Where Did I Get To?

Real-time

Apologies, apologies! I bet some of you have wondered where I'd got to. And now I am so far behind with my blog posts it's not funny! I feel like I've been playing a game of Snakes & Ladders; nearly catch up, slide back down, catch-up, slide down.... Or perhaps, more like one of those mice on the spinning wheel, round and round going nowhere fast! It has been a very hectic few weeks and would you believe it, we've been parked up at the Mount (Mt Maunganui) for the last two weeks.

Yes, that's right the Mount, we're back in the North Island but not before spending some time at Marfells Beach in Marlborough and a night or two in Blenheim and Koromiko after leaving Molesworth and before crossing over. Somewhere in there, there was one of my regular 'Calamity Jane' moments, a visit to Blenheim A&E and a moonboot! No worries, nothing too serious, you'll hear about it in due course.

From Wellington we had a change of plan and detoured to Napier for a week- Mum & Dad won a garden competition and we wanted to surprise them with a visit and attend the prize giving (more on that in another blog too). Then it was onto the Bay of Plenty where we've been catching up with family and friends before we return to Napier next week for Christmas and New Year.

I will be posting blogs, just not so many over the next few weeks- I will catch up eventually though, I  REALLY WILL!! In the meantime I thought I'd post a link to my recent article which appeared in the last NZMCA magazine; some of you will have seen it of course but those that aren't members can click the link below to access the PDF.

Snowing Down South- A How-to Guide to Wintering Over in the South Island

I was also very pleased to not only get the front cover, but have 'Out There' featured on it too- taken on the morning of the minus 12c frost in the Ahuriri Valley, MacKenzie Country.

That's it, see you soon! 

The Lady Behind The Lens

Real-time

I know many of you are NZMCA members and will have already read the following article but for those that aren't members, here's the write-up that appeared in the latest Motor Caravanner magazine.

At first I was a little reluctant to come out from behind my camera when Katrina (a friend and fellow 5th-wheeler) asked if I'd mind if she wrote a item about me and our lifestyle. It didn't take too long for her and David to convince me that people would be interested in reading a 'behind the scenes' article. Katrina sent me 101 questions to answer and I was away typing- you know me, I can't stop my fingers once I start typing (and she didn't really send 101 questions, just sufficient to glean enough relevant information).

It was a lovely surprise to find out that Chris (editor) had also chosen one of my photos for the cover of the latest magazine- Autumn in Bannockburn, Central Otago. This is my 6th cover and because I've now run out of room on our lounge's tiny wall space, I'm now having to hang the older framed covers in the toilet! Framing them is not something I'd normally do but it just seems to fit in with our nomadic lifestyle (and cover some crappy wallpaper).

And here's the article- the first two pages were a double spread of the sunrise photo from Hinahina in the Catlins. I've increased the size of the other pages so you'll be able to read the article a little better, remember to click on the photo to enlarge. But if you're still struggling to read it, there's a link to a PDF at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy! And a big thankyou to Katrina, who did an awesome job in gathering it altogether and asking the right questions.

The Lady Behind The Lens- PDF

Walking On A Dream- Part 2

Finally I have caught up-to-date. And it’s just as well as it’s time to hit the road again after our extended stay with the family in Winton.

A few weeks ago the second part of my article was published in the latest NZMCA ’The Motor Caravanner’ Magazine. Not only that but it was a huge surprise to find out that I had also won the Summer Photo Competition with this shot of David on the Key Summit Walk overlooking the Hollyford Valley on the Milford Road in Fiordland. And the prize was a $500 voucher to be spent with a Motor Caravanner advertiser of my choice. Sweet!

Below is the second part of the article, if you’d like to see the first one, you’ll find it here. Although this one has been titled “Taking the Scenic Route’. Remember to click on the page for a larger size if you have trouble reading the article.

Unfortunately this is a copy of a pdf file and the words may be a littler hard to read

Can you see the grasshopper in the photo below? His camouflage is so good that he fooled the layout artist in the page above….

If you'd like to see some more photos (and read more) about each of the places in the article here are the links to their original blog posts-

Kiwi Burn Walk, Snowdon Forest, Mavora Lakes, Southland

Key Summit, Milford Road, Fiordland

Pupu Hydro Walkway, Takaka, Golden Bay

Catlins River Walk, Catlins, Southland

Sawcut Gorge, Marlborough

Walking on a Dream

As promised, now that the NZMCA Motor Caravanner magazine has been out for a few weeks, here’s a copy of the article I wrote for them. As you know I also managed to have my photo on the cover too! This is the second article I’ve written for the magazine and as it says below, a second part of  this ‘Walking on a dream’ article will appear in the next magazine. Remember to click on the photos for a larger size if you have trouble reading the article.

Once again I enjoyed writing and putting together the article which is made easier because I have the original blog posts to refer to.  I do have to condense them quite a lot though as I had a word limit for each article - hard for someone who talks 'types' so much!

If you'd like to see more photos (and read more) about each of the places in the article here are the links to their original blog posts-

Archway Islands - Golden Bay

Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway - North Canterbury

Diamond Lake - Wanaka


And a footnote- you might wonder why this post appears in the middle of the Lake Brunner posts. Well,  this also happens to be my 400th blog post and it seemed fitting to acknowledge all that writing by posting the magazine article to mark the milestone. 400 blog posts (and especially 400 long blog posts as mine usually are) is quite an achievement if I must say so myself. A big thankyou to all my readers who make it all worthwhile, and to my ever patient husband who tells me he's no longer a golf widower, he a blog widower! Thanks darling, I love you too. 

One Article, Two Covers

I hit the jackpot!

Not only did I get an article in the latest NZMCA Motor Caravanner magazine (sent to all 56,000+ members) but I also got the front cover. And not only did I get an article and the front cover, I got the front cover of the members handbook too, which was sent out in the same pack!

It was a huge surprise to get the magazine front cover because- what a laugh- I didn’t even recognise the shot until I read the credits! Here’s the original; it was taken on the The Road to Walter Peak Station in Central Otago.

I have been sending photos to NZMCA's IT & Social Media department for quite awhile and when they needed a handbook cover photo I sent a selection to Ryan and 5 of them were chosen as possibles, Ryan put them up on the NZMCA Facebook page where members voted for their favourite. It was nearly an unanimous vote, they chose autumn at Butchers Dam, Alexandra. It just happened that the handbook was sent out with the magazine. And here's that original

And here is the article, hopefully you’ll be able to read the text. Enjoy.

I enjoyed writing and putting together the article, especially as I had the huge benefit of being able to use my blog posts on each of the 'hidden gems' that I had selected. But I had to condense them quite a lot as I had a word limit for each item- hard for someone who talks 'types' so much! 

If you'd like to see more photos (and read more) about each of the places in the article here are the links to their blogs-

Langford Store, Bainham, Golden Bay

Fishing Huts, Lake Onslow, Central Otago

Bullock Creek Hut, Mt Nicholas Station, Southland

Matanaka Historic Farm Buildings, Waikouauiti

Lonley Graves, Millers Flat, Central Otago

Mt Peel Station's Himalayan Lilies, Peel Forest, Geraldine