moved
over to Australia and I didn’t want to go, I wanted to stay in New Zealand and finish school but had to go with them. I couldn’t get my University Entrance once I got to Aus as it was a totally different system to here in NZ so ended up getting married and my husband and I had a bricklaying business. I worked very hard labouring in the business from age 19 and also did the books and was the supervisor. After 14 years we split up and I raised our son on my own for 11 years and loved it. I came back home to in New Zealand when I was 40 according to my son it was a midlife crisis haha. My son went back to Aussie and I decided to stay and it was home for me. My son and I are incredibly close.
LAKE BENMORE
RINA SJARDIN-THOMPSON - ALMER HUT, WEST COAST
BLUE BOAT RINA: probably the photo that epitomises me... a loner but not living in the shadow! Taken on a river in whitebait season at a private location ... whitebaiters use it to cross the river to get to their stand
Rina Sjardin-Thompson Photography : Gallery When I came home from Australia I brought back 140 pairs of shoes, 110 handbags, 75 purses and wallets, 300 pairs of earrings and 5 wardrobes of clothes but now my life is so simplified I love that I practically live out of a suitcase, wearing mostly gumboots and polar fleece!
Friends loved my photos, there was a competition at the local Westland AMP Show. I entered 3 images in each category and got 1st 2nd and 3rd in everything and the winner overall and I didn’t even go to the show! This is when I realised maybe I can take a photo.
I started out in Hanmer Springs then moved over to the West Coast of the South Island, this is when my love of photography started. I was totally and utterly blown away by the Coast.
My photos told a story, the bull, the horse, they weren’t perfection just telling stories and sharing experiences of the farm and the animals.
When I was 16 before we moved to Aussie we went on a trip and I fell in love with the West Coast. Every window you looked out of was a landscape. I wrote in my diary that one day I will come back and live here, wow how is that for the power of a goal! So when I came back to live one day I looked in a drawer of the house I was living in and found a camera, I just started snapping things. My partner at the time had a Hereford Stud and I took some photos for a catalogue and it grew from there.
After that things seems to just organically fell into place. I upgraded my camera and did some photography at Omarama and Lake Ohau and people started buying images off me just from my Facebook Timeline. This was just 6 years ago. I was blown away with Facebook and the 6 degrees of separation all over the world. My Facebook gradually became my office. I went on an adventure on the West Coast, did local events and helped out with Department of Conservation accompanying
them to document their work, they used my images internally and bought some for publication. The I did my first wedding at the Chancellor Hutt on the Chancellor Dome on Fox Glacier! WOW! From here I would say ‘I was smitten and bitten’. I love doing landscape and destination weddings now all over the world, I have just been to Rarotonga with a family, Aussie, Canada and next India, all through my personal facebook timeline! I don’t even have a website or advertise at all. Now I am also running Photography Workshops and Editing with Mikey of Mack Photography and NZ Kiwi Adventures throughout New Zealand. My Philosophy I live by is to keep it simple, don’t complicate things, that way less things can go wrong and it helps me to move forward easier. Crawl, walk, run....... SOAR. That’s what I live by.
I honour guts and courage of others, I had to do it myself, I know how that feels. I see a lot of ego in photography, my biggest tip is to stay humble and just be yourself, run your own race, start simple stay simple don’t copy anyone else and be true to you and your style… also remember you don’t need to be in a hurry to go anywhere, just enjoy the journey. Gear At first 5D III then went to 6d after I killed the MIII and I use all L series lenses, 100-400mm (walk around lens), 50mm, 100mm macro, 24- 105mm, 16- 38mm widey My top 5 places in NZ in this order is 1. West Coast cos it has EVERYTHING!!! 2. Glenorchy 3. MacKenzie Country 4. Otago 5. Collingwood. My absolute happy place is Almer Hut and totally stoked to have lived just down the road from Lake Matheson!!!
Lake Mapourika
Bryce Bay - RINA SJARDIN-THOMPSON
Almer Hutt, West Coast - RINA SJARDIN-THOMPSON
Jackson Bay Road, South Westland
RINA SJARDIN-THOMPSON
Favourite Type of Photography hmm hard to pick a fave cos everything has been so varied and brought me satisfaction, contentment, and happiness for different reasons....family photos cos i get to connect with families, equestrian cos there is just SOMETHING about a horse, weddings cos they are a special time in everyone’s lives and i get to capture that for them, sports for the action, candid shots of people let me get “honest” unposed photos, but WORKSHOPS are extremely satisfying...especially beginners. There is nothing like watching someone learn a new technique or see them capture something they never thought they could.... very very satisfying but landscape would have to be the
ants pants for me... it’s what started me in this. Shit it’s all been an amazing journey If I had to choose only one... it’s all the work and jobs i have done with doors off helicopter over the Southern Alps.... its pretty special up there and once you have done doors off you will never be happy to shoot through the bubble again. Check out Rina’s Page here https://www.facebook.com/rina.sjardin. thompson.photography/
A Luxury Drive E Meet our awesome friend Laura, she has one of the coolest businesses around! Luxury Car Experiences! I was so impressed with their company and they way we were treated, impeccable service not often found these days. Our team spent a few days in Lake Wanaka and Queenstown recently driving some sweet drives. What I love about Ignition Self Drive is not only are the cars amazing but the way that they help you with your adventure and turn it into an experience. My favourite car was the Porsche 911 closely followed by the Aston Martin! The backroads of Wanaka were the perfect place to get inspired and feel free as a bird sailing along the highway surrounded by nature. My group of girlfriends and I never thought we were really into cars, but after driving these babies, we all changed our minds on that, if you have never driven a sports car ladies seriously give it a try, it can be quite addictive! I caught up with Laura to chat more about her and hubbie Barry’s story Tell us a little about yourself and your husband? “Both originally from Scotland we have considered ourselves Kiwis really since we have been here. All of our time in NZ has been spent living in the South Island and we adore it. We have been in Queenstown for the past 5 years and it feels like it is where we are meant to be. It’s just the
two of us and our dog. He is a Rottweiler called Kaiser, we got him when we had only been together about 10 months so it’s been the 3 of us for a long time, he is awesome and we love him to bits. We enjoy getting outdoors, although don’t do it enough considering what is on our door step. I am more creative so enjoy making and designing things. I am a bit of a perfectionist but Barry is pretty good at keeping me in check when I go overboard. Barry’s passion really is cars, he loves motorsport including driving and building racecars. When did you come to New Zealand and what brought you here? I came to NZ in 2004 as my family decided they wanted a change of lifestyle and NZ seemed to tick all the boxes in terms of what they wanted. I was 19 and really thought I might find it hard to settle here and end up going back to Scotland but it was quite the opposite. I felt right at home as soon as I stepped of the plane and my love of New Zealand has never waivered. Barry came to NZ in 2006 after travelling with mates in Australia, he was really just passing through and had come to visit my brother here but ended up sticking around. He couldn’t resist my charm :) and well here we are 11 years later and we make a pretty cool team. Tell us a little bit about your businesses, where and what made you settle in Queenstown? Ignition is a self drive adventure business
Experience and we specialise in high end sports car hire. We also have some SUVs for people coming with kids or extended family. We started with 3 cars in November 2015 and now have 6 in our fleet. The plan is to grow the fleet as we grow the business. Luxury car hire is nothing new but for us the reason we decided this was a business we would like to launch is really a combination of the amazing scenery we have in New Zealand and in particular for us the South Island and the fact that we have a bit of a passion for cars. We first considered it a few years ago while on a roadtrip down the West Coast. Then the topic came up everytime we done that trip and in the end we thought, if we don’t give it a crack we will never know.
What is your quote or mantra do you live by? This is not a rehearsal. “This” being life, we all have responsibilities so it’s not as easy as just go and do what you love but sometimes in life there are things that you can control and change, it just seems so terrifying to do it. We are only here to do this once so make it count.
BELOW Barry and Laura
IGNITION SELF DRIVE
“Ignition is a self drive adventure business and we specialise in high end sports car hire. We also have some SUVs for people coming with kids or extended family. We started with 3 cars in November 2015 and now have 6 in our fleet. “
Tell us what cars you have and the experiences people love having with them in the South Island? Our newest addition to the fleet at the start of this year is the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. It tends to be one of those cars that little boys had posters of on their bedroom wall so it’s living out a dream to drive one. It’s an iconic supercar so we knew at some point we needed to add one. We then have 3 sports cars: The Aston Martin Vantage, Porsche 911 Carrera 4s and Audi R8. The driving experience in each of these is very different. Generally people who are very much car enthusiasts will pick the Porsche and most others will pick the car based on what they like the look of and what their plans are while they are here. The Lamborghini and Aston Martin are convertible so very popular in the warmer weather. People hire our cars for a variety of reason, these range from a special anniversary, birthday, honeymoon, wedding day, week long road trip with a best mate or they simply wish to drive their dream car. We then have a Porsche Cayenne and an Audi Q7. These are very popular during ski season when typically people are travelling in groups and with family. The Q7 seats up to 7 people so it makes travelling with a big family nice and easy. What were the unexpected things you found about traveling in NZ? How the landscape can change so quickly within an hour of driving. The East and West coast of the South Island could almost be different countries, same with Central Otago vs Nelson Tasman. It’s one of the reasons I love it so much. That the South Island looks so small on a map but actually can take you a few hours to travel between destinations, some of the time being pretty rural, so being prepared, checking out where fuel stops are before you hit the road would be a biggie. Sandflies - yeah they love me so I’ve learnt to always have spray in my bag or in the car. They really can take the shine off a trip, the worst experience for me was at WWW.IGNITIONSELFDRIVE.COM
Jackson Bay, so stunning but the sandflies were out in force, in the end I had to head back to the nearest shop, smother myself in repellant and drive back out. What were your favorite spots to drive to locally, if you could pick your top 5? Local favourites are: Glenorchy - this is probably my favourite as no matter what they weather is doing is always gorgeous. Stormy weather makes it more dramatic and the sunshine make you just want to drive forever. Wanaka via the Crown Range - such good fun in a sports car. The views from the top of the Crown Range are amazing and you get to stop at the Cardrona Hotel and cosy by the fire or enjoy the garden. Devils Staircase - not quite as scenic but great fun Mt Cook/Lake Pukaki - seeing the amazing blue lake is such a reward after that road trip, any excuse to do that trip is a good one. I have really fell in love with cars since we started Ignition. As I am the one who delivers the vehicles and talks clients through them I needed to know as much about them as I could. In doing so I have an appreciation for how each car differs not only in terms of performance, road handling etc but how each one makes you feel a bit different when you are driving it as does each experience depending on who you are with. People might think they just aren’t that into cars, but it’s about going on a great roadtrip with someone you love whether that’s a best mate, parent or partner and doing it in a really cool car. The car is not the only part of that trip that you will remember, it’s where you stopped, what you photographed, what you talked about, laughed about and the amazing scenery you drove through, so to me that’s what makes it very much an experience that just a regular car hire company.” So guys check it out, book in advance and I can tell you my next experience will be the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. Woohoo Story Rachel Gillespie
IGNITION SELF DRIVE
IGNITION SELF DRIVE
IGNITION SELF DRIVE
IGNITION SELF DRIVE
www.nzkiwiadventures.com NZ Photography Adventures & Workshops
QUEENSTOWN
NEW ZEALAND
heliglenorchy.co.nz
brando yelavich - adventurer 4 peaks in 4 days Mount Taranaki, Mount Ruapehu, Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe
Fundraiser for Nepal
north island’s highest peaks As far as I know, we get one shot at life. To try to comprehend the Universe, life and the meaning of it, is near impossible. In my life, I want to help others. I can’t save the World or cure Cancer but I can enrich others lives and encourage them to do the same. Although it sounds idealistic, it’s simple, and it works. Some people just need a little help, others a little motivation and everyone can use some inspiration. The families in Nepal, they needed help. They needed roofs on their schools and their homes to provide shelter and they needed clothes to keep them warm. I was contacted by my friend Jack, he wanted to do something to fundraise money to help these family, Jack was the motivation and I hope when I go to Nepal to build those roofs and give the clothes to families in need, that others, or even just one person, will use that mission as inspiration.
Together, Jack and I came to the decision we wanted to climb the four highest peaks of the North Island in four days. This would be our adventure to raise funds for the people of Nepal. It would be physically gruelling and mentally challenging, but knowing this was for a good cause would make it all the more rewarding. For those who don’t know the four highest peaks of the North Island are Mount Taranaki, Mount Ruapehu, Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe. We decided to tackle Taranaki first. Jack and I started in the pitch black, with only our head torches to guide us. We were determined to make it to the top for sunrise, so the 1am start was necessary. The hike to the top of this mountain is a bit of a puff to say the least, but we were fresh, this was our first peak and we were excited. Mother Nature did not disappoint. As Jack and I reached the summit of this beautiful mountain, we were treated to a spectacular sunrise. The sky lit up orange as the sun filled the clouds with colour. It was truly magical and and just what we needed to propel us onto our next mission, Ngauruhoe. Climbing the mountains was physically hard but having to get in a car to travel to our next destination wasn’t easy either. Wanting to rest but having to keep going was all part of this journey. We camped in the saddle of Ngauruhoe and Tongariro that night. The feeling of being in the mountains is one that I will always love. It’s like the air is purer and you are closer with nature. We woke to another stunning sunrise, telling us it was time to get going. Ngauruhoe was our goal for today. We summited Ngauruhoe an hour after sunrise and decided to tough it out and go up Tongariro on the same day, we had made good time up Ngauruhoe and both felt like it was now or never with the way our energy levels were going. By the time we reached the summit of Tongariro the cloud had come in, this changed the feel of the hike. Not having views to gaze at and having limited vision makes things more challenging this also made our body’s electric we
new this summit was going to be a walk in the park but because of the weather and the lack of sleep we were knackered. Our bodies were fatigued but it was so rewarding knowing we had just climbed 3 mountains in 2 days. On our last day there were mixed emotions, the obvious excitement to be finished, the pang of sadness that it was all finished so soon and the anticipation for what happens next. As we hiked to the summit of Ruapehu I took in the beauty of the light shining off the snow, I thought of the wonderful mountain sunrises we witnessed and I felt so lucky and so proud to be a part of a great adventure. Working with this young man wanting to help others made me realise I was achieving my goals. Helping Jack in the past had encouraged him to take a step toward helping others, and having an awesome adventure on the way.
Follow on Social www.wildboyadventures.com
Brando and Jack
MT ASPIRING WANAKA BY RACHEL GILLESPIE
Lake Ohau Sunrise BY RACHEL GILLESPIE
Expose: LEVI HARRELL
FILM CAMERAS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK
Film Cameras, love it or hate it, are making a comeback. They aren’t just for your tech hating grandparents or hipster chai tea sipping friends any longer. With more and more people switching back to film, you may wonder if bringing a film camera on your next hike or climb makes any sense. I’m here to tell you why you should bring one. Indestructible Film cameras (disposables included) are nearly indestructible. They can weather cold, rain, being dropped and all manner of things that would completely ruin its digital counterpart. These cameras are simplistic in nature. They just do not have the electrical equipment like a digital camera to be damaged. This means you can focus more on having fun and less time worrying about smashing your camera. True Color Film is transparent thin plastic with a light sensitive coating on one side. This means that the true light, and color, is what you see when you process and develop the film. Exactly like you saw it, unlike digital where the camera sensor is taking that light and converting it to the nearest known hue in Red, Green, or Blue (RGB). This is why you can get weird oversaturated colors in photos or images that just didn’t look like what you saw when you were there. Each Photo is Special When you only have 24 photos you can take on a roll of film, you pick your shots carefully. Each photo you take means something to you. You won’t fire off photos like a machine gun that has become the craze of many a digital photographer. You will take time to enjoy the moment, really contemplate every composition. Those moments that you chose to freeze in time in your film will stand out because you didn’t take 500 photos on this tramp. Time to Print Now that the hike is finished it comes the fun of seeing how all of your hard work paid off. Nothing beats getting fresh prints and reliving all the moments of your hike. Especially if you didn’t get the film developed until a while after your hike. Film cameras make your expedition more genuine and get you back to the basics of photography while you enjoy the outdoors. But don’t just take my word for it. Go grab a disposable camera or your old 35mm film camera from the closet and get to it!
Story by Levi Harrell, Of All Nations Photography https://ofallnationsphotography.smugmug.com/
adventuregirls.co.nz
LEVI HARRELL
LEVI HARRELL
www.nzkiwiadventures.com
COME AND RIDE THE ALPS TO OCEAN CYCLE TRAIL
TREES OF LAKE TEKAPO BY RACHEL GILLESPIE
#TIMARUNZ
by Rachel Gillespie
Jordan McInally Freelance Photographer | Undersoul Photography Project24 Content Creator +64 27 812 1512
NZ KIWI ADVENTURES - guidING
Turning Passion into a Guided Hiking & Walking Business
IMAGE SHONA GILLESPIE
Profile: Guide Shona Gillespie of NZ Kiwi Adventures and Walking and Biking Kaikoura
On turning 40 over 26 years ago Guide Shona Gillespie decided she needed to add something to her life, her children were growing up and she had worked extremely hard since the age of 15 years old working, investing and saving with husband Ron to build a lifestyle. Growing up in the Hakataramea Valley in South Canterbury with her parents and 12 other siblings, Shona was no stranger to nature or hard work, she loved the mountains and decided to join the Geraldine Tramping Club and meet other hikers. Making some amazing life long friends she has been hiking and leading hikes in the the South Island’s mountains for 26 years, and in the past 10 years has been a qualified hiking and biking guide with her business Walking and Biking Kaikoura running Department of Conseration Approved Tours in the region. Now living back in Timaru, Shona and her daughter Rachel from NZ Travel Magazine have setup and started guiding in the region both here in TImaru, and around the Mackenzie area. Both Shona, Ron and Rachel have taken biking and walking trips in Kaikoura over 8 years and maintained several Cruise Ship Contracts during that time.
Rachel says “Mum is amazing she is one of the most inspiring people I know and at 66 she is fitter than most 25 years olds, I aspire to be healthy and vibrant like her when I am her age, it is awesome to see her out doing what she loves, her knowledge of flora and fauna is extensive and the New Zealand landscape and cultural commentary she gives on the tour is a big part of what makes her guiding different than many others” Living in South Canterbury most of her life she says “Things have changed a lot over the past 10 years and it is not what people think it to be previously, there are some really great things to do and see here in the Timaru District now and the Council and Aoraki Toursim are implementing some great initiatives to offer tourists something new to see.” Not too far from Oamaru and the Moeraki Boulders and one hour from the beautiful Lake Tekapo, it’s is a place to add to your itinerary. For more info checkout the web www.nzkiwiadventures.com
NZ KIWI ADVENTURES - GUIDING
DISCOVER TIMARU - HALF DAY WALK
Timaru sits in the lea of the Southern Alps above the beautiful Caroline Bay (voted in the top 10 best beaches) on the Pacific Coast. Walk begins by following the memorial walkway, view display panels in honour of our war battles and heroes. Continue along the promenade and boardwalk toward the beach, note the historical levels of the ocean at high tide. Take the cliff path to the Cliffs enjoy the view of Caroline Bay and learn about Timaru’s worst shipwreck. Follow the path back through young New Zealand native tree planting across the grassed area past the bird aviary where you will see wind sculptures, summer carnival and whaling past.
Continue on to morning/afternoon tea overlooking the Bay and experience lovely views of the ocean and mountains at this elevated site. Immerse yourself among the Rose Garden boasting a sensational collection of more than 1000 of the world’s best roses architecturally designed by renowned architect Sir Miles Warren. The walk continues to the Landing Services Building, the last remaining of its type in the Southern Hemisphere where we make our last stop, and experience our local Maori Rock Art, a guided interpretation of our local indigenous people. A high tech, high spec, visual, tactile and interactive Maori Culture tour. www.nzkiwiadventures.com
MORE INFO
NZ KIWI ADVENTURES - GUIDING
IMAGE SHONA GILLESPIE
HELI HIKING - NZ KIWI ADVENTURES - GUIDING
Sam Deuchrass
#KAIKOURANZ - IMAGE SHONA GILLESPIE
#KAIKOURANZ - NZ KIWI ADVENTURES - GUIDING
#TIMARUNZ - NZ KIWI ADVENTURES - GUIDING
AORAKI MACKENZIE STARLIGHT FESTIVAL
Celebrate New Zealand’s International Dark Sky Reserve By John Hearnshaw Chair, Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve Board The Third International Starlight Festival will be held at the Hermitage, Mt Cook over three days in 2017, 13-15 October. The Festival will celebrate the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve (www.darkskyreserve.org.nz) whose mission is to encourage and protect dark skies free of light pollution in the Mackenzie, and to promote star gazing and astro-tourism. We do this by organizing a Starlight Festival every second year for the benefit of the public and international tourists. Astro-tourism in the Mackenzie at Tekapo and Mt Cook is now one of New Zealand’s biggest tourist attractions, with about 200,000 people coming to Tekapo annually, many from Asia and Europe, to see the stars. The 2017 Festival will be our third, after very successful events in 2013 in Tekapo and 2015 at Twizel.
Commercial, Landscape, Tourism, Event
The Festival will be a mixture of events including lectures, workshops, exhibitions, videos and documentaries, planetarium shows and of course, star-gazing. We have engaged three world-class speakers to come to Mt Cook for the Festival. They are:
Dr Natalie Batalha NASA Ames space scientist, Moffett Field (near San Francisco), California. (Time Magazine in April 2017 named her as one of the 100 most influential people on the planet). She will talk about ‘A Planet for Goldilocks’ and the search for habitable Earth-like planets
Kevin Govender Director of the Office of Astronomy for Development of the International Astronomical Union, based in Cape Town, South Africa. He will talk about ‘Astronomy for Humankind’.
Sze-leung Cheung Director of the Office of Astronomy Outreach of the International Astronomical Union, based in Tokyo, Japan. He will talk about ‘The threat of LEDs to astronomy and how to build a dark-sky-friendly future’.
All three are outstanding speakers, and Sze-leung Cheung is fluent in Chinese as well as English, so can give his talk in both languages to attract overseas tourists.
More details on the Third Starlight Festival and our keynote speakers are at www.starlightfestival.org. nz. On-line ticket sales are now open from the website. The website also has all accommodation options in and near Mt Cook. Mark Gee from Wellington will show some of his stunning night-sky time-lapse animations and on the morning of Oct 14 will conduct an astro-photography workshop for everyone wanting to learn these techniques. Steve Chadwick from Palmerston North will show his amazing night sky animations and photography, as will also the renowned Fairlie and Tekapo astrophotographer, Fraser Gunn. There is also an astro-photography exhibition with nine of New Zealand’s top astro-photographers exhibiting their images. The Festival features videos, exhibitions, workshops, planetarium shows and stargazing (at the new Mt Cook Observatory) over three days, 13-15 October. Pukaki Observatory at the Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat (at the southern end of Lake Pukaki) will host a special stargazing and wine-tasting evening on Sunday October 15 with hosts Kaye and Luke Paardekooper and astrophotographer Mark Gee.
BOOK AT WWW.STARLIGHTFESTIVAL.ORG.NZ
BOOK AT WWW.STARLIGHTFESTIVAL.ORG.NZ
Lee Cook Images
IMAGES TALMAN MADSEN
“
Client Experience “I recently had the pleasure of participating with Rachel and Talman on a photography adventure, in June, around Central Otago. I found the adventure was well organized and fully flexible to cater for weather conditions. I was able to tap into Talman’s expertise and knowledge, either out on a shoot or in the conference room. He was very helpful on several occasions and easy to get on with. What was the best part of the trip; There were several, experiencing a strong aurora for the first time, ( not sure who was the most excited, me or Talman), visiting hooker glacier for a sunset shoot and staying for a milky wayshoot, a helicopter trip around Mt Aspiring with the doors off, to name a few. I have no hesitation in recommending Rachel and Talman if you are considering doing one of their photography adventures, I know I am next year. “ Neil
NZ KIWI ADVENTURES PHOTOGRAPHY ADVENTURE WORKSHOPS JOIN FULL TIME PHOTOGRAPHER TALMAN MADSEN IN THE SOUTH ISLAND MAY 2018 5 DAYS AND 5 NIGHTS, ADVENTURES AND PHOTOGRAPHY TUITION
www.nzkiwiadventures.com
IMAGES TALMAN MADSEN
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IMAGES TALMAN MADSEN
Fri, May 11, 2018 - Wed, May 16, 2018 Join us for an inspirational 5 day, 5 night Photography Adventure of the New Zealand’s South Island Mackenzie, Mount Cook and Wanaka & Queenstown Region. Hosted by Rachel Gillespie, and Talman Madsen, we have joined together to bring you an Astrophotography and Landscape Photographic Learning Experience all in one. May 2018. All photography tuition by Award Winning Photographer, Talman Madsen
The NZ Kiwi Adventures Photography Tours are a photographic adventure of a lifetime. Talman and Rachel both spend time each year in the Aoraki Mackenzie Region and invite others to join them on this amazing photographic adventure. Talman has recently achieved the NZ National Geographic Young Photographer of the Year Award and has been featured in many publications. LOCATIONS The locations we will be visiting are hotspots for scenic landscapes, but in particular for photographing the night sky. The Aoraki/Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is the world’s largest, and if you haven’t ever viewed the Milky Way Galaxy with the naked eye before, then you will be amazed by the starry skies here! They offer a unique photographic opportunity.
This is a special all-inclusive photographic workshop open to photographers of all levels of experience and enthusiasm. We will be spending our days in the magnificent alpine landscapes around Lake Tekapo, Aoraki-Mount Cook, Queenstown and Wanaka, and at night, we’ll be out shooting the amazing star-filled skies of the Mackenzie Basin. Expect to be up early, and out late! You’ll be hosted and guided by professionals who will offer one-on-one instruction, advice or reinforcement of the skills and techniques used in image visualisation, composition, exposure control, and post-processing. Learn how to capture the stars of the Milky Way and create incredible timelapse movies as part of our astrophotography masterclass. This is a unique photographic adventure in one of the most scenic places in the world. We’ll shoot around the glaciers of Mount Cook, the lakes and rivers of the Tasman Valley, along the shore of Lake Tekapo, the mountains of Queenstown, the shores of Lake Wanaka and capture some awesome views of the alpine peaks from high up in our chartered Helicopters and Ski Plane Flights, yes you get to go on 2 flights! NEED TO KNOW Fitness level required: Moderate. You will need to be able to hike along easy trails, maximum 5km each way, with camera equipment. What’s included: Hotel accommodation for five nights on single or double occupancy basis Breakfast, lunch and dinner during the workshop All transportation during the workshop, starting from Queenstown and returning to Christchurch Professional hosting, guiding and instruction Helicopter Flight Mount Cook National Park permits.
www.nzkiwiadventures.com
TALMAN MADSEN
NZ KIWI ADVENTURES GUIDING & PHOTOGRAPHY ADVENTURES