Taking only photographs – leaving only footprints
Originally built in 1834 as a Scottish Presbyterian Church. It was eventually consecrated as a Church of England parish church in 1874. Refurbished in the 90s it is a classic style of what I think of when I think of English churches. I was here for a very special christening. As you can see we had the perfect weather on the day. Arriving a little early I was able to capture this photograph without cars in the carpark and the sun over my shoulders.
Opened in 2019 Christchurch’s Riverside Market is well worth a visit. Overlooking the Avon River in the heart of the central business district. It’s an indoor farmers’ market open 7 days a week selling local produce, meat, seafood, baked goods, coffee and more. For me it has always been a fantastic place to get lunch. I’ve eat great dumplings, Indian food, coffees and cookies from here. The design is very timeless and it looks like it’s been here for much longer than just a few years.
These two story timber villas were built in the early 1900s. Facing the Pacific Ocean on Marine Parade. When I first drove past I thought there would be no way to get a “clean” photograph of all six of them. By clean, I mean without parked cars and people distracting from the buildings. Even still they are a difficult subject to photograph due to the busy road right in front of them. This ended up being taken on a quiet Monday evening. Even still there’s a few distractions in this photograph. Like the wheelie bins and the bright blue parking meters. The panoramic was created by combining three images in Lightroom. The blue house on the end was for sale at the time for offers over 1 million NZD. Almost all of the six sisters now home businesses of some sort on their ground flours. The Six sisters Coffee House always seemed very popular when driving past. Next time I’m in Napier I’ll have to try their coffee.
The Dome is an iconic landmark building in the heart of Napier. Built in 1935 it was originally the home of Temperance General Insurance. After the devastating 1931 earthquake destroyed most of the city. The design was based on the architectural style of the day, Art Deco and Spanish Mission. Napier is now internationally recognised as the Art Deco Capital of the World. I have photographed The Dome before. It was on my first visit to the city. Apart from the better angle of the latest photograph above. Getting further from the building and zooming in from across the road makes for better symmetry of the architecture. Taking it at sunset gives the photograph a warm glow. The other thing I notice between the old 2013 photograph of The Dome and the above. The Starbucks Coffee sign has been updated to be more in keeping with the building style and much more subtle. Planning a trip to Napier I considered staying at The Dome. It was the lack of parking that stopped me and ended up in a lovely AirBnB in nearby Hospital Hill.