My Year in Photos - 2024
I had good variety this year but not a huge amount of time explicitly dedicated to photography. A quick-fire summary of the year included shooting images for Tesla (Cape Palliser & Central Plateau), an Aurora at my favourite beach, White Rock, borrowing the Sony A1 to photograph birds, a ‘failed’ photo mission to Mount Taranaki, and photographing my first ever Long-Tail Cuckoo.
I put a big focus on getting hike-fit and managed a couple of big days in the hills I was really proud of. The first was to the summit of Wellington’s highest peak, Mount Matthews. There’s plenty of steep sections where I needed to grab tree roots to help me up and it was a really good challenge. I do like stats, so here’s a few from that walk. Total distance: 25.23km; Total time: 8hrs 31mins; Max Heart Rate: 179bpm; Steps: 40,534; Total Ascent: 1,291m.
I was feeling confident after the Mount Matthew hike so two weeks later I pushed for higher and further, this time in the Tararua Ranges. I was targeting Mount Hector, with a height of 1,529m, and a gnarly start to the walk. There was a massive landslide a couple of years ago and the road was wiped out. Now you have to take a detour up into the bush to get around the slip. I didn’t know what I was in for but that section at the start was a real bastard! Really steep, slippery and just generally unpleasant. By the time I got around the slip and back to the road my legs were burning. Unfortunately I would pick up an injury on this hike that has kept me out of the mountains ever since (I’m typing this in September 2025). I hadn’t had an achilles tendon injury up until this day but I obviously pushed my body further than I should have. Total distance: 30.04km; Total time: 9hrs 9mins; Max Heart Rate: 170bpm; Steps: 48,900; Total Ascent: 1,807m.
The goal for a few years has been to get fit, and hike into areas of New Zealand to photograph landscapes that aren’t often seen. Periodically I’m as fit as a fiddle, if not fitter, but I also get my fair share of injuries. I don’t play much sport anymore and spend a significant amount of time sitting in my car as I drive around the country for work. As a result I become stiff and prone to lower back complaints (I’m working on a long term solution). The South Island really appeals to me and living in Wellington drives the cost of travel up too. So there’s some challenges in front of me to achieve my photography goals each year but I still feel very fortunate to live where I live and to have so many great spots on my doorstep.
Overall, 2024 shunted me in the right direction and I photographed a lot more than I had in the previous few years. The passion is slowly returning and excitement is building to visit new spots in NZ.
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