AMcC Design & Photography

been a while

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:42:47 GMT

hello

www.a-mcc.co.uk

world of owls

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:30:43 GMT

New Domain

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:21:02 GMT

Until now, i've been running my folio off my bands site. Now it's got it's own domain - a-mcc.co.uk

fun times

lil promo

Site Redesign

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:52:34 GMT

just a few cosmetic tweaks on the site. visit ere

The Gibson, Customized

Thu, 28 May 2009 12:59:40 GMT

the new beast

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:01:09 GMT

the maschine

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:30:28 GMT

been working on this for a few weeks. just a few finishing touches to do

ouroboros

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:47:04 GMT

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:45:16 GMT

Hanmer / Whangarei

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:56:56 GMT

Christchurch > Arthurs Pass > Greymouth > Arthurs Pass > Christchurch

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:56:18 GMT

We've done this trip one and a half times. The first time was by train. This was one of the things we had been looking forward to most but ended up being just ok. the scenery was great, when we could see it, but the train's other passengers all tended to be on the mature side.

Anyway, we then borrowed a chums car and drove to Arthurs Pass from Christchurch. The road runs parallel to the railway in most places so you see an awul lot fo the same stuff but we got awesome weather and being able to stop where you like and do it all in your own time is unbeatable.

On the way we stopped at a place called Castel Hill, famous for it's huge limestone rock formations, also for having a big battle in Lord of the Rings filmed there as well as Narnia(i think). Possibly the most awesome landscape in NZ. We spent hours walking through the formations and just chilling out. Climbers sometimes scale some of the larger rocks.

We stayed the night in Arthurs Pass, New Zealands highest village, 737 metres above sea level (apparently). We had been hoping to meet one of NZs most famous birds, the Kea, the worlds only Apline Parrot. The first once we saw skipped out of a cat flap at the restaurant we had just eaten at, funnily enough, it was called the Wobbly Kea. They have a funny kind of walk, like a two step waddle. Anyway, this particular Kea, waddled around us a for a bit, reckoned Amy had some food, realised she hadn't and then wadlled off.

The next day we headed off for a short drive and came across three, we think a mother and two babbies. They're incredibly inquisitive birds and incredibly intelligent. They have a strange fixation with rubber, they peck at the rubber seal around car windows, they do this so much in fact, that rental car companies dont let you take their cars into areas where the birds are often found.

Before we were ready to head off back to Christchurch, we bought some snacks at the local shop and sat outside. Within seconds, about 5 keas had descended to the table where we had sat. i headed off to the car to get the camera and turned round to hear amy yelling that one of the them had nicked our bag of crisps! all i saw when i turned round was the bugger flying off over the trees with it! and this wasnt a small bag either, it was a large sized bag. We did get it back unopened however but we kept a firm hold of everything else we had.

Kaikoura

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:53:44 GMT

I've always said i wanted to live somewhere with a view of snow capped mountains and alpine forests. Amy always wanted to be by the sea. Kaikoura seems to be the place for us. We get the best of both worlds here. It's the most surreal landscape here, you look out to see and across to the shore and in the distance are massive snow capped peaks. Madness.

Hanmer Springs

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:53:05 GMT

Where we now live

Christchurch

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:51:33 GMT

Well, it's been a while since i last updated here, i've gotten terribly lazy with these updates. Anyway, since the last update we've travelled from Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand, to Christchurch, the biggest city in the south island. We got there with enough money for two weeks in a hostel and basic food. Unfortuntely the place just ended up reminding us of Belfast and there was little point in living somewhere on the other side of the planet that just reminded you of home. The Photo above makes it look rather more pretty however. Long story short, it was grey and miserable so we pissed off. During our time there we had been searching for jobs but even the recruitment agencies were saying there was just nothing there. Amy was offered two nights a week at a shitehole of an irish bar from 7pm to 4am and i managed to get a one off job moving display boards for 3 hours. The one good thing about Christchurch was that we stayed in a great lil hostel in the city itself. Chester Street Backpackers was the place, great staff, beatiful rooms. Fantastic place in the city which didn't feel like you were actually in a city. Anyway, we had enough dough for two weeks and the job hunt wasn't looking any more promising. Out of the blue one of the girls who worked at the hostel we had become friends with found an advert for a horse trek guide in a place called Hanmer Springs, just 2 hours north of Christchurch. Two days later we were on our way to Hanmer.

Milford Sound & Fiordland

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:59:40 GMT

Queenstown

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:55:39 GMT

Hadn't really been looking forward to Queenstown, after being all down the quiet west coast i really didnt want to head into a busy centre but ended up really liking the place. WE arrived just after the WinterFest finished and it was absolutely BUNGED! The first day we were there we headed to Milford Sound, one of the most popular places to visit in NZ. I'lll post some photos in the next Entry.

Whilst in Queenstown i participated in something called the Shotover Canyon Swing. i will say no more and point you here >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubxvTc1rfDg

Wanaka

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:38:17 GMT

One of the msot beautiful places we've seen since being away and we could only stay one night. Bloody kiwi experience. if you ever get here, dont book with them. It should be renamed Pommie Experience, full of English students whose only goal is to get pissed and laid.

AAAAnyway, we did our skydive in Wanaka, i've posted the skydive video on a previous post. we look ridiculous but it was an amazing experience. highly recommended. there are much better photos all over flickr

Spare Underwear at 12,000 Feet anyone???

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:30:03 GMT

So after the rush of descending the glacier by helicopter on sunday we decided we could only go ever more further and higher so yesterday we jumped out of a plane at 12,000 feet.

I have not the words. evidence is available below.

Franz Josef

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:47:02 GMT

Whoo Hoo! today we soared high above the ice and snow and finally got on our Heli-Hike. i have no time to write so have some piccies!

On the Road Again

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:03:09 GMT

And so, we are back on the road, travelling further south into glacier country in the South Island. Our first stop after leaving Buller Adventure Tours was a lil place called Lake Mahinapua, Home of New Zealands oldest publican, Les. He's 83 (i think) and hosts Fancy dress partays every night of the week for Kiw Experience passengers. I generally dislike fancy dress partays but the prize was a canyon swing in Queenstown and what with us having little money, i thought i'd give it a go. We had to dress as things beginning with the first letter of our names, i was Albert Einstein and Amy was Alice in Wonderland. Against all odds and the laws of the universe, i frickin won! i promise pics soon. i looked bloody ridiculous.

So, we're now in a lil place called Franz Josef, the main town situated beneath the Franz Josef glacier. We had booked onto a Heli-Hike, a 10 minute chopper ride up on the glacier and then a 2 hours hike around on the ice. the weather however had other ideas and it was frickin cancelled. Miffed. Anyway, we're booked onto a different glacier hike tomorrow and hopefully we'll go on a scenic plane flight elsewhere at some stage. This was one of the things we REALLY wanted to do here before we even came and now it looks like we wont get the chance which is a major bummer. We can always come back if we have the opportunity but hassle and cost will probably mean we cant.

Anyway, next stop is Wanaka where we plan to do a skydive and then n to Queenstown where i collect my prize of the canyon swing. We also should be meeting up with a few gals i was wrking with back in Belfast for some skiing, drinking and what have you.

Buller Adventure Tours, Westport

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:28:31 GMT

WELL! we've been here over two months now. we've been working pretty much non stop every day and we're knackered. Officially i am now the Quad Bike Guide whilst Amy is now officially the Horse Trek Guide. We're covering the guys who usually do it whilst they head home for 6 weeks.

the amount of work to be done and things to remember here is phenomenal. we spent the first week panicing that we wouldn't be able to cope. We're just about managing now and we're already half way through our time here.

Westport is a little farming town on the West coast of New Zealand's south island. It used to be a gold mining town years ago and people still look for gold in the Buller river. there are many mullets here.

So, my job consists of taking peeps round our tracks on the quad bikes. i get em suited up, give a short safety talk, explain how to use the bikes and then take them out on the track. they follow me the whole way, i loop around certain bits and pieces, avoid the horses when they're around and try to get the customers as muddy as possible without getting them killed at the same time.

needless to say i've never done anything remotely like this in my life and i was utterly terrified in the beginning. now, i am le king of le mud! as well as taking care of the customers i have to take care of the bikes, something else i've had to learn to be is a mechanic. 9 bikes to maintain daily, clean (you've no idea how muddy these things get, hold tight for photographic evidence) and look after.

we're living on site above the main reception area. it's a little basic but it does the job and it's free. in return we've certain jobs to do such as keeping the entire base clean and sorting the horses out in the evenings and in the mornings. it's back to basics here, we have to pump our water from the river, not manually, but it's still a job, no central heating, wood fire all the way, in fact, we've yet to come across anyone here who uses central heating, it's thermals and wooly blankets for the kiwis.

so, despite there being a mammoth amount of work and things to remember, we are enjoying our selves (most of the time)

shedloads of photos of the place are ere >>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamu/sets/72157605080271331/

Nelson & Richmond

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:26:04 GMT

Hell has a new name. Redwood Valley, Richmond, Nelson. apple picking. never again. we believed the romantic idea of fruit picking abroad, the kind of summer job on an orchard in the south of france maybe. home cooked meals, orchard accomodation, long lazy days.

Hell no. if something can be done, the kiwis do it competitively. The other guys fruit picking did twice as much as we did on their own, contantly trying to beat eachother. We picked 2 1/2 tonnes a day whilst they did 4 sometimes 5 each, bloody nutters. The accomodation was woeful. mobile boxes with rice paper thin walls. not good when the woman in teh rooms next to you likes her music at 11 14/7.

We lasted two weeks and thanked the heavens we survived it. Apple and Apple related goods will be avoided henceforth.

Hello South Island

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:23:05 GMT

3 hours on the Cook Striaght ferry brought us from Wellington to Picton. We chilled at a litlte place called Pelorus where a few peeps took a dip in the river while the English did what they do best and complained the whole way. On from Pelorus we arrived in Nelson, the centre of New Zealand, and also, apparently the direct opposite side of the planet from Belfast.

We'll be working in an orchard for 3 weeks before heading on down south to Westport for our stint in the quad bike/horse trek place.

Queens of the Stone Age & Smashing Pumpkins

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:21:26 GMT

Amy's mum was awesome enough to buy us tickets to the QotSA & Pumpkins gig on thursday night cos we're quite broke and we desperately wanted to see QotSA, we'd just missed them in Belfast after we left for New Zealand. The concert was promoted as a joint headline tour but the Queens only got an hour on stage which was disgraceful as they rocked the place within an inch of its life whereas the pumpkins just looked bored & old. We missed the first two songs as well which was a bummer because we were with others who werent there for the queens (disgraceful i know but there's no accounting for taste is there? ;)) We bought our tickets quite late so there was only a few seating tickets left and those were stamped as having a restricted view. Should've said awesome view on them, we were right by the side of the stage on the balcony. sound was great considering the position.

Anyway, they ripped through the favs, a few off the new album, finished off with the monster that is Songs For The Dead and left us just wanting more. Spent the entire pumpkins set wishing we were still watching Josh and the boys. I used to be big into the pumpkins when i was younger but they past their prime.We'll certainly be trying to get tickets for a full blown QotSA rockathon back home if they ever return.

Sunset Over The Bays

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:59:17 GMT

So, we're finally leaving Wellington. I've really enjoyed the city, some of the living situations have been horrific, but i'll not go into them here. Well, maybe later. Anyway, we're heading across the Cook Straight to the south island and to Nelson (the direct other side of the planet just happens to be Belfast) for a few weeks to go apple picking. From there we head a wee bit further down south to a lil town called Westport. There if all works out we'll be working for a few months for an adventure centre place. Amy'll be taking Horse Treks and i'll be taking quad bike tours around the bush. We'll basically be getting paid to get muddy faces and sore arses. Ahem

After we've saved up for a few months, we'll head on down south and finish off the rest of our tour of the country. There'll be glacier walks, hot air balloon rides, mountain climbing, whale watching, dolphin swimming, bungy jumping, skiing, snowboarding etc etc ETC!

Cant

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