Happy New Year!

This is the time of year that the stars of the Pleiades, known here as Matariki, rise signalling the beginning of a new year for Maori, a time of remembrance of those who have left us during the previous year and a time of preparation for the next growing season as well as sharing food and stories.  It is increasingly being recognised and celebrated around the country and tonight there were fireworks in the city to start a week long festival.

One of the great things about living where I do is a lovely view across the harbour to the city from the end of my street. So I didn't have to go very far to enjoy them.

Going Wild

Another weaving weekend has meant that I have finished my third cape.  This one is not just flax, it has a layer of cabbage tree leaves that give it an extra 3D effect and make it look totally wild.

Weavers at work

Having missed three weeks because of work stuff it has been great to get back to weaving. This weekend was one of our occasional weekend weaves, lots of talking, eating and cups of tea as well as some actual work.

Much Pomp and Ceremony

This week saw the opening of the new exhibition at work, He Tohu, celebrating 3 landmark documents; the Declaration of Independance, the Treaty of Waitangi and the Women'sSuffrage Petition.  The were moved from Archives NZ in the wee small hours of the morning a month ago with a huge amount of ceremony and care.  Yesterday the public exhibition was opened by the Govener General and an impressive array of significant others.

The crowd gathering prior to the arrival of the official party

Some of the wonderful korowai/cloaks worn on special occasions such as this.

 I've only had a quick look but the documents, all from the 1800s are in a beautiful wood lined room with all the mod cons; light and humidity control and state of the art cases.

Sleeping under the Mountain

I spent most of this week at the annual Māori Librarians conference in Rotorua.  We stayed in a beautifully carved whare on the marae at the local Polytec. I managed to nab a sleeping spot underneath the poe carved in Taranaki style, all curvy and with the pointy head that honours Mt Taranaki.  Lots of great sessions but one of the highlights was listening to one of the master carvers that Rotorua is famous for, particularly surrounded by work like this.

I'm Back!

March and April have disappeared with a combination of a lot going on and nothing really happening.

In March I returned to New Plymouth for Womad.  Having had a pretty average summer it was wonderful to have 3 straight sunny days and, as you can see, I managed to get my food list ticked off too - Hungarian fried bread plus goat curry and dumplings, great accompaniment to fantastic music and catching up with friends.

 April was a bit all over the place with Easter and Anzac day plus a very, very early start to take part in the moving of 3 historic documents from Archives to the National Library, more on that in a few weeks when the new exhibition opens.  April also saw lots of weaving and, as you can see I still have my 'helper'.

On Anzac morning I went to my closest commemoration, at the local railway station where there is a flagpole that was the focus of the very first Anzac remembrances on 25th April 1916.  The flag was raised and wreaths laid, the one on the far right was laid by families from the local kindergarten and is made of lots of little red handprints (and a few green ones).  Having been up at 1.30am a few days before 6.30 was a snap!

Slightly More Normal

The building over the road from work is now almost completely gone, what's left is foundations and a bass relief mural that used to be at the back of the foyer.  Those in the know are very relieved that it survived and eventually it too will go but to a new home rather than the tip with all the other deconstruction mess.

There has also been another small step back towards normal.  My usual bus stop came out from behind the protective fencing a couple of weeks ago and as of last week is functional again so I'm back to a quick dash across the road at the end of the day rather than a trek (a whole extra 5 mins) down the hill.