Laura Williamson
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Sound and vision
What’s a nice Post Rock band like EchoKnot doing in a place like Queenstown? THE LIST OF ECHOKNOT’S THREE MEMBERS TELLS YOU A LOT. JOE BARRON-COWIE IS ON “GUITARS, KEYS AND PROGRAMMING”, SCOTT KENNEDY DOES “GUITARS, KEYS AND VISUALS”, WHILE ANDY PATERSON TAKES CHARGE OF “BASS AND NIHILISM”. CHECK. THERE IS NO LEAD SINGER, THERE…
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Time killers: The 1964 guide to hut games
How to win friends and battle boredom in the WiFi-less purgatory that is a backcountry hut. A BACKCOUNTRY HUT IS A TOUGH PLACE FOR AN INTROVERT. NO MATTER HOW REMOTE, THERE’S ALWAYS THE CHANCE YOU’LL BE SHARING YOUR SHELTER WITH STRANGERS, AND YOU’RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO THEM. Huts are a social…
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That Middlemarch Submarine
How a historic bateau plongeur ran aground in the Strath Taieri. THE TOWN OF MIDDLEMARCH IS 80 KILOMETRES FROM THE NEAREST BEACH. IT’S SO DRY IN SUMMER THE CLIMATE IS CLASSED AS “DESICCATING”. THERE ARE DUST STORMS. YET THERE, TUCKED AWAY ON ABERAFON STREET OFF THE MAIN DRAG, SITS AN EXTRAORDINARY SLICE OF NEW ZEALAND…
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A history of bats
When mammals fly. A BAT CAN’T SEE IN THE DARK, BUT A BAT CAN FIND ITS WAY. TO BATS, EVEN THE BLACKEST NIGHT IS THREE-DIMENSIONAL. THEY CAN CATCH TINY INSECTS WHILE FLYING AT 60 KILOMETRES PER HOUR USING NOTHING BUT SOUND. WE THINK THINGS ARE AS WE SEE THEM, BUT BATS KNOW OTHERWISE. THE WORLD…
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Review: NZMSC Outdoor safety videos, Season two
The NZ Mountain Safety Council Following the success of their 2018 Tramping Video Series, the NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) has made seven new clips detailing the dos, don’ts and be-carefuls of some of the country’s most popular tracks. With a total of 19 short films now on offer, it’s like the Marvel Cinematic Universe,…
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Music Review: Lacuna by Reb Fountain
Seeing Reb Fountain perform live is a bewitching experience, not just because she is an absurdly-talented songwriter and musician, but also because she has a way of dancing that makes you want to question everything you ever thought to be true and give yourself over to Reb’s groove. That director Lola Fountain-Best chose to focus…
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Book Review: Creative Conservation – A celebration of artists who are wild about nature
By Chrissy Wickes and Sonia Frimmel (New Holland Publishers, 2021) Creative Conservation showcases 35 established and aspiring artists who work with and celebrate the landscapes, flora and fauna of Aotearoa. There’s art created out in the field , art made from natural materials found out in the field, and in situ pieces that sit out…
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There’s a poem in that
Three poets, three bikes, and one noisy bird. Liz Breslin revisits Rail:lines, a pedal-powered poetry tour of the Otago Central Rail Trail. MOST PEOPLE DON’T LIKE MOST POEMS BECAUSE MOST POEMS DON’T LIKE MOST PEOPLE. THOUGH THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION OF SOMETHING POET ADRIAN MITCHELL ONCE SAID, APPROXIMATELY 50 YEARS AGO AND 19,000 KILOMETRES AWAY,…
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Time to bide
Monty Bevins settles down. THESE STREETS ALL DISAPPEAR INTO A PORCUPINE HORIZON ‘TIL / SOMETHING NEW AND SHINING ARRIVES TO FEAST YOUR EYES ON / SEVEN YEARS OF RUNNING AWAY, FESTER IN THE DISARRAY – ‘BE HERE NOW’ When Monty Bevins took to touring, he really took to touring. It was 2012. He was working…