There was no web-log last week, so this week's one is early. The reason for the miss, well you probably guessed from the heading, the Naki' was calling.
A part from a few tidy up day trips for supplementary images, the Taranaki mini mission marks the end of the shooting for the next beach book. It is pretty exciting to near the end of a stage, and to leave Taranaki to last was a great way to finish in style.
The Three Sisters, with Elephant Rock behind, last Wednesday.
It's a region that I've always felt a strong connection to through the years at NZ Surfing Mag.The drive always conjures up fine memories of my first Nationals as a photographer in 1994, the first roady I ever did for the mag in 1993 with Daniel Kereopa, Nat Barron and Larry Fisher.
Hemi Takarua, Stacey Lamb, Motu Mataa, Chris Blain Dwaine and Barbara Mataa at Stent Road 2007; this shot was used in the latest Damaged Goods Mag
Motu, Rocky Lefts 2006
Then on other roadies hanging with the Mataa brothers and staying at Barbara Mataa's pad in Oakura. Full on ping pong wars at the Waitara Boardriders with Dan Waiweri and Ed Martin. The Mill with Pip Ngaia, Club 55 with Stacey Lamb. There's a huge amount of gratefulness for the hospitality Taranaki surfers have always shared. Mainly I just remember laughing a lot and being made to feel at home.
Pip Ngaia shot in 1994 for a Rip Curl clothing advert... And in the book PhotoCPL of course!
This trip was a good trip for photos, all that was needed was images from The Three Sisters at Tongaporutu and Fitzroy.
The 617 Pano camera set up for a 4 minute exposure... fingers crossed the film look nice with blurred out water and cloud movement.
Elephant Rock...looking Elephanty
After seeing that left in the image above, well, Stent Road could be good right? The imagination raced with thoughts of walls like this...
Morehu Roberts at Stent Road, 2002
Stent Road 2001, or maybe this...
Graveyards 2012, this pano was used as the opening Taranaki spread in The South Seas Book, We felt it encapsulated the Taranaki experience, rocky points, long waves, and long scrambles over slippery boulders. Or even this...
Definitely not telling where... But no such luck, I got this...
The onshore cutting the swell to shreds at Stent.
No surf this photo trip, but I did get what I went for. Good Three Sisters Panos and a pretty good sunset at Fitzroy.
It was a light chasing mission, not a surf chasing trip.