Allan Uren
The Best of Bingo
On the footpath outside a Helwick Street café in Wānaka, there is a plaque, a leash hook and a water bowl. Bingo’s back arches, suddenly, like those silly cats when they get a fright. All the hair on his back stands on end as if magnetised. In that moment between surprise and concern, he has…
Recollections
Allan Uren finds a private collection of wartime memorabilia hidden in a small town basement. Dear Mummy, I hope this letter reaches you without the mark of a censor’s hand. Life here in the trenches could be worse and it’s best not to make a fuss of what you can’t control and just get on…
Top of the pit stops
The 1964 guide to our favourite rural, and remote, toilets of the South Island. You may not realise it if you grew up in Aotearoa, but this country does public toilets well. Drive into any small town and you will be greeted by a white-on-blue sign pointing the way jauntily to the loos, conveniently located,…
Burning issues
According to William Shakespeare, the fire that’s closest kept burns most of all. Allan Uren investigates. FORAGING FOR FIREWOOD IS HARD WORK. AS THE SAYING GOES, IT WARMS YOU TWICE. OR, AS WĀNAKA FIREWOOD ENTHUSIAST TOM O’DONNELL LIKES TO SAY, IT ACTUALLY WARMS YOU FIVE TIMES: CUTTING DOWN THE TREE, RINGING IT, SPLITTING IT, STACKING…