New Zealand Part I

Hey Guys! A few weeks ago Kristin and I had the privilege of shooting a wedding out in New Zealand on the small island of Waiheke just off  the coast of Auckland (photos from which will be up on here soon). I had always dreamed about traveling to New Zealand and was so  thankful for this opportunity. Over the next couple weeks we were able to really dive into the Kiwi culture of extreme sports, fine cuisine and majestic landscapes. Since we desired to see the whole country and take photos wherever we wanted we figured the best way to do this was to rent a camper van. I don’t know how Kristin agreed to this before hand but I was so thankful she did before she saw the camper van we put a non refundable deposit on! 🙂

nz17.jpgDriving on the left side of the road was quite fun! Although the instigator of quite a few panic attacks I think I finally got the hang of it by the end of our 3400km journey. About 2200 miles.

nz08.jpgOur first stop was Cathedral Cove in Coromandel. Such an incredibly beautiful place. It takes about an hour to hike to this secluded location but totally worth it! You may recognize it from the last Narnia Movie.

nz02.jpgnz03.jpgnz04.jpgnz05.jpgCheck out our JUCY Chaser (pronounced chasssaaa) from JUCY cars and campas. Believe it or not this was one of the most normal looking
campers there was.

nz26.jpgnz29.jpg The best thing about renting a camper van in New Zealand is that they have whats called a freedom camping ethos. Which
means you can park and camp almost anywhere you want. So after a full day of activities we would pull over to a beautiful spot with a view, cook some dinner while watching the beautiful colors of the sky change at sunset. This is me attempting to make dinner on our gas stove.. We got our self a high tech campa!

nz27.jpgKristin was dying (laughing) at this point..Oh yeah.. because we slept in here with all our luggage (3 large bags) as well as with all our camera equipment from the wedding (4 bags) 7 bags total plus all the food we bought to live off of. Cramped actually does begin to describe the experience. You could say that we stayed in a crampa.. haha ok that was bad. I don’t think this is the preferred method of travel for most people, however Kristin and I had the time of our lives! Seriously just wait until you see all the photos! We weren’t bound by obligations or time constraints, having to get to certain places by a certain time. Whatever we wanted to do we did! It was one epic adventure!

Here is the view from our first night there! We got to park and camp right on the cliff of the beach.

nz06.jpgnz07.jpgThe next day we headed down to Lake Taupo where we took a sail out to see the Maori carvings.

nz10.jpgnz14.jpgnz11.jpgnz12.jpgnz13.jpgThen off to some geothermal areas in Rotorua

nz15.jpgnz16.jpgThe caves in Waitomo. These are literally the only 2 photos that I got before our guide looked straight at me and said no cameras and no  photos. With a tour of 3 people I couldn’t even sneak some if I tried! I will say though that it is simply incredible if you are ever considering  seeing something like it!

nz18.jpgSea view houses of Wellington.

nz09.jpgnz01.jpgKayaking excursion in the Abel Tasman National Park.

nz19.jpgnz21.jpgnz22.5.jpgnz23.jpgnz24.jpgPancake rocks of Punakaiki

nz30.jpgnz31.jpgnz32.jpgIm guessing a cow / ewok breed

nz33.jpgnz34.jpgnz36.jpgnz37.jpgnz38.jpg

Stay tuned for Part II
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Mikaela - April 12, 2011 - 8:49 am

wow guys, looks like an incredible time! gotta love the perks and opportunities that come with the job 🙂

AmyPunky Photography - April 12, 2011 - 9:35 am

Great photos!!

Jana Kidd - April 12, 2011 - 9:39 am

Beautiful! Can’t wait to see Part 2!

Leah - April 12, 2011 - 10:21 am

OMG!!! These pictures are incredible!!! Can’t wait to see part 2~

Michelle - April 12, 2011 - 10:27 am

Pictures are so insane…! Such a fun adventure for you guys in that chasssaaaa. That’s what I call a road trip. Bring on part II !

Carlee - April 12, 2011 - 10:41 am

Ooh we spent the month of February in New Zealand and these photos took me right back there!! We also kayaked to the Maori Carvings on Lake Taupo. Such a beautiful place and amazing photos!!

Stephanie - April 12, 2011 - 11:45 am

Unbelievable pics guys! I can’t even pick a fave. That camper is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen! I’m dying! Totally worth it though with a view like that from your “camp site”. Looking forward to part two!

Jen Johnson - April 12, 2011 - 1:03 pm

OMG – what an incredible trip!!!

Annie - April 12, 2011 - 4:23 pm

Wow I can’t stop looking at these! I think I need to rent a camper and do this! These pictures are simply amazing.

kyle richter - April 12, 2011 - 9:01 pm

awesome you guys!! can’t wait to see part II and hear all about your trip! get together soon for sure! cheers you two… kyle

kyle richter - April 12, 2011 - 9:02 pm

awesome you guys!! can’t wait to see part II and hear all about your trip! get together soon for sure! cheers you two… kyle

Julie Martinez - April 13, 2011 - 8:02 pm

Brandon & Kristen,
Your pictures are beautiful! I had fun checking them out. I can’t wait for part 2!

Mama Vickie - April 13, 2011 - 8:44 pm

These pictures are incredible! You two are so blessed to have experienced God’s glory in such a beautiful place! (It’s so good to have you home, though!)

Aimee - April 14, 2011 - 12:46 am

You guys are too much fun! I really loved reading this post! Haha…crampa! Hope we can go on a travel with you guys one day!

Savannah Lauren - April 14, 2011 - 10:48 am

I love your pictures and the story is awesome, but your cow/ewok comparison made my heart so happy. 😀 I’m still laughing, you are AWESOME!

Jenelle Sewell - April 14, 2011 - 10:58 am

beautiful work! stunning scenes…

Mary - April 14, 2011 - 9:20 pm

AMAZING!!! These images are unreal! Sounds and looks like you guys had a blast! Can’t wait for Part 2! =)

augusta - April 15, 2011 - 1:26 am

this is amazing!! Love every single shot. and i want to stay in a crampa… 😉

Nikki - April 17, 2011 - 6:24 pm

So glad you guys came all the way to NZ for the wedding I have seen the slideshow and it’s amazing – can’t wait to see all the rest!

upimagery - April 18, 2011 - 11:10 pm

these frames are simply amazing. lost for words.