NZ summer!

It's great to have summer back! Long lazy days under the sun and many opportunities to take some nice pictures at the beach! These were taken in the Kāpiti area in the North Island of New Zealand, Kāpiti Island can be seen in the background.

 

This first image reminds me of Luke Skywalker looking into the horizon of Tatooine as the twin suns start to set. Maybe it's not as desolate and there are way too many logs for it to be the same landscape yet I can still hear the Star Wars theme in the background, hehe.

  

I went for a classic look in this one and making the photograph black and white helps to make it timeless... well, we shall see how it stands in a couple of years. Maybe in 10 years time it will be obvious that it was taken in 2016 and would be hard to pass it as a picture from the 20th century.

Always remember to wear enough sunscreen now!

Ruby - Mobile Visual Diary

I think this is by far, the ultimate mobile visual diary. Granted, it may not be the most efficient or the most practical but it definitely is one of the most original ones I've seen so far.

Being in New Zealand, you get to see people touring up and down the country in converted vans, buses, wagons and 4x4s and more often than not, they will have some collage painted on the side. It's not uncommon to come across Bob Marley themed campers, dolphin themes, landscapes, unicorns and fairies, rainbows and all the imagery you can think of that will relate to traveling through beautiful New Zealand. However, most of these camper vans are rentals and you don't get the option of embellishing them in your own way, you just hope to get one that will have some graphics which will suit your taste when you rent them out. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Meet Hylie & Maxime, a couple of french guys who have been flatting with me for the past 3months. These guys bought a car for their traveling period through both the North and South Island and have been using it to record their adventures. It's not only the places and experiences that they've had that  make their way onto the car but also thoughts and quotes. As soon as something interesting occurs, you can see the white uni posca pen jumping out of the glove compartment and leaving marks for posterity. Ruby, as they named their car, is not only a visual diary of their trip but also has a great variety of hand drawn lettering. They will be selling Ruby shortly and the lucky buyer will have the option of keeping it as it is or, if they want to start their own visual diary, they just need to wash the car with soap and they'll have a clean canvas for their own!

Spring 2014

Spring has sprung once again but instead of posting pictures of tulips as I usually do, I decided to post a picture of my cactus, something closer to home. This little guy has 17 flower buds so far! I don't think I've ever seen a cactus with so many flowers at once. It's like spring has decided to announce its arrival with fireworks bursting into a display of color... hahahaha

I'm not sure if the tulips in the Botanical Garden were able to make a big impression this year. We had a couple of storms hit Wellington on the day that the Spring Festival started. I wouldn't be surprised if the tulips were badly battered.

Renee Coffey, North Island Rodie Tour, closing gig poster

This poster was specifically designed to celebrate the closure of the Renee Coffey North Island Tour, 2014. Using a warm color palette, the poster conveys the sensation of being in a warm lazy summer evening. The double exposure effect gives a certain feel of intimacy and introspection, which is well suited for this private event.

 Detail

 Original files

Left poster used for the duration of the tour. Right poster was an early conceptual design.

Winter day!

Today hasn't been particularly cold, in fact, it almost seems like everyday has been as cold as this one! That's not entirely true of course, we've been having some nice sunny days and they almost feel like spring... until the wind reminds us that we're only experiencing an illusion, hahaha.

Keeping myself warm at home, I look out the window from my "studio" and can see how it's hailing quite hard. Fifteen minutes later the sun comes back out and all traces of hail has disappeared except for the puddles on the street. Hail is always an event here in Wellington but will never compare to when it snowed a few years back, "a once in a life time event" they called it... unless you're like 90. That was an awesome day!!

Cool little video that captured the feeling of that day :)

Snowaka | Custom snowboard skin design

This post is related to a previous entry I made back in 2010, however, I never really took the time to describe what was going on. So I think this is a good opportunity to talk about the snowboard project.

My friend Rachel Halfpenny is an avid snowboarder and is addicted to the powdered slopes. As soon as snow falls at Mt Ruapehu, you can see her gliding down with a plume of snow racing behind her. She will get up at the crack of dawn and drive the 4 hrs to the mountain, snowboard for as long as the light permits, get up early the next day, hop on her board and spend a few more hours making tracks and then drive four hours back home... that's dedication!

It was only natural that she would want to personalize her board, to capture her personality and reflect who she is. This board was the end result. Her fun and happy personality can be seen in the cartoon of her but also her pride for her English heritage, the emblem and the St George's Cross is a dead giveaway.

You may be asking yourself where the word Snowaka came from or what it means. It's a play from the word snow and waka (maori name for canoe). So essentially she rides her snow canoe, hahaha. However, phonetically it could also be "snow walker"... clever huh?

Renee Coffey - North Island Roadie

 

Summer! Nothing like hitting the beach, catching some waves, drying yourself under the sun and then relaxing in the evening listening to some cool live music. If you find yourself in the North Island of New Zealand during the month of March, you might as well catch one of Renee Coffey's gigs. She'll be hitting most of the surf towns on her tour, so soak in the sights and listen to some good tunes while you're at it. Proceeds will go to Renee's charity called Running with Purpose which works through World Vision.

I am stoked with the way it turned out! This poster looks awesome in a large format version, the colors are so crisp that it really stands out. I think the illustration I made pretty much captures the idea of the tour. I also designed a special version that will be used to commemorate Renee's final concert when she comes back home. Until then, enjoy!

Wellington, New Zealand

Need I say more about beautiful sunny Wellington? I have been thinking long and hard about what identifies Wellington, what makes it unique, what makes it so special. Other cities rely on their architecture or monuments and as soon as you see them, you can identify the city immediately. The mere mention of the Eiffel Tower and you'll be thinking of Paris, people riding bicycles with baguettes in their baskets and little cafes on the sidewalks. Big Ben will evoke images of black taxis and the Thames River, 5 o'clock tea and maybe a rainy foggy day in afternoon. The Chrysler building brings the iconic yellow taxi stuck in traffic amongst other 50 yellow taxis and the Statue of Liberty in the foreground perhaps. The list is long and I could go on forever... Golden Gate Bridge, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Tower of Pisa, etc.

So what could I use to illustrate Wellington that makes it so iconic? The Beehive perhaps? The cable car? The Brooklyn turbine? Maybe... all of these are options but it's not something that stays with you forever. You may come to the coolest little capital in the world and enjoy the vibe of the city, the excellent coffee options you have at arms length, the relaxed atmosphere... but does that really identify Welly?

And then it hit me, like a storm on a clear sunny day! Why the weather of course!! That is one thing that will always be talked about. No matter if you've been living here all your life or you've been here for a day, the weather is something that will always be discussed at some point. There's no escaping it, it makes Welly what it is and the way people go about their everyday activities.

Tip: Umbrellas not recommended

On top

Last year Alexa came to NZ to visit and we had a whirlwind of a trip stopping at some of the major points of interest in the N Island. We didn't have enough time to see or do as much as we would've liked but she still was able to go back to LA with a good idea of what NZ is like... Gorgeous!

This year I went to California and we traveled around as well although not as much. Still, we made a stop in Carmel, San Francisco and Yosemite. Nice and interesting places, and Yosemite is stunning as well.... If I had to choose between what I've seen so far of California and NZ, there would be no doubt about my choice of NZ being on top. NZ rocks!!!!! Now if only Alexa could be here... I love you GG! ;)

By the way, that picture was taken on top of the hill that overlooks the city, the wind turbine is right next to us but not included in the shot.

Facebook headers

A few images that were taken during last year's summer while touring around the North Island. From Cape Reinga down to Wellington. The second picture was taken at Kerosene Creek near Taupo. Awesome trip!! Needless to say, the company was the best part of it all :)

A storm had just come through Wellington and another one was on its way. That weekend I had planned to go to the Wairarapa and visit one of its vineyards and enjoy a really nice lunch with Alexa. There seemed to be no point in venturing out and driving over the Rimutakas if the weather was going to be bad. You might as well stay closer to home and appreciate what you have in your backyard.

A drive around the bays is always a good drive and each and every one of them has its own appeal. Owhiro Bay, Island Bay, Lyall Bay, Scorching Bay, Evans Bay... drive to each one of them and have a little stroll, 10 to 15 minutes will be enough before you head on to the next one and you'll be surprised by the amount of things you'll see. Penguins, seals, dolphins, orcas and even the occasional sea leopard can be encountered. That day however, only the seagulls were out braving the weather, the Cook Strait had been roaring and was getting ready for another uproar. Amongst the shiny kelp that had been strewn across the stoney beach, the white plumage of the seagulls really made them stand out.

In the end, we spent around 4 hours gathering seashells and enjoying the views that were on offer. Maybe the lunch we had had not been as fancy as I had planned originally, maybe the weather hadn't been as great as expected, yet, those few hours had been spent in great company and with the discovery of little treasures in each seashell and views from the bays. Perfect way to end the weekend.

A journey to remember

New Zealand is full of surprises and you never know what you may encounter. The weather is a very important factor that keeps you on your toes at all times. This picture was taken at Cape Reinga, at the northern tip of the North Island. Even though it was midsummer and the rainy season was nowhere close, we had to change our plans a couple of times in order to avoid the bad weather, this was unsuccessful however.

As we arrived to the lighthouse we were greeted with a spectacular view of clouds. We were immersed in some of the thickest clouds I've ever seen. You could hardly see more than 2 meters in front of you. We had finally reached the very tip of the country and we could see nothing at all. The sand dunes that are normally visible where completely hidden. The currents of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean that clash together as they encounter one another could not be appreciated. The Pohutukawas that symbolize the journey of the spirits leaving the material world in order to join the ethereal world could not be seen either.

A major disappointment you would say at first glance, but we decided to wait it out a little bit. Maybe if we were lucky enough, the clouds would rise and we would be able to get a glimpse of the spectacular panorama. During that half hour, we encountered a married couple who were living in Oz and had come back to visit NZ, where they were both from originally. They had been in Australia for 40 years and were a bit homesick from the sound of it. They were loving the fact that we were shrouded by the clouds and it brought them memories of their early childhoods growing up in rural NZ and having to deal with the rain while wearing gumboots and drenched wool jumpers.

It was one of the nicest conversations or storytelling I had come across in such a long time. The clouds lifted a bit and we were able to see the coastline (sort of). In the end, the views weren't the most interesting part of that stop, even though they are spectacular (trust me, they're picture perfect when it's not raining, I've been there before). The thing that really made the place magical, apart from the environment created by the weather, had been talking to two complete strangers and been able to walk down memory lane and having a glimpse of their lives.

It's nice to be able to travel around beautiful places in the world and be enriched by the experiences that you will always remember. Sometimes there are certain journeys that become unforgettable and will always have a special meaning. To be able to share a trip with someone special makes the adventure even more rewarding. Thanks Alexa for those ever precious moments!

  

Spring Festival 2011

Our clocks have been move forward and the tulips have been blooming for a couple of weeks now, so I guess it's safe to say that Spring has finally arrived. This year's end of winter was pretty crazy, we saw snow in Wellington and not only around the tops of the hills, but even at sea level! The last time a thing like this happened was 50 years ago. Really looking forward to warmer and more stable seasons.

As usual, the Wellington Botanical Gardens have a variety of tulips on display to mark the arrival of spring.

Latest victim

One more to the ever growing collection of fallen umbrellas. Windy Wellington Winter scores again.

Far North

Summer in NZ! It's hard to really celebrate Christmas when the weather is sunny and warm and you have those lazy long days that seem to never end. Everybody just heads down to the beach which generally is only a few minutes away, sets up camp and start firing up the BBQs. Even when the surf isn't just right, you can always take a dip and dry yourself in the sun. Here are just a few pictures from my trip up to the Far North. I tell ya, NZ summer is hard to beat.

Beautiful pink skies at sunset turn into violets and purple. A pod of dolphins were swimming just a few meters off the coast but wasn't able to photograph them. The first time I saw a postcard of New Zealand with pink skies, I thought it had been digitally altered. I thought it was a joke, a very bad one at that... the joke was on me when finally I saw how the colors transformed themselves at dusk, I was in awe.

Lush subtropical forests with pristine rivers and lakes are easy to be found. If only summer holidays could last longer...

 Tatooine? Not quite. No giant sand worms either.  Just the Sand Dunes up by Cape Reinga which is at the very top of the North Island. Dune surfing is quite popular up here even when you might get a mouthful of sand. Gritty!

Tararua Southern Crossing