Fried Hungarian Bread...

and Kiwi beer, flags in the park and the crowd going off to Monglian Rock and 17 Hippies from Berlin can only mean one thing...WOMAD.

For the the last 2 years I have watching people eat this bread at the festival but the queue is legendary so when I arrived after work on Friday and saw that it was only 10 or so people long I jumped in and finally got the chance to try it. Now I know why you would wait for an age to get some!

And who knew there was such a thing as Mongolian rock music, tradition instruments and outfits (minus the fur hats) plus bass guitar and drums, fabulous stuff! The 'life's rich tapestry' award goes to the Inuit throat singer. I can't even begin to describe it but for some it will be meaningful that she has sung with Bjork - nuf said.

'Proper' art

On Saturday night the Gallery opened it's latest exhibition. There are pieces by several different artists but this one really is quite stunning - stunning as in you stand there and can't really believe that not only has someone dreamed this up but they have actually built it. And it's huge.

Yup, seriously, cardboard boxes and packing tape, the whole thing. Our exhibitions guys were helping out and one of them was working on this. It was built off site, dismantled, carted up the road to the gallery, put back together and then hung, upside down, from the ceiling. Wow doesn't even begin to cover it.

Street art

The last time I saw serious street art was near my place in Melbourne.


but recently some pretty decent stuff has been popping up here in New Plymouth.

Cool eh?

One Eyed 4 One Day

To support the people of Christchurch a good chunk of the population today wore red and black, the Canterbury Rugby colours. See Clare at work and me below. It was wonderful to see especially as it also indicated a donation to the Red Cross through work for most people.


Also, in a totally Kiwi moment the mayor of Christchurch did his late afternoon press briefing in a red t-shirt with 'IT'S MUNTED' written in shaky black. To be fair this is a direct quote made by someone when trying to describe the damage. Translation - Munted = cactus, broken, beyond help.

Who'd a thought

Did you know there was such a thing as a flat peach? Neither did I but here they are and apparently they are all natural heirlooms and grown down south in Otago. They taste great too.

And yes, someone has come up with a snappy name for them.

Sadness and learning

On Monday we lost one of our kaumatua, the chair of our Kaunihera or maori advisory committee. It is traditional to mark a loss with kawakawa leaves, kind of the native version of rosemary (although it looks nothing like it) - medicinal and used as a symbol of remembrance. So yesterday a group of staff got together and made a wreath for Karanga who sits outside the museum.

My weaving experience is limited to say the least but it was wonderful to learn how to make this parepare kawakawa. Here is a closeup. You can see the flax band with the kawakawa woven into it.

And of course we are now remembering those lost in Christchurch with the big aftershock long promised hitting this afternoon.

That's more like it

A sunny day and a little precision flying for late afternoon entertainment.

There was also a regatta this morning, all without having to leave my back deck.