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November 2023 : Wednesday
Nov 2023 : Wednesday
Sunset at Boomrock
Daily Photo – Sunset at Boomrock
Exploring the hills along the coast towards the southern tip of the north island at sunset…
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October 2022 : Thursday
Oct 2022 : Thursday
In the Hills Around Wellington
Daily Photo – In the Hills Around Wellington
Exploring the hills around Wellington.
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October 2022 : Thursday
Oct 2022 : Thursday
Wellington from Above
Daily Photo – Wellington from Above
Flying around the bay above Wellington, NZ.
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July 2021 : Wednesday
Jul 2021 : Wednesday
Sir Richard Taylor
Daily Photo – Sir Richard Taylor
A few years ago, I went to Wellington to take some photos and I messaged Sir Richard Taylor to see if I could come visit him at Weta. I was not disappointed! He gave me an epic tour and I was like a kid in a candy store. He’s very inspirational!
Flying over Wharekauhau
Thinking Retro-Present in Paris
Paris was stop 4 on our tour of Europe and we chose just about the craziest evening for a walk… election night when the streets were filled with thousands of police and everything was on high alert!
Find out more about the tour here: 80stays.treyratcliff.com
Daily Photo – Flying over Wharekauhau
Yeah, what was that word again? It’s a Maori word and it’s pronounced “Furry Ko Ho” or something like this. Anyway, it’s a beautiful resort just north of Wellington. We had an absolute blast staying here for sure. Be sure to check out other shots from this category above.
A Panorama of Boomrock
A Live Show
We could not do a live show at this location because it was too remote, but there was ANOTHER Boomrock we visited. Here’s that Live video here:
Daily Photo – A Panorama of Boomrock
Our amazing day at Boomrock ended here at sunset. We raced cars, shot skeet, then knocked golf balls off the edge of this cliff into the ocean. Awesome! This is also the spot of the ill-fated golf-shot were we took out one of our quadcopters. The battery shot out the other side and will probably never be found again. (We did recover the quad then our friend Jonatas somehow magically fixed it!)
Beautiful Wharekauhau from Above
More from the property
Here’s a live broadcast we did from this amazing venue on Facebook.
Daily Photo – Beautiful Wharekauhau from Above
Wow we had an amazing time here! Curtis, Dave, and I were like kids in a candy store. There were so many beautiful sights and such incredible food. I can’t wait to go back and spend even more time there.
At one point, I was sitting down for lunch and I felt this TREMENDOUS bite in my crotch area. I looked across the table and saw hollow-legged Richard (the proprietor) was sitting there, so that knocked him off the suspect list. I immediately went to the bathroom and took off all my clothes to figure out what bit me. And there was a BEE in my yoga pants! I couldn’t believe it. I have no idea how that bee got in there, but it wasn’t happy, and neither was I.
An Idyllic Weekend at Wharekauhau
A hard word to say?
Yes, the resort below is hard to say for sure. I have my own system for how to pronounce it (I always have trouble with Maori words). So I say it (kinda): “Forry ko ho.” I’m getting better! 🙂 haha
Daily Photo – An Idyllic Weekend at Wharekauhau
What a treat to spend a few days here. It was soooo relaxing and beautiful. There was a really nice vibration to the place and I always felt at home there. Dave, Curtis, Olivia, and I drove here from Wellington through some beautiful rolling hills. As you can tell just by looking at it, this estate is massive. Those white buildings there are individual cottages where the guests stay. I was in that one on the left. In a future blog post, I’ll show you the main lodge where we would all hang out and eat together during the days and evenings.
This property actually touches on James Cameron’s plot, where they’ll be filming Avatar 2!
Boomrock from Above
Dramatic Quadcopter Deaths
This story even beats the time in India when my quadcopter had a blade malfunction and tumbled dramatically into the river in Kerala. I don’t think I’ll ever forget any quadcopter crash… like a car crash, they seem to happen in slow-motion!
Daily Photo – Boomrock from Above
This is the place our quadcopter died when it got hit with a golf ball! Of all things… that story in a moment.
Here’s an amazing place on the North Island of New Zealand called Boomrock ! Wow, what a place. We choppered in here and had a crazy two hours — we started racing around a private race track inside the newest Mercedes AMG sports car, then off to shoot clay birds, then to a driving range where you hit balls into the ocean (and quadcopters) with some drinks and tasty treats, then back home on a 10 minute helicopter flight to Wellington. It was definitely an amazing time… never seen anything like it!
As for the quadcopter thing, we had the DJI Phantom 4 out taking videos. We were pretty far away, so while we were trying to get a skilled shot, Bartman got a lucky shot and took out the quad! It spiraled? to the ground in a dramatic death. Curtis went deep into the bush to see what he could find. We made the recovery, and we’re still pouring over the video to see if we can spy its final moment.
