Open for Business

Lyttelton Window. March 2008. Ajr

I found something very tantalising about this Lyttelton window - the contrast between the boldness of the bright red statement and the lacy privacy of the curtains perhaps.

Cool Cars - 4

One old Morris Minor - spotted at Daylesford, Victoria, Australia.

Small Moments of Beauty

One Dozen

Quail Eggs

In Rows

Winning Wines

One of the world's foremost seafood chefs, Rick Stein of television's French Odyssey fame is a big fan of Mud House Wines 2007 Mud House Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - so much so he's added this New Zealand 'treasure' to the wine list of his Michelin-recognised Cornish restaurant empire that includes The Seafood Restaurant, St Petroc's Bistro and Rick Stein's Cafe. Mud House Wines received honours for three varietals at the 2007 Air New Zealand Wine Awards and is also enjoying an international 'glow' after having a wine selected by the Master Sommelier for service aboard Delta Airlines, one of the world's largest carriers. Just another of many coups for New Zealand's fine wines! www.mudhouse.co.nz

While I'm in the Land of Oz......

Sketch Book, November 2007. Australia. Ajr

In the mood of things Australian, here are a couple of pages from my September 2007 Australian sketchbook - 'loose' copies of Aboriginal shields in The Museum of South Australia, Adelaide and my take - inspired by Aboriginal art - on some standard Australian wild life. By the time you read this I will be on my way to the Australian Outback for ten days of hot adventures. As you might imagine, I won't have ready access to computers so my postings will be erratic.

Small Moments of Beauty

Hens' Eggs

Decorated

For Fun

A Slice of Italy

The day before I head off to Australia again, I am reminded of my last trip – to Victoria – and this divine place I found at Hepburn Springs, near Daylesford, an hour north of Melbourne. Lavandula is a magical spot riddled with history. Its old sandstone buildings were built in the 1860s by Swiss Italians, who came to Australia to try their luck in the goldfields. They stayed on to farm and this property had been in the same family for 150 years when Carol White restored the buildings and recreated a little slice of Italy. I spent hours here. It’s a photographer’s paradise and along with historic buildings, extensive gardens and a great shop, it also has a terrific little restaurant, alfresco wood-fired barbecue and some gorgeous accommodation. It’s the sort of place you want to sink into and never leave. www.lavandula.com.au

Cool Cars - 3

One Model T Ford - spotted in Christchurch's Merivale carpark

Birds of a Feather

Swan and Pukeko, Christchurch. April Ajr.

This afternoon I enjoyed three things Christchurch has an abundance of – cycleways, waterways and birdlife. I spent two hours cycling along the tracks beside the Avon River on its way out to sea, stopping to photograph water birds along the way. I took over a hundred photographs and it was hard work choosing just two to put here; but I think my swan and my pukeko capture something of the nature of both birds….the streamlined elegance of the swan; the innate curiosity of our quirky pukeko.

Misplaced Advertising

These pictures were sent to me by a friend last night - "a visual item just snapped in one of the departure lounges of Auckland Airport." It just goes to show what happens when you combine necessary information with (Telecom) advertisements, he quips.

When a Cabbage is a Tree

Flowering Cabbage Trees, Monument Rock, Purau. 2007 Ajr

Cordyline australis - Ti Kouka in Maori and the common cabbage tree to most New Zealanders – is commonly considered a member of the lily family; one of the largest tree lilies in the world in fact. Yet it is not quite a lily; it’s not a palm; it’s definitely not a cabbage and it’s not really a tree. I have a large one in my garden and while it’s an attractive tree, I hate the way it sheds its leaves all over my garden. Made of a very tough non-composting fibre, they won’t rot away in the compost heap, so I tie them in tight bundles and use them as kindling. They make excellent kindling. The early Maori also recognised the toughness of the leaf fibre and used it for making kete (baskets) bird snares, ropes and cords. They also made kauru (a sweet chewable food) from the roots of young cabbage trees; and early European settlers used the roots for brewing “a tolerable beer.” I loved this pair of cabbage trees, photographed just beneath Monument Rock, above Purau Bay on Banks Peninsular.

Did You Know........

..... that New Zealand has 3,820 lakes with a surface area larger than one hectare? Or that Lake Taupo is the largest freshwater lake in Australasia? or that Lake Hauroko in Southland is our deepest lake at 462 metres?

Barry's Provocative Unpublished Minutes - 8

Another provocative print from one of New Zealand's most highly regarded printmakers.

A Walk to Remember

Monument Rock above Purau Bay, Banks Peninsular, 2007. Ajr

Just a few days before Christmas last year, I was lucky enough to go on Tuatara Tour’s Akaroa Walk, a 3-day, 42-kilometre jaunt from Christchurch to Akaroa. I use the word ‘jaunt’ loosely; it was actually a very testing exercise – especially the 22-kilometre day two walk that started at Monument Rock above Purau Bay and stretched us all the way to the Hilltop, above Akaroa Harbour. By the time that day was over I was more than ready to sink in to the hot spa pool that came with our accommodation. Sore muscles aside, it’s hard to complain when you’re exploring some of the most dramatic scenery that Banks Peninsular has to offer – although I seem to recall complaining quite a lot at the time. In hindsight though, it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. www.tuataratours.co.nz

Meet The People - 7

Another in the series Meet The People - Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders doing Interesting Things - As if the loveliness of Waiheke Island’s Te Whau Lodge wasn’t enough, owners Gene O’Neill and Liz Eglinton have given in to their passion for things French. For the last four years they’ve taken time out from Te Whau Lodge and taken small groups of like-minded travellers to the Vaucluse region of southern France. It’s a bonus that Liz speaks fluent French, that Gene is a superb cook and that together they’re sublime hosts. Their annual jaunt to their favourite village, St Didier is not a tour so much as a group of six people having a holiday together – visiting local markets and wineries, drinking coffee, walking through nearby villages and soaking up the pretty Provence scenery. And when it’s all over, they return to take up the reigns at Te Whau Lodge on gorgeous Waiheke Island, just a ferry ride from central Auckland that pretty much has all of the above except Provence’s depth of history. It is without doubt the very best of both worlds. www.tewhaulodge.co.nz

Small Moments of Beauty

Starfish

prickly, white

Far from the Sea

Historic Hotel

Duvauchelle Hotel, April 2008. Ajr.

The old Hotel Devauchelle sits beside the main road in the little harbourside settlement of Devauchelle on Banks Peninsular. You pass it on the way to Akaroa. It claims to be the oldest hotel in New Zealand. I can’t be sure of that; others have claimed the same thing. But as its licence was issued before 1850 and a hotel has traded on the site ever since, it’s certainly among the frontrunners for the title. www.duvauchellehotel.co.nz

To Market, To Market - Again

Riccarton Rotary Market, April 2008. Ajr

Waking to discover I had an extra hour up my sleeve thanks to the end of daylight saving and with nothing better to do, I set off to visit the Riccarton Rotary Market. Supposedly the largest outdoor market of its kind in New Zealand, this extravaganza of the nifty and the peculiar unfurls every Sunday morning at Riccarton Racecourse. If you want the bargains it pays to get there early but I wasn’t in a spending mood – which was probably just as well because I found little to tempt me. Over 300 stall holders offer everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to secondhand goods, collectibles, clothing, furniture, art, accessories, food and a whole lot of ghastliness that defies description. That aside, it’s a quirky, relaxed atmosphere and on this particular mellow autumn day, it felt like an okay place to sprawl out on the grass with dozens of others, drinking coffee and listening to a rather strange yet beguiling selection of free music. www.riccartonmarket.co.nz

The Art of Maori Tattoo

There’s been a resurgence of the art of Ta Moko (tattoo) as Maori seek to reclaim their heritage and cultural traditions. Every tattoo is customised to reflect an individual’s own beliefs, ancestry and spirituality. Sharon Henderson of Okains Bay thought long and hard about the sort of tattoo she wanted and she sought out one of our best Ta Moko artists to do it. Te Rangitu Netana, now living in Kerikeri is famous for having custom designed tattoos for British rock star, Robbie Williams. Sharon's decision paid off. She not only ended up with this beautiful, delicate, highly personalised work on her arm – which includes reference to her family’s whaling ancestry – she also won Best Female Ta Moko at the 2008 South Island Tattoo Show recently. If you are interested in Maori culture and Maori Tattoo, please click on my other blog http://maorilifestyles.blogspot.com/ and put Tattoo into the blog search box top left of home page.

Cool Cars - 2

One Sunbeam Alpine - spotted at Oxford in North Canterbury

Small Moments of Beauty

One Sandal

A BuddhistMonk

In Autumn

Buddha's Birthday

It wasn’t the sunniest of days for a birthday celebration but the crowd came, turning Christchurch’s Cathedral Square into a mini-Asia. It was officially the Celebration of Buddha’s Birthday & International Buddha’s Light Day. A few boring speeches were hurried through and then assorted ethnic dancers took to the stage in colourful costumes. Traditional Chinese music lilted through the Square; vegetarian food stalls did a roaring trade; and colourful monks lingered among the crowds. It was altogether a cheery and cosmopolitan way to spend a lazy Saturday lunch time.

Small Moments of Beauty

Chinese beads

in a

Chinese dish

Barry's Provocative Unpublished Minutes - 7

"The Canaletto Subdivision."

The Classic Kiwi Holiday

Little Akaloa Baches, Banks Peninsular, 2008. Ajr

It was a brilliantly sunny day when I breezed down the hill and into the tight horseshoe shape of Little Akaloa Bay on Thursday. I was on my way home from Okains Bay and took the scenic route. It's a road that curves around winding roads and hilltops and then drops down into remote, jewel-like hideaways where holiday baches (houses) cling to the shoreline.

Pioneer History

Photos: Okains Bay Homestead. 2008 Ajr

When I was in Okains Bay the other day I was lucky enough to visit an old relic of a house where time has stood still. Built for one of the bays early pioneering families, it is currently for sale for the first time since it was built in the 1850s. The outbuildings are all original and the home’s interior is just as its last fulltime owner left it in the late 1970s when she passed away. Since then it has been used as a holiday home by the extended family.
You’d think that alone would have ushered in change but no, to step in here is to step into a time warp. It felt like being marooned back in the 1950s and as I sat there, in total silence, I half expected the owner to come bouncing into the parlour offering me tea and scones. Her vases filled with plastic flowers are still there (miraculously dust-free); her black handbag still stands on the bedroom dressing table. There is a cream glove casually lying on a parlour cabinet, as if she had just rushed home from an outing and torn off her glove in her hurry to get to work in the kitchen. Cabinets are still filled with her china; coats hang in bedroom cupboards and, most bewildering of all, all the chair cushions appeared to have fresh ‘hollows’, as if someone had heard me coming and had jumped up and hidden, leaving their telltale ‘bottom dents’ in the cushions.
For all that, it seemed a happy, restful place – not at all ‘spooky’ in any haunted sense. It felt like a safe house, a house with soul and generations of stories to tell. Sometimes you can just feel that in a place; sometimes that overriding sense of family history is almost palpable.

A Bird in the Hand

New Zealand Birds, Okains Bay Maori & Colonial Museum, Banks Peninsula. Ajr.

One of the splendid native bird displays that took my fancy on Wednesday when I visited the Okains Bay Maori & Colonial Museum

Meeting the Locals

There are still many places in rural New Zealand where you share the road with stock. I came face to face with this herd of cattle when I drove around a steep corner as I was leaving Little Akaloa on Banks Peninsula yesterday.

Stepping Back in Time

Okains Bay, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. April 2008. Ajr

This is the beach at Okains Bay, one of the outer eastern bays of Banks Peninsula, 90 minutes from Christchurch. I’ve been exploring there the past two days – lost in a time warp. It’s the closest thing I can imagine to life in 1940s New Zealand. Originally settled in the early 1850s – chiefly by saw millers after the rich timber reserves – it grew into a thriving little farming settlement complete with school, library, church, store and a cheese factory. The cheese factory closed down in 1968 and there are now only about 30 families left in the bay. The historic buildings are being restored though - that's nice to see; there’s a fabulous museum (see below) and every summer, hundreds of holidaymakers flock to the popular camping ground in the cluster of pine trees between the beach and the river.

For Book Worms

Okains Bay Library. Aoril 2008. Ajr

The cute as a button Okains Bay Library was built in the 1870s and has recently been restored.

Riddled With History

And this is where I slept – at the ever-so-dreamy Rowandale Homestead. It’s now home to Luis and Angela - the fifth generation of the Thacker family to reside here – and they’re perfect hosts. Several of their grand rooms are given over to homestead stays and if you’re looking for the ultimate escape, complete with fine food and wine, huge bedrooms, a delicious balcony bathtub, alfresco balcony beds, total silence, magnificent scenery and the chance to explore the nearby historic village, then pack your bags and get yourself there immediately. I fell in love with it. I didn’t want to leave. Built in 1908-1916 to what is purported to be architect Cecil Wood’s largest ever design, it has a Historic Places Trust Category II listing and was constructed from bricks made from onsite clay. Today it oozes character and spirit and, cleverly decorated in an elegant, shabby-chic style, it’s relaxed and sumptuous at the same time – and isn’t that how holidays are supposed to be? http://www.rowandalehomestead.co.nz/

The Best Little Small Museum Ever!

Okains Bay Maori & Colonial Museum April 2008 Ajr If you go down to the bay today, you’re in for a big surprise…..Okains Bay Maori & Colonial Museum is a thing of beauty and wonder – one man’s passion for collecting taken to extremes. Murray Thacker is the man behind it all. When his collection bulged out of his home garage, he bought the old cheese factory building (in 1968) and relocated the astonishing array of exhibits he had collected over many decades. In 1977 it was made a public museum and today it gets around 6,000 visitors a year – which is quite remarkable in itself when you consider how ‘off the beaten track’ Okains Bay is. I spent ages here, totally captivated by the gathered histories of Maori and Pakeha alike. The Maori meeting house shown above (top; interior and exterior) was built observing all Maori traditions, using original materials from other meeting houses. Most of the carving was done by well known master carver, John Rua. The main Maori artefact museum houses many treasures, including a sacred god stick dating back to 1400, a war canoe from 1867 and a valuable Akaroa hei tiki recovered in England and brought back to Okains Bay by the museum’s founder. An amazing treasure trove – expect more photos in the coming days.

Small Moments of Beauty

White stones. Ajr.

When white stones

are not

what they seem

Camel Craziness

I have a bit of a soft spot for camels at the moment, which is just as well since I set off on a camel safari in the Australian Outback next week. In meantime this unexpectedly saucy little press release arrived in my Inbox yesterday, advising me of Abu Dhabi’s beauty pageant for camels. I kid you not. More than 10,000 camels from across the Gulf will be competing for millions of dollars in prize money. Camels from throughout the United Arab Emirates will strut their stuff before a panel of expert judges to decide which owners should win the US$9.5 million dollars and the 100 cars up for grabs. It’s all part of a camel festival aimed at celebrating the region’s cultural heritage. And for any of you who think this is a late April Fools’ joke , just enter ‘camel beauty pageant’ into the Google search engine and prepare to be amazed.

Meet the People - 6

Another in the series Meet the People - Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders doing Interesting Things - Valmai Becker’s Phytofarm is a long way from the paper shuffling that dominated her many years as joint owner of the Canterbury College of Natural Medicine. Now Valmai spends her days on a dreamy 30-acre farm in the pretty, secluded Okuti Valley, near Little River, forty minutes east of Christchurch, where she’s established a large medicinal herb garden - a restful, revitalising place where she shares the extensive knowledge she has gained over her last thirty years as a practising naturopath and professional member of the NZ Association of Medical Herbalists. Valmai runs a series of seasonal herbal medicine workshops based around her own large herb garden, making everything from herbal teas and medicinal oils to shampoos, soaps and scented hand creams. Now that autumn has arrived she’s busy filling her drying shed ready for the Autumn Workshops, which will be held on April 8,10,19,23,28 and 30. www.phytofarm.co.nz

Barry's Provocative Unpublished Minutes - 6

"Cat Amongst The Pigeons - Origami Nightmare 2"

Feeding the Birds

Lake House, Daylesford, 2007. Ajr.

Last time I was in Daylesford, the gorgeous little Victorian spa town an hour north of Melbourne, I was lucky enough to be taken to dinner at the very indulgent Lake House – that much lauded foodie’s heaven where executive chef and co-owner, Alla Wolf-Tasker has cemented her establishment’s reputation as one of Australia’s best restaurants. Divine meal aside – and it was certainly that – I fell in love with their ‘pet’ kookaburra. She nests across the lake and glides in to wait for fresh meat treats, which guests and staff feed her by hand. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she landed right in front of me and the maitre’de kindly gave me chopped meat to pass to her. They’re such fabulous birds and this was the first time I’ve ever been able to get a decent photo of one. www.lakehouse.com.au

Speaking of Homesteads............

If you’ve got a few spare millions hanging around, you might like to invest in what is considered one of Christchurch’s finest homes – the very beautiful, very English Daresbury, which was designed by the acclaimed architect, Samuel Hurst Seagar and built between 1897 and 1901 for the very lucky George Humphreys. It was the Governor General’s residence in 1940 and 1950 and the Duke of York, King George VI was a guest. I’ve biked past this place on the nearby railway cycle track for years and drooled over every tantalising glimpse. It’s built over three stories and its 50 rooms include four big ground floor reception rooms; and upstairs, at least six bedrooms and five bathrooms. The top level includes a guest suite and entertaining area. Love it. Love it. Love it!

Steaming Successes

Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, 2007. Ajr

I was just putting these photographs of some of Rotorua’s prettiest geothermal attractions together when, in the synchronititous nature of things, I received a press release from Destination Tourism Rotorua Marketing telling me about the launch of their stand-alone Spanish language website – the fourth in their foreign language sites after the launch of their Chinese, Japanese and Korean sites in 2007. They’re planning a French site for later this year. In the meantime, one of their major tourist attractions – and one of my all-time favourites - Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, is still busy doing its thing. The russet-edged Champagne Pool (bottom right) is probably one of the most photographed volcanic attractions in the world but I like the brilliant yellow of the sulphur circles and the hissing, steaming fuss that the Lady Knox Geyser makes. If you’re a keen photographer, early morning is the best time to get there, just as the sun is coming through the trees. You can get some crazy ethereal lighting effects as the light hits the steam. www.rotoruanz.com www.geyserland.co.nz

Tall Storeys

Ascott Auckland Metropolis. 2007. Ajr

Auckland outdid itself in the blue skies stakes the day I took this photograph – one of my favourite views of the phoenix palms ‘tickling the feet’ of the Ascott Auckland Metroplis. www.ascottaucklandmetropolis.com

Small Moments of Beauty

March 2008. Ajr

Two ostrich eggs

gleaming

creamy white

"100 Chinese"

"100 Chinese" by Zhang Dali, Beijing. Ajr
I saw a row of mannequin heads the other day that reminded me of this fabulous sculptural work that I saw in Beijing in 2001. It’s by avante garde Chinese artist, Zhang Dali, who made a name for himself during the 1990s as Beijing’s only graffiti artist. Back then he created an ongoing work called “Dialogue”, which comprised 2000 giant heads spray painted around Beijing on buildings marked for demolition. He often hired workers to chip out the shape of the head in walls - it was his protest at the relentless demolition of old hutong areas to make way for modern construction. The whole series is documented in photographs. I saw this work, called “100 Chinese,” at Beijing’s classy Courtyard Gallery. Between 2003-2005, Zhang created 100 resin casts of migrant workers’ heads and a series of full size body casts - the latter he ‘tattooed’ and suspended upside down in a work called “Chinese Offspring.”

Toxic Beauty

Fly Agaric, March 2008. Ajr

The distinctive red and white spotted caps of the Fly Agaric toadstool (Amanita muscaria) always catch my eye in autumn – usually under pine or birch trees. Their ‘fairytale’ association with garden gnomes seems to have encouraged people think they’re harmless. They’re not. They belong to the deadly Amanita genus and they contain Ibotenic acid and muscimol, which cause hallucinations, vomiting, diarrhoea, convulsions and occasionally, in extreme cases, death. As they mature they fade from bright red to orange. I took the ants’eye view with this one, bypassing the red spotted cap for the beautiful creamy white gills beneath.