Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards Gala Dinner Photos 2012

Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards Auckland's Charles Anderson won Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year. Pictured here with Ken Chiu (right), country manager for Cathay Pacific and Adam Armstrong, commercial manager for Royal Caribbean. Pamela Wade was runner up in the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Award.

Timaru’s Natasha Martin took the Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year Award. Ken Chiu, Cathay Pacific, with Natasha Martin.

The photography awards were judged by Auckland photographer Julia Thorne, a three-decade survivor of the freelance photography and journalism world and one of the early instigators of the Travcom Photography Awards, Gareth Eyres Freelance editorial and travel photographer and twice previous winner of the Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year. Bela Trussell-Cullen is a veteran magazine designer and art director, having worked for many years on Metro, North & South and currently art director of New Idea magazine. Pictured here with our wonderfully entertaining MC Te Radar.

Amos Chapple won the Auckland Airport Award for the Best Travel Image taken in New Zealand. As he was away travelling Sacha Norrie accepted his multiple prizes for him, pictured here with Richard Lewellyn, communications manager of Auckland Airport. To view Amos Chapple's winning image click here.

Amos also won the FUJIFILM award for the Best Travel Image Taken outside New Zealand. Pictured here with runner up Liz Light and photography judge Julia Thorne is Sacha Norrie. Click here to view the Best Travel Image Outside of New Zealand images.

Natasha Martin won the Air Vanuatu and Mangoes Resort Award for the Best Series of Travel Images. Pictured here Natasha Martin and Jonas George from Air Vanuatu. Click here to view the Best Series of Travel Images.

Tessa Chrisp won the AA Directions Award for the Best Travel Image with People, seen here giving a lovely thank you speech. Click here to view the Best Travel Image with People images.

Sponsor for the AA Directions Best Travel Image with People, Kathryn Webster, editor of AA Directions magazine with winner Tessa Chrisp. Click here to view the Best Travel Image with People images.

Auckland’s Charles Anderson won the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Award. Anderson took top spot with his story Horse Sense published in NZ Life & Leisure magazine. Charles is pictured here with Kate Coughlan, editor and Yolanta Woldendorp, art director of NZ Life & Leisure magazine. Pamela Wade was runner up in the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Award. Click here to view the writing award winners and read their stories.

'Travel writing should be about more than the personal experience of being in a place,' said chief writing judge Chris Moss, editor of Time Out magazine's travel section and a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph. 'The best travel journalism also teaches something, takes the reader on an inner journey, and focuses on a theme, idea or area in a fresh way - and it must also be well-written. Charles Anderson's 'Horse Sense' took me back to a place I have visited and showed me its people, its culture, its economy and its Horse Fair in an original and engaging way. A deeply enjoyable read and a deserved winner in a year in which there were several very strong submissions.'

Charles Anderson also won the Auckland Airport Award for the Best Magazine Travel Story. Pictured here with Katie Moore, community relations manager for Auckland Airport.

Greg Dixon won the Heritage Boutique Collection Award for the Best Newspaper Travel Story, pictured here with the Communications Manager for Heritage Hotels, Susan Gibson. Click here to view the writing award winners and read their stories.

Chris Moss, international writing judge, presented the Interislander Award for Best Story about a Journey. Ewan McDonald pictured with Chris, was the runner up for this award.

The inaugural NZ Maori Tourism Award for the Best Travel Story about a Maori Tourism Experience was presented by Amokura Panoho, deputy chair of NZ Maori Tourism. Pictured here with winner Whare Akuhata, who won with his story "Bush, Boys and Adrenalin" published in Tu Mai magazine. Click here to view the writing award winners and read their stories.

The British High Commission and Tourism Ireland Award for the Best Travel Story about Britain and/or Ireland was presented by Kevin Lynch – the British Consul General here in Auckland and Darragh Walsh from Tourism Ireland. Pictured here with runner up Wendy Dunlop of Christchurch. Pamela Wade won the British High Commission and Tourism Ireland Award for the Best Travel Story about Britain and/or Ireland .

The AA Directions New Travel Writer of the Year Award was won by David Lillie of Wellington. Pictured here with editor of AA Directions magazine Kathryn Webster.

The Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award was won by Peter Riordan for Gods of the Stones. The Travel Book of the Year Award was judged by a panel of three including writer, editor, book promoter, and teacher Dorothy Vinicombe. Paul Hewlett is a writer and public relations consultant from Auckland, and a member of the Board of New Zealand Book Month. The third judge Finlay Macdonald is a journalist, broadcaster, former editor of the New Zealand Listener and former commissioning editor with Penguin New Zealand. The Travcom Travel Book of the Year award is presented for the best original book of creative travel writing about any country, including New Zealand. Dorothy is pictured here with Highly Commended Pat Deavoll, for her book Wind from a Distant Summit, published by Craig Potton Publishing.

We opened the evening with an Italian theme as the main prizes for the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year and Travel Photographer of the Year are prizes to Rome and the Mediterranean. We were entertained by The NBR New Zealand Opera, including an aria from Rigoletto, performing in May/June. Soprano Morag McDowell performed with accompanist David Kelly Caro nome from Rigoletto followed by O mio babbino caro.

Anderson and Martin have each won a trip for two to Rome travelling with Cathay Pacific plus $500 towards travel expenses and a 10 or 11 day Mediterranean cruise (depending on date chosen), provided by Celebrity Cruises on Celebrity Equinox, departing from Rome and sailing to destinations in Italy, the Greek Islands and Turkey. Pictured here Mark Kinchley, Kate Ogg and Adam Armstrong of Royal Caribbean.

The New Zealand Life & Leisure team

AA Directions magazine sponsor two awards - the Best Travel Image with People and the Best New Travel Writer of the Year Award. Editor of AA Directions magazine Kathryn Webster pictured here with her team Jo Percival and Alice Galletly.

MC Te Radar with Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year Natasha Martin and partner Tim Shearer.

Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Charles Anderson and Laura Irish.

Karen Goa, Kate Ogg and Te Radar admire the photography display.

James and Ngaire Heremaia admire the photography entrants' display.

Mixing and mingling, Minh Truong George, Jonas George and Gary Dickson of Let's Travel Magazine.