AuthenticAs Family Time
Wai Tāhuna (Queenstown) is often thought of as a high adrenaline, bungy bouncing, jet boat spinning, ski adventuring and snow boarders paradise. This is true, but then what we would like to do is offer up a different side, one that’s not always advertised so boldly- Authentic As - breathtaking photography & guided 4WD tours.
Without a doubt, this beautiful part of the world that we like to call home, is the absolute perfect place to spend some time with your family and connect, to each other and to much more.
One of our families favourite whakataukī (Māori proverbs) is,
‘Ko au ko te taiao, ko te taiao, ko au’
I am the environment, and the environment is me
It took us a long time, like many years to really start to wrap our heads around this whakataukī, we’re still not fully there, it’s a family journey, but from where we are at, this whakataukī is very much a touchstone to our thinking and understanding of who and where we are in the universe, where we’ve come from and where we are going. For us we believe it offers a perspective right now and so we want to shape our company for everyone to connect with this too.
This is what we do on our tours, day or night. As we spend time guiding you around the wider backyard, we want to facilitate an increased connection between you, each other and the place in which you are visiting. We’ll slow down. It’s so important to do this. We’ll visit places where you won’t be able to connect to the Internet. We’ll minimise distractions from the modern world. We’ll do this together, and we are there to support you along this journey.
Emma spent 10 years within Playcentre, nurturing her three girls alongside other tamariki (children) and whānau, using play in and around the environment to help them grow and learn about the world around them. It was hands on, experimental, exciting, supportive, nourishing and oh so much more..
She’s also a nurse at our local hospital in the Emergency department. Caring is central to all that she does, and by doing what she does, and being who she is, she meets all of the different people who live and holiday here. She’s great at figuring out what makes people tick and what it is that will fill their cups.
Simon spent 10+ years facilitating the Enviroschools programme across the Queenstown Lakes District with Early Childhood Centres, Primary Schools, High Schools and Youth Groups. He worked with the tamariki and rangatahi (youth) as well as the kaiako (teachers), whānau and community to help them design and create a more sustainable world around them.
He’s spent many years working connecting young people to the environment around them and thinking about how it relates to their lives, now and into the future. He has a scientific approach, built upon his University education, and just loves to spend time with people explaining and working out how the world works, and how it and us fit into our wider universe.
Between us, we have the skills and experience to guide you into these amazing places, help you slow down and facilitate the most incredible moments between you, yours and the places we visit we are lucky enough to be able to visit.
There’s a shared space between us and the environment (taiao) in which we live and exist. Living here, it’s easier to make that connection to the natural environment than it is in an urban setting. Our visitors notice this as they step off a plane, see the mountains and breathe the fresh air, but it’s still one that we believe takes time and attention. In strengthening this connection we are able to increase and maintain a healthier well being for ourselves, ourselves, our family and the place where we currently stand.
Personally for us as we progress within our Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) journey we’re starting to explore to a deeper level the meanings of very common kupu (words) such as whānau. When you consider how the early translations were done, from Māori to English, it is crazy to think that it’s taken so long for the western world to really question what these words should actually mean and what they represent. By not fully understanding, it diminishes the power of the word.
As we progress our thinking about what we want to achieve with our AuthenticAs Tours, we further understand and believe in our desire to facilitate an enhanced experience for you and your family within the natural environment. The moments that come, they represent a deeper connection to your whānau - that’s those around you, related to you, that have come many generations before you, bringing with them, to add to yours, connections to the forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, streams, wind, rain etc. The list seemingly goes on and on.
Within Te Ao Māori (the Māori world), as we are continually learning, each of those elements simply listed are actually ancestors, and powerful ones at that - each of them have a name and a personality and of course are all related. So when we think about whānau, perhaps we should further think about how each of us connects more deeply by standing still, taking note, looking, listening and feeling to what and who surrounds us all of the time.
We believe it’s the process, recognition and respect that really connects us, and all we have to do is start and then continue to further our journey.
As these moments are unfurling, we’ll be capturing them visibly for you in breathtaking photographs. Creating something that can be treasured for years to come in this way, further strengthens the connection by adding a dimension of time.
We’re based in Wharehuanui, we believe that’s the best name for the more specific area in which we live. This area lies within the Whakatipu Wai Māori district / region of Aotearoa - otherwise known as Queenstown, New Zealand. There are many, many places where we explore with you thanks to our wide ranging DOC concessions and beautiful Land Rovers.
One of our favorites, and probably the most successful adventures for families, is our Top & Back Tour. We navigate our way along the road to Glenorchy and venture into & past the township, into the Rees Dart, Mt Aspiring National Park area we have concessions from DOC for guiding and photography until we reach the end of the 4WD road. Then we make our way back to Queenstown.
If you feel your little ones are old enough and have a big enough passion for space, then we certainly have a treat for you. Our Starry Night Adventures put you face to face with the universe, it changes you in the most incredible way. We often hear feedback or in our reviews that this was people's favorite time of their whole trip. We love that.
As a NZ qualified astro tourism guide Simon uses his licensed laser pointer to guide you to the southern stars and then uses binoculars, our Dobsonian telescope, Stellarium images from our interactive iPad, looking deeper and then capturing some stunning nightscape photographs of you all which is what this tour has become well known for.
AuthenticAs Queenstown is our trip for those wanting a more local adventure . The story of the Whakatipu basin is multifaceted and we begin by showing you the geography of this place from up high and lead you to the calmer quiet spots discovered by early Maori to the later gold rush settlers. It's a story of how this place was found, who it was home for and how they lived. Its history, language, food & culture, we bring you stories to inspire your children to explore and create, grandparents remember and parents relate and understand. We photograph this journey for you with you and enjoy and embrace the environment we see now.
All of our trips are priced as a trip, not per person which means it’s perfect for families. We can accommodate 5-6 per vehicle during the day and 4 at night per vehicle, we love and enjoy driving you in our two Land Rovers. We hold passenger endorsements to do so and are fully Health & Safety audited.
You don’t have to buy prints or extra images. We edit all your images taken on the day, the good ones are supplied to you electronically and of a decent size as a google file, for you to enjoy on your devices, post on social media and such like. We do print here in our studio on archival inks and paper. All details on printing are given on delivery of your images.
We also venture further afield, so can organize multi day trips, but we know those aren’t off the shelf. If this sounds like you, we invite you to emailus@authenticAs.org and tell us where and when you’d like to visit, we’ll then do our thing and create the most amazing adventure for you and yours.
Mā te wā
Emma & Simon
