Flora and Forma - Part Two

Christchurch Botanic Gardens. March 2009. Ajr

Franz Josef-based Hannah Kidd's wry sense of humour comes to the fore in this gathering of miniature caravans scattered across the archery lawn in Christchurch Botanic Gardens, as if they've somehow fallen out of the sky. Made of steel rod and corrugated iron, galvanised and powder-coated, Caravans will 'speak' nostalgically to many New Zealanders. It will draw forth memories of camping ground holidays, long hot days at the beach and the cramped, family closeness that comes with these much-loved temporary homes. It's a charming nod to Kiwiana. www.hannahkidd.co.nz

StreetscapeNZ - 21

Cron Street, Franz Josef

South Westland

Roses in a Bottle

Loved this window display

@

Julia Walker's Bridal Boutique

TULLE

on Tuam Street, Christchurch.

Roses in old milk and cream bottles

www.tulle.co.nz

Art Events Galore

Christchurch Posters. March 2009. Ajr

It's all happening in Christchurch.

Along with the Ellerslie International Flower Show this week, there's also a bounty of art events. The city has been brightly coloured with lively posters and dozens of retailers have gotten on board with a floral theme for the flower show. I went out walking last night with my camera and was, as usual, more than happy to snap more than my fair share of photos.

Flora and Forma

Christchurch Botanis Gardens. march 2009. Ajr

Meet Podoferricus Inosculata

Coming upon this sculpture by Tony Bond on the Botanic Garden's Pine Mound is something of a visual treat. It has a low profile - snuggled into the grass - and is only just visible from the lawns below. But that's a glimpse tantalising enough to have encouraged me forward. Made of welded G-clamps, Bond's work alludes to any number of things. For me it's a pristine construction, part white waka - a canoe 'beached' on a grassy, pine-covered hillock and part teepee. I had to fight the urge to crawl inside; and now that I'm home again, I wonder why I resisted. www.festivalofflowers.co.nz

Wine Retreat

Dry Paddocks, Waipara, North Canterbury. Nov 2008. Ajr

Dry Paddocks settles into its tanned Waipara landscape 45 minutes north of Christchurch as if it was always meant to be there. The surrounding paddocks may be sunburnt and thirsty but Dry Paddocks itself is a self-contained oasis of comfort and style. Open the doors and you walk in to a cool two-bedroom retreat with the best of everything at your fingertips. Best of all, it’s just a short drive from the heart of the Waipara Wine Region – a picturesque 15-kilometre-long valley that has undergone a total transformation over the last twenty years. Once dry farmland, it now boasts 80 vineyards and an estimated 1,200 hectares of grapes, making it New Zealand’s fourth largest wine region. Uncork a bottle of the local Pinot Noir and fall into one of Dry Paddock’s balcony chairs under the rush-covered pergola, or beside the pool and you won’t want to leave. www.drypaddocks.co.nz www.waiparawine.co.nz

Underwater Love

Penguins Kissing - Image Supplied by Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World.

Meet two amorous members of Aptenodytes patagonicus – the King Penguin family at Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World, which is located on Auckland’s Tamaki Drive…… or rather UNDER Tamaki Drive. This might be the only place in the world where you’ll find a penguin colony underground. It’s the stuff of dreams and fantasies. Right there – in the heart of sub-tropical Auckland, they’ve created a simulated Antarctic environment underground and you can board heated Snow Cats and enter the frozen landscape and see self-sustaining populations of King and Gentoo penguins. The King Penguin is the second largest penguin species after the Emperors and they first arrived at Kelly Tarlton’s in 1994 – on a special charted flight from Sea World in San Diego and San Antonio in USA – and as you can see, they’ve been happily settled ever since. www.kellytarltons.co.nz

Barry's Provocative Unpublished Minutes - 46

"Blueprint Plan and Elevation" Etching 2008

Another thought-provoking work from our leading printmaker. Click on Cleavin in the label line below to see others in this rapidly expanding series.

Small Moments of Greed

Delicious Pear Tart

@

Blax, Christchurch

You'll see I've been greedy quite often if you click on Moments of Greed in the label line below.

Cheetah Chums

Orana Wildlife Park, Christchurch. March 2009. Ajr

This completes my

BIG CAT TRIO

The Lions, The Tigers, The Cheetahs

All snapped last Thursday at Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park.

http://www.oranawildlifepark.co.nz/

Scroll down to see the others in earlier posts.

Hillside City

Dunedin Hills, Feb 2009. Ajr

Dunedin is a little like Wellington - well....in as much as it's built around the hillsides overlooking a harbour and has notoriously contrary weather! That's about there the similarities end really. But I love both cities for that very reason - their hilly geography makes for a much more visually interesting city than say....Christchurch, which apart from the backdrop of the Port Hills is flat, flat, FLAT. (If you ride a bike a lot that's a good thing of course). I snapped these two suburban hillside shots as I flashed through Dunedin recently. www.dunedinnz.com

My Friend The Tiger

Orana Wildlife Park, Christchurch. March 2009. Ajr

It was easy to call him FRIEND knowing he was safely behind a high fence of course! And looking very lazy and sleepy for good measure. But SO exquisitely beautiful I just wanted to hug him. These photos snapped (along with the lions below) at Orana Wildlife Park, New Zealand's only open range zoo. I was out there on Thursday (in the name of travel guide writing) to check on my favourite big cats - not that I ignored 'the lesser species.' The nice thing about Orana is that you can get quite close to most of the animals, which is great if you're brandishing a camera. www.oranawildlifepark.co.nz

'Party House' For Auckland's Colonial Elite

Alberton, Mount Albert, Auckland. Image courtesy NZ Historic Places Trust.

Once the centre of an estate that stretched as far as the eye could see, Alberton is a stunning Auckland homestead that grew from a humble farmhouse (built in 1863) into a grand 18-room mansion with Oriental-styled decorative verandahs and towers. It was famous in the 19th century for its balls, hunts, garden parties and music events; and was well known as the ‘party house’ for Auckland’s colonial elite. It became home to Allan Kerr Taylor and his second wife, Sophia (an outspoken advocate for women’s suffrage) and their ten children. Today, much of their original family furniture along with other possessions, including exceptionally rare 19th century wallpaper and Alberton’s original landmark fountain, can be viewed if you make the easy trip into suburban Mount Albert. The mansion was left to the NZ Historic Places Trust in 1972 and later opened to the public. I have clear memories of visiting Alberton thirty years ago when I lived in Auckland – in fact, it might even be responsible for triggering my passion for old homesteads – many of which you can see if you click on Homesteads in the label line below. www.historic.org.nz

Chief of Ugliness

Weta @ Hukawai Glacier Centre, Franz Josef. Feb 2009. Ajr

I photographed this weta at Hukawai Glacier Centre in Franz Josef, South Westland a couple of weeks ago. It's bigger than it looks. It's actually a giant 'plastic-sort-of'creation that adorns one of their interior walls. Mind you, real wetas can also be giant (but we're talking inches here, not feet). We have over 70 species of weta endemic to New Zealand - none of them pretty; all of them sporting horrible spiky legs and nasty mandibles, which are their main defence mechanisms. They're one of my pet fears; I loathe them.

Volcano Walkers

White Island, Bay of Plenty, NZ. Images supplied by White Island Tours with PeeJay

I wonder what fascinates us so much about volcanoes. An even better question – WHY do we want to walk right to the edge of active craters? I’m all for it myself. I love volcanic landscapes – all that colour and all that hissing, steaming, bubbling action – not to mention the adrenalin, as fear and excitement mix. An outing with White Island Tours with PeeJay delivers it all. You head out on their luxury launch – dwarfed somewhat by the size of the island – and spend six hours tippy-toeing your way through sulphur mounds and rocky pathways to better understand what makes the island so ‘bad-tempered.’ www.whiteisland.co.nz

Gothic Revival Icon

Christchurch ArtsCentre. Dec.2008. Ajr

It’s fair to say the Christchurch Arts Centre buildings are among my favourites in the city. Designed as the original location for the University of Canterbury, by architect Benjamin Mountfort, the buildings are a splendid example of Gothic Revival architecture. Their architectural unity belies the fact that they were completed over half a century; and that a second architect, Samuel Hurst Seagar became involved, suggesting “a grand plan” (executed by architects Collins & Harman) that saw the addition of quadrangles and the beautiful columned arcades that are still much admired today. In 1975, when the University moved out of the inner city to its new site in Ilam, the old buildings became home to the Arts Centre. Today they house artist studios, offices, galleries, cafes and craft studios and every weekend, the Arts Centre Markets draw huge crowds to the area. www.artscentre.org.nz

All the Better to Eat You With

@

Orana Park, Christchurch

A Lion Friend

www.oranawildlifepark.co.nz March 2009. Ajr

Heeerre Kitty Kitty Kitty.....Here Kitty.....

March 2009. Ajr I couldn't wait To bring you my favourite shot from this afternoon's adventures @ Orana Park, Christchurch www.oranawildlifepark.co.nz

More Volcanic Action

White Island, Bay of Plenty, NZ. Images supplied by White Island Tours with PeeJay

The other day I posted some photos of New Zealand’s only active marine volcano White Island, in the Bay of Plenty. The generous team at White Island Tours with PeeJay have since sent me a whole CD full of more spectacular volcanic landscapes. Here are two of my favourites – a close-up of steaming sulphur mounds and, in perfect contrast, the brilliant blue oceanscape showing the island in its entirety. www.whiteisland.co.nz

Flemish Beauty

Dunedin Railway Station, Dunedin. Feb 2009. Ajr

The Dunedin Railway Station is a thing of beauty. Its splendid Femish Renaissance-style architecture, designed by George A Troup, sets it apart as one of this southern city's most impressive buildings.... one of the most impressive in the country in fact. But I have yet to stand in front of it and take a decent photograph. Every photograph I've taken of it to date has been shot - like this one - from a moving vehicle, as I dash through Dunedin on my way to somewhere else. If you click on Dunedin Railway Station in the label line below, you'll see one or two other images of it.

Peninsula Retreat

Carrington, Karikari Peninsula, Far North. Image supplied by Heritage Hotels.

Many years ago – and I mean around thirty years ago – when I lived in Auckland, we holidayed at Coopers Beach in the Far North. It was a tiny little beach settlement then – a sprinkling of summer holiday baches, a camping ground, a store and not much else. That was the beauty of it – that and the beautiful, remote, white sand beaches that you had entirely to yourself. The best of all were the stunning sandy stretches on Karikari Peninsula, a tiny finger of land that poked out off the end of Matai Bay. The beaches were sublime and nobody lived there. It’s a different story today. When I travelled there in 1999 for the first edition of Frommers New Zealand, I was staggered at how built-up the whole area had become. As disappointed as I still am that ‘remote’ and ‘unpopulated’ are a thing of the past, it is nice to see beautiful retreats like Carrington springing up to accommodate the well-heeled visitor. Set on a 3,000 acre estate with 4 kilometres of secluded beach, it comes complete with 900 acres of restored wetland, a working cattle farm and New Zealand’s northernmost vineyard and winery. (They had their first vintage in 2003 and the new, state-of-the-art winery was completed in 2004). I’m heading up there again soon – for Frommers 6th edition – and I hope to check out that 4-kilometre secluded beach – if only in the interests of nostalgia. It’s not a bad way to escape a Christchurch winter. www.heritagehotels.co.nz www.frommers.com

When Art Meets Tin Cans

Works by Ben Pearce. Images supplied by Artist.

I’ve written about Napier artist/sculptor Ben Pearce before – click on his name in the label line below and you’ll be able to read about him in his studio for instance. Now he’s emerged from his home-based workplace to present a new show at Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery called Utterance. It’s all about survival, adaptation and communication - “work that explores the physicality of altered and protected memoryscapes; a kind of memory map town, using the image of the tin can to allude to survival, disasters and preservation.” Ben has also made a full-scale grandfather clock as “a kind of tribute” to his great-grandfather, who worked as a watchmaker but he views the piece as “a kind of treehouse at the same time, a place for solace and isolation.” Ben’s world of ‘fantastic creatures, of writhing chrysalis-like forms that appear to colonise tin cans carefully created from hardwood timbers, is set to open in Napier on March 7th and runs until May 17. www.hbmag.co.nz www.benpearce.co.nz

Let There Be Light

Aikmans Bar & Bistro, Merivale, Christchurch. Feb.2009. Ajr

I can seldom go passed anything that glows or twinkles or sparkles without taking a photograph. I consider it a minor fixation in the greater scheme of things - a harmless enough distraction.

Let There Be Even More Light

Christchurch. Feb. 2009 Ajr

On The Way

To The Bank

StreetscapeNZ - 20

Great King Street

Dunedin, Otago

"A Most Excellent Romantic Hideaway"

Images Supplied by Navigate Oceania, Auckland, NZ.

So says Conde Nast Johansens (2008) – and who could argue that Fiji’s Royal Davui Island is anything less than stunning? This exotic private island retreat is all about beauty, tranquillity and exclusivity and while I may never stay there, it’s certainly pleasing to entertain the fantasy. For those who want to know the geography, Royal Davui Island rises out of the crystalline blue waters of Fiji’s Beqa Lagoon, 40 minutes by helicopter (of course) from Denarau; and its 16 exclusive villas have views over perfect white sand beaches and the sapphire blue ocean – and let’s not forget the Jacuzzi spa with a roof that slides open at the push of a button. Factor in gourmet dining and exotic spa treatments to complete the deliciously hedonistic picture. www.royaldavui.com www.navigateoceania.com

An Architectural Icon

Sir Miles Warren at Ohinetahi, his self-designed garden at Governor's Bay, Christchurch Sir Miles Warren Christchurch Town Hall, Kilmore Street, Christchurch, main auditorium detail 1972. Photograph by Martin Barriball. Both images supplied by Christchurch Art Gallery. Christchurch Art Gallery is about to open the doors on an exhibition of photographs, drawings and architectural models that make up a celebration of the life and work of Sir Miles Warren – one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed and honoured architects. Sir Miles has made a massive contribution to Modernist architecture in New Zealand and the exhibition charts a course through his architectural career – from the design of his Dorset Street flats in Christchurch to landmark buildings like College House, Crowne Plaza Hotel Christchurch, the Christchurch Town Hall and the New Zealand Chancery in Washington DC. On a more personal level, the show also includes watercolour illustrations for Sir Miles’ building proposals and architecture that he admired during his travels. A timely adjunct to the Ellerslie International Flower Show (in Christchurch), “Miles: a life in architecture” also shows him to be a talented garden designer. Images featuring the nationally-regarded formal gardens he designed at his Governor’s Bay home, Ohinetahi - in partnership with his sister, Pauline Trengrove and brother-in-law and fellow architect, John Trengrove – will also be shown. Sir Miles holds a CBE and KBE for services to architecture and in 1995 was admitted to the Order of New Zealand. The show opening coincides with his 80th birthday and runs through until June 14, 2009. www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

Small Moments of Greed

Buttercups Cupcakes

Tempting Me

AGAIN

Shark Meets Paper

Manchester Street, Christchurch. Feb 2009. Ajr

I'm obviously missing something here

BUT

I parked behind this truck at the traffic lights the other day and for the life of me I couldn't - and still can't - make the connection between a paper company and a shark!

The Square - Two Views

Cathedral Square, Christchurch. Feb. 2009. Ajr

It wasn't the sunniest day in Christchurch when I took these two shots of The Square. The bottom view I snapped from half way up a parking building. I liked the golden-green of the trees against the stark grey of the buildings - and you can see a flicker of blue from Neil Dawson's Chalice too. The top view, a couple of hours later, was taken at ground level near one of the (rather staid) floral displays created for this year's Floral Festival, which is currently running in the lead up to the Ellerslie Garden Show..... or whatever cumbersome name it's been given.