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Flora Knight and Archer at the Old Mill, Waikari, 25 Feb
If you have ever seen The Eastern, you will know Flora Knight's wonderful fiddle playing. I really enjoyed her solo work on Saturday and watching her perform as a duo with Australian balladeer Archer. The Mill is such a unique venue. It felt timeless. Kids ran around in the dark outside with torches, as the candles burned low and couples slowly swayed across the old timber floor...
Wonderful new book released this week on Christchurch’s beautiful Isaac Theatre Royal!
I contributed a feature to Latitude’s Feb/March 2016 edition on Recreating the Magic - the rebirth of a Christchurch theatre, a new book that has just been published by Clerestory Press. The feature gives a taste of what to expect and hopefully will help promote this great book that covers how the city’s heritage theatre was rebuilt and restored after the Canterbury earthquakes, along with human interest stories around this compelling material. It is well worth reading! The book’s launch was held at the theatre, appropriately enough, on the fifth anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. More about this book and how to order at: http://isaactheatreroyal.co.nz/product/recreating-the-magic-book-3/
I put together quite a substantial feature for NZTODAY magazine recently, reflecting on the state of play in Canterbury, five years after the first earthquake on 4 September 2010. Collectively, everyone living in this region has been through so much. In many ways, we are finally starting to come out the other side. A lot of people have moved to new homes or have had their homes repaired. The central city rebuild is really going full speed ahead. Yet, all this upheaval has come at a price. Some people are still struggling with insurance nightmares or have issues with the standard of repairs carried out. So, the recovery is on going. I suspect the mental recovery - or is it a metamorphosis? - will take some years yet.
I'm grateful to the many interviewees who so generously shared their time and their perspectives. The feature took up something like 20 pages and I still feel like I didn't quite cover all the bases!
They went with songs to the battle, they were young. Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. The...
Counting down to Thursday when this production opens in Christchurch. It is going to be a very powerful performance, judging from the reviews coming out of Wellington. I interviewed NZ Army Band director of music, Captain Graham Hickman, on what to expect - the article is in the June edition of North & South (Four Corners). I'm really looking forward to see Neil Ieremia's choreography for Passchendaele by Dwayne Bloomfield and also the premiere of Andrew Simmons' choreography for a new commission by composer Gareth Farr. It should be quite a night!
Nepal Earthquakes
As the days pass by, what is happening in Nepal will start to slip off the news radar. We know from the experience in Christchurch that the impact of something like this lasts for years. It won’t be a quick fix. It is tragic to see how many people have died, sustained serious injuries and lost their homes.
I know there are many organisations out there, such as New Zealand Red Cross, inviting donations to support Nepal. Let’s just hope people’s generosity holds up and sees Nepal through the next six months, the next year, the next 10 years ...
Pictured: Christchurch's beautifully restored Isaac Theatre Royal
We went to see The Phantom of the Opera at the ITR on Saturday night. This was my first time back in the theatre and I was absolutely amazed at just how well it has been restored. Really, it has been pretty much rebuilt since the earthquakes and is now better than ever before.
It was a great show. Chris Crowe was a muscular and creepily convincing Phantom and Daniela-Rosa Cepeda's performance as Christine was faultless. The sets were seamlessly handled and the orchestra was very polished.
New Ashley-Rakahuri River Bridge opens - Feb 21 Residents in North Canterbury can't wait to use this new bridge, which connects the Ashley/Loburn area with Rangiora. It has been officially opened but some final touches are being completed this week before it actually opens to general traffic. In the meantime, the old 1912 bridge - still standing alongside the new one - remains open. The poor old bridge has served the region well but is ready to be retired. Motorists using the bridge had been frustrated by repeated bridge closures in recent years, which happened every time the river was in flood. So people will be relieved to have a more reliable replacement that also has footpaths and cycle lanes.
Hope everyone's enjoying a break and some time off with friends and family. Best wishes for 2015!
Tūhaitara Coastal Park at Woodend Beach
This park is well worth a visit. I went along to the open day there on Sunday, 9 November, with my 12-year-old daughter and we both learned a lot about Canterbury mudfish, how planting is being used to restore dunes and also found out more on the history of the local lagoon and what is being done to protect and restore it. There is a veritable army of pests such as stoats, ferrets, rats and wild cats in the coastal environment but at least now trapping is helping to reduce their numbers. The pleasant walk out to the lagoon is recommended - just be aware that nesting magpies can be a problem at this time of year, (though fortunately we didn't encounter any).
The camp has a small shop selling ice creams and there are seats under trees nearby. Great way to cool down after a walk to the beach or lagoon.
The “blood moon” Lunar Eclipse from NZ 12 midnight 8-9/10/2014
Wow, this was such an amazing sight. Stayed up late and watched as the shadow line of the eclipse slowly advanced across the white moon and eventually turned the whole globe a smoky red-brown. Worth the tired eyes today.
2014 Canterbury Community Historian Award
I'm pleased to announce that I have been successful in my application for the above award!
Over the next few months, I will be interviewing World War Two veterans to gather their war-time memories and life stories. This project has been inspired by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers' WWII Veteran Portraits' Project. My goal is to produce 10 to 12 veterans' biographies, sourced from the Canterbury region, to add depth and context to the wonderful photographs already taken by NZIPP members. Of course, I hope the information I collect will also be valued by veterans and their families, the RSA and others with an interest in this country's history. The intention is to archive it, on completion, so it will be publicly accessible into the long term.
Many thanks to the Canterbury History Foundation for giving me this opportunity - it is an honour.
exponential kiwi turned 4 today!
I'm just taking a moment out of the day to appreciate the moment & silently vow to try and make more time for my blog in the coming year!
Despite the health troubles fiance, coach and fellow triathlete Laurent Vidal has encountered over the past few months, triathlete Andrea Hewitt is competing at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this month.
Looking forward to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games starting in two days time. I really enjoyed meeting Andrea Hewitt and her partner and coach Laurent Vidal for Avenues magazine (July edition, 'Life of Tri'). They have had a very challenging build up to the games as a result of Laurent's sudden cardiac arrest a few months' back. From a distance, at least, he seems to have made a remarkable recovery and it has been great to follow Andrea's build-up to the games. Best of luck both to Andrea and all the other NZ competitors.
I'll also be following track athlete Angie Smit with keen interest. Angie has been a big name out here in North Canterbury for a long time now and is a really top competitor.
This is a great read - a close up look at the people and changing environments that lie on the 38th parallel line, a temperate middle latitude that divides North and South Korea, passes through Athens and San Francisco and bisects Mono Lake in Sierra Nevada, home to authors David and Janet Carle. There are some common themes that emerge as they travel the 38th parallel: challenges around access to and use of water and how landscapes and ecosystems are changing as a result. The chapter on mountaintop removal coal mines in West Virginia is pretty alarming, as is the story on the threat to Hasankeyf on the Tigris River from the Ilisu Dam project. Yet there is inspiring material too, for example on saving raptors in Sicily. It covers a lot ground with humane and intelligent commentary - excellent book.
(Published 2013, University of California Press)
Everyone seems to have an opinion on the merits or otherwise of Gaylene Preston's new series on the Christchurch earthquakes, Hope and Wire. Those who feel up to it can catch the first two-hour episode this Thursday (July 3rd) on TV3 at 8.30pm.
I wrote a feature on this series for Avenues in June, so you can find out more about it all by following this link to Fracture Lines: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/avenues/10152979/Gaylene-Prestons-quake-drama.
As I observe in the feature, no-one should expect this to be the full and final truth about the quakes and there are omissions, but there is plenty of emotional truth in the human stories it portrays. Gaylene is also one of this country's most experienced film makers so it's powerful stuff. I do appreciate though that for many this series has come too soon and the real experience is still too raw to be re-lived through something like this. It won't be to everyone's taste. She made it as 'a postcard to Auckland' so I hope people in that city do watch it to gain a better sense of what has happened down here and to realise, if they don't already, that an earthquake is much more than just a moment in time.
We know just how much you're all interested in keeping fit, so May's edition is all about health and wellbeing. This month, we've sent some writers off to trial some of the city's latest fitness trends, grabbed some recipes from some sports stars and spoken to fitness instructor Bevan James Eyles. We're officially out on Friday, but some lucky subscribers might receive their copy early. Enjoy ... Photos Danielle Colvin & Meredith Dyer
Wow, can't believe I made it into Avenues' fitness edition! I've really enjoyed getting into better shape for winter and even bought myself some dumbbells today ... definitely feeling more positive as a result of taking breaks from the screen and getting active from time to time. I think it helps the kids seeing their mum making more of an effort too.
