Holidaying on White Island

Holidaying on White Island

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Travelling with PeeJay’s.

White Island is about 40k off-shore. Takes about 1 1/2 hours to get there.

In 1932 there was a sulphur mining operation on the island. After repeated eruptions, deaths and eventually bankrupcy, operations ceased.

The island now is like a moving sand of volcanic activity.

White Island, New Zealand
As you can see the place is not exactly Hawaii.

Don’t look into the Rain
We are told stories of melting radio’s zippers, trainer islets, items of clothing, the rain is acid, the floor is a shifting crust of ash beneath which lies pools of boiling mud.

It is home to the worlds most acidic lake.

White Island, New Zealand
At PH1, this lake is pure hydrochloric acid, there were still Germans rolling their towels out beside it as we arrived.

White Island, New Zealand
Everything on this island seems to explode or break. Which is why we are given helmets and gas masks when we arrive.

Weblinks: PeeJays
Weblinks: White Island

Day in training

Day in training

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I’ve been learning how to use my camera.

Here’s some shots with different aperture settings.

f/32
f/25
f/20
f/16

f/11

f is a measurement of the focal length. A constant if you like. Depth of field it’s sometimes called.

It’s to do with the intersection of the lines of vision through an aperture or hole, the bigger the hole the more you can see kind of thing.

This is all new to me, previously I’ve been in with the pocket camera’s. Better for the round city ad-hoc photos.

Not much good for panoramic landscape shots.

Eos
Elected for the Canon for consistency.
Have found it easier to use than expected.
Many of the pre-sets are the same as you might find on your point and shoot: Giving you the confidence to move quickly on to making shots with your own settings.
The last one is just about the right level of exposure.
This should save me a lot of time fiddling round on photoshop if I can get a good level of color and exposure will keep the time down.
Whakatane

Whakatane

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Or Fuk-a-ta-ni as the locals call it.

This is the best place to visit the marine volcano’s on white island.
New Zealands only live marine volcano.

The trip is organised by PeeJay’s and starts out at 8.30am.

It takes 2hrs to get to the island.

Pacific Coast Highway – Hawks Point to Whakatane

Pacific Coast Highway – Hawks Point to Whakatane

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Pacific Coast Highway – Hawks Point to Whakatane, New Zealand
Pacific Coast Highway – Hawks Point to Whakatane, New Zealand
Pacific Coast Highway – Hawks Point to Whakatane, New Zealand
From Hawks Point to Whakatane.

There are so many incredible views on this section.
One round almost every corner.

One things you can’t do with the blog is give the smells, like the different smells of the trees and the rivers when they meet the sea.
Very unique and atmospheric. I guess the technology must be on the way. Complex chemical compounds created ad-hoc then expelled through your computer speakers or smell patch.

Like a smell footprint.

East Cape – New Zealand

East Cape – New Zealand

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East Cape Lighthouse, New Zealand
Whangaokeno Island, New Zealand
East Point lighthouse.

Initially on the island.
The islanders didn’t get on and the lighthouse began to slip off the island with the continuous earthquakes.
They all moved out and someone called Goldsmith bought the island and proceeded to erect starter homes for Maori fisher families.

You can’t see them on this photo but that’s what happened.

This is the eastern most lighthouse NZ, also the world.