Tuesday, February 9, 2016

It's been a while - Mount Maunganui, Whakatane and the Hillary Trail - New Zealand

It's been a while since I  posted to this blog - I guess life has been busy, with the SLR not getting dusted off as often as I would like. Anyway, I recently went away for a holiday to Mount Maunganui in New Zealand. NZ is home for me now, having moved here permanently about six months ago.

I'm hoping the amazing landscape gives me plenty of good opportunities to get back into using my SLR. Here are some shots from my trip away, including shots at Mount Maunganui and some spots near Whakatane.

Despite the above, I am still a firm believer that the best camera, is the one you have on you. In this regard, I recently went on a hike on a track winding along the New Zealand coastline, just out of Auckland, called the Hillary Trail. Not wanting to take my bulky SLR, I simply took my phone and managed to get some great shots on it's 13MP sensor.

Mount Maunganui and Whakatane

View from the top of the Mount
The trail down the Mount (this one actually taken on my phone and HDR's in Snapseed)
View over Whakatane
Some sheep on the way up the Mount
View south from the top of the Mount
View North from the top of the Mount
View from the Mount
View from  a lookout above Whakatane
View of White Island (active volcano) off the coast of Whakatane
View to the coastline south of Whakatane

The Hillary Trail

The Hillary Trail - Looking North
The Hillary Trail - Looking North
The Hillary Trail - Looking South
The Hillary Trail - Looking North
You pass quite a few rolling grassy hills along the Hillary Trail