The arboreal aftermath left us with a monstrous mulch pile to deal with and so, I made it my mission to replenish every garden bed before the onset of winter.
The Tree Doctor advised us to cover the exposed roots of a couple of large trees or they would certainly suffer. We moved the existing edging to extend the mulched area and procured some huge cardboard boxes from a local electrical store. After placing the cardboard as a weed mat, I dumped a hefty layer of mulch
and am very pleased with the result.
Come and have a look at the refreshed garden.
We then decided to rejuvenate the old dog kennel (that none of our dogs have actually used) and move it to a more prominent position.
With a fresh coat of paint, new bright curtains and the addition of a door and gable finial, she is flanked by a pair of potted English Box.
We had planned a day discovering the many wineries of the Nelson region but, having spent longer than anticipated at the World of WearbleArt and Classic Car Museum (that’s another story), our day was considerably shortened. Heading north along the coast, we detoured for a closer look at Ruby Bay. The name was inspired by the small ‘rubies’ of red chert (also known as flint or jasper) found in the gravel of the Moutere region, though the colour wasn’t really obvious.
Further north, at Motueka, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at TOAD Hall Brewery & Café. I think I was too hungry by then to take photos but I do recall the scrumptious cider. Driving inland through picturesque countryside, we discovered Moutere Hills Vineyard. Grapes were first planted on the lower home block of the 12 hectare property in 1993, with further plantings on the north facing hill block in 1998. The vines benefit from the unique microclimate of the Sunrise Valley where it is often 2°C or more warmer than the Nelson city area.
The original winery and cellar door was destroyed by fire in 2006 and a new café and winery was built. The unassuming entrance to the cellar door is almost hidden within landscaped native gardens.
The interior is welcoming and offers a comfortable space to sit and sample at leisure. The wines are sold exclusively at the cellar door or online through their website.
Beyond the tasting room, the café received a complete upgrade in 2018 and Forsters Moutere Hills restaurant now offers superb dishes prepared by award winning chef (and owner), Alistair Forster.
The views from the restaurant, over vineyards and beyond, are spectacular.
Following the fire in 2006, the old hops barn was partially restored and in 2013 it was reborn as the Fox n Grapes bar, a popular watering hole for locals on a Friday night.
Being surrounded by forest makes for a wonderful peaceful setting, with verdant vistas and myriad birdlife. However, having these larger tree species within the garden can pose a bit of a problem. Like any living being, they have a life span and some had been shedding bark and limbs at an increasing rate with the potential to damage outbuildings. We called in the Tree Doctor to diagnose diseased, dying and dangerous specimens. A huge Eucalypt was deemed to be failing (I don’t miss cleaning up the frequent sheets of bark on the driveway).
A second Eucalypt, with a distinct lean away from the prevailing westerlies, was displaying the same symptoms and awarded the same fate.
A healthy Tasmanian blackwood just needed an amputation of a rather large limb overhanging the studio
but another blackwood we thought in need of a trim was actually slowly dying.
A few weeks later the team arrived and wasted no time tackling the first blackwood.
The smaller branches were picked up and fed into the chipper
which was then emptied into an ever increasing mulch pile.
Before long, only a stump remained and a substantial stack of timber for future firewood.
The razing of the leaning Eucalypt was a little more involved. A precise landing was in order to prevent damage to buildings, fences and established plants in the garden beneath. With ropes attached to guide the downward trajectory,
a hefty chainsaw took care of the rest and the giant was felled.
I was pleased to see the rhododendrons still upright on either side of the enormous trunk.
The mulch pile continued to grow, along with the firewood supply for the next few years.
A quick trim of a wayward branch from a pine tree on the neighbouring property
and the final Eucalypt was tackled.
Proximity to the fence was problematic but the skill of the experienced team overcame the hurdles for another successful outcome.
Continuing our circuit of the World of WearableArt Museum, we entered the Transform Section. Designers were challenged to create a work that changes in form, nature and appearance. I only captured two of the five pieces, they don’t translate too well to static visuals. Meg Latham (NZ) was inspired by the paper dress-up dolls she played with as a child. Using polyethylene, canvas and acrylic paint for her version of Dress Up Dolls, the models change costumes as if turning pages of a book.
Tara Morelos, Ahmad Mollahassani and Nelia Justo (Australia) have employed electronics, along with acrylic, cardboard and fabric for their homage to Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. They describe Infini-D as, ‘a meditation on geometry, dimensionality and cinematic post-modern gothic’.
The Aotearoa Section draws on the deep sense of place New Zealanders have and celebrates who they are as people and what makes them proud. Ocean beauty comes to life with Sacha Mail’s (NZ) Fatal Attraction. 30,421 hand-dyed cable ties and foam remind us to protect it before it turns to plastic pollution.
Dylan Mulder (NZ) combined 100% merino wool and 3D-printed jewellery to merge Artificial Intelligence and Māori design. He claims the garment, Natural Progression, intuitively designed itself.
Te Kotuku Rerenga Tahi is a Māori whakatauki or proverb, which means ‘a white heron’s flight is seen but once’ and is indicates a very special and rare event. Jenny Sutton (NZ) used paper, plastic milk bottles and weed matting to depict the lovely spirit-like bird.
The Crux and the Long WhiteCloud marries the Southern Cross in the heavens with the anthem of New Zealand. Autumn Minnear (NZ) chose gold, wood, wool and harakeke (flax) to complement the oil on linen images.
Stephanie Cossens (NZ) has honoured the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat, Pekapeka-Tou-Poto, using ceramics, faux fur, Dacron and aluminium.
Fabric, plastic and elastic have amalgamated to form Erica Gray’s (Australia) Echinoderm, a monochromatic representation of the colourful sea creatures.
The title says it all, Our History? It’s Complicated… Lynne Dunphy (NZ) worked with woollen blankets, calico, silk and brass to share the message that there is more to Aotearoa than blankets and guns.
Lisa Vanin’s (NZ) depiction of Kaitiaki, a Māori term for a guardian or protector of the environment, is an understated combination of bamboo and copper.
An interesting conglomeration of tulle, rattan, shells and modelling clay make up the intricacies of Shelley Scott’s (NZ) JAFA (Just Another Fabulous Aucklander).
The colour white (yes, I know, there is some controversy as to whether it is actually a colour) is often associated with peace, light, love and purity. In some parts of the world it can represent death and mourning. The White Section incorporates the entire spectrum of emotions in spectacular fashion.
Renee Louie (NZ) has shaped PVC pipe, fabric and nylon string to create Symbiosis, her message that, ‘Alone they are great but they are even better together.’
Intricately woven aluminium wire and white wire make up Dreamcatcher, a fairy of the night by Tsao Chien-Yi and Lu Pei-Hsin (Taiwan).
‘The incarnation of an ethereal soul, protected by many different, textured layers’, describes Integumentum. Marine Arnoul (France) used 3D-mesh, spandex, foam and 3D-printed glasses to achieve the image.
A sterile white armour attempts to fight disease, but it is flawed. Hanna Smith (Australia) shaped Faulty Armour from Tyvek, cork and surgical masks.
This gorgeous garment by Galina Mihaleva (Singapore) is fabricated from polyester, plastic and sequins. Losing Touch? represents the uncertainties facing nature.
On a similar theme, Erica Gray (Australia) has used plastic and fabric for Face Coral, reflecting the underwater species stripped of vibrancy and colour.
Although many of the pieces on display are stretching the concept of ‘wearable’, I feel this would be particularly challenging. Ruth Arkless (NZ) has used cotton, tulle, mesh and sequins to create Cultural Peak, expressing the strength of the country’s heritage, casting large shadows and reaching new heights.
Taking ‘wearable’ to the extreme, the Bizarre Bra Section showcases some outrageous examples that have been entered in the competition over the years.
Paying homage to a typical Kiwi breakfast, Fried Eggs made from rubber adorn toast formed with painted sponges. Kelsey Roderick and Rhys Richards (NZ) cleverly added straps constructed from cutlery.
The oldest recorded ‘National Flower’, the Scottish thistle, inspired Lyndal Linton’s (NZ) EdinBra.
A less sedate, carnivorous tropical plant motivated Leon Vaz and Noel Braganza (India) for their colourful Venus Fly Trap.
Alexa Cach, Miodrag Guberinic and Corey Gomes (USA) combined hand-painted Cicadas, brass leaves, Italian leather, faceted crystals, epoxy and wire for their golden Renewal entry.
Stainless steel was the material of choice for the arachnoid creation, Miss Muffet, by Bikramjit Bhowmick and Sangeeta Patra (India).
Mark Crocker (NZ) found a use for teapots, bicycle parts, egg cups, kitchen utensils, leather belts, fabric and rivets for his painfully titled Grinder Bra.
Equally uncomfortable is Jantar Mantar by Khadimul Islam (India). I would think those parts made of iron, plastic and reflective sheets would pinch a bit.
Sebastian Denize (NZ) created Re-Decked entirely from recycled skateboards.
I’m not convinced that Tanya Marriott’s A Pair of Spitfires would really take off.
Denise Laurie (NZ) had to learn taxidermy to present Lunar Duo. A tribute to the possum, the unfortunate pair of road kill have been joined together with rubber from a car tyre.
On the outskirts of the city named after the great scientist and naturalist, Charles Darwin National Park is full of surprises. Created in 1997, the five square miles provide a natural recreation area as well as protection for significant vegetation, Aboriginal and World War II history. Developed as an Explosive Ordnance Storage Area during World War II,eleven of the bunkers that housed the explosives during the war are still standing. Nine were set into the contours of the hills, the barrel vault constructions are covered with vegetated earth.
There is a display of memorabilia in one of the bunkers and a fascinating insight into Darwin’s role in the Pacific War.
Bomb trolleys were used to move bombs weighing up to 1,000 lb (that’s about 450kg) to be loaded into aircraft and were common at bomber bases in the 1940s.
There are two free-standing storage sheds, one of which is now adorned with a magnificent work of art.
One of Australia’s most important wetlands is also protected by the park. The Port Darwin wetland comprises undisturbed mangrove forests, with 36 of the Northern Territory’s 51 mangrove species within its system of inlets, islands and bays. The vista from Charles Darwin Lookout is spectacular.
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