New Zealand Parliament’s home
The Government of the day was in no hurry to spend money on new accommodation, and it was not until February 1911 that Prime...
Christchurch‚s Botanic Gardens visitor centre
It was by chance I stumbled across Christchurch’s first civic building to rise from the ashes of the quakes.
I had been meandering alongside the...
That Old Brickyard
It is the largest single sporting facility in the world. It is the second oldest surviving automobile racing track in the world. It is...
Broken but not subdued
For generations Christchurch’s cathedral has been the city’s symbol, its focal point and, in many ways, its very identity. Of all New Zealand...
Unravelling mysterious Chankillo
Tucked away in the Peruvian Andes, some 400km north of Lima, is a large, 2300-year-old ancient ruin named Chankillo.
A plan view of the concentric...
The Auckland regiment honours its fallen
Anzac Day 2005 saw a new memorial unveiled in the Auckland Domain. It is a simple cairn commemorating the service and sacrifice of soldiers...
Ashburton’s enduring clock tower
The next time you have cause to drive through Ashburton on State Highway 1 take a turn across the central rail line.
If driving south,...
Raising the bar on Old Farmer Thames
The Thames Barrier is the world’s second largest movable flood barrier. It was constructed between 1974 and 1984 at Woolwich Reach to provide flood...
I K Brunel’s masterpiece
It was a late autumn day in 1973. We had just left Plymouth and turned a corner on the A38. There it was branded...
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid: 1950-2016
Architect Dame Zaha Hadid died on March 31, aged 65. Her subsequent obituaries have generated as much controversy as did her life works.
Royal Institute...