Author: Peter Peryer

This author has written 801 articles

Apple Tree



I’ve been travelling a little bit
around the North Island
beyond New Plymouth, lately.

One of my pleasures
is to come across a photo
of mine and to see it
settled into a loving home in
another part of this
country, in this case Whanganui.

Two Studio Views


I’ve been organising the walls of my studio
in recent months.
Here are a couple of views
although the stairs are really a
large scale photo pinned to the wall.
Over two years ago I took this photograph
in a B & B in Oamaru and have not yet
printed it up into an edition.
Mainly I would like to see it made
into a 1000 piece jigsaw.

The monarch was born in
my studio. I collected chrysalises
from Swan Plants in my garden and brought
them inside where I could watch them
develop. My studio is sunny, warm and
safe.

This particular butterfly was only a
few minutes old. Once its wings
had unfolded fully and
set in place, I put it back in the wild.

Coleus

 
My mother grew these plants, and even as an ignorant
scoffing teenager they impressed me.
Now I find myself growing them.

Jerusalem Again.

 
When in Jerusalem N Z a week or so ago I had several attempts at photographing this church. Took, don’t like that word, if I were ever a photography
teacher I would be tempted to ban it. Luckily I am not.
 
Of the 5 or 6 strikes I had at the subject this I think is the tightest.
 
I notice my shadow in the foreground. In photography of the 60’s and 70’s this was
almost a signature eg Gary Winogrand.

More Jerusalem


 
 
Here are two more photos that I took at Jerusalem last week.
I went there partly as a pilgrim to visit James K Baxter’s grave
and the site of the famous commune, which after his death
in 1972 did not really continue.
 
The top photo shows his modest headstone, carrying his
maori name: Hemi.
 
The second photo is of two trees placed perhaps fifty paces from
where he lies.
 
I was told that the right hand one is the skeleton of a very old
Chestnut. That would make sense because between his grave and the tree is
the Top House. Rather careworn now and even then I imagine it was an epicentre
of the commune.
Baxter wrote a poem worrying about the leaking spouting and
deciding to go and pick chestnuts instead. Off the ground I think.
 

Jerusalem


 
 
A few days ago I stayed at Jerusalem, about about an
hour and a quarter’s drive inland from Wanganui.
 
Jerusalem was the site of a famous commune centred
around poet James K. Baxter. It is also the site of a
community of nuns belonging to the Sisters of Compassion.
Begun by Mother Aubert it is the only Order to have been
founded in New Zealand.
 
It is possible to stay overnight at the convent. It is necessary to take
your own linen and food. I would recommend it. Google Home of Compassion
for information.
 
 

Combine Harvester

 
 
I like that name. There is something
about the vowels that strikes me.
 
This photo I took a year or so in Central Otago.
I keep coming back to it. There
is something here.

Buddha at Kaukapakapa.

 
 
Perhaps 40 minutes drive north of Queen St
in Auckland there is a Tibetan Buddhist community.
They are builders, and in this case very active.
 
When I was in my mid 20’s perhaps, and living in a John Goldwater
house in Campbells Bay on Auckland’s North Shore, Erika, to whom
I was married at the time, and I, invited some Buddhists from North America
to stay with us while they sought land here in New Zealand to establish a community.
While not Buddhists ourselves we thought that it would add texture
to the religious make up of New Zealand. There are now, of course,
many Buddhist temples in and around Auckland of many different persuasions some of whom don’t get on, but this was early days.
 
Eventually the two who had been living with us, one a nun, bought a run down farm at Kaukapakapa and began setting up what they had come here for.
 
I have visited there often since then, they don’t evangelise, the temples are very special,
and the Buddha is, I believe, the biggest in NZ. The Dalai Llama has visited here.
 
Meanwhile about 10 years ago I took this photo and it was quite popular. This one is on a wall in Devonport.
 

Auckland Walls

 
 
I visited Auckland last week and caught up with several
friends, many of then have been friends
for decades.
 
I was surprised at the number of my works that I saw.
Here are some walls in Devonport.
 
The orange topped heap on the bottom right hand corner of the
bottom photo is my fault. I came in and plonked what was in my arms
down on a couch. I apologise for that.

Are We In Progress?

 
 
In my studio here in New Plymouth, there are entities sitting, lying, and generally lounging around patiently waiting for me to get on and finish featuring them in The Final Photo. All of them have had me take pictures of them before but time drags on.
 
Here are a few. I used to think that these plastic bottles, dug out of an Invercargill rubbish dump a couple of years ago, were Clowns, but I now believe that they are Spacemen. Had most helpful e’s from blog friends re the background to these bottles.
 
The penguins were part of a set, 6 or 7 I think. One or two have gone feral since they arrived here in New Plymouth. I bought them at Auckland Museum when I was wandering about in a preoccupied daze about 3 months ago, concentrating mainly on my notes that I had been working on, I was a finalist in the Montana Book Awards and while not necessarily expecting to win my category I did want to have something gracious to say whatever the outcome. Extemporaneous speechifying does not come easily to me. I have to work on it.
 
 
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