Year in Review 2014: January – April

It’s a funny thing, starting a blog. All of a sudden you’re putting your thoughts and experiences out into the world without really knowing who (if anyone) is going to come across them. But this little corner of the internet has been something I’ve wanted to create for quite some time now, and there’s nothing like a New Year to give you a bit of a kick up the butt to get things started…

I love sharing my photographs on Tumblr and on my website, but have always yearned for a bit more space and time to write the words that I want to accompany them. To tell a few stories, and to share bits and pieces of information that I have discovered, whether it be the scariest hotel experience of my life, or my favourite little hole-in-the-wall pasta place on the Amalfi Coast (yep, I have one of each of those). I’m hoping that this will be a place I can share those things with you guys!

So, what better place to start to introduce myself, than a bit of a look back at the year that has just ended? Without further ado, here is where the first few months of 2014 took me… If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll get back to you!

 

JANUARY

2014 got off to a beautiful start, as I headed to Iceland on assignment for Jamie magazine. We spent 5 days running around the stunning west coast of this country, photographing the people and places which make this place so hauntingly beautiful. My memories of Iceland are punctuated by images of floppy-haired horses, of snow-covered-everything, of the haunting beauty of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Late nights and local birch liqueur in the incredible Hotel Búðir, sampling fermented shark at Bjarnarhöfn. And avoiding having to eat the sheeps head that was plopped on my plate during the traditional Þorrablót celebration – there’s only so much I’m willing to do in the name of research…

 

Above: Looking towards the black church of Hotel Búðir, on Iceland’s West Coast.

Above: Hildibrandur of the Bjarnarhöfn Shark Musuem, and his (really not delicious, but you have to try it) fermented shark.

FEBRUARY

February passed in a whirlwind! Work took me to Istanbul and Milan for 24 hours each. Though the days were full of meetings, my editor and I made sure we got to run around for at least an hour each day so we could take in the beauty of our surroundings…. The soaring minarets of Istanbul’s mosques, the fresh pomegranate juice devoured at roadside stalls, and the humbling feeling of standing in the Hagia Sophia are moments which I will not soon forget. Turkey, I need to come back and explore more of you, because in those few hours you totally stole my heart!

Above: Two gentlemen near the Egyptian Market in Istanbul. The soaring minarets of the Blue Mosque.

Above: The awe-inspiring Hagia Sophia. An experience that came complete with cats entwining themselves around the ankles of visitors.

Above: Menemem for breakfast and the vibrantly coloured walls around the Egyptian market

 

MARCH

This incredible month saw me back home in New Zealand for the first time in 3 long years, the highlight of which was meeting my brand new niece June for the very first time. It also saw Chris and I explore the South Island, something I (shamefully!) had not yet done…. Early mornings driving across Fiordland National Park, a boat ride through Milford Sound, exploring all the little townships on the way to Glenorchy, and trying to figure out which Lord of the Rings scenery we were gazing upon… This trip was a great reminder that sometimes the very best moments are to be found in your own back yard, and I have to admit, I had more than one teary moment as I gazed at the beauty of my homeland.

Conveniently, Chris started keeping a packet of tissues in the glovebox so I could blub quietly to myself whilst gazing out over lakes, mountains and fjords. What a gentleman.

Above: The deep greens and blues of home…

Above:  Junebug entered the world and promptly melted my heart!

Above: Slope Point, the southermost point of the South Island of New Zealand

APRIL

Ah yes, the month in which my partner Chris and I decided to be real grown ups, and move in together!

Easier said than done in London, where the gems are most definitely hidden amongst the rubble 😉 We finally managed to find our dream apartment within just a few days of being homeless, so the days and weeks spent pounding the pavement were not in vain, and we gradually started packing up our respective lives to start a new one together. I also started the first in a series of collaborations with Lululemon, a fantastic start to the New Year!

Above: Equal parts hope and despair, helped along with copious amounts of hot chocolate – the reality of flat-hunting in London.

 Stay tuned for the next part of the Year in Review, going live on Friday!