Sunset At Karekare Beach

Right time, right place. This picture was shot at Karekare beach - West of Auckland. Before capturing a photograph like this, you have to absorb and enjoy your surroundings ! I spent an afternoon trawling the beach - going back and forth. It's a place I've visited many times, yet each experience is completly different. Shades of light constantly change. The sea, wild and unpredictable is an amazing thing ! To get to Karekare beach you have to walk a good 10 minutes from the car park at the bottom of the valley. You can hear waves pounding the shore long before you see the sea. The volcanic magnetic black sand is still an amazing thing to me ! This place is magical and somewhere I always plan to revisit. It's great to have a special place that moves you every time you see it.

Good Wish Garden

A photograph taken in the 'Good Wish Garden' within the grounds of the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple. This quiet oasis in the heart of urban Kowloon is a great place to chill. Turtles can be found playing in the waters. The rockery with its beautifully ornate gardens make for a tranquil setting. It's hard to believe thousands upon thousands of people are probably shopping just 2 minutes down the road!

Open Door

The ornate entrance to the Po Lin Monastery ('Po Lin' meaning Precious Lotus in Chinese). You'll be free to look around at the exterior and interior, which provide a superior example of architecture and art. The monastery is festooned with small statues and inscriptions. The wooden boxes you see are for donations prior to entering the temple. The inside of the temple houses 3 bronze statues of the Buddha representing his past, present and future lives as well as many Buddhist scriptures.

Incense Sticks

A photograph taken in the incense gardens at Po Lin Monastery. Founded in 1924 as a sanctuary for Buddhist monks, the Po Lin Monastery offers superb sights both inside and out. The use of incense apparently dates back to biblical times and may have originated in Egypt, where the gums and resins of aromatic trees were imported from the Arabian and Somali coasts to be used in religious ceremonies. The Incense sticks are planted here as a mark of worship and respect.

Jellyfish

The marine and animal life of Ocean Park In Hong Kong comprise of pandas, rare and exotic birds, sea lions, and penguins, though arguably none is more impressive than the jellyfish! These amazing creatures don't need a respiratory system since their skin is thin enough that the body is oxygenated by diffusion. They have limited control over movement, but can use their hydrostatic skeleton to accomplish movement through pulsations; some species actively swim, while others are passive much of the time. An amazing plethora of jellyfish can be photographed in Ocean Park. This was one of my best shots.

Tin Tan

The Giant Buddha, or the Tin Tan Buddha, was unveiled in 1993 after taking roughly 22 years to complete in China. This statue is one of the reasons why Buddhists from all over the world are attracted to the Lantau Island. This shot was taken close to the incense gardens using a zoom lens.

Tough Building

A close up of the 'International Finance Centre' on Hong Kong Island. This building became a focal point for the recent Hong Kong New Year celebrations and looked to explode 'firecracker style' on TV the other night, however I'm pleased to report the building still stands! In the tradition of true skyscrapers, the design is simple, memorable and strong.

St Paul's

The Ruins of St Paul's in Macau display various statues of the virgin and saints, cryptograms from garden of Eden and the crucifixion, seraph and the devil, a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Chinese dragon, a Portuguese sailing ship and moral warnings extolled in Chinese. This is a close up of the magnificent stone facade that was built in the 1620's.