Ballance

Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand, Nov 2011: Fort Ballance was a coastal artillery battery constructed in the mid 1880’s to defend Wellington from a naval attack. In the aftermath of the Crimean War- there was a real fear (the “Russian Scare”) that New Zealand might come under a naval attack from Russia, or another hostile power… […]

Beaufort

Beaufort Castle, Lebanon, November 2005: The Crusader fortress of Beaufort Castle- constructed in the 12th century- has been the focus for countless battles and the home of many occupiers over the centuries… Beaufort (French for “beautiful fortress”) sits atop a 300 meter cliff which declines steeply to the Litani River. Its commanding location, with views […]

PTA Pt.2

Patea, South Taranaki, NZ, March 2012: More images from the doomed and now derelict Patea Hospital. It’s seems insane to me that a former health facility -that served the local community for a century- should be left to ruin and vandalism in such a humiliating and undignified manner. See the first part here.

Citadel

Aleppo, Syria, November 2005: With the escalating conflict in Syria spreading to the country’s largest city, Aleppo, it’s about time I made a post about this ancient city. Also, over the coming weeks and months I will be publishing more images and stories from the Middle East in general, as it continues to fracture and […]

The Clinic part 2

Newtown, Wellington NZ, March 2012: More images from “The Clinic’, now closed like many buildings in Wellington recently, due to being Earthquake Prone. The main building was originally constructed in 1910 as a nurses home for the adjacent infectious disease ward (later the Ewart Hospital). It has modest aesthetic value for its Arts and Crafts […]

The Lost City

Olympos, Turkey, April 2003: While the US and allies were invading Iraq in April 2003, I was making my own sort of invasion route to neighbouring Turkey for the first time. It was a rather circuitous route, island hopping from Athens down to Crete- a long and very rough boat ride east to Rhodes- and […]

St James

Newtown, Wellington NZ, March 2012: When it comes to abandonments, it’s hard to beat the forlorn look of a derelict church. The St James Presbyterian church in Newtown was built in the late 19th century, the foundation stone laid in 1900. It’s exterior suggests this place of worship has been left for the dogs, but […]

Burnt Place

Hawera, Taranaki, NZ, June 2012: Another fire gutted building, this time in the town I grew up in, Hawera. The town has seen many major fires over the years, in pre-colonial times and during the early days of “Pakeha” settlement in particular. This led to the building of Hawera’s iconic concrete water tower. The Maori […]

Bush

Dublin, Ireland, 2004: At an Anti-Bush rally in Dublin, anger and frustration was very evident across a broad section of Irish society, with Bush’s upcoming visit and the EU-US summit at Dromoland Castle. A lot of criticism was directed at the Irish government for allowing the US access to Shannon airport for the refueling of […]