After shooting Wellington, the team said goodbye to the North Island and headed south on the Interislander Ferry.

With legs still aching from climbing the Pinnacles, the Virtual Active team visited the Rotorua area, known for its geothermal activity, including relaxing hot springs.  But rather than spend the day soothing our aching bodies, we strapped on the steady-cam and took off running through Waimangu Volcanic Valley, home to spectacular geothermal features, including "Frying Pan Lake," the world's largest hot spring, and the surreal blue spring known as "Inferno Crater."

The first truly grueling New Zealand hike was a ten-mile roundtrip, 2,500 foot climb up to the Pinnacles in the North Island's Coromandel Forest, just East of the town of Thames. The track involves crossing narrow swing bridges, scaling walls using handholds, and ascending 600 slippery stone steps. Like most New Zealand trails, it's exceptionally well-maintained. Like all trails we climb, it's much more difficult when saddled with heavy camera equipment.  But the view from the top is stunning, and worth the hurt it put on our legs.

Look for The Pinnacles to be a favorite segment when we release our New Zealand run and hike series later this year.

When it's clear out, the view stretches all the way to the ocean.

After a twelve hour flight that warped us from Saturday night in San Francisco to Monday morning in Auckland, the Virtual Active crew had a quick nap and then set out to tackle three locations in Auckland. We began in the Central Business district, where we raced through crowds gathered on the Marina to celebrate Auckland Anniversary Day, cruised up bustling Queen Street, and climbed a hill to grab a shot of the iconic Sky Tower. We then filmed in Auckland Domain, the city's small central park, before huffing it up Mount Eden, a dormant volcano with a spectacular view of the city. 

Most exciting of all, today was the first day of live production completed entirely by our new steadycam operator, Shawn Oatis. Shawn braved jet lag, nerves, and a tough volcanic climb to turn in a very productive day of shooting. He also safely completed an important rite of passage: his first fall. Camera and operator are fine, and the rest of the crew enjoyed the show. 

Welcome to the crew, Shawn.  Please watch your step as we continue our tour of New Zealand.