Coming Up Close

Down in Greymouth someone has painted the back of a building different colours, each section of bricks is different resulting in a sort of colourful puzzle effect - I think it's a very effective way of brightening up what would've been a dull wall. Linking up with  Mural Monday .

Loving this old bicycle on display at MOTAT in Auckland. The signs in front of and on it say this - be prepared to be amused: "don't be a fright, don't faint on the road don't wear a man's cap don't wear tight garters don't forget your toolbag don't attempt a century (?) don't coast - it is dangerous don't criticize peoples legs don't boast of your long rides" and... Photo from Nelson Provincial Museum "Step through bikes first arrived on the sene in the 1880s. With no top tube a women could ride while wearing a dress. This triumph model is likely from the early 20th century". Oh how times have changed... Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and  The Weekend Roundup .

This sign made out of driftwood on the beach in Hokitika is now a kiwiana icon. Created by Don Neale in 2015 it began as an entry in a driftwood competition with the pieces joined together by flax which then won and now thousands of people every year specifically visit this West Coast town just to see it and take photos. Linking up with  Skywatch Friday ,  All Seasons   and  Tom's Signs .

While we were in Greymouth recently we stopped at the local marina where we saw quite a few fishermen/and women surfcasting off the rocks. We chatted with a couple who were there from Tauranga - the wife was saying she'd love to move to here whereas the husband said he wouldn't but they did say that the most fish they catch seems to be Gurnard . We did happen to see a pod of dolphins swimming past at the same time so that was a huge highlight for us. Since then I've also had my booster shot and I'm expecting B and my 3 adult children to get theirs too. And speaking of the West Coast I have some news. We have decided to move to  Greymouth  by Winter of this year. B's job has been gradually slowing down up here and he has been offered steady regular work down there, my adult children and I can transfer our jobs from here to there. Our goal is to buy a house as properties are alot less expensive there so we are really excited so that is going to be our forever place wh...

We were travelling through Awanui last week and finally got to see the finished result of this mural that has taken a few weeks to complete. Although this might look quite simple it actually isn't. The artist is Cody Paparoa who lives in the nearby town of Kareponia . It's been painted on the front wall of a Chorus exchange building - Chorus is the company who basically own the phone/internet/fibre/broadband lines in New Zealand and technicians can enter these buildings all over the country as part of repairing problems.  Linking up with  Mural Monday .

Have you heard of Pounamu aka Jade? It's only found in New Zealand's South Island and is known for it's deep green beauty. Maori and artists use it to make jewellery and sculptures as it's easy to be drawn to it's power. Sometimes you can find small pieces on West Coast beaches but the general rule is that there are limited places you can take it from and it must be in small amounts not big pieces. There are 5 types - each type has it's own unique look and features: Kawakawa Kahurangi Inanga Kokopu Tangiwai This shop in Hokitika specialises in not only carving workshops but also sells various creations. Another rule of thumb is that pounamu usually needs to be given to you, you can buy them from a business but there is bad energy from that person's spirit if you steal one. I have one that hangs up on the rear vision mirror inside my car that I was given as a gift a few years ago.  Here is one I found on Flickr by the Christchur CoCA Gallery - link here ....

In between Greymouth and Punakaiki is this monument on top of a hill next to the main highway. The Strongman Mine was an underground coal mine north of Greymouth of New Zealand's west coast of the South Island that operated from 1938 until 2003.  On 19th January 1967 a gas explosion in the mine killed 19 miners. In 1994 the original mine was replaced by the Strongman 2 mine further up the Nine Mile Valley. This mine eventually closed in 2003. The monument honours those who were killed in the disaster and acknowledges the 65 years of mining in the area. Linking up with  Skywatch Friday , All Seasons   and  Tom's Signs .

In Hokitika is this beauty of a church named St Mary's Catholic Church , why it's so grand and ornate who knows? This caught our eyes last week on the first day of our holiday. In 1912 the parish building committee agreed to call for tenders for a new church so a Greymouth architect named John Thomas Watson prepared a concept design in Roman or neoclassical architecture. Alfred Luttrell won the tender and although he was guided by Watson's work, he introduced significantly different aspects. The previous 1866 church was demolished in February 1914 and Bishop John Grimes laid the foundation stone a month later. Owing to the outbreak of WW1 and funding difficulties it wasn't until 1920-21 that the portico and tower were added. The church was built of double brick but in 1927-28 the plaster was finally applied and the building achieved it's final appearance. In 2004 the church was registered with the Historical Places Trust but unfortunately following a structural asse...

Another mural I spotted on the wall on the side of a building down an alleyway in Whangarei just before Christmas. This one of a white Tiger down in John Street but I am unable to find who painted it. Linking up with Mural Monday .

I'm one of those people who gets a bit excited by old architecture around New Zealand. This old pub/building/hotel is located on the main street of Westport on the West Coast. Judging by the look of it I'd say it was built around the early 1920s. I'm not really sure how it got it's name, perhaps the building was originally black and white. It seems to have some bad reviews from about 5 years ago on Trip Advisor but recently there are alot of positive comments. Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and  The Weekend Roundup .

Last week we were away for a short break at the West Coast of the South Island. On day 2 we travelled to Westport but stopped at many places along the way. This is one of them - Tauranga Bay a well known spot for both cyclists and tourists. The sign saying "Kawatiri" is a word meaning "deep and swift" also one of my ancestors was named Arthur Kawatiri Luff who lived in this region but I will share a post about his life later. About an hour away on this particular walk is a seal colony but we chose not to do this as we had other places to see too. After carefully climbing down some rocks we walked along the beach which was very very spanse.  Lots of driftwood. In every beach we visit I try to get a different coloured or unusual rock to take home so that I have something from our travels.  Lots of birds, mostly groups of different types of gulls and fairy terns which are endangered. This little guy is a native Weka but they are not endangered. They are about the size ...

In Taupo on the corner of Ferry Road and Tongariro Street near the boat marina is this giant Trout sculpture. The town is famous for it's freshwater lake in which the fish roam around. The sculpture was erected in 1999 to replace a previous trout sculpture built in 1985 for the Dawn Walker Trout Fishing Competition.  Linking up with  Our World Tuesday ,  Through my lens ,  Tuesday Treasures ,  Travel Tuesday ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

On the side of the building in Whangarei is this quirky odd looking mural named "The Manaia" which was painted for the Whangarei Street Arts Festival. In Maori culture it symbolizes a mythological creature believed to be the messenger between the earthly world of mortals and the domain of the spirits. It was painted by Brazilian artist Mateus Bailon who was born in Santa Catarina when he visited New Zealand.   Linking up with Mural Monday .

Wow Auckland sure has changed since I use to work there in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Last time we were there wandering around the city I noticed this kind of animated screen on the outside of one of the buildings on Queen Street opposite Fort Street advertising the BNZ Bank, every minute it would change to another business. Seemed a bit like Back to the Future 2. Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and  The Weekend Roundup .

I've seen a few streets around our region where certain roads have been painted in bright colours with words like "stop" and "give way" etc and I'm guessing the idea is for them to stand out to motorists so that they take more care while driving.  The guy on the motorbike was driving through Kawakawa last week - Summer is perfect for bike rides. Linking up with  Skywatch Friday ,  All Seasons   and  Tom's Signs .

At my town's local sculpture park this work by  Donald Buglass  is one of many pieces of artworks. Names "dreams of flight" it's a playful interactive installation by the artist and also represents deeper meanings and various metaphors of mankind's desire for exploration/collection of knowledge. The figurehead represents the Haast Eagle. Happy New Year for 2021. Our New Year's eve came and went very quietly, no parties, no fireworks and no screaming people. It's like it eased itself in without anyone knowing and I wonder what 2022 will bring? New dreams...new understandings. I don't normally make new year resolutions but I think the following 4 will work for me: 1. Take more photos 2. Read more books 3. Blog more 4. Spend less time on social media because it's a toxic dump Linking up with  Our World Tuesday ,  Through my lens ,  Tuesday Treasures ,  Travel Tuesday ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

  I really like how this building in Whangarei stands out. I'm not sure what it was used for originally but it now belongs to the Salvation Army with the outside colours and patterns being painted by Josh Moetara, a kiwi artist. I can't find alot of information about Josh but the words below his name saying " colour our city " are from the 2020 event where New Zealand artists painted buildings and walls around the town. Linking up with Mural Monday .

One from Whangarei featuring an alley mall where there's lots of little shops. This was taken the week before Christmas and I'm sad to say that businesses have been pretty quiet. I hope that over Summer people will be out and about spending up large. Happy New Year! Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and  The Weekend Roundup .