D1NZ Drift Cars & IPW Wrestling New Zealand

D1NZ Drift Cars Hampton Downs 17 November 2013

IPW Nightmare Road - Last Chance 16 November 2013



Alright so a few weeks ago I did a double header or a back to back event.
Starting with D1NZ I have always been curious about drifting competitions but have never been able to get to an event until now. Out at Hampton Downs somewhere between Auckland and Hamilton lies a racetrack that is home to drifting V8 Super Tourers and other events with an option to run your own car on the track.

Anyway summer is pretty much here in New Zealand and the heat was definitely beating down during the day turning a lot of spectators into lobsters (red sunburn for international readers). Although I had sunscreen I still had a burnt neck by the end of the day. I will be investing in SPF 85+ this week for my next shoot, but more on that later.

The drift track is farther-est away from the grandstand and the competition here at Hampton Downs appears to be judged on only two corners so it is a little different from the USA televised competitions. However the fans are definitely loyal and excited to see their drivers drift against each other.
Parking was easy ($5) food was expensive as it is anywhere these days with chips $4 a hot dog on a stick $4 American hot dog $6 and drinks around $3 a can! But I guess living overseas for a while where a bottle of water is anywhere between 70c to $1 coming back to the prices here is a shock!

So here is some footage of the day and some pictures.
If you are up in Auckland check out Custom Ride who sponsors Hugo (in the purple car below) for custom mods or general auto body repairs: Dave Honey Ph. 537 0646. Check them out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CustomRideBodyWorks



Here are the pictures of the day:

















Check out the D1NZ site here for other dates for events around the country:
http://www.d1nz.com/


IPW Wrestling New Zealand

On Saturday night I decided to check out the New Zealand Wrestling scene. Having only seen these guys at Armageddon (see my first post on this blog) a few times I thought it would be fun to go to a full show. The atmosphere was great with everyone there to experience a fun show. Honestly It takes quite an effort for me to laugh at something but I really enjoyed the show these guys put on. I had a few chuckles and laugh out loud moments at some of the ridiculous situations and comments from both the wrestlers and the audience.

There was also some very impressive wrestling going on ending with a 6'8'' 140 kg monster battling Travis Banks. *Check out the roster of wrestlers here -  http://www.impactprowrestling.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=43 *

The annoying comment that is always made is "it's just fake and the wrestlers don't actually hit each other" however having several years of Martial Arts experience in Karate and Taekwondo I know that these guys and gals have significant athletic ability and strength to be able to absorb the falls and punishment on their bodies that they experience every show and practice session.

The next show is on the 7th of December 2013 at the Lynfield Rec Center - Nightmare Before Christmas (Fans bring the weapons) with the main event between Travis Banks and the IPW Champion Vinnie Dunn.
Check them out here:
https://www.facebook.com/ImpactProwrestlingNZ
http://www.impactprowrestling.co.nz/            ( Site under construction at the publishing of this post).

Tickets at eventfinda.co.nz or at the door.

Lets check out some of the Action:

















Alright so this weekend is another event that occurs throughout the year. The V8 Super Tourers. November 29th to December 1st 2013 at Hampton Downs. Check out the official site for more information:
http://www.v8st.co.nz/
I will have a full report on this for next week!

Until then have a fantastic time and perhaps I will see you at the V8 Super Tourers!

Big Boys Toys 2013 Auckland New Zealand

Big Boys Toys 2013 Auckland New Zealand
8 - 10 November ASB Showgrounds
This event is held annually and promises to be even bigger next year 2014!
http://www.bigboystoys.co.nz/

This year I was lucky enough to go along to Big Boys Toys with my friend for free! However we did end up going later in the day on the last day of the event. I would recommend going on Saturday as it will be the main day where everything happens even if the crowds are bigger you will see and enjoy more.


We did see many of the cars and the outdoor performances for example the stunt cars, BMX, dirt bikes, wake boarding, drifting and burnouts but missed some of the other fun events that were going on during the weekend.

I did miss out on the fitness area of the exhibition too which was a shame. However I do think it strange that having an event advertised, ticketed and scheduled to finish at 6 pm and yet the exhibitors are packing up at 5 or 5:30 pm a little unfair to the crowds that came to see what was going on. My criticism being that I don't know anywhere else in the world where the exhibitors walk out the gates before the visitors do.

However what we did see was good. There were lots of "Big Boys Toys" including such things as boats, BBQ's, computers, paintball or air-soft guns etc. I didn't see any camera's though.... maybe New Zealand isn't as big a camera culture as other nations but I did expect to see Canon or Nikon there. Other countries have their own camera exhibition weekend! But I digress and am on a rant now.

Here are some of the pictures captured during the day and some YouTube videos of the performances and a full picture slideshow:















Last weekend I did go and see the IPW wrestling and the drift cars so I will be bringing you an update about those events soon!

Well until next week have a great week and pleasant weekend!

CLM Bodybuilding Championships Onehunga Auckland New Zealand 2013 Picture Slideshow

CLM Bodybuilding Championships Onehunga Auckland New Zealand 2013.

Alright already post number 2 and this week I had the pleasure of photographing another bodybuilding competition that was held at the Onehunga RSA on Saturday the 9th November 2013.

I was impressed by the standard of competitors and the number of people who attended. The organizers even had to bring in a film crew to stream the event to the downstairs hall as the event hall was sold out!

You can view my Korean bodybuilding photos here:  http://www.rawrkorea.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Bodybuilding%20%2F%20Fitness%20Shows

I managed to make it through a 5 hour shoot that covered beach bodies, through novice, senior and open categories and the event was able to boast 2 guest posers. Lets have a look at a selection of some of the photo's taken of the day.























Guest Posers:

Elanor Stewart

 


Tony Ligaliga



A big thank you to Joy McNamara for allowing me to shoot the event.
http://www.clmnz.co.nz/onehunga/

If you are interested in upcoming bodybuilding events for 2014  keep an eye on this site www.gofigure.co.nz
as it will list all of the calendar events for the year. Hopefully I will be at some of those events myself. ^^

Before I forget here are the obligitory YouTube video's showing a wider selection of pictures and the teams performance competition:





This weekend I will be heading out to IPW Nightmare Road Last Chance the local NZ wrestling organization (WWE style wrestling) on Saturday night at Lynfield recreation center. For more information about that:
http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2013/ipw-presents-nightmare-road-last-chance/auckland/lynfield

Until next week have a great time and perhaps I will see you at IPW! ^^

Armageddon Expo 2013 Auckland New Zealand

Armageddon Expo 2013 Auckland New Zealand
Saturday 26th October 2013
ASB Showgrounds

Finally I have managed to launch this blog.
My intention is to bring you content of events and general things that are going on in New Zealand. I have some older content I will post that I have been saving up and of course more up to date content as time goes on.

For those interested I also have a blog on living in South Korea in which I have posted 3 years worth of content. If you are interested check it out here: www.rawrkorea.blogspot.com
I am not sure how often I will update here maybe 2 - 4 times monthly (depending on what is happening around the country).

Well here is the first post about the annual Auckland comic, cosplay, anime, gaming etc event known as Armageddon!


The event is held on Labour weekend an annual holiday in New Zealand on the last weekend of October (or the last Monday of October - Labour Day).

This is the  first time in 4 years that I have attended this event (as I was living in South Korea) and although some things were familiar a lot has changed. I noticed that the ethnic diversity of those attending has changed dramatically as well as the stores operating in the arena. Most of the toys and collectibles were new which saddens me a bit as time goes on less and less exciting trinkets from the past turn up. I remember one of the first events in Auckland (I'm not sure if it was called Armageddon back then) I think it was out by Avondale Racecourse where it was just an amazing collection of vintage toys and books and so on. A collectors dream! Even when this event was held at Aotea Square there were lots of things to add to your vintage collections. However the event has evolved and a new generation has come along with a strong emphasis on Anime.
Yes I have watched and enjoy anime myself (As you will see throughout these blog posts I have a very wide variety of interests and there will be something for everybody) however having lived in Korea and it being close to Japan I have been exposed to much more anime than which is available to be legally purchased in New Zealand and frankly I think people here are missing out on some amazing stories. I will give you a couple of examples: 1) Kaiji - in a nutshell about gambling 2) Chihayafuru - about a traditional Japanese poem/card game. Check these out if you have time.

So in addition to merchandise and gaming Play Station, Xbox and so on there was also a display of Wrestling by IPW Wrestling New Zealand. The Next event for IPW wrestling will be on Saturday the 16th of November at Lynfield Rec Centre - See you there. Tickets $15 Children $8 ^^
I have only seen these guys wrestle at Armageddon but I am planning to go to the next event and see them beat each other senseless!



Special guests on the day was a Dr Who panel (Catrin Stewart, Dan Starkey, Ian McNeice and Simon Fisher-Becker) Whom I knew none of the panel from Dr Who. I have not watched Dr Who since the 80's so I only caught the end of their discussion as I was waiting for the second celebrity panel.




Special guests Gigi Edgley and Ben Browder from a favourite Sci Fi show of mine called Farscape. I met Gigi maybe 4 years ago at the same event so seeing her again was interesting.





After the panel was a annual favourite for the organizers.... Kamehemeha challenge where contestants imitate a Dragon Ball Z shout.....? Not a favourite event of mine however.


And lastly the anticipated Cosplay Parade. Strangely it seemed that many of the exceptional costumes were not entered or participated in the parade?! There are apparently limited places and time for the event. One suggestion that I would make is that there should be a meeting area for cosplay enthusiasts to just hang out and perhaps take photographs. In South Korea there is a similar event held at an events center but all the cosplay enthusiasts are outside having pictures taken by the river or in the trees. Many have hired professional photographers to take their photos! (As I mentioned before check out my Korean blog under Cosplay... maybe I will post the link here: http://www.rawrkorea.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Cosplay ) Check out my pictures there and maybe you can hire me next time. ^^    : D


So that was it. Many more things were happening during the 3 days the event was on and I believe the event is held in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and in Australia! Wow!
Check out their website for more information: http://armageddonexpo.com/nz/

For more pictures of the events cosplay ect... check out this YouTube video:


Next week I will have something interesting for you also so stay tuned and have a fantastic week!