Crafty traveller uses optical illusions to create epic Waitomo Caves trip

Waitomo cave: Faced with travel restrictions, Erin never lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. Photo / Supplied, Instagram, @ErinOutdoors

Anyone who spends a lot of their working life travelling, may have found themselves incredibly un-busy of late.

But one photographer and travel blogger has found a creative outlet for all that extra time.

The adventures of Erin Sullivan, AKA Erin Outdoors, has earned her a huge Instagram followership and her inspirational TED talk on travel photography has been viewed 1.1 million times. However, since coronavirus travel restrictions came into place earlier this year, her world has gotten a lot smaller.

However, that didn't stop her visiting the Glow Worm Caves in Waitomo earlier today. The Waikato landmark is just one of a number of international destinations Erin has been photographing, all without leaving her Like Los Angeles apartment.

Refused travel, Erin recreated the New Zealand attraction in her bedroom. Photo / Supplied, Instagram, @ErinOutdoors

Faced with the worldwide travel restrictions, Erin has come up with a creative way to keep sight of the light at the end of the tunnel and flights to New Zealand resume.

Using household objects and the help of a "little dude" from a toy train set, she recreated the Kiwi tourist attraction in her bedroom out of foil and a beside lamp. The tableaux on a hunk of rose quartz inspired by her own travels and "how it feels to be in a glow worm cave in New Zealand."

Waitomo at home. Photo / Supplied, Instagram, @ErinOutdoors

Other real world places she's recreated include Antelope Canyon, using a brown paper bag and the White Sands National Park in New Mexico by spilling sugar on her bed sheets. The picture was totally worth it!

Using her Sony alpha A7Riii 90 mm f2.8 Macro lens and the tiny model people she says you could use anything. She says she's been able to buy her tiny figurines online from hobby shops, which are still delivering during lockdown.

White Sand National Park, everywhere. Photo / Supplied, Instagram, @ErinOutdoors

Sand in the sheets? Worth it. Photo / Supplied, Instagram, @ErinOutdoors

"Keep in mind that most of these figures are plastic. If you buy, I ask that they don't just end up in the trash once quarantine ends."

Now she's challenging frustrated travellers to make their own travel scenes of the #ourgreatindoors on social media.

It's "meant to be a fun project that sparks creativity and helps us get through a difficult time together."

Antelope Canyon on a smaller scale. Photo / Supplied, Instagram @ErinOutdoors

A little can-do helped Erin recreate the Arizona canyon. Photo / Supplied, Instagram, @ErinOutdoors

The hashtag has already filling up with tiny homages to favourite travel destinations.

From the Silfra fissure in Iceland to imaginary destinations such as the Enchanted Forest of Broccoli, it's a travel photography trend that may just keep creative travellers busy until the end of lockdown.

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I couldn’t stop thinking about Silfra since the first time I was there so I had to go back. The only way to get there though was swimming across the ocean. So I was determined to set records while waving at Nemo and making fish calls to Dory. #OurGreatIndoors

A post shared by Stevin Tuchiwsky (@stevint) on Apr 7, 2020 at 8:30pm PDT

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Social Distancing II #busyweekend #ourgreatindoors

A post shared by Ted K Smith (@tedksmith) on Mar 30, 2020 at 2:11am PDT

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Hibernation project. Thanks @erinoutdoors for the inspiration!!! I wish my skater had more of a face :/...but hey it’s all I had! #ourgreatindoors #skater #asparagus #salt #tinfoil #homestudio #stayhomesavelives #sallybloodphotography

A post shared by Sally Blood/Sandy Morris PhD (@sally.blood) on Apr 1, 2020 at 4:17pm PDT

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Fresh Catch ~ Trying to bring some of the outdoors indoors while quarantined on a sunny Saturday in Colorado! . . . #PDstayathomeStillLife #findyourpeak #peakdesign #quarantineday13 #stayhome #freshcatch #ourgreatindoors

A post shared by Nick Kuffel (@nkuffel) on Mar 28, 2020 at 3:28pm PDT