Lazy Boy

One of the very few reasons that getting up early is good

Cookies and Cream

All clear on the upper mountain

Hansel and Gretel

Taken at sunset on Mt Ruapehu

Penthouse

salut

Taken at my Grandfather's 90th Birthday. I'll drink to that. Happy Birthday ol' man

kingfisher

Mt Hobson

red

Watching the sunset from Mt Hobson avec fromage and wine on ANZAC day with a German family, reflecting on the war...and wine. Supposedly a tradition of my father's, though I can't remember ever going up on this day.

brothers

Kumeu

meow

Whiritoa

light

O and his grandmother enjoying the lighting display at the beach house.

Thames

poison

An afternoon spent rock fishing with some mates. We fed the fish but unfortunately they didn't return the favour. Thames is located on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. A very beautiful drive.

Piha

wheel

Photo of my grandmother taken out at Piha beach. No longer officially part of the "Groovy Grannies" but still looking the part.

rock

One of New Zealand's black sand beaches on the West Coast, though it seems to be turning a little grey in its old age.

Hill

boy

A place that holds a lot of memories of growing up. There's a photo of my older brother and I posing on this stile, taken in the late 80s/early 90s. Now a favourite place to go for a run while listening to the "Zombies, Run!" app.

At The Races

Thunderbirds

First time out with my camera in Auckland and the weather did not cooperate. These are old oil silos down by the viaduct, now serving no utilitarian purpose that I'm aware of.

Beauty and the Beauty

metro

Mixing things up with a different style photo. American male model Jordan and Korean beauty Jiae.

Farewell

Snow White

This is a tunnel located in the Sincheon area of Seoul. The area is home to three large universities - Yonsei, Edae and Hongdae. Because of this, it has a very vibrant day and night life.

Mr. Speaker

interests

The green domed building is Korea's National Assembly Hall (Parliament). It's located in Seoul on Yeouido,  which is a small "island" on the Han River in Seoul. The Han River, seen on the left of the shot is a large river that divides north and south Seoul (not to be confused with North and South Korea). Currently there are plans under way to deepen parts of the Han river to allow cruise ships from China to come up it. This may be reversed though as it is not a "popular" project in Seoul.

Neighbourhood

roots

This is the second subway line built in Seoul (aptly named "line 2") and is one of the few rails that has large sections above ground. In recent years, the rivers and streams throughout Seoul have been developed into fitness areas - bike lanes, workout areas, paths etc. This spot is a couple of minutes walk from my apartment.

Connections

shell

This train was used to run ammunition and troops by South Korea during the civil war. It was operated by a Japanese born Korean, Han Joonki, who had been living in Nagasaki when the first atomic bomb was dropped. In December 1950, 2 months after 300,000 Chinese soldiers entered the war, during a return trip to the south, the engine was machine gunned my U.S. soldiers, whom were afraid that it would fall into the North's hands. The engine sat in the DMZ for over 50 years before it was recovered by the South. It now sits just south of the DMZ.

Parting Ways

ditch

This is Deoksugung-gil, a road that runs along the edge of the Deoksugung palace wall (as can bee seen on the left), in Seoul. It is rumoured that if you walk along this street with your lover, you will eventually become separated. Originally there was a stream that flowed here but it is now completely paved over. This covering of the water is said to be the reason for the lovers' "curse".

Admiral Yi Sunshin

statue

This figure is Admiral Yi Sunshin, most famous for winning the Battle of Myeongnyang, a sea battle in which his Turtle ships were outnumbered 13 to 333 by the Japanese. This particular statue of him stands in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul.

Welcome

weather

Welcome to my photo-blog. I will try keep writing to a minimum as I'd like to keep this photo-orientated. However if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. This first picture was taken from my apartment in Seoul. The caption is based on the plant on the left, which has somehow managed to survive despite my negligence.