South Island
-
The art of the rod
Carl McNeil’s fibreglass rods are pretty fly. WHEN A MASTER FLY CASTING INSTRUCTOR, WHO BY HIS OWN ADMISSION MAKES THE BEST FLY RODS IN THE WORLD, ASKS FOR THE NAME OF THE ARTICLE YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT HIM, AND YOU SAY, ‘THE ART OF THE ROD’, YOU DON’T EXPECT HIM TO REPLY WITH, “THAT SOUNDS…
-
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…
-
Food Review: Royal India, Geraldine
Yes, you read correctly, Geraldine. And for those keeping score, this will be the third mention of Geraldine’s culinary scene in 1964 (Al’s Hot Pepper Sauce, The Running Duck Cafe). For those traveling between the Queenstown Lakes District and the East Coast, Geraldine (population 2,800) is the spot for a snack, a meal or a…
-
In the Theatre of the Gogs
Where art meets adventure. IN THE THEATRE OF THE GOGS IS AN ODE TO OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY. THE FILM BRINGS TOGETHER AN ADVENTURE FILM-MAKER, RICHARD SIDEY, AND A LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER, CHRISTOPHER DAVID THOMPSON, TO DOCUMENT WHAT IT TAKES TO CAPTURE IMAGES OF THE REMOTE AND WILD PLACES OF AOTEAROA. The making of this documentary, filmed in…
-
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,…
-
And yet it moves
A Foucauldian moment in the mountains. Bivvy /(‘bıvı)/ Verb 1. Informal for bivouac. 2. To stay outside in a small tent or temporary shelter. 1. Arriving in Wellington off the ferry late one drizzly night with no money to spare for accommodation, I wandered the city looking for somewhere to sleep. It was the 1980s,…
-
Have you seen this head?
One family’s search for a missing stag (as in deer, not party). ROBERT WALSH AND DAVID HOPE WERE NOT TROPHY HUNTERS. BOTH WERE GOOD SHOTS OUT OF NECESSITY. IT WAS 1949, AND THEY HAD YET TO RECOVER FROM THE DEPRESSION, EVEN TEN YEARS ON. ROBERT HAD THREE CHILDREN AND DAVID, WHO WAS 16 AT THE…
-
The blacksmith and his bicycle
The story of maybe the first made-in-New Zealand actually rideable bike. AS THE LATE WINTER SUN BRINGS ITS WARMTH TO THE DAYS AGAIN, THE DUSTY TRAILS OF OTAGO COME ALIVE WITH THE HISS OF RUBBER TYRES AND THE RATCHETING CLICK OF BICYCLE GEARS. The region’s riders settle onto their seats, travelling singly, with friends, or…
-
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…