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!

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.

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!

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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 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!

  

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!

Muggy