Dalí

Figueres, Catalonia, Spain, Jan 2005: In early 2005 while on a break in Catalonia, I visited the Teatro Museo Dalí. The great surrealist Salvador Dali was born in the town of Figueres in 1904. The heart of the museum was originally the town’s theatre, bombed during the Spanish civil war. In the 1960’s it was […]

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 […]

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….

PTA Pt.1

Patea, Taranaki, NZ, December 2011: The Historic former Patea Hospital (c.1880) still stands in it’s dilapidated state, 22 years after its closure. When the hospital finally closed its doors on December the 5th 1990, it had served the Patea District for over century. Locals have been complaining for years about the eyesore, demanding the […]

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 […]

Hotel du Commerce

Limoges, France, 2004: This hotel in Limoges had seen better days. Here’s to good times ahead for France… Nous ne manquerons pas vous Sarkozy- félicitations et bonne chance Hollande!

Son of Anarchy

Lower Hutt, NZ, today… A self styled “Sons of Anarchy” gangster, a huge fan of the show (as in the TV series)- a one man band, or…