Paihia pier , Bay of Islands
Thanks to Alex and Marian
Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts
Video: New Zealand Landscapes by Drone
This beautiful short film was shot over five months on a journey across New Zealand. The filmmaker lugged his drone along for the ride, and as a result managed to capture some amazing shots of the landscapes there. The clip gives viewers a glimpse of everything you would expect from a visit to the land of the kiwis, and then some. There are some truly beautiful shots in this one, so don't pass it by.
New Zealand - The Great Below from Man And Drone on Vimeo.
Mapping Earthquake Prone Buildings
The New Zealand Herald has created an interesting mapped tour of Wellington's Earthquake Prone Buildings. The map shows the location of the 95 Wellington buildings which have unreinforced masonry and the 699 buildings which are earthquake prone. The map also identifies hotspots where unsafe buildings are located in areas with large numbers of pedestrians.
The map effectively uses Mapbox GL to
Video: Mountain Biking New Zealand with Yeti Bikes
We all know that New Zealand is an outdoor playground with few equals, but did you also know that it is a fantastic mountain biking destination too? In this video, Yeti Cycles takes us to the New Zealand backcountry to ride everything from narrow sheep trails to custom made routes built specifically for riders. The best part? The amazing scenery that surrounds these trails, which will leave you breathless just looking at it. I need to go ride here.
NEW ZEALAND. PROVEN HERE. from Yeti Cycles on Vimeo.
Video: Mountains of the South Wind
This beautiful video takes us back to New Zealand once again, where we get some great shots of the mountains that cover the landscape there. The timelapse shots of these beautiful places are a good reminder of how amazing our planet actually is. This is three minutes of pure bliss. Sit back and enjoy.
Mountains of the South Wind 4K from Bevan Percival on Vimeo.
Video: Mainland New Zealand
Shot on New Zealand's South Island, this timelapse video features some great shots of the spectacular landscapes found there. Images were captured near Mount Cook, the Te Anau Basin, and Central Otago, amongst other places. This seems like a fitting way to close out the week, and perhaps inspire a bit of wanderlust at the same time. I hope you enjoy!
Mainland New Zealand from Stephen Patience Photography on Vimeo.
Video: On the Road in New Zealand with Photographer Chris Burkard
Chris Burkard is a professional photographer who travels the globe to capture athletes in remote and extreme places. In this video, he takes us along on a journey to beautiful New Zealand, giving us a glimpse of some of the exceptional landscapes found there while his subjects hike, climb, windsurf, and paddle their way through that amazing place. This clip is so beautiful it will inspire you to get outside and go on an adventure of your own.
An Unplanned Excursion to Auckland ….. Jan–Mar 2015
28 December 2014 – 28 March 2015: The Lagoon, St Maarten – 18.01N 63.05W
When we left St Barts at the end of December the plan was to spend couple of weeks in St Maarten where we hoped to be able to have repairs done to our hydraulics, repairs also to our brand new freezer, buy some new necessary boat parts, replace broken 240v appliances and fill the lockers with all the essential French goodies and wine available. Then with a much depleted bank balance but with a ship shape Balvenie, we planned to set sail west, revisiting a few favourite spots and discovering more hidden gems: destination the Panama Canal sometime in March, then into the Pacific.
So we slipped into the never ending list of boat jobs, chaos inside the boat became the norm as projects were undertaken.
But it wasn't all work and no play, one weekend with about 30 other mad cruisers we joined in the very aptly named “Hike from Hell” which involved 2 minibuses full of unsuspecting boat bound sailors looking to stretch their legs on one of St Maartens hiking trails. The main problem was that there actually wasn’t a trail to start with, and that was before Hurricane Gonzalo hit. Now the invisible trail was littered with fallen trees the size of small cars for us to climb over along with dense wild tropical vegetation and exceptionally prickly cactus plants. It was a nightmare but I’ll be a really good sport and say it was a fun day out and great to have some exercise!!!
All It Takes is a Phone Call
Then one morning when things were starting to come together and we could almost see the end of “The List” I got a call from my sister Denise to say Mum had been taken into hospital and had undergone major surgery. We considered many options and decided that I would fly home for a month, we would move Balvenie from Simpson Bay into the lagoon anchorage and Mark would stay onboard and continue on with that never ending “To Do List”. 
My time during the next month was occupied at the hospital, Mum had three major operations to get her back together again, and then there were still complications. My planned month flew by with Mum still in hospital so Mark arranged a mooring for Balvenie in St Maarten and embarked on the same journey home I had undertaken weeks before, he got the bonus of snow in New York though!!!
Summer in Auckland – Perfect
With us both home and Mum starting to make some progress forward there was time for a few more social activities.
The Volvo Round the World Race boats arrived, we were there to cheer them in - the first 3 boats were within a few minutes of each other after 3 weeks at sea from China, amazing. We watched the inshore racing, enjoyed the festivities at Viaduct Harbour during their stay and then farewelled them when they left for the Southern Ocean and and on to Cape Horn.
The World Cup Cricket was on too, and although we didn’t get to any of the live games the country was abuzz with support for the Black Caps who did us proud and made it to the finals in Australia, against Australia. 
Escape from Auckland Hospital
Finally, nearly 9 weeks after being admitted Mum was discharged and returned to her apartment. 
We took her down to the Viaduct Harbour one evening so she could enjoy feeling normal again, even the police warden let me drive through the traffic cones so we could deliver her right to the restaurant door. It was a bonus when we bumped into fellow cruisers Stu and Steph off Matador (boat in Guatemala) and we all shared a fun evening out.
We had more evenings with Steph and Stu at their lovely home in Titirangi, where they are spending their summer renovating – a big job! We caught up there with more cruiser friends off Tuatara and Musketelle, both of whom have completed their travels (for now) and sailed their boats home to Auckland.
We had bar-b-ques, dinners and lunches with friends and squeezed as much into our time as we could, (this included heaps of sailing/racing for Mark!!!). Meanwhile Mums health improved daily and we started planning our departure.
Mum was called back to the hospital for final surgery to hopefully fix the “medical misadventure” that had happened in her first operation. So on the morning of our departure we were back in the familiar surroundings of Auckland Hospital, the surgery was a success and I said my farewells while Mum was back in a hospital bed. Not what I had hoped for, but by the time we were back in St Maarten on Balvenie, Mum was home again – almost as good as new.
So That Was Revised Plan A ….. Now For Plan B
Video: New Zealand: Mountains to Sea
The landscapes of New Zealand are captured incredibly well in this short video which takes us across some of that country's most wild places on a journey from the mountains to the sea. Timelapse imagery captures the natural beauty that New Zealand is so well known for, and it puts it prominently on display for viewers. This is a visual travelogue of a place that is known for its outdoor adventures.
Mountains to Sea from Stephen Patience Photography on Vimeo.
Video: A Portrait of New Zealand
If you still haven't had your fill of great videos showing the amazing landscapes of New Zealand, then check this five-minute short-film out. It was shot earlier in the year, and gives us some more fantastic images of a country that practically exudes adventure. For hiking, climbing, rafting, and kayaking, it is tough to beat New Zealand as an all-around get outdoor destination. Enjoy this clip, and be inspired to visit the place for yourself.
Portrait of New Zealand from • of two lands • on Vimeo.
Aurora over New Zealand
This timelapse video was taken by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst as he flew over New Zealand on the International Space Station at around 400 km altitude. The nighttime video shows an aurora that occurs when Earth’s atmosphere interacts with solar radiation.
The International Space Station travels at 28 800 km/h meaning that it only takes 90 minutes to circle Earth completely. Each orbit the Station moves around 2200 km to the West in relation to 90 minutes before.
Astronauts often use normal consumer digital cameras to take pictures of Earth through Europe’s observatory module Cupola in their spare time. Setting the camera to take an image every few seconds and then playing the images back quickly create this timelapse effect.
Alexander worked as a geophysicist and volcanologist before he was chosen as an ESA astronaut in 2009. His Blue Dot mission includes an extensive scientific programme of experiments in physical science, biology, and human physiology as well as radiation research and technology demonstrations. All experiments chosen make use of the out-of-this-world laboratory to improve life on Earth or prepare for further human exploration of our Solar System.