EMILY IRELAND
Some of Jake Iwanica’s fondest memories with his mother were made at Castlepoint.
Now the Foxton-based self-taught photographer is returning to the region to capture its beauty in her memory.
Jake, whose mother died six months ago, is creating a series of photo books to raise money for Aranui Hospice and Feilding-based social services centre Manchester House.
Wairarapa will be featured as the first location in the series.
“I love all of New Zealand, and I do want to do all of New Zealand, but while being in the Wairarapa, I’ve just been loving it.”
He was persistent enough to catch a glimpse of the rare super blue blood moon at Castlepoint last fortnight.
“I was standing on a 2m2 piece of dirt on the edge of Castle Rock waiting for the moon to pop out of the clouds.
“I loved it, and I want to get more shots of the coast, the lighthouses, the pinnacles.”
He will also embark on a four-day walk at Pukaha Mount Bruce and is excited to see the “little blonde kiwi” – “after that, I’ll do the book”.
“I’ve got my work cut out for me,” he said.
Jake said he had chosen to raise money for the two selected organisations in memory of his mother who was taken care of by Hospice in her final days.
“She had pancreatic cancer, and was dealing with it for five years.
“She was only given six months to live, and so she did it all her own way, all natural, but then she ended up dying of a heart attack.”
He had also chosen to raise money for Manchester House to encourage suicide awareness as family members had been suicidal, he said.
As a self-taught photographer, Jake said his mum was “the only one who believed in me” to begin with.
“She really liked what I did.”
There will only be a limited number of copies of Jake’s photographic books.
To keep updated with his progress and for more information, visit his photography Facebook page, Neptune Photography NZ.
