NZ Xmas Trip - December 2008

I popped back to NZ for Xmas week which included a couple of days in Wellington catching up with Venessa (my sister) and a few other good friends. In true Wellington style, I managed to experience all the elements, but a good time was had.

I then flew down to Christchurch on the Monday and went along to carol singing in Victoria Square on Xmas Eve - the new few shots are a selection from this:



The main choir.



People lighting up for the carols.





Geoff and Andrea, who came over from London, light up...



Dad concentrating on the verses.

This was my first Xmas day with Mum, Dad and Venessa since 2004 so it was very special. The Canon had been under utilised, so out it came for the present unwrapping!



Dad pondering over his next gift.

Dad, Venessa and Mum having a good laugh over the dangly banana figurine present...

Venessa attempting to guess the contents of her parcel rather than just tear into it.



Family portrait - Xmas 2008.

On Boxing Day, my friend Anrik and I headed down to New Brighton beach on a very windy day to check out the kite surfers. The wind was so intense that these guys spent considerable time airborne!

These last selection of shots include some wind surfing pics, plus views from the New Brighton Pier. Enjoy and a Merry Xmas!

Aaron

Sydney At Dusk - December 2008

To kick this blog off, here are some shots from a recent Sydney Harbour cruise. The evening was warm and sunny (although a bit windy!) and we were celebrating our anniversary. This was the same cruise I proposed to Jenn back in December 2003 so quite poignant.


After the cruise, we wandered around Circular Quay, the Opera House and the lovely Botanical Gardens. The light was warm and soft and ideal for photo taking.

Not the ship we cruised in, rather a commercial cruise liner - these quite commonly appear on Sydney Harbour and usually hang around for a few days.

Heading east out past Potts Point, overlooking Sydney's CBD

Approaching Darling Harbour and Double Bay



Close up take on the Opera House



Even closer...capturing the symmetry of the tiles



A low depth of field take



This is a panoramic view - this involved stitching together 7 shots for this