The Lost City: part II

Olympos, Turkey, Friday Oct 28th 2005: Two years after first visiting Olympos (in South-West Turkey) I returned. I was part way through an Athens to Cairo overland trip that would take me to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and eventually Egypt. As it turned out I stayed a lot longer than planned… I ran into “Smiley”soon after […]

Bridge to Nowhere

New Zealand, October 2013: This historic abandoned suspension bridge is still hanging together a century after its construction. During most of it’s use (1918-1969) it was toll bridge for this busy agricultural area and the longest suspension bridge in the country- measuring 477 feet (154.39m) between the two concrete towers. Today it still stands defiantly […]

Ararata

Taranaki, NZ, Aug 2014: The country primary school is a rarity these days in New Zealand- at least operating ones are. These shells of former early childhood education dot the landscape- such as this school at Ararata in South Taranaki. Closed in 2000- as most country schools were around this time- Ararata school still stands, the target […]

Inhospitable

Hawera, South Taranaki, NZ, 2011: The final days of the old Hawera Hospital (1925-2012). Demolition was already well underway with at least half the complex already gone. I rigged a compact digital camera onto the hot-shoe of my DSLR to capture on video the state the place and what I was taking photos of- plenty of […]

Memorial Cross

Whanganui, NZ, August 2013: For a small country, in population at least- New Zealand has many war memorials. This striking memorial cross near Wanganui commemorates the death of many local country men (both pakeha and Maori)- who fought and lost their lives needlessly in the 1914-1918 war- 18,000 miles away…

Quarantined

This former quarantine station was first opened in 1872 for people arriving New Zealand with contagious diseases. The facilities were refurbished and extended in 1918-19 and were maintained in readiness until World War II (1939-45) but were little used. The accommodation blocks were used in both World War I and World War II to house […]

A Mansion Has Many Rooms

According to local legend, this mansion house was transported to it’s current hilltop location in four sections, sometime in the 1980’s. Allegedly, the farmer who owned the house and property, had intended to renovate the mansion, making it the family home. With spectacular 360 views of the surrounding countryside, it’s obvious as to why. Apparently though, soon […]

Turuturu Mokai

“Turuturu Mokai” is one of the oldest fortifications built by Maori in New Zealand and was fought over during the Taranaki Land Wars of the 1860s. Situated just outside the South Taranaki town of Hawera, it was once a former public reserve and popular playground. However, in recent years the Ngati Tupaia controlled reserve has […]

Carpe Diem

December 2013: This former high school closed in 2007, and despite more than $85,000 spent on security since, fed-up residents have arranged patrols after systematic vandalism and theft. A poster in one of the classrooms ironically proclaims “seize the day”- yeah right… The New Zealand Government is currently trying to offload 52 closed schools. Doing […]