We’re in Christchurch for a few days this week – to see the Whole House Re-Use exhibition in the Canterbury Museum (open till August 24th), to explore the new Christchurch emerging from the ruins of the 2010-11 earthquakes, and to visit family and old friends. The Whole House Re-Use project is so powerful and important […]
cranes, containers, construction, creation, contrast…
July 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
[singlepic id=130 w= h= float=center] The central city engages us, shocks us, grieves and enchants us. It is a personal experience, human stories around every corner. the cathedral, its new gateway a tiny wooden whare with richly planted roof and sides, its gaping nave a black cave with pigeons roosting in it giant cranes nudging […]
Happy New Year, Winter Solstice, and Matariki!
June 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
At Earthsong: A time to plant, and a time to rest and reflect… Tanya and Yuki have planted a hundred garlic cloves in the Earthsong community garden for harvesting on midsummer day. But with looming frosts and lots of rain, better to wait a month or two before planting most other crops outside. Trays of seedlings nestle on our deck awaiting […]
More Matariki Events…
June 18, 2015 by 1 Comment
Our first Matariki event was an afternoon tea with distinguished Maori writer Patricia Grace at the refurbished Edwardian Masonic Hotel in Devonport. Patricia was introduced by Mere Whaanga who is currently the writer in residence at the Michael King Centre in Devonport. Patricia Grace has just launched her new novel, Chappy, her first major fiction work in […]
A Treat at Tongariro
June 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
We ‘ve just had an invigorating break in the dramatic Tongariro National Park in the Central North Island. We enjoyed the icy air and rosy snow-capped mountains at dusk on our first day, exploring the mounds on the plateau left by an ancient avalanche, a drive up to Scoria Flat on the rocky volcanic slopes of Ruapehu, misty bush walks beside […]
Coming Home…
June 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
A couple of interesting discoveries on the way home from National Park.. In Owhango, a pair of pensioners having a cuppa in a shop window caught our eye, so we stopped to inspect them more closely – a cleverly crafted quilted couple…and just as Tanya was about to snap a photo, the owner of The […]
Right of First Refusal..
June 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
or Refusal of First Right? We are appalled that Nick Smith, Minister of Housing, has driven a bulldozer through Ngaati Whatua and Tainui Treaty settlements, claiming that the “right of first refusal” enshrined in them means nothing – that the government is entitled to sell designated Crown land (some already offered to iwi) to private […]
Arts, Animals, Admiration, Ambivalence..
May 19, 2015 by 1 Comment
We had an unexpected opportunity in late April to visit the Gibbs Farm Park in Kaukapakapa, north of Auckland. On earlier journeys we’d glimpsed from the road Bernar Venet’s corten steel cluster (called 88.5° ARC x8) but were even more impressed by Neil Dawson’s beautiful Horizons and Maririjke de Goey’s The Mermaid, above… […]
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