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.

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 […]

Photon

Petone, Wellington NZ, July 2012: Scored an original variant of the now famous “Diana” camera recently for just NZD $20. New versions can go for up to $150-$200. The Diana and it’s many clones were manufactured in Hong Kong in the 1960’s. Infamous for their dubious construction, soft focus, light leaks and vignetting, they are […]

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 […]

Golden Orb

Queensland, Australia, March 2012: While on a recent holiday in Queensland I had a close call with one of these giant Golden Orb spiders. We’d stopped at the side of the road to stretch our legs when I nearly walked into one of their giant webs… They have a very nasty bite- though not fatal […]

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 […]

Arson

Taita, Wellington, NZ, last week: I’ve noticed a few fire gutted houses around the place recently. Spotted the remains of this place last week. A quick google search (confirmed by google maps), found that police suspect this house had been burgled prior to being set alight….

Summit

Midhurst, Taranaki NZ, March 2012: The neglected “Summit-Quinphos” building was a former Taranaki Dairy Company milk powder factory that operated for a brief time in the mid 1970’s. Current occupiers are unknown- the factory seems to be now only used to store fertiliser. The site was virtually abandoned when I dropped by in March…

For Sale

Greytown, Wairarapa, NZ, April 2012: The long-derelict former Greytown Hospital is up for sale. Buildings on the historic 1.5 hectare site date back to 1890 and followed the old Florence Nightingale open-ward plan. Most of the asbestos has now been removed and the main building earthquake strengthened. The hospital (which closed in 1995) had originally […]