Quick visit to Eketāhuna Cottage. 📷 #Eketāhuna #cottage #garden #family

Small country cottage with white walls and grey roof. Surrounded by a profusion of flowers. White clouds and evening blue sky above.


Flowers of Kirikiriroa

baskets of flowers in an alleyway abundance of flowers in pots and planters


Kirikiriroa and the mighty Waikato awa (river).

View of a full and wide river through lush subtropical foliageview of a full dark green river with lush trees and a boardwalk along the nearby riverbo


Andrew Bayer Live at ABGT500 Los Angeles

Andrew Bayer's live set at Above & Beyond's Group Therapy 500 at the Banc of California Stadium is now available to stream and view.

This was one of the top sets of the weekend; we were also lucky enough to see Andrew live in a much smaller venue at the Academy LA the night before, where he also played a great set.

Youtube Video

Apple Music 

Spotify

Album cover - Andrew Bayer - ABGT500 Live from Lost Angeles


The Ness of Brodgar

The Ness of Brodgar Excavation continues to uncover fascinating information about Neolithic Orkney:

At its zenith, in the main phase that we are currently exploring (dating from c 3100BC), the Ness was dominated by huge freestanding buildings flanked by a pair massive stone walls.

The best book on the Ness at present is The Ness of Brodgar: As It Stands (Orcadian, 2020)

I am very keen to visit this and other sites in Orkney at some point!

An aerial view of the complex of structures uncovered in Trench P on the Ness.


Finished reading: The Adventures of Ibn Battuta 📚- accounts of the 14thC travels of Ibn Battuta.


Auckland train and bus to the airport

Auckland airport from Britomart station by train and bus transfer at Puhinui station - transfers every 10 minutes. Total cost $8 - compared to $70+ via taxi or rideshare. Similar travel time.

(Normal trip cost is $5.40; the $8 included a new AT Hop card. It was also Santa Parade day and central Auckland was gridlocked. Uber was quoting $122 to get to the airport - and it would have taken 1.5 hours....)

Britomart train station Train arrivingTrain interiorPurple lights on escalator Brand new futuristic Puhinui stationAirport transfer electronic timetable - every 10 minutes


Rufus Du Sol

Went to the Rüfüs Du Sol concert in Tāmaki Makaurau last night. It was pure joy and wonderment.

A concert crowd seemingly stretching to the horizon, under a blizzard of white paper confetti

The crowd at the Vector Arena seemingly stretching to infinity under a blizzard of white confetti.

Man dancing in swirling white paper confetti

Sam surrounded by confetti.

Two women smiling and dancing

Rusty and Melissa - who we met at the show - enjoying the vibe.

My sister at the concert!

Turns out my sister was at the same concert - neither of us knew till we saw each other in the crowd!

Singer thanking the crowd at the emd of the show

 Rüfüs Du Sol member and singer Tyrone Lindqvist thanking the crowd.


Anjunadeep Open Air Los Angeles

Jody Wistenoff and Jono Grant


Anjunadeep Open Air Los Angeles


Above and Beyond Group Therapy 500

“A Thing Called Love”


Above & Beyond Group Therapy 500 - Los Angeles, Banc of California Stadium

Above and Beyond CrewSamIMG 4495


Exhibition catalog from “Queer - Stories from the NGV collection”. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.


57th wedding anniversary lunch with mum and dad #family #anniversary #weddinganniversary #57years #lunch


Glorious spring flowers at Eke County Cottage #eketahuna #eketāhuna #ekecountrycottage #flowers #garden #spring #family


Waihi Falls, Tararua District #waihifalls #tararua #waterfall #upclose #spring #roadtrip2021


Blossom #spring #blossom #garden #eketāhuna #ekecountrycottage #roadtrip2021


Eketāhuna Country Cottage - spring garden #eketāhuna #eketahuna #ekecountrycottage #garden #spring #family #roadtrip2021


Country morning, Taratahi #country #morning #prerun #run #spring #taratahi #carterton #wairarapa #aotearoa


Beru island, Kiribati

A few pictures from the island of Beru, one of the southern islands of Kiribati 🇰🇮 - the impacts of sea level rise killing of coconut trees is palpable. The ponds are used to grow algae, a traditional specialty of Beru (seen in the bucket). #billhastings #beruisland #kiribati🇰🇮 #kiribati #climatechange