If you know me, you probably also know that I'm a sucker for good ice cream. When I was asked if I wanted to come with New Zealand's most popular ice cream factory—Tip Top—for four days of fun... I was pretty darn excited. The conference was joined by Tip Top employees across the world. Day 1 was planned to be a big, warm welcome for all the jet-lagged travellers. Haka was performed to present them to the NZ culture, and the food was inspired by—you guessed it—ice cream.

November last year, I got to shoot an event that—in a sense—is the biggest gig I've had. I've shot events for TV celebrities and sport stars before, but this one was even a bit more exciting. Briscoes, one of New Zealand's biggest retail stores, was celebrating their 150th birthday with a bang. It was not a mere dinner party for the staff, but also a fundraiser for Cure Kids to whom they have raised several millions of dollars in just the last few years. They auctioned out items such as a Manchester United shirt (signed by the whole team), beds and kitchen appliances, holidays to five-star hotels... And with a very skilled auctioneer on stage to complete the auctions, it was a really thrilling part of the evening!

But the cherry on top was that the Prime Minister was there to speak.* He was talking about the company and about politics—and boy, was his speech appreciated. People were seriously crying with laughter. I know it was caught on tape by a Californian dude I got to chat with later that night, and still hope I can find it one day.

*I don't know much about John Key's political views, so I can't welcome nor dismiss them. But as a small town girl, I'm allowing myself to become starstruck anyway.

Tip Top welcome dinner

Briscoes' 150th B-day Party