Aotearoa, Gibbston Valley, Queenstown-Lakes District, Wild Horses

Wherever I Wander, Wherever I Rove

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Bic Runga performing at Gibbston Valley

Well, I’m now a month into my 365 project for the 4th year in a row in which I post a new photo everyday here on my photoblog. If you’re new to my wee corner of the world were I hang my hat, this is what I’m all about:

… from a Small City. A photoblog about discovering small towns, forgotten points of interest and the curiosities of my island home. 

Photographed and written from my point of view, with a particular focus on observations of daily life, history and geography, I transcribe my travels around Aotearoa. My goal is to travel around my own backyard and beyond it, taking stock of my home and reconnecting with its identity. Does Ōtepoti reflect its Scottish roots of Kilts, Haggis and Robbie Burns poetry? Are we a nation still obsessed with Fresh Up, Fush & Chups, Buzzy Bees, The Pavlova, Paua Shells, The Edmonds Cookbook, Hokey Pokey Ice Cream with a No 8 Wire mentality? Are these items symbolic of life in Aotearoa or just of an urban myth sold off to tourists who drive on the wrong side of the road and decorate bushes with loo paper? My trips aim to answer these questions as I travel …. from a Small City around Aotearoa discovering small towns, forgotten points of interest and the curiosities of his island home.

Gibbston Valley, Queenstown, Queenstown-Lakes District, Wild Horses

Gibbston Valley Summer Concert

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Fans wait for Bic Runga at Gibbston Valley.

Ironically, the last Gibbston Valley Summer Concert was my first. I was looking forward to it. It had been circled on the calendar (mainly so I wouldn’t forget) for a number of months. When the tickets were purchased, it occurred to me it might be a good source of material for later writings. I could attend and make all sorts of pointed and insightful observations about New Zealand life and society in the 21st century.

I was wrong. Upon arriving and settling into my surroundings, I quickly realised I didn’t care what anyone else was doing; I found a reasonable view of the stage, I had my chair, a blanket, a miniature picnic, plenty of water, the sun was shining and I was ….. well, relaxed! All thoughts about making observations for later writing evaporated from my mind as I sat, basking in the afternoon sunshine. All around me there were people that were overdressed, underdressed, dressed-up, dressed-down, needing to redress, not knowing their address! But, I simply did care! I had sunshine and music from Everclear, Bic Runga, Icehouse and Cold Chisel for company. So, there I spent the day, nestled in a sprawling sea of sunhats and folding chairs, encircled by dramatic peaks as music weaved through the vibrant chaos around me. And to think, I was sober the entire time!