A Winter Down Under (NOT for low bandwidth connection, MANY pics!)

[MapisM]

Many thanks everybody for your kind words.
There's always a selfish component when putting together a report like this, and in fact I would have been happy to make it even just for my own pleasure, but it's nice to see that the effort is appreciated.

@Lloydroberts: I wasn't aware that also Super Mario drives a thing like the one above.
I won't comment on the reasons for his lack of Italian style and good taste because... erm... I pretend to have a bit of both.
Suffice to say that the place where he started to play football is more famous for building some of the finest firearms, rather than for exquisite tastes - and it's quite far from Villa d'Este, in more ways than one...!

@ SW: LOL, naah, our Captain in that pic was actually giving to all passengers onboard some very accurate explanations on local environment and wildlife - as for the eagle standing on the pole in the following pic, for example.
And I must say that in this respect he has been hands down better than in the "Explore Group" cruise that we made later in the Bay of Islands.
Though the scenario made up for a less enthusiastic Captain, who brought us back safe and sound anyway, so as someone who shares the nationality with Schettino of Costa Concordia fame I suppose I can't complain, all considered...

 

[AndieMac]

Sensational photography MM, really impressive work, from what I can see at the moment.

We are sitting in a Singapore hotel room currently with painfully slow internet, taking an hour to load a page sort of thing. When I saw the warning about bandwidth.......

 

[AndieMac]

...........What was AndieMac singing? Hopefully not "Show me the way to go home." ........

......go easy SW, it was the first day on the job, even the passengers do a better at the helm

 

[Summer. Wine]

:encouragement:

......go easy SW, it was the first day on the job, even the passengers do a better at the helm

 

[Greg2]

Tremendous pictures MapisM! They really convey the character of the places you visited, which isn't an easy thing to do. I was fortunate enough to go to NZ with work a few years back but only saw bits of the North Island during the winter. They included Auckland and Wellington, both of which I really liked. SWMBO was most put out as she has always wanted to visit and your post has convinced me that we need to make the effort.

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to share

 

[AndieMac]

Only now have i had time to sit down and properly go through this. Very very nice pictures, P, well done if I may say so! The picture quality is very impressive too, you must be pleased with the cam. Those lowish light concert pics look especially nice.

Interesting composition in the "turn your life around", did I detect use of the same in some of your pics? I've always struggled with it.

I've only ever heard nice things about NZ, but until now haven't had any idea just how beautiful the place is. It seems to have it all. Thank you for taking the time to post.

Yes indeed SM, MM has really excelled in this latest offering, but as you no doubt understand being also a skilful operator of a camera, he does dedicate a lot of time and effort to get the right shots.

As it turns out, the young lady steering the cruise boat was also from Finland. Perhaps we may even see yourself and family down this way in the future

 

[MapisM]

We are sitting in a Singapore hotel room currently

Hi C, on your way back from Europe, I suppose?
It's a pity that you could't make it to CF this summer that it's becoming a sort of physical forum, for a change vs. this virtual place...
Otoh, as you know, we'we been stuck at home anyway in the last weeks - and still are till the end of the next...
Oh, well. Dunno who might still be around next summer, but I'm confident that clear sea+good food and wine won't be in short supply also in 2016. Looking fwd to having you folks onboard again!

PS, also in reply to Scubaman: yes, I'm indeed v v pleased with the Sony a6000, that btw is excellent also for videos - the quality of the original files is in fact MUCH better than the previous youtube clips suggest (they were edited to drastically reduce the size). If scubaman (or anyone else) is interested, I might try to put together another thread with more details...

 

[DavidJ]

Lovely, lovely photos
We had a holiday in Tasmania with some Aussie friends some years back and your pic of a wallaby reminded me of a conversation which went.
Me "I love stroking wallabies"
Aussie friend "In Oz we use the word stroking in a different way"
Me "Oh!"

 

[AndieMac]

,

Hi C, on your way back from Europe, I suppose?
It's a pity that you could't make it to CF this summer that it's becoming a sort of physical forum, for a change vs. this virtual place...
Otoh, as you know, we'we been stuck at home anyway in the last weeks - and still are till the end of the next...
Oh, well. Dunno who might still be around next summer, but I'm confident that clear sea+good food and wine won't be in short supply also in 2016. Looking fwd to having you folks onboard again!.........

Yes on our way home again, would have loved to head further west to CF, but I reckon you will have enough company to keep things interesting for a while with the other forum members. Besides, don't want to wear my welcome out!

Again, congrats on the great photos, and it was an absolute pleasure to have you both visiting last summer.

 

[AndieMac]

..........Yes Otehei bay is beautiful - glad you got there - I rented the bach on the beach that is at the far left of the cluster of houses on the right hand side of your picture, partly obscured by a stubby tree. Zane Grey cottage - highly recommended. And thanks for the picture of the late Mr Hundertwasser's glorious toilets! I've, er, been there! (Yes, "been" is another EN word with multiple meanings )........

I was with MM at this stage, this was our lunch stop during a cruise to the "Hole in the Rock". I remembered you mentioning on another thread about staying on the island and kayaking the bays etc.
After arriving and learning about the indigenous limitations imposed on the island and looking at the limited accomodation infrastructure arrangements, got to admit I didn't see anything that indicated, what I perceived, as JFM standard

The islands look to me very much like the Northern Queensland, Whitsunday group, a beautiful part of the world.

 

[henryf]

What can I say that hasn't already been said?

It does indeed take a lot of effort to put together a post like that, so thank you. We all enjoy going along with people for the journey and I suspect in years to come others may be inspired to follow in your footsteps.

Some delightful images, I love seeing pictures of people, hard to take because you feel self conscious but they really capture the mood. As for the toilet - inspiration for our outside crapper

The world isn't so huge that you can't go off exploring every now and again. I feel inspired !

Henry

 

[jfm]

I limited accomodation infrastructure arrangements, got to admit I didn't see anything that indicated, what I perceived, as JFM standard

Not at all AM! Sure there are times (cities) when you might just want a modern swanky hotel (the Hilton overlooking the harbour in Auckland is very nice) but in a place like that, Urupukapuka island, Zane Grey is perfect. Looks like a regular bach from outside, but has beautiful (though simple) interior. And anyway it's all about location. Kayaks on beach right in front of you. Another pic of Urupukapuka is below with Otehei bay right in centre. If you kayak to most of those beaches, including the ones right at bottom of photo on that long/thin island, you have the beach to yourself all day

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Fantastic, Mapism. Thanks so much for the pics

Is it a Deltamarine 70?

 

[MapisM]

Thanks again folks, I'm flattered by your appreciation - and even more so knowing that some of you are actually better than myself at pics & clips stuff!

@ Deleted User: the virtual mars bar is yours! How come that you know Delta, have you ever been on one? Stunning doesn't even begin describing them.
Actually Amante, the boat in the above pic, is the baby of their fleet, a 58.
More about her on this webpage: http://www.passagemaker.com/articles/cruiser-reviews/full-displacement/amante-ruggedly-handsome-2/
But she's very similar to the 70 - feast your eyes on this magnificent one that I spotted some years ago in Ft.Lauderdale:

 

[AndieMac]

Thanks again folks, I'm flattered by your appreciation - and even more so knowing that some of you are actually better than myself at pics & clips stuff!

@ Deleted User: the virtual mars bar is yours! How come that you know Delta, have you ever been on one? Stunning doesn't even begin describing them.
Actually Amante, the boat in the above pic, is the baby of their fleet, a 58.
More about her on this webpage: http://www.passagemaker.com/articles/cruiser-reviews/full-displacement/amante-ruggedly-handsome-2/
But she's very similar to the 70 - feast your eyes on this magnificent one that I spotted some years ago in Ft.Lauderdale:

Nice looking machine there MM. Perhaps boats shouldn't be referred to as "proper" without a crow's nest

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

@ Deleted User: the virtual mars bar is yours! How come that you know Delta, have you ever been on one?

Nah, probably too many evenings spent surfing the internet and dreaming

 

[MapisM]

LOL, that sounds pretty much like my old nights after a very long day at the office.
Which eventually made me think that I could as well give up and start enjoying what I already had instead...
...though I still surf the web and dream, occasionally. That's FoC, after all!

 

[RIN]

Terrific pics! We spend every other winter there and really looking forward to going this year - We are out of sync with the Wooden Boat Festival though so never get a chance to see it.
Loved to see the alpaca guy at Sheffield is still there - We had quite a conversation with him as my daughter keeps a few alpacas up in the Huon Valley

 

[MapisM]

Well, I thought to have seen all sort of amazing pic spotting, with some STB and other stuff.
But blimey, spotting a guy who keeps his alpaca on a leash in a Tasmanian village probably known to less folks in EU than the number of guests I've had onboard in some occasions, well, that is astonishing.
Sorry Deleted User, but I hope you didn't eat that virtual mars bar yet, because I can't think of a "spot anything" deserving the prize more than this one of RIN, which is setting a new forum record!

So much so that I'm disclosing the other few questions still open from my OP, because they are ridiculously easy, when compared to the alpaca guy - that I didn't even think of asking to spot, in fact!

Firstly, the pic after the one with the eagle on the red poles:
the columns in the background are the surge towers of Tarraleah power station - see clearer pic below, courtesy of Hydro Tasmania website.
Quite impressive in the flesh, I had never seen anything like that before.

The other was a proper STB, in the second pic of post #4:
those two alu catamarans are working boats specifically designed for the mussel farms.
Of the so called "green lip" variety, btw. We used to pair them with the local sauvignon, delicious!

There's actually another couple of boats that nobody mentioned so far, an ORY and a Nordhavn.
That's surely because both were well below the difficulty level under which the pro spotters here in the asylum don't even bother posting a reply! Sorry folks, I'll try to do better next time.

But hey, hang on... Coming to think of it, after RIN raised the bar with the alpaca, maybe someone can tell us the name of the wombat in one of the above pics?!?

 

[AndieMac]

But hey, hang on... Coming to think of it, after RIN raised the bar with the alpaca, maybe someone can tell us the name of the wombat in one of the above pics?!?

Well if you want to get that specific.......did you mean Walter the wombat from the enclosure, the one who was playing hard to get with photo opportunities?

Must admit the purge towers from Tarraleah had me wondering though, I could see the beginnings of the penstock pipes heading downhill but couldn't associate the vertical towers. It's an interesting part of the drive between Hobart and Strahan on the West Coast though, a long day for you folks from memory.

The Alpaca guy from Sheffield is a real hit with the Asian visitors, enroute to Cradle Mountain (which incidentally, your photo is among one of the best I've seen) as you could imagine. After experiencing Sheffield though, he probably really isn't too much out of place