Wednesday 30 September 2015

Full Moon Madness

Who: Annette and Shirley taking turns in Bluey and as jetty photographer.
Where: Maraetai
When: Evening of Tuesday 29 September

So the day after all the blood moon photos flooded Facebook, the weather was calm and clear. Only problem - work! So we went night-yakking instead.

You probably couldn't really call what we did kayaking - only one in the boat, staying within 50m of the jetty, taping glowsticks and LED flashing lights all over the place and taking photos with long exposure from the jetty.

But any time in the kayak is valued. The moon rose brilliantly, a deep orange, then illuminated the water far more effectively than our $2 Shop glowsticks did.

Most of these photos were taken with shutter speeds of between 10-20 seconds. Still learning the new waterproof Nikon 1 AW1 toy and this is a great opportunity for it. (I found that the iPhone did very well with the point and shoots as well.)

Enjoy the photos.

Tips - bearing in mind that we are learners at this too, and this was not a full SLR camera - just a bit too risky to bring that out so close to the wet stuff:

- The glowsticks didn't achieve much, perhaps because they were cheap and nasty ones or maybe because it was such a light evening with the mostly full moon. The LED lights that we've used before work very well.
- A tripod is essential.
- A thermos of hot chocolate is a great way to finish off the adventure.















Friday 25 September 2015

Just Add Water Abroad

Santorini, Greece 
When: 24 June
South Discovery Tour
5 hours, including paddling, snorkeling and lunch


This blog has documented our journeys around New Zealand's many beautiful waterways. Recently I (Annette) spent time traveling around Greece and wanted to take the opportunity to get out on the water. So, this is a bit of a show-off blog post I am afraid!

I headed to TripAdvisor, and researched great kayaking spots on the Greek Islands. I discovered Santorini Sea Kayaks, with glowing reviews!  Next step, convincing my friend who I was travelling with.

The conversation went something like this:  
"Maria, would you like to do 5 hours paddling or 10 hours?"
Silence. 
"Okay, 5 hours it is then." 

If you are heading to Greece, this kayak tour is well worth the money. It is easy enough for beginners but has enough challenge to not be boring. Blue skies, blue sea and fabulous food!







Check them out at: www.santoriniseakayak.com