Exploring Pete May’s Coromandel - Behind the scenes of The Flying Kiwi
By Carl Muir
When Pete May returned home to New Zealand after his OE in 2007, the first thing he did was hit the water with his Dad.
“I’d grown up in the water, surfing out west. But coming home, I just saw it through new eyes. Everything about being on, near or around the water intrigued me. I couldn’t get enough, surfing, paddle boarding, boating, fishing, finding caves to swim in and, well, just exploring really.”
A new found appreciation of the NZ coastline, after being landlocked in the UK, called Pete to capture these coastal scenes from the air.
“After travelling to so many places while I was on my OE, to be honest, there was no place I visited like the Coromandel. Even to this day, I will put a drone shot up on social media and I will get comments like …”thats not New Zealand, it is some Pacific Island”...and my answer is it really is New Zealand and, what is better, that is my home on the Coromandel. I am really lucky to call this place home.”
Pete’s social media handle “I Am The Flying Kiwi” is now synonymous with epic shots of the Coromandel and New Zealand coastal landscape. Pristine golden beaches, volcanic islands, marine mammals frollicing close to shore. It is very easy to see how the ocean inspires him.
Some of Pete’s recent Instagram content @iamtheflyingkiwi
His first photography drone was built at home before commercial drones hit the market.
“I bought a drone in from Germany, strapped an SLR to it, and just started flying it really. I couldn’t see what I was shooting, I would just set it to take a shot every 3 seconds, and point it in the general direction.” The shots Pete says weren’t intended to be sold or make him famous, it was all a part of him retreating into Coromandel life and exploring.
That first drone cost Pete $7,000 to assemble. The following production drone cost $20,000 and weighed 3 kilos. It took him all around New Zealand filming the entire country from the air for the show ‘Aotearoa’ -a 20 episode series still viewable on Maori TV online.
“I filmed the entire series for Maori TV. I got to visit the length of Aotearoa and some amazing places like Stewart Island, but the special bit was, I got to direct the show dedicated to my home town of Whitianga. That was probably the one time I did reasonably well financially out of my craft”
Drones have come along way since and his latest DJi has shrunk dramatically in size, and is easy to travel with weighing in at 400grams.
Making a living from capturing drone images is a labour of love “I’m totally a starving artist” laughs Pete. “It has always been a struggle to make money from what I do. Some people really take the piss. I was once looking for a local chiropractor, I landed on his website, and one of my images was staring me straight in the face. I’ve also had images in multimillion dollar land packages using my images without permission. My advice to anyone young coming into this creative space would be, stand strong, have clients sign things, and stand up for your work.”
Pete also feels very strongly about exploration and creativity, some of which he feels is lost as Instagrammers seek followers through endless capturing of the known tourist hot spots.
“As a creative person, you can’t beat just following your nose and your heart, getting off the beaten path and finding your own piece of gold. You don’t find great shots trolling other people’s Instagram accounts, you find them by exploring yourself.”
And when it comes to finding great shots, it seems Pete has a little advantage on his side.
“Last year I was paddle boarding and chanced upon a pod of Orca hunting eagle rays. It was a pretty special moment witnessing nature and the food chain up close. The next minute one of the Orca swum up to my paddle board and laid an offering on top of it, a half eaten ray. I talked to a kaumatua afterwards about the experience, and he said “that is your ancestors looking after you, they are happy you are home, they will always be there is guide you.”
Pete’s iwi is Ngati Rongo-u. Their whenua on the outskirts of Coromandel town. “My Mum was born in Coromandel. Her great grand father was involved in signing the Treaty of Waitangi. Our numbers are small, but I can feel my ancestors in every living thing on the Coromandel. If I need help I will go and sit with kauri in the forest and ask them for guidance. The last time I did that I looked around me and there were little nuggets of kauri gum all around me.”
I’m talking to Pete on Zoom, as we’re having this korero during level 4 lockdown. He pulls out a huge 50kg piece of petrified wood he says is 20 million years old. Then various crystals he has found exploring the same river. Following your nose sure seems to have some rewards.
What’s Pete’s plan post lockdown. Is there a spot he has in mind to visit?
“Nah mate. I’ll just get in the car, and go and find somewhere cool”
Pete and his kids exploring iconic Coromandel spot Cathedral Cove
To follow Pete check out
https://www.instagram.com/iamtheflyingkiwi/
https://twitter.com/realflyingkiwi