Did you find my camera in New Zealand?

Last updated July 5th, 2024

So there I was, exploring New Zealand back in 2005, on the second last day of a romp around the South Island with P when we stopped at the side of a random country road outside of Christchurch to take pictures of the magnificent sunset. I remember it, even without the picture that you see here that P took –  the sky was a fiery dusky pink as it descended into darkness. A real life traffic stopping sunset.

And that my friends, was also the last I saw of my sister’s camera. I realised only when we had returned that the camera was missing, and we turned the car inside out – P’s friend J even hopped into the dumpster where we tossed our trash to check, but nope, no signs of that little red camera.

Thankfully though, I had backed up most of my pix from the previous 7 days into P’s computer, so I only lost that last day’s worth of snaps, but man, that was not a great way to depart NZ!

I like to think that my little red camera lies somewhere along that lonely road, probably done in by rain and lost amidst the grass, digital memories of my trip forever corrupted, but not forgotten. Or you know, someone might have picked it up and gotten some use out of it, and that ain’t a bad thing either~

I did look for my pix at this site I came across called IFoundYourCamera.net (now defunct), just in case. I think it’s a fascinating idea, to hope that you make a one-in-a-million match to reunite with your lost camera! The slim chance of a honest, tech-savvy and thoughtful finder connecting with that sad, equally tech-savvy and desperate seeker… it’s like the cliched plot of any RomCom, but stranger things have happened.

I wonder what the finder of my camera would have thought of me, just from browsing through my shots? I was all of 21 years old, full of youthful vigor (hah!) and it was my first solo plane ride and airport experience, and my first overseas road-tripping type of adventure without the family.

I’m glad these photos are still around to remind me of those good ol’ days, even if the camera is lost (always buy travel insurance! That helped me recoup some of the cost!). You definitely need to check out this anecdote of how P and me accidentally killed 3 birds on our road trip – I don’t need any photos to remember that experience!

For the record, me and P still remain good friends today – I always believe that if you can survive the trip together, friendship in the long run usually isn’t a problem, and now we’re dive buddies too and I intend to drag her along to Cebu this year to see THRESHER SHARKS. AWESOME. (Take leave now P!)