auckland

Event Review: Auckland Fetish Ball

October 31, 2016 By anniebear 1 Comment

It was more than we could have ever expected! Dexx and I found out there was an Auckland, New Zealand Fetish Ball and we just had to check it out while visiting the city. We’d attended a few other events in Auckland last year and knew there was a thriving Kiwi kink scene. This event, now in its 16th year proved to be as much fun and in some cases even better than the extremely active and saturated scene we’re used to in Los Angeles.

The theme for the ball was Cosplay. I donned my sexy wolf costume and Dexx was appropriately dressed as Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones. The venue was The Winchester, which turned out to be the perfect space for such a party. We arrived and made our way up the steps of the building. Considering what I knew about Auckland, it being a more conservative city generally, I was not sure what the costume participation would be. We were some of the first people to arrive. After being greeted and checking our coats with some super friendly people, we made our way into the main space. It was a large room, sexily lit in red. There were tables, couches, and even some giant bean bag chairs to lounge upon. The DJ was playing and there was a main stage where performances would be held later in the evening. So far, everyone seemed to be embracing the theme and was in all manner of costumes. We grabbed drinks at the bar and made our way around the room. Dexx is much more outgoing than myself and quickly introduced us to a few people. Unknowingly, the first person we met, Nocturness was to be one of the performers later in the evening.She was super friendly and had some incredible contacts on that changes her eyes to look quite intense. After a chat we went to look a the play space. The room was well equipped with many pieces of play equipment. There was a dungeon monitor and a “kitty” having a quick spanking. We were unsure how many people would be playing that evening.

The party filled up quickly after that. Many of the costumes were incredible with many types of kink and orientation represented: leather, latex, cross dresser, trans, lace, and of course Cosplay were in force! I have an affinity for going out as twins with some of my girlfriends and was able to snap a photo (with permission) of a cute set in attendance. We were very impressed. While it was obvious there were people in power exchanges with there partners, there was a far less sense of protocol as in the Los Angeles parties we attend. People were still very respectful, but the atmosphere was less chilly since you didn’t have to walk over egg shells to decipher who was in what dynamic follow which protocols. I also really appreciated the meshing of every type of dynamic. Gay leather mixed with hetero Dom/mes and everything in between. Because the scene is so large in Los Angeles, for better or worse, the parties are more fragmented with each group sticking to its own and rarely coming together. There was also some actual, honest to goodness dancing which dexx and myself appreciated and participated in. Next, We scouted out some seats for the show. We noticed a couple not in costumes next to us. We of course try not to judge folks but you could tell they were a bit “out of place,” Dexx was intrigued. He introduced himself and found that they were in fact friends of the venue’s owner and this was their first kinky event. Despite being a bit out of their element, they were really enjoying the festivities, people, and costumes.

"Twins" at the Auckland Fetish Ball (photo taken with permission) — “Twins” at the Auckland Fetish Ball (photo taken with permission)

The MC Miss Mole took the stage to get things started. Larger than life, she was dressed in an assortment of feathers in black and white. She gave a hilarious introduction for each act and was clearly a favorite among the crowd. The first act was our recent acquaintance Nocturness. She had changed into some impressive ram horns and was scantily clad. She danced with candles and wax, dripping them down her body. The room was silent and at attention. There was a collection of folks seated around the stage to enjoy the view. At the conclusion she received a rousing round of applause and cheers from the crowd.

Following Nocturness, the mood got considerably more serious as a procession of people made there way to the stage holding candles. As I watched what unfolded I knew immediately what was about to happen: a hook suspension, live and in person! I’ve been actively going out in the lifestyle for over two years now and never have I seen a hook suspension in person. Of course I knew the hows and whys and video but seeing it in person was another experience entirely. I’m admittedly a bit squeamish and disliked needles so I must say it was difficult for me to watch. The rest of crowd however could not take their eyes off of the stage. It was a beautiful connection between the person doing the suspension and the bottom. She took great care in communicating and had several assistants with her to help. The bottom was suspended about 7-9 inches off of the table they were working off of. The audience gave full weight to the happenings on stage by remaining respectfully silent. I myself had to keep looking away. I do give major respect to those involved int hat scene as it was very intense and beautiful in its own way.

After the seriousness of the suspension, Dexx lead me back to the play room. There were several more scenes going on at this point and the room was getting full. A few people were trying spanking for the first time, which was incredibly fun. We found out the dungeon equipment had been lent out by a local professional dominatrix, Mistress Dior and we of course had to meet her! She was so friendly and wearing and incredible costume, pictured. She was very popular at the party, showing the ropes to some impact play and more! It was after that that Dexx decided it was time for some spanking of my own. We found ourselves a spot and he took the liberty of spanking me very thoroughly in the crowded room. My face was very hot with embarrassment for all of the people watching us but I loved it!

Mistress Dior and anniebear at the Auckland Fetish Ball

We wrapped up the evening by having a rest in the main room and talking with the organizers of the ball. They are a very friendly couple and mentioned they brought the Fetish Ball from Chirstchurch and it’s been a huge success. Dexx and myself had a wonderful time and a big thank you to everyone for making us feel so welcome!

anniebear is a submissive living with her partner Dexx in Los Angeles. She enjoys writing, modeling for friends, animal rescue, and teaching herself how to cook. You can catch her on Fetlife or Facebook.

This week in kink, October 23rd, 2016

October 25, 2016 By Dexx 1 Comment

Worldwide: Thrillist author Charyn Pheuffer released this interesting theory that Fifty Shades did not create a BDSM revolution. I tend to disagree. She brings up the point that most people already knew about BDSM before the books and films, however I personally think it has 100% opened up the door for a conversation on it. What do you think?

Japan: Here’s a fun read on Japanese fetish clubs. I’ve heard they are much more elaborate there in terms of “setting the scene” so to speak. Definitely some good inspiration!

anniebear and I attended the Auckland Fetish ball this past weekend and were not disappointed. We’ll have a full recap for you next week but it was a great event with festive costumes and performances. The scene in Auckland is far less fragmented as compared to LA which offered a very intimate party. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this week’s review on the Armory haunted house. We also have a new segment on floggers in our buying guide.

-Dexx

How to make a Fox Flogger

November 9, 2015 By anniebear 3 Comments

Dexx took me to New Zealand for a vacation. You can read about our full adventures here. While in town, we arranged a photoshoot with flogger craftsman NZSilverfox (NZSF for short) owner of Fox Floggers. He offered to take me under his wing as his apprentice for the day. Upon arrival, we went straight to his workroom a.k.a “the man cave.”

I swept the floor and he showed us a few examples of flogger handles that were in the works and some finished floggers and dragon tales. His floggers are unique due to the flared handle style and vibrant colors. Typically, he uses concentrated food coloring to dye the wood as that seems to absorb more quickly than regular wood stain.

Just giving one a "test drive" — Just giving one a “test drive”

Next, I stripped down to my skivvies and we began by choosing the wood. He has enough wood for a lifetime of floggers and then some! We went with the leg of a solid wood table his friend was getting rid of. Rather than going in the rubbish bin, it went into his stock of wood-to-be-made-into-naughty-things.

The original table leg the handle came from

With the wood selected and cut, we measured out the center on each end, and then we were ready to place it in the lathe to carve and shape. For the layman- a lathe is a machine that holds each end of the wood piece and quickly turns it so you can carve and smooth it into the handle. A lathe is typically used to make things like wooden chair and table legs. I really appreciated the way NZSF took into account the grain of the wood, carefully aligning it in such a way as to showcase the most interesting bits. Since we only had a single day to make the flogger, we would be using a beeswax finish-so the grain would be showing through.

We donned safety glasses and NZSF started up the lathe. He gave me an initial demonstration on how to shape the wood using a metal tool.

I was hesitant at first, barely carving any wood

At this point, I was a bit concerned that I would hurt myself as I’m rather clumsy and assumed I would somehow manage to cut my hand off. This was not to be the case. NZSF was right there with me the whole time as I actually carved a handle by hand! Woodchips and sawdust were flying everywhere. I was astonished at how quickly the shape took place.

Finally getting the hang of it-check out those woodchips!

After we were satisfied with the initial cut, we had to use sandpaper to smooth out the tiny imperfections making sure not to miss the tiny edges and ends.

Next came the beeswax finish. The beeswax itself looked like a yellow block of dried wax. I didn’t understand how that was possibly going to finish off the wood. As soon as NZSF rubbed the wax onto the spinning handle on the lathe, the heat from the friction melted the wax slightly creating a fine smooth finish onto the wood. I was handed the wax to finish off the whole handle. At this point I was slightly more confident with the lathe.

Because of the special flared handle design, we needed to cut off a piece at the end on an angle. NZSF always laments that this is his least favorite part because the handle looks so nice and polished.

I won't quit my day job-not so good at sawing — I won’t quit my day job-not so good at sawing

Then, more beeswax needed to be applied to the exposed wood. I got to use an industrial strength, super hot hair dryer to melt the wax onto the handle.

This process went rather quickly and we soon completed the handle!

Before congratulating myself too much, I realized we then had to hand cut the leather for the actual flogger. NZSF presented multiple pieces of leather and we debated on which color and type to use. He likes to evenly distribute the weight of the handle to the type of leather used on the flogger so it’s not too top or bottom heavy. We chose a thick, brown leather that would compliment the pale color of the beeswax finished handle. Next came the actual cutting. This part made me very nervous because once you make one cut it cannot be undone. I was confident that I would somehow make a grave mistake and we would not only waste an entire piece of leather but also have to start over (I also thought I could probably somehow cut my finger off on this one).

NZSF was not worried in the least. He confidently laid out the hide and cut a rectangle section out. He then taped the ends so it would not slide around and measured out the thin strips along a straight edge. I watched him make the first few cuts and then he handed the blade to me to get to work. This step in the process was probably my least favorite as I was so concerned with making a major mistake. To cut the leather, you have to push the blade really hard. After a few attempts, I let NZSF finish it off.

To attach the leather, NZSF says he never uses any glue. Instead, he rolls the leather around the handle and hammers tacks onto it. He reinforces the other side of the handle with two more tacks. The flogger was almost complete!

Because we were in New Zealand, NZSF thought it would be fun to add a small detail in the form of a little kiwi bird. So cute! He stamped the bird onto the leather at the base as well as adding his brand onto the inner center of the flogger. The flogger was officially complete! He gave it a test run on my behind to make sure it “worked.” Success!

An apprentice's work is never done. — An apprentice’s work is never done.

We had one more flogger to make. NZSF graciously said he wanted us to have one for ourselves. The first flogger is our giveaway this week. NZSF had some premade handles that he let us choose from. Since I had arranged the shoot, Dexx let me pick out the handle I wanted; hot pink it is! (although we could alternatively call it red since that’s more “Domly,” hehe) So all we had to do for this flogger was cut the leather and attach it to the handle. We gave this one a test run on my behind as well. It’s a hard life being a flogger craftsman’s apprentice.

What an amazing day of photography by Dexx and flogger making by NZSF and myself! You can contact NZSF via his FetLife.

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