Kia Ora

Kia Ora

In New Zealand this means welcome, and that is certainly what you get- one big warm welcome.

The place is beautiful, the arts and crafts vibrant, there seems to be an admirable amount of dialogue happening between the first people and the later arrivals and the weather is truly temperate!
So refreshing after home and knowing that the spectre of the Australian summer was on the horizon again.
I had a great week teaching at the Wanganui University Summer School http://www.ucol.ac.nz/
- spent the time with a great bunch of students and the evenings busy with all the associated cultural activities and then tutors de-brief over a glass of wine at the pub! I work hard but am no angel- it was great to sit back and have a yarn.
If you fancy a great holiday and something interesting to do, look into it- there was a wide range of arts covered and all the work in the Tutors exhibition and throughout the studios lead me to think each class was desirable

New Zealand is a vibrant indigenous craft and I saw so many highly desirable examples of it.
Mere Keating is a excellent practioner of the art [ the pic is of her work and my very own treasure] mere teaches in the Wanganui area. Contact her if you are interested in lessons merepete@xtra.co.nz .

Pictures above are of the beach near Wanganui- black sand and covered in bleached driftwood- just stunning, you could spend hours wandering along looking at all the shapes. and the locals make these really cool lean-tos to keep out of the wind.

The other is bubbling mud pools at Rotorua, amazing but ooohh! the smell- my eyes and nose streammed all the time I was there and I did not stop sneezing until about 2 hours out of town. still the place was so fascinating...