Ben watched "his" Kārearea (NZ Falcon) for hours from the deck, whilst listening to his podcast.
Way back when I was 15, I started documenting adventures I went on and things that intrigued me.
It was absolutely delightful to remember my photography origins on a recent holiday Ben and I took to Port Underwood, near Picton on the South Island.
I hope you enjoy the stories that go along with these images.
Even professional photographers take selfies! The only way to get a photo of us when we travel just the two of us, to remote places.
We loved eating breakfast side-by-side taking in the sun rising over the breathtaking view. Some mornings the sun was too strong so we appreciated the vista from the couch just inside these windows.
Breakfast was sourced locally including this yummy wholemeal loaf.
Winding down the private road to the bay at the bottom of the valley brought you here. The re-purposed sink was symmetrically positioned in front of the flax plant beautifully framing the shot.
We enjoyed just sitting together and enjoying each other's presence (and the view). Read: it was a bit too cold for a swim plus dodging the sting rays would have been a challenge...
Our first adventure was to Kaipupu Wildlife Sanctuary. 'Kai’ means food in Te reo and ‘pupu’ is a type of shellfish. It's a 40 hectare piece of regenerating bush separated from Picton by a predator-proof fence.
Only accessible by boat, we caught a water taxi to the jetty. We felt super adventurous as we embarked on the easy two hour walk around the point.
As always I was fascinated by the light and shade, and shapes of the leaves.
Cute details were found at the start/end and high-points of the loop track. Each tile features wildlife found in the Reserve made by local school children.
We met a characterful Piwakawaka (fantail) who followed us for a great deal of the walk. He flitted from tree to tree, twittering away to us.
Ben in particular enjoyed talking to his Fantail.
Ben doesn't usually wear his wedding ring at work or home. He loves it very much but doesn't want to damage it. But this week he did (wear it not damage it!), as this was a special holiday for us. Stay tuned for future details!
All the weta hotels had names, this one particularly took my fancy. None we looked into had any of the Wellington Tree Weta home, but the anticipation was great as we opened each door.
Often the journey is the destination. We really enjoyed the water taxi back into Picton.
En route we crossed the route of the ferries. It's a pretty humbling feeling being in such a small vessel; having a massive passenger, vehicle and freight ferry bearing down on you!
We're avid Lord of the Rings fans (Ben a life-long champion) so we had to visit Pelorus River. This was 'Forest River' from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Peter Jackson's film. The dwarves escape the Elvenking's Halls by floating down this river in wine barrels.
We really wanted to go for a swim somewhere secluded and relaxing. We drove to the Queen Charlotte Track and walked down to one of the many resorts at the water's edge. We discovered Punga Cove Resort and nearby Camp Bay. Perfect! Except for the sting rays here too!
Instead of swimming with the sting rays, we enjoyed a cool drink overlooking the bay.
On our final day of our part relaxing/part adventurous break, we decided to see what was "at the end of the road". We had stayed in the beautiful house owned by a friend on our honeymoon, but had never ventured further down the gravel road that the road to the house.
At 'the end of the road' we found a delightfully sparse smattering of houses, interspersed with peaceful bays. This one was the last one.
Ben did his part picking up a long emptied bottle of bourbon and coke.
And so our break came to an end. We enjoyed the ferry crossing once more sitting on the top deck with the wind in our hair. Then for the drive back to the Wairarapa and home.
I hope you've enjoyed some of my personal photography and an insight into our adventures!
You might like to check out my documentary style Wairarapa family photography.
Lots of love, Sarah x