The Monday Q&A: Neil Jones on photography and why he chose to make Whanganui home

After travelling around the North Island for three years trying to find a place to call home, Neil Jones chose Whanganui and has been here since 2004. Photo / Supplied

Every Monday, the Chronicle fires 10 questions at a Whanganui local. This week Logan Tutty sits down with YourTour360 founder Neil Jones.

What is your history in Whanganui? How long have you been here for?

I've been here for about 16 years, I was in Auckland before that. We tiki toured around the North Island over long weekends and looking at different towns doing a pros and cons list. Because we hadn't visited the country before we immigrated from England, so everywhere was new, so we didn't have any preconceptions. Whanganui was the first place we visited and it stayed on top, we found it through a roll of the dice.

What are some of your favourite things about the town?

I love the river. I got into rowing a couple of years ago, I got bullied into it by a mate. He got me out there and I adore it. You escape everything. We are very lucky, we are spoiled here in Whanganui. It's a cliche I hate, but we punch above our weight.

How did your passion for photography begin and what do you love about it?

I'm not a conventional photographer, I don't do portraits. Years and years ago I did a honours degree in graphics and multimedia and it was part and parcel of that. It was something completely different from what I was doing, a sound technician on the road for bands. When I started doing the degree, I enjoyed being able to do something with the image rather than taking the photo. There was a book called The Commissar Vanishes, which follows a couple of photographs from Stalin's rise in communist Russia. There were photos that had been manipulated of people being taken out and being put in. They were doing it back then. A lot of people blame Photoshop now, but it was done back then.

Tell us about Tour360. What is it and how did this start?

I was playing about with Google street view, just like floating around. I asked myself how hard this could be? I wanted to go into shops, why can't I walk around there? How hard can it be, I always ask myself that. So I taught myself how to do it. The easiest way for me to describe it is like your head is inside a sphere of images, spherical panoramic. So I do 360-degree virtual tours of spaces.

On the product side of things, I was looking at a website to buy something. There was a nice picture of front, but I couldn't see what was behind it. I found out it was a lot harder doing the 360-degree shots of products than the virtual tours.

What are some of your favourite projects you have worked on over the years?

Whanganui & Partners got me to do a tour through the middle of the town and going into shops and restaurants. That was great. It starts up at the top of the Durie Hill Elevator and down Victoria Ave. That was my favourite project because I hadn't done something that big before. We ended up taking somewhere around 25,000 images then they were all stitched together and connected. It was huge, I loved it.

Travelling overseas is off the cards for the foreseeable future, but where would be the first place you would go once we can jump on a plane again?

I'd like to do some motorcycle trips rather than flying. I'd like to go around South America and just get a motorcycle and ride around. I read a book called "Jupiter's Travels" by Ted Simon. Over four years, he rode all the way around the world in 1974. I would like to do that. I'm not sure if I could do four years, though.

Do you have a favourite place you have travelled to?

My favourite happiest place in the whole world is Harlech Castle in North Wales. I adored it. I love castles and that's one that really got me. It holds a lot of really cool memories.

What are some of your all-time favourite movies?

Big Lebowski, that's a top one. I love comedy. I like the old Burt Reynolds ones from the '70s and '80s because they are just ridiculous and they make me laugh. Blockbusters don't really grab me that much.

2020 has made a lot of us look at what matters in life, is there anything you have learnt about yourself during this year?

Yeah, friends. How important they are, they get you through. I've got an incredible group of friends, those guys help me get through anything. I'm incredibly grateful to have them.

What advice would you give to yourself at 20 years old?

Don't smoke so many cigarettes, don't drink as much as you did. But then if I hadn't, I wouldn't be me. For me it's just sod it, go out and enjoy it. Life is a really weird idea so you just get on with it. Don't listen to the naysayers, I listened to too many of those over the years.