Vayama-Etihad Airways - Trip to Abu Dhabi

On July 31, 2012 - the day I returned from my One Man, One Journey trip to Australia and New Zealand in search of adventure - I entered a contest to win two free round-trip tickets to Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways.

The contest rules are posted here:

http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/248251.

The rules were to like Vayama's Facebook page, the sponsor of the contest, and submit your best vacation photograph. I had just returned from my trip and one of my favorite pictures was of myself pretending to drop a ring into the top of "Mt. Doom" in Tongariro National Park in New Zealand on the North Island.

The ring was taken from "The Lord of the Rings Risk Game" that I have. My brother carried it with him on a lanyard for the entire trip specifically so he could get this picture.

As we were leaving in the evening after a day of hiking there was a beautiful sunset so we pulled over on the side of the road to get pictures. He pulled out the ring and the photography began. Of all the pictures that were taken this one was the best.

It shows me dropping the ring from a few miles away, but with the right angle and proper stance it was possible. Naturally, by completing this task I was able to save Middle Earth from destruction and destroyed the eye of Sauron and the Orcs.

On another note, I had entered another contest on Facebook a month before we left for New Zealand. It was on the Gore-Tex page to win a jacket from Outdoor Research. Ironically, I wore the jacket almsot every day of our trip and can be seen in this photograph.

The person that actually won didn't respond in time so I was the lucky recipient for their misfortune. I am in the running for a few other Facebook contests as well and hopefully I will be a finalist and the ultimate winner of those too.

To help me win this photo contest I need your help, the help of your friends, family, children, grandchildren, co-workers, and anyone else you know.

All you have to do is click the link below and select "vote" for my photo in the green box. Share the link with all your friends. You can vote 1 time per day from August 31-September 9. The winner will be chosen on September 10

You are also welcome to leave a comment if you like.

Thank you in advance for all of your help and support! The link is below:

http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/248251/voteable_entries/55617414

New Zealand - Abel Tasman National Park Night Timelapse

The following video is from our campsite in the Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand on the South Island. We spent 3 days kayaking, hiking, and camping in the National Park from July 5-7, 2012 during our "One Man, One Journey" documentary project.

The Abel Tasman National Park is one of the best multi-day hikes in the world. The majority of people that visit the park hike the trail in 3-5 days. We decided that we would kayak the first two days and hike the third. 

The coastal areas have beautifully secluded beaches and coves that are only accessible by boat, which is why we decided to kayak the first part. We also wanted to have the opportunity to experience the trek from the shoreline, which is why we decided to hike the final day of our adventure. 

While we were kayaking we saw a plethora of bird species and a number of seal colonies on the islands a few miles off the coast, which are only accessible by kayak or private boat. To only hike the trail we wouldn't have been able to see these areas at all. We also navigated into small coves, walked on secluded beaches, and explored sea caves. 

The Abel Tasman National Park was one of the activities I had been looking forward to the most on our trip and it was well worth it. The weather had been a little rainy and cloudy leading up to our July 5 departure, but even a late night earthquake on July 4 in Motueka wasn't going to keep us from enjoying our stay in New  Zealand and the Abel Tasman National Park. 

Luckily the weather cleared up nicely and was more than perfect the entire time we were hiking and kayaking in the backcountry of New Zealand. Even though it was winter time in the Southern Hemisphere it was still between 50-65 degrees in the daytime and not much cooler in the evening and night. 

We brought all of our own camping gear; tent, backpacks, sleeping bags, and sleeping mats, which we stuffed into our kayak. We also had all of our camera equipment to capture the entire journey. 

Although there were a few mishaps along the way; high waves, pounding surf, exposed rocks, and seal attacks, we were able to manage our way 15 miles along the coast to our ultimate destination. 

The entire trip was very enjoyable and brought great happiness to me when we were able to depart from our  kayak for the last time.