[MarkJerling]

I have to admit, Wellington is one of New Zealand's most photogenic cities. Of course you don't feel the wind in a photo.

Auckland - too spread out, Christchurch, most of the good stuff has gone, Dunedin - well there you have some real competition, but it does get pretty cold in winter, so it puts the complaints about Wellington's wind in perspective a bit.

Agreed. Though, there was only the lightest breeze Sunday morning. (7km/h) Wellington is the perfect little city in that it's so easy to get about on foot.

[zkarj]

So looking at the environment, how much mud ended up on you?

Not much. That was the weird thing... I was just walking slowly along the beach, taking a photo or two every couple of steps (a technique I learned long ago). I spent most of the time looking at my feet to avoid rocks, and looking through the lens at the bird. It was only just before he flew away I realised how close I actually was.

Good work - they are shy little b--s aren't they

Very! They will fly close but you have to be ready for them. I lost count of the number of "Oh!" moments as one whipped past from somewhere I hadn't seen them.

We were on the Wellington waterfront on Saturday. (Annie ran the marathon)
As they say - "You can't beat Wellington on a good day".

Indeed. It's not bad on the bad days, either. . I walk that waterfront 5 days a week, 3 times a day.

I have to admit, Wellington is one of New Zealand's most photogenic cities. Of course you don't feel the wind in a photo.

I've got some photos where you can indeed feel the wind. See below...

Wellington is the perfect little city in that it's so easy to get about on foot.

Why would any city do it otherwise?

[MarkJerling]

Indeed. It's not bad on the bad days, either. . I walk that waterfront 5 days a week, 3 times a day.

I take it you work in the city? I used to work on The Terrace, Radio New Zealand House. These days, we enjoy the weather in the Wairarapa which is warmer in summer and quite a bit colder in winter than Wellington.

Why would any city do it otherwise?

Indeed. When we emigrated, we picked Wellington as it reminded us of a much smaller Cape Town (minus the rather imposing mountain)
Auckland (sorry Aucklanders!) just does not have the same "feel".

[Kiwizinho]

I've got some photos where you can indeed feel the wind. See below...

That just about looks like an image to use with an ad promoting weather sealed bodies and lenses!

[zkarj]

I take it you work in the city? I used to work on The Terrace, Radio New Zealand House. These days, we enjoy the weather in the Wairarapa which is warmer in summer and quite a bit colder in winter than Wellington.

Indeed I do. I know of Radio NZ house — two offices ago I was right behind it on Gilmer Tce. These days I'm in lower Willis St.

Auckland (sorry Aucklanders!) just does not have the same "feel".

It might have a feel but it is so diluted over that huge area no-one can tell what it is.

That just about looks like an image to use with an ad promoting weather sealed bodies and lenses!

That was taken with my (water resistant to IP67) iPhone. More than once I've gotten wet on the wharves when it hasn't been raining. Here's a photo I did take with my DA 55-300WR...

[richandfleur]

I lived in Auckland for 2 years and loved it, at that point in time.

Auckland really is multiple different cities all next to each other. In a lot of ways it's very much like a Hamilton (or a Palmerston North) next to a Hamilton next to a Hamilton.
Living there you stay in your little city most of the time, so we lived in Henderson and would go to the local library and cafe and pool and shopping centre etc.
We were lucky enough to both live within 15 minutes of our work places, and the Waitakere ranges were on our doorstep, the rough west coasts of Piha or the golden sands of the east coast bays.
You'd go into the CBD at the weekends if you wanted big city aspects like the casino or concerts etc, and each house had a section of land around it just like you'd find in Palmerston North or Christchurch etc.

As a overall city it's too spread out, so public transport is often too far away to get to, but from a day to day living perspective it's not necessarily much different than other parts of NZ.
That many people in one place, in a city that hasn't really planned for it's growth particularly well, does mean traffic can be mental, but climate wise it's very nice and has a lot to offer.

[Kiwizinho]

Here's a photo I did take with my DA 55-300WR...

Now that's what I call committment! Generally I like aircraft, both to view and to fly in, but in those conditions I don't think I'd have been particularly enthusiastic about either.

---------- Post added 07-04-19 at 01:13 PM ----------

I lived in Auckland for 2 years and loved it, at that point in time.

Auckland really is multiple different cities all next to each other. In a lot of ways it's very much like a Hamilton (or a Palmerston North) next to a Hamilton next to a Hamilton.
Living there you stay in your little city most of the time, so we lived in Henderson and would go to the local library and cafe and pool and shopping centre etc.
We were lucky enough to both live within 15 minutes of our work places, and the Waitakere ranges were on our doorstep, the rough west coasts of Piha or the golden sands of the east coast bays.
You'd go into the CBD at the weekends if you wanted big city aspects like the casino or concerts etc, and each house had a section of land around it just like you'd find in Palmerston North or Christchurch etc.

As a overall city it's too spread out, so public transport is often too far away to get to, but from a day to day living perspective it's not necessarily much different than other parts of NZ.
That many people in one place, in a city that hasn't really planned for it's growth particularly well, does mean traffic can be mental, but climate wise it's very nice and has a lot to offer.

Auckland certainly has some nice features, but the spread and the transport infrastructure are the issues. We went up there a couple of years ago for Queen's Birthday Weekend on cheapish Grabaseat tickets, and the bus fare from the airport to the city cost almost as much as our flights, and took ages. I love Auckland Domain, and think it's pretty cool that you can go for a walk in native bush with a stream chattering away, with barely a sign of civilisation, right in the heart of NZ's largest city. Staying in a hotel in the central city meant we were able to get around quite a few cool things just walking, but I still think Wellington has more to offer as a pedestrian, and a ferry trip across Cook Strait can put you right into the heart of the city, so time wise, it's actually not all that much longer to get from Blenheim to central Wellington compared to central Auckland, even travelling by ship rather than plane, and a whole lot cheaper.

I guess we're a bit spoilt in the South Island, as for about the same time as an Auckland commute, I can be over the hill in Nelson, or somewhere down the Sounds.

In a similar time from Timaru, Ross can be up in the McKenzie Basin, down to Oamaru, or up to Ashburton.

[zkarj]

It's a great place to visit. I lived in Auckland for 13 months 2003-2004.

We weren't fans of the climate — it got sticky in summer. But the worst of it was that the place simply never stops. We lived on a main road and there was constant traffic for about 18 hours every day. I'm glad we spent the year there, because now we know we don't want to do it again. Also, it's handy now when I visit (later this month for example) that I generally know my way around.

[GUB]

Trade Me - Listings from hopeway1
You can buy that 77 for US$800 new.

[Transit]

Long time no see
I went to the Mainland

required shot of Rotoroa


Rising of the Kawatiri/Buller...Rotoiti


Dad arrived here from Scotland in 1923
called it Knockawar


They put in a boulder bank to hold back the tide...good luck


K-1 with the 40 year old M20/4 at f8

[GUB]

Thought you had been hibernating!!
Bet the K-1 went into a feeding frenzy with all that landscape fodder down there.
Funny thing is they look like K-1 shots -- is it the dynamic range?For instance the detail in the wharf piles.
Nice shots Pete

[GUB]

No way the first shot is with the 20mm -- I know that view. But it feels like a prime. ?

[Transit]

Thought you had been hibernating!!
Bet the K-1 went into a feeding frenzy with all that landscape fodder down there.
Funny thing is they look like K-1 shots -- is it the dynamic range?For instance the detail in the wharf piles.
Nice shots Pete

cheers Mate
yeah the M20 never left the camera, just seemed right
I took the tripod and really should have used it, still haven't tried the pixelshift whatsit

---------- Post added 12th Jul 2019 at 11:26 PM ----------

No way the first shot is with the 20mm -- I know that view. But it feels like a prime. ?

It is though
nearly falling off the end to get the plurry water taxi out of shot

[GUB]

cheers Mate
yeah the M20 never left the camera, just seemed right
I took the tripod and really should have used it, still haven't tried the pixelshift whatsit

---------- Post added 12th Jul 2019 at 11:26 PM ----------



It is though
nearly falling off the end to get the plurry water taxi out of shot

Yeah just checked your exif

[GUB]

still haven't tried the pixelshift whatsit

I still haven't had a result worth the effort.
Developing a few theories (probably wrong)
Think if you went to the trouble of putting your camera on a tripod and using the electronic shutter with a normal shot you would be three quarters of the way there quality wise. And people mistake these steps for pixel shift boost.
Never seem to be able to get motion out of the image (the green screen in Rawtherapee)