Kiwi Bird

I was born and raised in the same suburb as Rusty (Mt Roskill), and I teach at his old grammar school. I remember when he was known as 'Russ le Roq' and was in a local production of "The Rocky Horror Show". But that is about the extent of our commonality. However I still remember the thrill when, as "The Gladiator", he urged his troops to "give them hill!" as his good old Kiwi vowels leaked through the Brit accent he used in that film.

Rangitoto (Fire in the Sky in Maori) is an Auckland icon - like Big Ben is to London or the Golden Gate to San Francisco. I love painting it because it is a perfect conical shape and it is the same no matter which direction you view it. It is visible from most parts of Auckland and it stands guard just outside the harbour. I painted this about 10 years ago.

These crater lakes are right in the middle of the North Is. The one in the foreground (called appropriately 'Crater Lake') is boiling water and still erupts from time to time. The last time was a few years ago. The one in the distance is Lake Taupo which is a very large cold water lake full of trout. When it erupted thousands of years ago the ash spread to the Northern Hemisphere - it was a very big bang!

There are hundreds of little islands dotted around NZ's coastline. You can buy one - they're not that expensive. As islands go.

Name says it all really.

This is in a part of NZ called Fiordland - for obvious reasons. It's at the very bottom of the South Is. Mitre Peak is the point wreathed in cloud. It is a mysterious, magical place - wild and beautiful. Untouched by human activity mostly. Just an outpost at Milford where you catch a boat or helicopter to explore.

Last look at Bay of Islands - the sand on the east coast of the North Is is white/golden - on the west coast it's black - cool eh?
Golf course in the foreground - playing golf is very cheap here - about $20 - $30 a round on the public links - sometimes less.

Ninety Mile Beach is on the opposite side of the North Is to Paihia, but because NZ is very skinny at this point it's just a short drive. The iron sand is black like this all down the west coast of the North Is. A big Japanese company wanted to come in and mine it for the ore but of course we said no way! When I was a kid we used to take a magnet to the beach and play with the iron sand - very cool!

Paihia in the Bay of Islands is 3 hours north of Auckland. It's a stunning place - still unspoiled with dozens of jewel-like islands dotted in the clear blue sea.

Can't not have some sheep now can we?

This looks like something from an old cowboy movie - but it's in the Southern Alps of NZ.

Akaroa is a quaint French settlement near Christchurch in the South Is. It was France's base for colonising NZ but they procrastinated and the Brits beat them to it! It enjoys the legacy of great food and a certain je ne sais quoi!

They've changed the system. I have spent ages trying to post some pics but when I say "Blog This" it doesn't! No code comes upin my post-edit screen. I'll keep trying but......

I just did it but lost them all when I went to save - grrrrr!

Will try again later! XXX

Later..... Yay - it works!!!!