OMC - Land Of Plenty - Nov 19 Auckland

Sitting at the Pacific Business Trust Awards with the Fuemana Sisters, it was great to honour Pauly Fuemana, who died tragically, early this year at the age of 40. He was a member of OMC, the Otara Millionaire Club, famous for their world wide hit song "How Bizarre"

He was a true artist and his vision is captured in this great song and video about the beauty of Aotearoa-New Zealand. The Land of Plenty for everyone....

OMC - Land Of Plenty Video - ARTISTdirect Music

Sunday Market Nov 7

Nice day, time for some fresh cheap veges & fruit.....

Came back with radishes, beetroot, broccolli, aubergine and strawberries

 

 

 

 

Hangi Time

Yummmmm! Raising the hangi at the 50th Wedding Anniversary, Pupuaruhe Marae, Whakatane, 17 Sept 2010

 

Samoan Holiday, Savaii, Upolu

Sun, sand and tropical weather, fine or wet is great in Samoa.

Fa'a Samoa

Kj

More Samoa Holiday September 2010

Samoa, the cradle of Polynesia

A fantastic place for a cruisy holiday, with interesting sights, people and tropical weather thats always warm.

Yum.

Spring

It's been a while but the Ika's back. Spring is in the air and the Ika's ready to start talking again. It wasn't spring in Greytown a couple of weeks ago but I had fun looking at the shops through the phone.

More Matariki at Te Papa

Cool stuff at Te Papa including
; Paper Skin exhibition featuring Tapa
; Moko village featuring Moko and Tatau (tattoo) practitioners (men and women) from Maori, mixed Maori/Samoan, Samoan and Tahitian cultures
; Tatau talk a panel discussion
; Fashion show

Featured are heaps of photos from the fashion show at Te Papa featuring work by Suzanne Tamaki and Steven Ball amongst others.  Steven's work is notable because all the garments are made from paper-type products.

Was lucky to meet up with them later that night as they celebrated and to meet several of the Ta moko tohunga and learn more about them but sadly had to leave them singing their hearts out at Blue Note because of work commitments the next day.  Such is an Ika's life....

Matariki - Maori New Year

Happy Matariki

The Maori New Year has begun signalled by the reappearance in the night skies of a group of stars known to Maori as Matariki, and otherwise known as the Pleiades star cluster or The Seven Sisters.

The Maori new year is marked by the rise of Matariki and the sighting of the next new moon.

The Matariki festival has started at Te Papa, the National Museum in Wellington with many free events to celebrate ranging from the Kaumatua Kapa Haka to the Seven Sisters concert I attended last night featuring Lisa Tomlins from Fat Freddy's Drop, Bell Kalolo, Ria Hall and Puawai Cairns. Kali Kopae and Ramon TeWaake.

There's an awesome range of cultural activities which features both Pacific and Maori artists; Moko village and talks on Mau moko and Tatau talk, tapa traditions from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.  Next week the Seven brothers concert features the laughing Samoans so I'll get along to that one too.

Wedding Anniversary 18 May 1960 - Wiremu & Tamara

Great day for the whanau!

Wiremu & Tamara, their 50th wedding anniversary; both 70 years old and still working...

KJ May 2010, May 2009

Time has moved on from 12 months ago, with its peaks and troughs, what we call nga piki me nga heke, travels and new experiences a plenty, loves gained, lost, reshaped, mistakes made but always something to be learned, exquisite emotions, exciting work and new projects, moments shared that will never be forgotten....

All these add more character to the person.  Certainly my person seems to be showing this additional character as you can see from the pictures taken 12 months ago and this month.

Aroha nui KJ

KJ May 2009

KJ May 2010

Travelling from Surabaya, Java to Bali

Odd collection of photos taken with mobile phone from recent Bali / Java Trip - the first is taken inside a tobacco factory, which is situated right in the slums of Surabaya (cheap labour) and shows the factory floor with several hundred people are making cigarettes.  Next few photos taken from the train travelling from Surabaya to the crossing point between Java and Bali, then a cuople of pics from Bali beside the beach and a hindu temple next door  - PS taking photos with the mobile phone seems more secretive than a conventional camera; more so when you are not allowed to take photos, hehehe

Surabaya Zoo

Special place to see animals from Indonesia, although seeing them locked up makes you question whether this is good = Komodo dragon, orangutang, sumatran tiger (beautiful)

Flying into Surabaya Java

Flying into Surabaya, Java - lots of volcanoes, and what also looked like giant paddy fields but is a failed attempt to mine a mud volcano which has gone horribly wrong and the mud volcano is consuming the countryside - already a village has gone. A very hot and sticky country. Millions of people, most desperately poor...

Bali

Putu Bali, Krokoban, Bali
Very nice accommodation in Bali, away from the hustle and bustle of Kuta and Legian - almost rural. Lots of development attracting investors and westen tourists.

Good morning from Wellington - walking to work

Another beautiful day...

Walking to work is always interesting and inspiring.  Especially when you've got a fantastic route.

Walking to work this morning from Mt Cook I passed the carillion 

 Down Tory St past Te Papa the museum to the harbour and the sun was blazing on the buildings

 looking across the harbour,

 and one of the newest artworks on the harbour called reflections.

Hot Saturday, Houghton Bay

Another nice summer day.....Tennis in the afternoon then a swim on Wellingtons South Coast, Houghton Bay to cool off.

Fab Fri Feb 19

Great day in Wellington on Friday.

Lunch at Dockside Wellington Harbour, then a short walk to Te Papa and later.....a night out in Cuba St, S&M Bar, watch the laser show in the car park then on to the Bucket Fountain.  Home just after midnight - not too late....

 

 

Day at Domain and Museum Feb 13

Several days in Auckland for conference then couple of days R & R in hot and humid weather...Enjoyable day at the domain and museum.  It would'nt be summer without cricket....

  

And then into the museum - it has to be one of my favourite experiences...