MANOA + LULUMAHU FALLS

Morphing into a (temporary) morning person in Hawaii (due to jet lag) led to many early morning hikes to bamboo forests and waterfalls. Manoa Falls and Lulumahu were 2 favorites. 

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN KAILUA

Kailua is a mostly residential area with only one commercial district on the main road. The neighborhood seemed to be quite a tight community, every person I passed on morning hikes said a genuine hello which as a cold Bostonian, I found startling -- but also nice. 

Strolling back and forth to the beach each day, palm trees lined every road and I trailed behind snapping photos of the bright flowers, neon sunsets and tropical houses. I eased right into the calm, tropical vibe of Kailua and now want to go back ASAP. 

KAILUA, HAWAII

Kailua was a sleepy beach town until Obama blew up it's spot with his annual vacations while he was in office. He was born in Honolulu, but Kailua became his (like San Clemente became Nixon's) during his Presidency.

After visiting, I can certainly understand why he chose it, as the beaches in Kailua are -- hands down -- the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen in my entire life. And I've seen some beaches. 

Usually after arriving on a beach, I take a minute to enjoy the scenery before:

a) jumping in the water

b) diving into a book or

c) falling asleep for a nap

....but after setting up on Kailua Beach I just sat there and looked around, in awe, for a solid 60-90 minutes. It's just astonishingly beautiful. These photos don't even do it justice, they're legit garbage compared to what it really looks like in real life. 

We took runs and hikes up the Lanikai Pillboxes for full views of the coast.

Pitaya smoothie from Kalipawai Market. 

Kailua Beach sits right next to Lanikai Beach. Both have the softest white sand and water so blue it brings the Leader of The Free World back every year.

5 THINGS TO DO IN WAIKIKI

1. Go to Duke’s for the breakfast buffet. Enjoy an all you can eat breakfast for $18 while gazing at the ocean and thinking about the omelette station.

2. Take a nap on the beach.

3. Go for a swim.

4. Get a tan.

5. Drink a Mai Tai.

That’s all.

SANDY BEACH

On the South Shore of Oahu, Sandy Beach is a lovely sunrise spot with a powerful shore break that made for good body surfing. Getting clobbered by waves is always an effective way to wake up. 

Cold brew coffee, pineapple and wifi... what more could you want.

Hawaiian chicks.

Post-swim, I'd drink a cold brew provided by the rustic road-side coffee cart and watch photographers with massive lenses (in the water!) trying to get the perfect shot of a barrel.

Sandy Beach is a great way to start the day.  

OAHU, HAWAII

In September, I traveled to Hawaii for a wedding and spent 2 weeks exploring the island of Oahu. I found Hawaii to be so excellent that it made me prouder to be an American (which can be tough at times, these days), knowing this beautiful tropical gem is part of my country. 

Immediately after landing, we picked up our rental car and drove to a beach in Honolulu for an inaugural dip.  

Diamond Head Crater.

Waikiki by night. 

I found a lost dog wandering around in the dark in Waikiki, promptly fell in love, gave her a bath, got her a new outfit and began planning how I could take her home to Boston (You can pack a small dog on Delta, FYI). Long story short, I eventually (and begrudgingly) reunited her with her owner but I was THISCLOSE to finally owning a dog and already had a shortlist of Hawaiian names picked out for her. Her real name is "Penny" but I think she looks more like a "Aliikai" (Hawaiian for "Queen of the Sea"). 

For the first 2 nights, we stayed in an Honolulu AirBnB surrounded by misty mountains in the Aina Haina Valley. Jetlagged, we would wake up at sunrise and get an early hike in before hitting the beach.

I liked Hawaii so much it actually made me a morning person. 

BACK IN JAMAICA PLAIN

Wallace.

Lunch break browsing at Deep Thoughts

Home sweet home. 

Home sweet City Feed. 

One of many remote offices.

Cute JP kid. 

I was very happy to be back in my neighborhood this summer. 

LAST BITS OF NEW ZEALAND 2017

(From my phone.)

Pre-surf at Maori Bay. 

New llama friend. 

Dowtown from Te Atatu Peninsula.

Vintage shopping on K Road. 

Street art in Ponsonby. 

Our friends who fed us satay sticks at the Henderson Night Markets every Thursday. 

Auckland Sky Tower at night, from below. 

Man and dog. True love. 

Art on Waiheke Island. 

Glorious Waiheke. 

Mid-run on Waiheke Island. 

Cleaned up for a Waiheke Wedding. 

3/4 of the Stratford Siblings. 

Bexee, Scott and I. Practically an ad for Karen Walker. 

Smokey, watching foolish humans. 

Smokey, one with nature. 

Downtown Auckland. 

Crater on Mount Eden.

Sunset on the Te Atatu Peninsula. 

MERCERY BAY LOOP HIKE

Most of my 3 month stint in New Zealand this year consisted of EditMate work (pitch meetings, editing videos, cursing NZ's archaic wifi when uploading and downloading said videos) but I did make sure to step away from my laptop and get out and enjoy NZ's epic landscape.

Here's a few photos from a day hiking the Mercer Bay Loop:

It's one of the oldest settled areas in the Waitakere Ranges and has a tragic past. Maori folklore says a Maori Chief's beautiful daughter drifted off from here after mourning her husband who got swept off to the ocean from a giant wave that hit the cliff.

Since then, multiple women have gone missing from this cliff (one just this past March) only adding to the Bay's haunted legend. 

COLORS OF NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand in green, blue and black + white. 

The hills are alive.

Some Tai Chi and the Auckland skyline. 

Devonport.

Silo Park. 

Bright green Devonport.

AROUND THE NORTH ISLAND WITH SMOKEY

Smokey in front of Rangitoto. 

Swimming in Devonport. 

Beach afternoon at O'Neills Bay. 

Walking on a stormy day.  

Smokey the dog remains ultimate hiking, swimming, roadtripping and surfing companion. 

OKURA BUSH WALKWAY HIKE

SHOTS AROUND AUCKLAND

From my phone.

Day at Piha with Smokey. 

Feeding the neighbors last night's salad leftovers. 

Backyard.

Kite festival on the Te Atatu Peninsula.

Cricket game, out in the country. Note tiny Smokey in the middle of a game of fetch. 

Scott and Rangitoto in the distance.  

Backyard dinner view. 

Fetch at Piha. 

Post-swim. 

BACK IN NEW ZEALAND

Scott was back in his homeland sorting out his American Business visa and a few things were happening with EditMate in the southern hemisphere -- so in January, I flew over for a New Zealand summer. It was a joyous reunion with Smokey. And Scott too. 

EDITMATE UPDATE

EditMate had it's 1st birthday in January.

I use that date loosely because when we "launched" (with a post on Facebook) I didn't know that January isn't the best time to launch a business in New Zealand.

In the USA, January is a time where everyone gets back to work after Christmas vacation. Employees power walk back into the office on January 2nd, fresh from the holiday, motivated with resolutions and new year goals. 

In New Zealand, January is the smack dab in the middle of the summer... therefore Kiwis are stacking up their Christmas days off with their vacation days off (4+ weeks, which as an American is enviable but as a new business owner was infuriating) and everyone is still at their bach, sunburned on the beach, not looking at their email and not scheduling meetings with a new company that wants to talk to them about "user generated video". No one wants to think about that until at least after Valentine's Day. And so, January 2016 was a quiet month. Things really got going in February. 

Nonetheless, EditMate's birthday is in January!

And since then, we've gained clients in 3 markets (New Zealand, Australia and the USA) and edited over 160 videos for 45 brands. Our website has changed (from where it started) and things have evolved. It's been a good year.

For a bit of a recap, here are a few of my favorite recent projects:

More on EditMate's Video Channel too.