The idea leading to this homepage was born in a very special place - on Maud Island, situated right in the middle of New Zealand's Pelorus Sound, in the Marlborough Sounds area of the South Island. I ended up including a sample of pictures of other parts of New Zealand. However, the original purpose of this homepage is to give impressions of an island few people get to see - that's why there are far more pictures in the Maud Island section than in any other part of the homepage..

About this homepage

I am just about to complete a five-day conservation holiday on this unique island together with four other participants when I am asked to make my photos available for them. Their perception of me as somebody genuinely interested in photography isn't wrong. Well, I have quite often "taken my time" during those days to "quickly take some photos out there" - and come back a couple of hours later, usually just in time for dinner, after having forgotten about time and space while indulging myself in photography. I know that I might never get the chance to see again what I am taking pictures of, hence my commitment. It took me "some time" to put the pictures online, eight weeks in the end rather than three as I had promised.

One question remains unanswered for those who weren't there in late April 2007: "What's the deal with Maud Island in all this?" New Zealand consists of a couple of thousands of islands. Some of them are utterly dedicated to wildlife protection and therefore generally closed to the public. Maud Island is one of these islands. There's no way to get admission to places like Maud Island without special permission because its inhabitants are extremely vulnerable to interference from outside. Maud Island hosts a variety of weird creatures, all of them critically endangered such as...
...the takahe, a big rail that was already thought to be extinct before being rediscovered in an inaccessible area. A few hundred birds remain.
...the Maud Island frog, a nocturnal species of frog that cannot croak and has no skin between its toes. It will never see a lake or running water in a whole lifetime - which can be pretty long, given that the oldest known frog is 35 years old. There's no tadpole stage with this species of frogs. About 20,000 individuals remain, almost all of them sitting on a few hectares of mature bush in the middle of the island.
...the Cook Strait Giant Weta, a nocturnal insect that can easily weigh up to 20 grams.
...a species of flax weevil, feeding exclusively on a distinct species of flax.
...Sirocco, one of only 86 living Kakapo, the biggest species of parrot in the world. Kakapo are flightless and nocturnal. They are seen as a symbol for New Zealand's conservation efforts: Without human help, they would not have survived in today's highly competitive world where rats, stoats and other pests harm the birds or their offspring.

The sheer amount of oddities gathered on this island is quite impressing. After a week on the island, one can easily understand why it is important to save places like these, and also why they are closed to the public: A single fungus brought on the island on the sole of shoe could kill the island's whole frog population within days. Everybody landing on the island has to complete extensive quarantine procedures.
I am quite lucky to be granted admission to the island, being part of a conservation holiday, i.e. I am allowed to stay on the island as a volunteer for New Zealand's conservation authority, the Department of Conservation (DOC). So Gina, Karron, Mary, Megan and me build new roads (funny, aye), rebait rodent traps with eggs and therefore get to know this place.

I included photos of my whole trip to New Zealand - in seven months there was quite a bit of time to take photos. The results can be seen on this homepage.

Many thanks to my cousin Gregor Frenz who was helped me with this homepage. He has basically set all this up.