Exhibition centre

Two different post-processings of the same photo. The top one is closer to reality. The second one is maybe more appealing.

No junk mail please!

Take my money!

The exhibit with the estatues was certainly a pleasure to visit. I left some money outside, same as other bypassers had already done, even if the cash box was not working.

The joy of reading

Dropping your heart...

Cuéntame un cuento...

Dos semanas sin poderles contar un cuento de buenas noches a mis hijos...

Arts Centre

Botanic Garden (iv)

Christchurch Botanic Garden (iii)

I saw this shot on my mind pretty quickly as a I was passing by, but thought a bit more light was required for the tree. So this was my thinking process:
Get flash out of the ruck sack, place it behind the bench, facing the tree trunk, set it to not too much power, zoom as wide as possible, get back to position and shoot. Easy, no?


As it happened, upon pressing the shutter button I noticed that the battery of my wireless trigger was gone (I bought it in Xi'an, so I cannot really complain). Big disappointment. 


I thought about a similar occassion and wondered when I will learn to do proper checklists before such trips. But then I thought, what the heck, flash or no flash, I want this photo. So here you are, the photo  with a dark tree plus a short rant...

Christchurch Botanic Garden (ii)

As the crow flies...

Christchurch Botanic Garden (i)

After a long day at work, it was great to walk around the Botanic Garden, which happened to be almost deserted by then, just before closing but with some light left for a few nice shots.

Waimakariri River

This photo wad somewhat spoiled by some droplets in the lens. There was a storm coming up literally on my back which I had just overtaken. But I could not resist having this one here.

Kiwis ahead

I saw this sign on the way to Arthur´s Pass but did not pull over thinking of taking the photo on the way back. Of course, on the way back I could not see the sign until I had gone past, so I had to turn again. Not a big deal when you have time on your hands on a lazy Sunday. And as a bonus I got another magnificent view of the mountains.

End of the journey

This is as far as I got before starting the return trip to Christchurch. I am not much of a landscape photographer, which is a pity in such a place.

Fern

Fern is the national symbol of New Zealand, and for me, coming from Germany, I thought the name is very appropriate since in German Fern means far away.

Arthur´s Pass

I parked close to one of the huts and walked along the track to the waterfall. On the way back, the clouds opened up and I got the treat of this view.


As a side comment, the track requires to cross a small creek for which there is no bridge, just a few slippery rocks more or less aligned. A real adventure for an urbanite like me!

En un lugar de La Mancha

Las dos primeras semanas de abril expondré las fotos de la exhibición "An einem Orte der Mancha" precisamente en el sitio donde tomé la mayoría de ellas justo hace ahora un año, El Toboso. La exhibición tendrá lugar gracias a la colaboración de varias personas, especialmente mis padres, la concejala de Cultura, Doña Pilar Arinero, y D. Juan Alfonso García Donas, de la sala Domus Artis.

La foto de arriba no estará en la exposición, pero me parece más interesante poner una foto nueva que no ha salido en el blog que repetir alguna de las otras. Sobre todo para la entrada número 500 de este blog...

Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall (iii)

And finally from the platform at the end of the trail. This is the closest I have been to taking a photo while having a shower...


It does not show in the photo, but it was like standing on the rain.

Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall (ii)

From the bridge seen on the previous photo.

Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall (i)

The weather just got better all of a sudden. I took this one on the way back from the trail to the waterfall, much better than the dull grey I got on the way up.

Brooksdale

Photo taken here

Southern Alps

On my only complete free day, Sunday, I decided to drive to Arthur´s Pass, along the West Coast Rd, but taking time to stop here and there. This was taken at an abandoned train station near Aylesbury. There was a panel showing the names of each peak, but I thought a photo with the rails would be a more interesting, especially since the fence was not that high. The one thing to note about this photo is that I took a series of them and I spent more time looking backwards than forwards. I was not sure of the train timetable and, for that matter, not even sure from which direction a train would come!


It was a beautiful Summer day in Christchurch and as I was getting closer to the mountains I could see all these clouds become more and more menacing. By the time I got there, I had my fair share of showers, to the point I was considering to drive back before I got to Arthur´s pass. Eventually I decided to stop on a lonely motel with an amazing view over the Waimakariri river and the mountains. After some hot coffee and a writing pause, I was ready to continue and give it a try hoping for the weather to get better. And I´m happy I did...

Shaky photo

This is an easy joke. As I told a friend, any shaky photos can be attributed to an aftershock or, in worse case, a proper earthquake. 


But this was not a joke, there were several noticeable shakes while I was in Christchurch, including a magnitude 5 one. It was enough to wake me up and make me wonder if it was time to look for a door frame. And then it was gone...

VIP Flight

I have never flown in First Class (yet, you never know). So far all I managed to do was getting into this one a long long time ago, which was also configured as a VIP aircraft.

Douglas C-47B Dakota

Displayed exactly as it left VIP service in 1977 (Wikipedia).

de Havilland Vampire

For more info on this aircraft, click here.

Memory Alcove

This bent propeller reminded me of the famous stained glass in the Rolls-Royce factory in Nightingale Rd in Derby.

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

The decision to visit the Air Force Museum was a very good one indeed. I really enjoyed the couple of hours I spent there, moving slowly from one exhibit to the next.

New Brighton

I walked to the end of the pier and was more than disappointed with it. It is just not comparable to other piers I have been to. But like everything in this trip, it came with a bonus. Most of the aftershocks in January seemed to be shifting towards the ocean. In this case, it is difficult to avoid the word tsunami popping into most people´s minds. So just picture yourself at the end of this pier, evaluating your chances if the worst were to happen at that precise moment and that was me about fifteen minutes before taking this photo, which otherwise transmits peacefulness.

Pacific Ocean

Business travelling often involves long working hours and not much to do in the evening. Being a hobby photographer gives you an excuse to walk around and try your hand at pretty much anything. So one very late Summer evening I drove to a nearby beach just on time for a few shots before it got too dark.

Here I was trying to capture the mist of the waves beyond the dunes. I´m afraid I did not quite succeed, as the photo looks quite dull even with the colours pumped up in comparison to the original scene. Or maybe it is the smell and the sound missing...

Antarctic Program

I took this photo during a lunch break, from the top of the car park at the airport. It is interesting to note some of the modifications of this C-130 (click photo for bigger version), such as the skis on the landing gear and the exhaust nozzles for the rocket assisted take-off.


The one day I could have visited the Antarctic Centre, I decided against it and went to the Air Force Museum. If nothing else, it gives me an excuse to come back...