To Hot Water Beach!

Thursday: It was an early start as we had to pack all our gear and clean the house before leaving, hopefully before 8. We managed just after, with the car packed to the gunnells, including the rubbish, as it was too early to visit the tip! I was sad to leave our little cottage by the river plus Bunnehs!! We

stopped for fuel in Turangi, before heading towards a coffee break at Taupo - we have managed to have nice coffees always - very different to previous trips ! The food at this place also looked lovely. It wasn't far from there to Waiotapu, where we amazingly arrived just in time to see the Lady Knox Geyser errupt. What we didn't realise was that it happens every day at 10:15 because they pour soap down it to make it errupt - whaaaat?!! In my excitement to see this erruption, I launched myself up on to one of the benches at the rear of the ampitheatre, but sadly, misjudged the leap by a few centimetres, and made a spectacular thump as I fell on my quad onto said bench. The pain was indescribable - it made me feel sick for several hours - no, days! However, nothing was going to stop me from enjoying Waitapu, and after seeing the bubbling mudpools, where the boys were overwhelmed by the sulphurous smell, we entered the park itself, where we enjoyed many mineral rock colours and formations, including the coloured lakes. Matt was particularly fascinated by the lack of protective fencing as we would have in our 'nanny-state' Australia, relying merely on warning signs and common-sense - aaaah, survival of the fittest. Good to see!

You mean I can walk out there?

and there's only this sign to stop me?!!

Of course, I found the Champagne Pool!

From here we continued through Rotorua, and Tauranga, and not long after, put our lunch on to heat in foil in the car engine. However, our car being the gutless wonder that it is, after an hour it was still only barely warm! However, we enjoyed it with some jasmine rice Matt had bought at a cafe where I had to stop for a very necessary break, then it was on into the Coromandel Peninsular. I managed to keep up my navigational duties in between dozing, and we arrived at our magnificent destination at Hot Water Beach. The boys and I were so excited, we had to go and check it out - it's true!! You dig a hole in the sand and there is boiling water!

The water might be hot.....

After sussing this out we came back to collect Matt, and we all got changed into appropriate gear. However, having to put my jumper on on the way there made me realise that getting wet was probably not a good option, so opted just to kneel in a puddle! There were so many people in togs, and even Callum went into the ocean - eeeeek!

After checking out the local café, Matt and I retired to the wonderful house to

sit in the sun, nom paté and probiotic brie and drink bubbles. After a while, he lured me to the upper level, where it was toasty warm, and we had a wonderful view of the boys playing on the beach! Truly awful. We all stayed upstairs enjoying the view until it became dark, and the boys cooked some steak we had picked up from the 'bitcher' (NZ for butcher) in Whenuakite!

Friday: I woke to my alarm going off in the lounge, and attempted to silence

Gateway to gallery sculpture garden

it by walking into the wardrobe. No luck there. Oh, the confusion of waking up in different places!! I enjoyed coffee on the deck and watching the day emerge, then Matt and I set off for Cathedral Cove. Unfortunately, it was a 45 minute walk there and then back again, and in my current broken state, I couldn't manage it! :-( Onwards we went towards Coromandel via Road 309 - unsealed and in a state of repair. It wasn't too bad, but we decided not to return that way! We reached Coromandel and enjoyed a coffee and a couple of nice galleries, including Weta Design, where I saw some nice botanical dyeing on merino knit and on nuno felt; in another I saw a wonderful piece of driftwood with oyster shells attached, with LED's inside!! There were also some wonderful photos with seagulls looking like real characters, and we have seen plenty of them here! We headed towards Whitianga for lunch, hoping to find scallops, but the only place we could find them was hidden away in chowder - nope, no good! We followed directions from one gallery to a French place, which did not appear to exist, but stumbled across a restaurant along the esplanade that was offering Panko crumbed scallops - that

will be just fine! Often scallops with roe can be overwhelmingly rich, but I think these were so fresh that it was not an issue. Back to Hot Waaaaater Beach, and it was off for a walk across the stream and around the hill to find the boys engaged in digging a communal pool. (Before we got there, we crossed over to a gallery Moko Artspace  which looked to my jaded eye like it would be rubbish, but which was actually full of the best things I have seen yet!!) I wanted to explore a little further along, but again, could not cope with much more walking - although I am keen to keep the leg moving but the pain makes me feel quite sick! We stopped at Hotties for a champagne, and discussed Liam's Army prospects with him before heading back home to bunk in for a lazy afternoon.

I remembered for the first time to turn my alarm off, but woke shortly after anyway! Matt woke at one stage and also tried to exit the room via the cupboard.... It was another beautiful day, and I drank my coffee on the deck sitting in the bean bag - ear muffs on, of course!! I could never have survived so happily without their warmth - it makes such a difference to me! Warm ears = happy Svenja! I think they get even more attention than my hair, though. I am thinking of doing some custom decorated ones. .....

Creative display outside a record shop in Thames!

Unfortunately we both woke up feeling under the weather, Matt moreso than me. We took it easy whilst the boys packed up and cleaned the house, and were out by just after 9. We crossed the Peninsular to visit Thames, where we browsed the local market on the looong main street, and brunched at Café Melbourne where I enjoyed a Crocque Monsieur. We split from the boys for a bit, and returned to the pastry stall to indulge! We then headed straight for Auckland, with Matt waking me at the city limits to start my navigation duties! I managed with the help of my wonderful Google Girl (I shall call her Gigi), but on arrival at the Victoria Park Markets was well disappointed at the bleak and empty venue. We piled back into the car and Gigi took us to the CBD, where we attempted to park, but the parking station would not accept coins due to vandalism, but did not seem to read our credit card either! We even tried another machine before giving up in frustration and driving to a multi-level car park (which at least accepted our card if not our coins). We again split up, and Matt and I, although sick, wandered the city streets, down to the Wharf, and through the CBD, whilst I think the boys just travelled between fast food outlets.  Our exit was smoothly assisted by Gigi (to think I didn't even know I had her!!) and we were so early to arrive that we couldn't even check in yet! And so ends our New Zealand Adventure. It's good to be home.

To Taupo and Waitomo Caves

Waikane Beach

We had a smooth exit from Wellington, and apart from a short detour at Waikane beach and a food and coffee stop at Bull, it was a scenic drive past the snow covered mountain to our Bach at Kurutau, which was everything I hoped for. Look at that!!


Wind in the Willows much?!
Callum, Matt & I enjoyed a stroll along the lake until we turned a corner and nearly had our heads blown off - time to head back! We also spent some time honing our pumice-stone
skimming skills.

Close to home we saw the duck posse again, and lured them closer by 'feeding' them small pumice stones, which they soon wised up to. We enjoyed some more time on our idyllic deck until the sun went down - definitely time to go in, where Matt had a lovely fire going.
Tuesday we set off after a quick brekkie to Whakapapa village, where we caught the bus up to the slopes of Mt Ruapehu and proceeded to bash each other with snowballs! The scenery as we approached on a sparkling sunny day was just amazing - I've never seen anything like it. There was a dusting of fresh snow, which felt amazing! The boys were even sliding down the hills over acqua-blue ice on their bums - soon to be wet bums! We got surprisingly hot running around, then I was grounded with a massive shoe fail as my platform boot snapped almost clean off! Matt came to the rescue with a roll of tape from the ski shop. From there we drove to Taupo, with most of us having a kip along the way. The weather and the scenery were just fantastic, with the view going right across the lake. We found noms at the main corner, next to

the restaurant where Mum and I ate many years
ago. Lindauer Fraise and a fish burger for me, with a beautifully light beer-battered piece of fish most enjoyed! We left the boys with some wi-fi, and went in search of black electrical tape to more subtly repair my boot, and I enjoyed a couple of nice galleries. Next stop - Huka Falls, wherethe power and the colour of the water was truly impressive. I could watch the patterns that form and the sheer energy of it all for hours. Of course, the boys had to scamper up a very steep hill, with us thinking of insurance issues and telling them to come down! We stopped again in Taupo to re-stock the noms, and were very happy to return to base. The afternoon was beautifully still and warm, and we really enjoyed relaxing out there. Liam even jumped in the freezing water, shouting 'Holy Jesus' on resurfacing and quickly removing himself!

We also enjoyed watching the ducks in the water, and feeding them bread, and feeding ourselves cheese, paté and dip. Truly awful. A crackling fire in the burrow and an early night for these bunnehs. Except Callum and I stayed up watching some crazy film and I was sketching WOW ideas. I know.
Wednesday - gumboot water by the very still river, then off for a walk along the lake. The ground

islittered with lichen that the trees have discarded - and they are dripping in it! Pumice is everywhere along the sparkling black shoreline - sometimes between the black sand and the water there is a strip of delightfully crunchy gravel! Matt cooked us breakfast which we ate on the back deck, before setting off for Waitomo Gloworm Caves!! We stopped in Taemarunui for a coffee for me, which also turned into a smoked fish savoury and cheesecake! The proprietor was lovely, and I just knew that the food was going to be delish - it looked real! If you stopped at cafe like that in Australia

Entrance to the caves

 you would get absolute rubbish! It was a long and winding road (hahahaha) on to Waitomo past many sheep and hilarious lambies. We arrived just in time for the 12 o'clock tour, and were taken down to the caves by an extraordinarily chilled out, or perhaps just terminally bored with gloworms, Maori woman. It was absolutely spectacular - and that was just the rock formations before we saw the gloworms! There were amazing formations looking like bizarre creatures from the Dark Crystal, some of them glistening eerily with water. We also saw the threads hanging down from the

The Cathedral

gloworms with which they catch their prey - 15cm long tendrils - all very Avatar!! The tour finished with a silent boat ride through the cave, with Callum getting a whole bench to himself so he could lie down and look at the glowing roof! However, it was also nice sitting up to see the tunnels ahead, especially when we came out into the light at the end. We all really enjoyed it! The damned warm car sent me to sleep again on the way home, but I was very happy to wake up when Matt finally stopped at the side of the road for me to talk to some sheep! They weren't too keen, and ran orff somewhat, but I got to have a bit of a giggle!On the way home we stopped at Te Kuiti, but the 'galleries' and 'craft shops' were imported tatt, so we continued on to Taemaranui to get more supplies for the evening so we could bunk in, especially after we realised how much driving we had ahead of us on Thursday! Unfortunately, Matt seemed to be coming down with something, so went to rest, but the boys and I enjoyed hanging out on our idyllic deck, with them making mini-rafts, skimming stones, and generally messing about. Liam cooked our BBQ, with leftovers for our road trip tomorrow!

Shaun Jr and I attempt conversation with the sheep

WoW Awards Night and A WoW Wedding!

Friday Morning and it was off to Rydges to meet the other Australian Designers for our trip to the Australian Embassy for Brunch with hosts Lynda and Michael Potts. This was, as always, extremely enjoyable, with absolutely delightful noms and company. (See right - serious colour competition from Sarah Seahorse and Luna Aquatica! Better step it up!) I was seated next to our celebrant Kerry Prendergast, so it was a good chance for us to get to know each other better before the following day! On our return to Rydges, we left mum to hobble home in her beautiful new shooz (but SO worth it, Mum!) and went for a walk along the dock before returning to base for a nap. The next thing I knew, it was time for my hairdressing appointment, which took quite a few hours, so Cathy from Tory St VIVO dropped me off on her way home! It was then time to dress for the show, and we walked next door to collect the Bunnehs before heading down directly to the TSB Arena, as it was now too late to join the pre-show drinks at The Foxglove. Unfortunately, after only a few sections, my body just seemed to shut down, and when I woozily got up to go

outside for some air, got my shooz tangled in the coat at my feet and I fell onto the first row (sorry, folks!) As Matt got up to help me, I got entangled in my cape and managed to pull him down as well! Spectacular. From here I went straight to First Aid, where I crawled onto the stretcher with great delight and cried and chanted "I'm so tired, I'm so tired" for the next half an hour, until Matt took me home - exiting the venue in a wheelchair! I'm sure many people think that I had just had too much to drink, and I dare say the 2 glasses of champagne I consumed there didn't help after not eating much at all, but I have never experienced anything like it before.  I can only think that the hectic schedule of the last few weeks combined with poor eating, stress and adrenalin just made my body say NO MORE!!! By the way, in case you haven't guessed, there were no awards for me, so I didn't miss anything there!

I woke the next morning - my wedding day! - barely able to move, but eventually managed to get myself together for the most wonderful afternoon ever! Unfortunately it was raining as we arrived, but we were able to get some nice photos outside when it stopped - before I turned blue! I walked upstairs to the sound of REO Speedwagon's 'Keep on Loving You' in front of an amazing bunch of people, and truly enjoyed the ceremony. Dear Jenelle made a wonderful speech, my Aunt Kay came down from Auckland, my one and only sister Kiri, and her boy Max were there, Maman brought me down the aisle,WoW designers Susan Holmes, Lynne Christansen, Beatrice Carlson, Chris Davis, Fifi Colston and Sean Perucker were there to share the fun, as well as WoW founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff, Heather Palmer, Esme & Grant Palliser, Ali Boswijk and His Excellency Michael Potts and his loveley wife Lynda, who helped make the connection with Kerry Prendergast as celebrant! 

Our celebration ended by around 7, and after losing Mum and Aunty Kay at the exit (they snuck out the side!) Bunneh and I almost made it home without taking our shooz off, but not quite. There were moans of delight as our stockinged feet hit the bricks!!  I will of course post the professional photos when I get them!

It was an early night, and a Sunday sleep in, although even then, I was still not 100%. We walked down to the TSB Arena to return the St John's Ambulance blanket I had gone home with, and pick up the tickets that the WOW team had kindly offered us for the

performance that night, after learning of my dramatic exit on Friday night!

Flaming Norah's Cavalcade of Tomfoolery

The boys were playing Bubble Soccer, which totally wore them out, and after checking out the markets, I went to TePapa to meet my Aunt and hopefully check out the Gallipoli exhibition. Sadly, I was in no condition to wait for 45 mins then take an hour going through, so I re-directed Kay back to my family, and took Lynne Christiansen and Beatrice Carlson with me over to Mac's Brewery, our intended hang out for the afternoon, where sharp-eyed Lynne found us a table in the sun in the crowded beer garden! Having once again not had anything to eat, I really appreciated the food, along with one of my favourite wheat beers, Mac's Great White. After a great catch up with these two gals and a fleeting visit from Anne Aitchison, we watched the Flaming Nora's Cavalcade of Tomfoolery before returning home for
yet another nap before heading down to the 5pm show of WOW. It was wonderful to get the opportunity to see it again, and I was so appreciative of the amount of movement the models put into my pieces - I thought they looked superb, and was very proud! We came out to daylight, which was quite odd, and hoped to visit one of our other favourite bars, Avida, but it was closed on a Sunday night, so it was back to the Foxglove, where I enjoyed a Boysenberry WOW cocktail at the very table which I had haunted the afternoon before as I waited to ascend the stairs! On our return the apartment, it was most fitting that we spent the rest of the evening watching one of the Hobbitt movies! You'll find some photos of my entry Return to Earth on my Picasa Gallery.

WOW 2015

Tuesday: Well, the big day is finally here, and we have successfully got ourselves to the airport, albeit waaaay earlier than necessary, to ensure we made it through Customs before they went on strike!! None of us cope with stress that well, and after not much sleep, 4 shots of coffee, and an early cab, my body was already trembling!! Much better now - plugged in an connected in the departure lounge!

It has been a busy week, as I finalised outfits, made fascinators for family, and even whipped up a cravat for Matt last night! My hands are sore from stitching and folding, cutting and holding, and are looking forward to a rest. Yesterday I had one more fascinator to make, having found out that my bestest Bunneh is arriving in Wellington on Friday to see the show and be there for the wedding! Best surprise EVER!!

We arrived, a little later than planned, and were picked up and driven to our hotel - thank you Wellington City Council - you made my sister's day! I was due for a photoshoot at the Foxglove at 4, so sidled up to our driver José and asked if he could drop me off there after leaving the others at the hotel. The dear man agreed, and I quickly delved into my suitcase for my make-up bag and bouquet, and made it just in time. I was pretty stressed by then, but the lovely photographer Moniqué said not to stress, fix my face, and of course I had time for a drink! Which I attempted to pay for with Australian money. Shoot done, it was time to meet the staff of the Foxglove in preparation for Saturday, and all looks to be under control. Next stop - noms! And wine. Then back to our lovely abode. Here's the article.

Pettigrew. Callum Pettigrew.

Wednesday: After the usual holiday 'gumboot water' we set off into town, ending up at The Lido for brekky and some rather good coffee, served by a lovely man. There's a certain breed of menfolk in New Zealand - they're kind of old-school, well mannered but good fun, and snappy dressers. Such as our next encounter at the suit hire shop, where our very helpful man ended up doing Yoda

impersonations! I just love it when people 'play' with us - it just makes it fun for everyone! So many people seem to be so miserable in their jobs and their interactions within them - yet it's so easy to make it fun!

From here we walked up Cuba Street, where Liam arrived in Paradise, aka Comrades Army Disposals, whose sign reads "Everything you want but don't need". Nailed it. Further wandering took us down near Coles, so we decided to get our shop done. Good Lord, the price of asparagus and tomatoes!!! But ahhh, the joy of buying the beer and wine at the supermarket.  Next it was back to the Foxglove to sort out the final details, then a little shopping. I exhausted myself running all over town looking for a protective iron cover as I have a lot of special silk garments to iron, and forgot to pack mine. I also needed a new sleeper as Liam noticed  my nose-ring had disappeared - whaaat?! I've had that in for so many years, and that has never happened before! Success with the sleeper, none with the iron cover....Then it was time to meet with our celebrant, where more detai

Matt at the Foxglove

ls were sorted, and it all started to feel very real! I must have been a bit tired and emotional, as I looked down at the paperwork and saw my father's name, and instantly teared up as it would have been so lovely if he could have been here.  He should have been here.

Acrylic chain mail goodness

Beloved Boi then went down to pick up the tickets for the show, leaving Callum and I to start getting ready for Preview. By now, I started to realise what a ridiculously busy week this was! Before we knew it, there we were, reuniting with designers and getting excited!  As usual, we pored over the catalogue afterwards, and I stayed up too late doing so with some vodka....

ICK!!!

Thursday: .....leaving me slightly dusty for Designer Day! More reunions at Rydges before boarding the bus to the Roxy, where we enjoyed Sir Richard Taylor's introduction, and a presentation by WETA technician Gino. The next few hours were quite relaxed, as we enjoyed demonstrations of the application of body paint and prosthetics, as well as a display of WETA armour and chainmail made by Eve Gilliland. There was also a display of amazing

ly realistic body parts, which felt absolutely ooky!! After lunch, it was off to the latest WETA attraction, a bit of a behind the scenes look at the makings of the prosthetics and the armour. No photos, no touching - we exercised an incredible amount of restraint!! Back to the Roxy for a Creative Industries Panel, which was very enjoyable, although many of us had drooping eyes by now! And so ends this post, as I relax in the warm burrow with some bubbles and a pile of ironing....

Calico on the Catwalk

Time flies when you're having fun - and zoom - the weekend is gone! On Friday I was off into town to hear Costume Designer Noelene Hill speak about the creation of tutus at the QUT Art Museum. As I waited by the river for the ferry I felt myself relax - I had nothing to do for the next few minutes except enjoy the wonderful Spring day. Bliss. 

The exhibition featured tutus created by Australian fashion designers - my favourite was this sculptural piece by Dinosaur Designs.

I greatly enjoyed Noelene's presentation (she was my costume tutor at QUT in the mid '90's!) and learned a lot about the construction of a tutu. We got a fascinating look inside some pieces of the Queensland Ballet's wardrobe.

After a quick sustenance stop in the centre of town, I enjoyed an afternoon of shopping. I always love walking through the Brisbane Arcade, and was particularly glad I did this time as it was beautifully decorated throughout with Spring flowers.

On Saturday, Matt and I headed out west to Boonah, where I was to judge the Calico on the Catwalk fashion parade, part of the Boonah Arts Festival. 

We checked into our motel, and headed for the pub, where I became entranced with the pinball machine ( I never got the chance as a youth) - so much so that I had to be dragged away with games still left to deliver my display garments to the venue! A Pinball Wizard cut down in her prime......

After working out who was going to fit what (I'm so glad I took the time to do this, as they were all super tiny, and no-one would fit poor Siren of the Sea who got pulled back from the tour for this very occasion!) we were treated to a lovely dinner with some of the IGA sponsors and local organisers. This was a surprise for us, and as we both needed to change, we shot off quickly to the motel for the quickest quick-change EVER!

The evening was great fun, with some really great entries, many of them so very different it made it quite difficult to judge! The mood was set at the beginning with the entertaining and ingenious display garments made from packaging from the IGA, including this avocado tray delight!

At the end of the evening, the girls modelling my work came out and did a fabulous job (although seeing a racer back top underneath my strapless felted gown gave me a small conniption!) Another surprise - I was to go up on stage and announce the category winners, where I gave away far more Highly Commended's than I was officially allowed to, but simply had to do! It was also a great opportunity to thank Boonah for continuing this event, where I got my start eight years ago, and this may be what moved the IGA representative to pledge even more support next year! Yay!!

We met some wonderful people at the after party and enjoyed chatting before the 'ugly lights' were turned on, immediately taking me back to high school dance days! Our spirits buoyed by champagne and great company, we didn't take the hint, and were almost the last to leave.

The Sunday sleep in was great, the only thing driving me out of the super comfortable bed being my growling tummy... but first stop, the newsagents, for a copy of the Sunday Mail which featured yours truly in the U on Sunday magazine! It was with trepidation that I turned to page 5, but was very happy with what I saw, and didn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. Thanks Cat Lindsay and Mark Cranitch for your lovely words and images. Although the article mentioned my winning the WETA workshop internship, that is still only a dream, but I am taking Cat's words as a prophecy!!

Three weeks until New Zealand!

The time since we came home from Canberra has flown! For me, in the preparation of the Wearable Art presentation I gave this past Sunday on behalf of Common Threads, for Matt, in the design and further construction of Hubert, the Humber Snipe he is rebuilding from scratch - a project he gets me in for consultation on as far as design lines and placements. From now, though, only three weeks until we go to New Zealand, my focus is on all things WOW and Wedding! My fellow 'Circus Family Members' (Craft Show folk) are currently in NZ, touring from Hamilton to Christchurch. I would love to have been there with them, but I had a lot of gear to freight, which was cost prohibitive, and some other rather important plans! I can't wait to catch up with them in Adelaide, or even beforehand at the Brisbane Show, where I will be unofficially present most days, helping out with Miss Chrissy's demonstrations.

Watching the dvd at tables covered in samples

I hope the participants of the 'Afternoon with Svenja' enjoyed the session, where I gave an overview of my past experience and development, my WOW pieces, before going  through the many stages from conception, development, design and construction in several of them, before discussing the
methods and points of inspiration for other WOW designers. I also took along many sample pieces from my collection to be examined and photographed. We finished off with a viewing of the Common Threads dvd, which served to both inspire,  and demonstrate the high quality of this event.  

The unwrapping

You saw the many leaves I brought home from Canberra - I did manage to do a dye-pot with these within the week of our return, and these were the results. The biggest difference is the length of those magnificent gum leaves!! These make an interesting 'necklace' effect on one of them. I now have the leaves hanging up under the house, ready for the next session.

Sneaky peek at my bouquet of silk flowers!

I've finished blinging my shooz, and my bridal bodice, and am loving my bouquet! Many of you have seen all of these in progress at the recent Craft & Quilt Fairs. I hope this week to complete Matt's waistcoat, and then get to work on the rest of my outfit. I am still yet to find a photographer for the event - any Wellington photo folk who can be there, please get in touch!

Flutterby, 2007

This weekend we are off to Boonah, where I am to judge the Calico on the Catwalk wearable art competition - where I had my very first success in 2007! What a wonderful journey it has been since then!