Cass

I cannot talk of the reopening of the Art Gallery (previous post a few minutes ago) without mentioning Rita Angus (Rita cook as she was in the 1930s).
As a Canterbury artist she was outstanding. They must have been very heady times back in the 1930s with all the known artists either living together - or coming together on a regular basis to discuss, paint, debate, etc.

Rita Angus did a number of paintings in the Cass area at Craigeburn. This is her most famous painting. The gallery reframed it not long before the earthquake - a big improvement I felt.

However she also painted this one (below) which I personally prefer - and have a print of in our guest bedroom here at home.

Art Gallery

Chris and I have promised each other we will take time out from our busy lives and do something together each weekend. Hopefully this promise will last - and so far it has. 'Tis good for the soul.

Our Christchurch Art Gallery reopened just before Christmas, after all the repairs following the February 2011 earthquake were finally completed. Sadly I was away overseas at the time. Chris was here and was the first through the door on opening day. She was keen to escort me through the new exhibitions, most of which were based around local art and artists - and appropriately so. I have to admit it was quite an emotional moment walking back through those doors after over 5 years.

'Sunset, Craigeburn' 1932 - Colin Lovell-Smith

One of my favourite Canterbury paintings is this one below "Camp in the Kowai' by Austen Deans from Peel Forest.

Anzac Day

It is an annual event for us to get up early on Anzac Day to attend the dawn service. This year was no exception. In recent years our granddaughter, Arna, being an air cadet, has marched in the parade. Sadly this year she was absent as she was away on a senior cadet course at Burnham military camp but she attended parade there.

The oldest veteran this was 103 years old - very spritely for his age -and long may he continue this way. He led the parade, driven in a WW2 Willys jeep.

In so much as I am against war, I am so grateful for what our forebears did to enable us to have the the freedom we experience today. Sadly though, the world does not learn. Memories are short!

The oldest veteran centre of attention after the service

28th Maori Battalion Jeep, complete with accessories!

Budding soldier?

Local media interviewing

Anzac Exhibition

Laurence Aberhart, a well known New Zealand photographer, has a distinctive style. He works mainly in black and white - and captures buildings, maori carvings, museum work, war memorials, plus some landscape. He is gathering together a contemporary history of New Zealand and overseas.
His work is exhibited internationally and examples of his style can be found in many galleries.

The Christchurch museum recently exhibited his war memorial series (both New Zealand and Australia) prior to this year's 100th anniversary of Anzac remembrance parades.

The Annual Tramp

It all started in 1981with four of us, all keen trampers and mountaineers, deciding to come together for an annual event - and here we are in 2016 and just completed the 36th annual jaunt into the mountains.
Four of us this year. Sadly Peter missed his first ever annual tramp due to house repairs. Graeme too - almost didn't attend due to urgent appendix surgery, but with the promise from the rest of us that we would carry his heavy gear, he managed to come along - and maintain his perfect annual attendance, now the only one with a 100% record.
This year we drove down to Lake Ohau and with the 4WD managed to almost get up the Hopkins riverbed to the Huxley River. A pretty laid back trip this year - up as far as Broderick Pass - good food, good company, happy hours, etc - and the final night spent at Ohau Lodge, a dated but very pleasant place with views to die for, excellent food, good bar, and comfy beds.
The 40th anniversary is only a few years away, we'll have to start planning something special. In the meantime a book is being prepared. Graeme has written up all the journeys and I've recorded most of them with my camera.
Below are a few images from this year's tramp.......................

Huxley River terraces from Huxley Forks hut

Swing bridge in north branch of the Huxley River

Upper Huxley Valley from Broderick hut

Main Divide south of Broderick Pass

View from Broderick hut door

Geology on the Main Divide

Mountain Beech tree on the edge of the bush - upper north branch of the Huxley River

North branch of the Huxley River

The four lads this year - Graeme, John, Adrian, Stuart

Fireside Ambience

Moody afternoon up the Hopkins Valley

Homeward Bound

Spectrum - Street Art 2016

What do Urban Jungle, Soles, Icarus, Deow, Telmo and Miel, Seth, etc have in common?
They are all street artists.

Twelve months ago, I blogged several times regarding Spectrum 2015 and the display at the YMCA plus new street art around the city.
Well, it's here again in 2016 - and if I understood correctly, this is going to be an annual event for at least the next five years and the venue at the YMCA is to be set up as a permanent home for street art displays. Great news.
Below are some of the artworks at the YMCA this year.

As well, there are new street arts on various walls in the CBD. I haven't had the chance to bike around and view these yet, but I will - and soon.

As new ones are painted, others will disappear as new buildings are erected in rebuild of the city. Maybe in another 100 years - as happened after the earthquake a couple of years ago - these new buildings will be demolished and future  generations will discover these artworks. I'll post the new ones in due course.

The first artwork you come to is a 3D display on clear perspex - ~4-5 layers of it. You zig zag your way through these layers and come to the front - to the right you see the top image (above), to the left you see the lower image (above).
But...... if you carefully align yourself, you see this (below). Very clever!!

Other artworks ..............

There is one artist (a local - maybe Canterbury) whom I feel is worthy of mentioning. His work is on display year after year. Milton Springsteen - obviously his art name, but the way he takes examples of well known art and reproduces them with a twist is clever. Three examples are scattered in the above group.

Huts 04 - The Crow Valleys

In the Canterbury region especially, every tramper serves his or her apprenticeship gaining obligatory blisters tramping up the Waimak from Klondyke Corner near Arthur's Pass.
Back in the 1960s I used to tramp up to Carrington - and beyond - every two to three weeks. Easter was a classic time to be in the valley. Back the the CMC used to hold it's annual Easter Camp there. Invariably almost every mountain in the region was summited by at least several pairs of tricounied boots!
I well remember finding myself walking alongside John Pascoe chatting away as we walked up the riverbed in the moonlight to Anti Crow hut. One afternoon I trekked back up to Temple Col to search for the bum strap off my Mountain Mule pack, then returning to the the Pass and walking down the railway line to Klondyke and then up to Anti Crow hut, arriving about 1am - only to return downriver first thing the next morning.
Approximately 1.5 hours up river from Klondyke Corner, two major rivers enters the Waimak directly opposite each other - on the true left is the Crow River and on the true right, the Anti Crow river.
This area was well huttted. The CMC hut at the Anti Crow, CMC's Gizeh Biv in the headwaters of the Anti Crow, the NZAC hut at the head of the Crow - and the six bunk NZFS hut on the Waimak flats 15 minutes downstream of the Anti Crow.

Anti Crow hut (circa late 1960s)

 Sometime in the 1970s the CMC relinquished ownership of the Anti Crow hut to the Arthurs Pass National Park. This was to take effect on 1st January. Sadly, on the evening of 31st December, the hut burned down after hot embers fell through a hole in the floor from the open fire. Purely an accident, but most unfortunate timing.

Anti Crow hut after the fire

The Crow hut was owned by the New Zealand Alpine Club. It was replaced by a new hut in the 1980s.

The old Crow hut in the late 1970s - my daughter Rachael

The new Crow hut

Back over to the Anti Crow Valley, Gizeh Bivi at the head of the valley was always a favourite place of mine. On the edge of the bush line, the bivi was nestled into the bush right next to a large tree - a tree which was to be the bivi's demise. In a big storm the tree toppled a fell through the bivi, crushing it totally. Fortunately, no-one was inside at the time. It was never replaced. It was built of old tea cases - pressed tin. There were several of these bivis dotted around the APNP. Sadly none remain now. There were no bunks - just tussock on the floor.

Gizeh Bivouac

So there you have it. In three blogs I've chatted about all the huts in the Waimakariri Valley, within the bounds of the APNP.