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...