G85 Travels to New Zealand
My Professional Photographers of America friend Ken MacAdams has been traveling the world and offered to share some of his insights on the Successful-Photographer blog. Ken need to travel light and has been using the miriorless systems from Panasonic. He used the G85 on this last trip.
Here’s Ken with a little history and info about a land down under.
Paradise, some would call it. Can’t say I’d argue, standing there while the sea breeze rustled through my hair. The puffy clouds graced the skies, while azure waters lazed below. Watercraft of varying description lay at anchor. This is the stuff dreams are made of!
Image © Ken MacAdams
This little slice of heaven is called the Bay of Islands, on the north eastern reaches of the North Island, of New Zealand. The waters here belong to an island called Waewaetorea. Sheltered from the large swells of the Pacific Ocean, this little piece of paradise is one the few islands among the multitude of islands here in the Bay of Islands, that is open to public access. Often you’ll see an array of sailboats and yachts anchored here, as revilers swim in the calm waters, and bask in the sun. It’s one of those incredible panoramas that is permanently etched into my memory!
In 1769 Captain James Cook anchored his ship Endeavor in a nearby bay as he explored the area. A nearby historic seaside village called Russell, has been a haven for visitors since the 1700’s, and was a base for the whaling industry in the 1830’s. The rowdy behavior of its inhabitants during the whaling years earned in the nickname “Hellhole of the Pacific”. Today Russell is a sleepy tourist destination.
Russell Bay. Where once whaling vessels lay at anchor, pleasure yachts visit today. Once the “Hellhole of the Pacific”, Russell now finds its niche as a sleepy tourist destination. Image © Ken MacAdams
Other islands in the bay range from unusual volcanic basalt rock formations to wildlife reserves. American author Zane Grey lived in Othehei Bay in the 1920’s, while he wrote his popular book, “Tales of The Angler’s Eldorado” – which made the Bay of Islands world famous as a game fishing destination.
The friendly resort town of Paihai, which means ‘good here’ in Maori, says it like it is! From the furthermost out island, Motukokako, or Hole in the Rock, (which can be navigated through if the waves aren’t too aggressive!) to the smallest of islands, there’s history around each corner, and beauty along each cove. It truly is good here!
Bay of Islands. Islands from large to small dot this body of water. Yachts and pleasure craft ply these vibrant azure waters. Image © Ken MacAdams
My go-to camera was the Panasonic Lumix G85, with the Lumix 12 – 60mm OIS lens affixed. This combination proved both lightweight and compact to pack whether exploring on land or sea.
Ken’s Bio: Ken MacAdams makes Farmington NM his home, when not on the road. Growing up with a darkroom in his basement, Ken learned film skills early on. In 2005 Ken switched to digital, and never looked back! Ken has shot architectural, weddings and portraits, but today concentrates on world travel photography. Ken and his wife have been spending two months a year in China, while he concentrates on building a stock library from that rapidly changing nation.
I look forward to more of Kens travels being shared here on the blog.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
