The Bone Tree

The Arctic Circle

2011-11-30T16:45:00.001+13:00

The Arctic Circle from Kevin Parry on Vimeo.

Pythagosaurus

2011-11-15T05:29:00.002+13:00

I LIVE IN THE WOODS

2011-10-23T14:34:00.001+13:00

I Live in the Woods! from Max Winston on Vimeo.

Tom Waits = Cookie Monster

2011-08-19T04:10:00.001+12:00

World's Largest Stop Motion Animation.

2011-08-07T11:38:00.000+12:00

I love me some Aardman.

Gulp. The world's largest stop-motion animation shot on a Nokia N8. from Nokia HD on Vimeo.

Don't Lose Your Head.

2011-07-11T12:10:00.001+12:00

Who's Afraid of Mr Greedy ? from maxime mary on Vimeo.

Rolling Bomber Special

2011-06-21T06:32:00.002+12:00

A cool refreshing glass of blargh

2011-06-06T07:33:00.000+12:00

Death Buy Lemonade from Cartoon Brew TV on Vimeo.

Sumo Lake

2011-05-21T10:39:00.001+12:00

Graceful.

Sumo Lake from Panic Productions on Vimeo.

Fun with construction paper. And blood.

2011-04-19T15:29:00.000+12:00

Path of Blood - Demon at the Crossroads of Destiny from Eric Power on Vimeo.

Giant Episodes 2 & 3

2011-03-16T04:00:00.001+13:00

I really love this series! The aesthetic and comedic timing are wonderful.

Giant Episode 2 Sun from Celine&Yann on Vimeo.

Giant Episode 3 : CLOUD from Celine&Yann on Vimeo.

19th Century Inception

2011-03-16T03:50:00.001+13:00

The Red.

2011-02-24T16:23:00.000+13:00

Yeah... I was this kid.

Nicholas Was...

2010-12-26T07:07:00.001+13:00

An delightful adaptation by 39 Degrees North.

39 Degrees North: Christmas Card 2010 from 39 Degrees North on Vimeo.

Unstrung

2010-12-24T13:46:00.001+13:00

A video made over the weekend by Meerkat Media & the Puppet Kitchen! Sadly I was unable to participate. Next time!

Unstrung from meerkatmedia.org on Vimeo.

Masterful.

2010-12-13T13:35:00.001+13:00

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Bottle

2010-10-01T12:56:00.000+13:00

Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

Giant

2010-07-13T15:53:00.002+12:00

A new web series brough to you by these folks.

Giant-Army from Benedi yann on Vimeo.

Big Bang Big Boom

2010-07-09T13:18:00.001+12:00

Blu strikes again... Simply amazing.

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

O'Neill Puppetry Conference 2010 - Puppet Anarchy!

2010-06-22T11:09:00.003+12:00

Spent the week playing with puppets. Inspiring, demoralizing, exhilarating, exhausting, incomparable, food for thought.

Fruits of labor below. Read this first for context. Or not.

NPR did a story on us!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127965234

The Little Mermaid Toy Theater

2010-05-31T11:17:00.004+12:00

"The Little Mermaid" is the rube goldberg-esque toy theater brain child of Elizabeth Hara & Brendan Yi-Fu Tay.

This piece will be on exhibit at the Great Small Works 9th International Toy Theatre Festival @ St. Ann's Warehouse in DUMBO from May 30 - June 11.

Here's a video of the piece in action, enjoy!

"The Little Mermaid" - Great Small Works 8th International Toy Theatre Festival from btay on Vimeo.

For more information and tickets please visit:

http://www.stannswarehouse.org/

http://www.greatsmallworks.org/

Special Thanks:

Eng Tay

The Puppet Kitchen

Sally Ann Parsons

Mermaids were harmed during the production of this video.

B-Bit Revenge

2010-04-09T03:05:00.001+12:00

PIXELS: Retro Gamers from addwork on Vimeo.

Parkour Flip Book!

2010-01-05T08:07:00.000+13:00

parkour motion reel from saggyarmpit on Vimeo.

Stop Motion Books...

2009-11-26T04:34:00.002+13:00

Beautiful.
NZ Book Council = hero.

Cardboard Monsters Eat Your Face.

2009-10-22T07:03:00.000+13:00

Must. Make. Something similar?

More gorgeousness.

2009-10-15T02:16:00.000+13:00

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

Passion Pictures' Latest Ad

2009-10-01T04:49:00.000+13:00

Boo Coke. Yay animation.

The Cat Piano

2009-09-14T05:08:00.001+12:00

Stunning. With a hint of Cowboy Bebop.

The Cat Piano from PRA on Vimeo.

Misogyny & Giant Robots!

2009-08-06T07:13:00.001+12:00

Let's build a castle

2009-07-03T05:01:00.004+12:00

http://tokyobling.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/a-paper-craft-castle-on-the-ocean/

Gorgeous.
Plus a working train.
What.

Robo Parkour

2009-07-01T07:50:00.000+12:00

Damn you Nike, damn you.

The Runner -Exploit yourself- from BLR_VFX on Vimeo.

Bestiary

2009-05-13T08:40:00.001+12:00

Harry Potter can eat me.

Bestiary from Caroline Brown on Vimeo.

For more info http://bestiary.blence.com/

Wolf & Pig

2009-04-27T08:26:00.000+12:00

Or what I should be doing with my life.

Try new things.

2009-04-01T06:21:00.005+13:00

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com

Watch out for the Yeti

2009-03-29T15:34:00.004+13:00

So useless with this updating thing. Have a neat video.

This is Halloween.

2008-10-08T06:39:00.003+13:00

St. John the Divine Cathedral in NYC. October 31st, 7pm/10pm.

Screening of the Original Phantom of the Opera + live organ accompaniment.

Followed by The Procession of Souls.

Won't you join me?

It's go time.

2008-09-14T02:47:00.002+12:00

You know you've thought about it, now it's time to own up.

How many five year olds can YOU take in a fight?

Workin' for the man every night & day

2008-08-22T11:02:00.003+12:00

In typical brendan fashion, I will soon be holding 2.5 jobs. The half is for an internship I start monday.

What I imagine the experience to be like.

Here Comes Dr. Tran!

2008-08-11T14:26:00.000+12:00

God it's still funny.

Stumptown

2008-08-01T08:48:00.005+12:00

Have returned from the mythical land they call Portland, OR. A wonderful time was had, though I may have overestimated my ability to get work done. It was lovely to see people and eat terrifying things.

3 words will usher in the end times - MAPLE. BACON. BAR.

A donut covered in maple frosting, topped with bacon, courtesy of Voodoo Donuts - the magic is in the hole. Followed that up with some delectable St. Cupcake cupcakes. Yes, my self-hatred is now smothered in baked goods.

There was also amazing pizza brought forth by The Fain, though pictures are nil due to a dead camera battery. The masses agree - the man has talent and should start his own pizza empire. Bike rack mounted oven, secret ingredients (his tears), and a winning smile = global domination.

Stumptown Coffee does an excellent espresso, and have their own Cupping Room (for cuppings. of coffee. no boobs. well maybe). Their baristas are hardcore about the craft, yet lack that certain douchey quality you find in most NY cafes. I heart them. With my man-bits. I also heart the fine selection of root beer, and lament that I will not be present for the upcoming root beer tasting hosted by El Fain.

Not the entire trip was spent eating (yes it was). The new X-Files movie? A resounding 'meh' followed by a comical after-credits sequence. Upon repeat viewing Dark Knight is still bat-fabulous. Forgetting Sarah Marshal = a hilarious use of $3, and a great introduction to the Kennedy School.

I really do like it out yonder.

Post-It Power

2008-07-22T11:13:00.001+12:00

Some pretty brilliant work by Jeff Chiba Stearns.
He also happens to be an international spokesperson for mixed-race identity. Go us.

Dr. Horrible!

2008-07-16T11:35:00.003+12:00

Joss Whedon's 1 week only supervillain musical extravaganza.

You go now! You likey likey.

"With my freeze ray, I will find the time
to find the words, to tell you how
how you make
make me feel
what's the phrase?
Like a fool
Kind of sick
Special needs
Anyways..."

Fight fires.

2008-07-12T03:04:00.002+12:00

I do love me some cyanide & happiness.

Air Pirates!

2008-07-07T08:16:00.001+12:00

Set sail(balloon?) for high adventure.

Lord of Leisure.

2008-07-07T02:27:00.003+12:00

Yup, back in New York.

Got into SVA's Art Education MA program. Turned them down because they wanted an additional 30 credits from another institution on top of the 36 they require for their program. Silliness.

Currently jobless, but not homeless. Living off my NZ money (ah ahahahahahaaha... sigh). Trying the animation path at this moment, so if anybody knows of a company in New York, tell them to hire me.

Speaking of animation, this is INCREDIBLE.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

A Very Techie X-Mas

2007-12-17T23:09:00.000+13:00

Behold, our "tree." Nothing says yuletide like gaff tape, xlr cable and full orange gel

This is Roxie, the other flatmate. The blur in the background is Biscuit trying out her sweet ninja skills

Here's our living room...

and here's the 10' by 7' screen my flatmate Paul brought home to watch Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers on.

Why living with an AV geek is awesome: "Well we need to make sure the projector has clocked enough hours."

Nerdcore baby, nerdcore.

Careful what you ask Santa for...

2007-12-07T21:59:00.000+13:00

hee hee
for more craziness check out www.explosm.net

also, I totally want one of these. for my bed.

Final days

2007-11-30T17:56:00.000+13:00

After a long, terrifying month, I can finally shave this... thing... off my face. I wouldn't mind it so much if it didn't have the propensity to grab and devour passing insects.

This is biscuit, one of my new flat mates in the groovy house in Aro Valley.

Here's a shoddy pic of the backyard. More/better pictures to follow. Am working much and burnt out, so we'll see.

Yeesh.

2007-11-10T17:52:00.001+13:00

Some things just shouldn't be allowed.

Happy All Hallows

2007-11-01T22:10:00.000+13:00

Hope your trick or treating was filled with razor apples and cyanide lollies. Love, me.

Remember, remember...

2007-11-01T21:57:00.000+13:00

... the 5th of movember.

Hi.
It's been a while.

So I'm growing a moustache this month to help raise money for prostate cancer research. Check out the website: http://www.movember.com/nz
If you feel like promoting my hideousness, my registration number is 106270

Come back now and again to check out the 'stache status.

May I present Day 1.

Roads?

2007-08-22T21:05:00.000+12:00

Where we're going, we don't need roads.

Order yours today and take it to 88.

I want, like, five.

2007-08-16T10:15:00.000+12:00

Check this out:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/14/steampunk_monocycle_.html

It's like the "It" from South Park, minus the rectum-terrorizing
seat. Only $13,000, come on people.

And I wouldn't mind a couple of these

http://www.botjunkie.com/2007/08/14/ole-firefighting-pill-bug-like-bots-may-one-day-save-forests/

But instead of foam, they would need to spray whip cream. Wooooo!

Quarter Century Man

2007-08-09T11:01:00.000+12:00

Yup that's me. Wow I so suck at updating this thing. Anyways, a bit of news for those of you who read. This. Blog.

The good (?) people at NZ immigration have informed me of two things. 1) They do not actually have the staff to send to my flat and kick me out of the country. 2) Since they have my passport, they can't kick me out for the next 4-6 weeks. Sort of good news I guess. Still don't know if I'll be given a new work visa/permit but we'll see.

Mom was here for a couple weeks and fun was had. Showed her the sights around Wellington, then braved the brimstone stench of Rotorua. She hung around for my birthday, which was swell: good chinese food and bowling. Discovered my girlfriend is the ultimate darkhorse bowler... she destroyed everyone with her turkey + 160-something final score. Yeeee-ah. She's hot.

Now to travel back in time. Here's some pictures of my expedition to mars aka. White Island.

Also, http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/08/darpa-the-penta.html. Haven't countless bad sci-fi movies shown us this is a bad idea? I'm glad this is where my taxes go. Sheez.

p.s. For those who where confused last month (7/7/07), go read yourself some Johnny The Homicidal Maniac. That is all. Go home and await further instructions.

2007-07-07T18:31:00.000+12:00

happy day of the moose!

Bustin' some data caps.

2007-07-01T13:32:00.000+12:00

We've opted for the 10GB data cap option. This means more pictures.
Wheeeeee-doggie.

Today's update concerns wellington. First up, my stencil collection.

Next up, just a couple pictures from a park in town where lots of LOTR was filmed.

Here's the view from Mt. Vic. Oh my home away from home.

And here's the awesome Tripod statue put up by the Weta people.

And lastly, we have the (now months old) zombie parade. What do we want? Brains! When do we want them? ...Brains!

Thank you come again.

Oh my holy crap.

2007-06-12T10:53:00.000+12:00

Hey lookit, an update.

In case you were wondering, our internets down here in New Zealand have funny little things called "data caps." Means we're limited to how much we can down/upload/waste time. So that's my lame excuse for lack of updates.

Now resuming transmission.

Wes and Kate's black kilted & lilac wedding.

The Dynamic Duo

The man hisself

Kilt shot, complete with sgian dubh
Yay for wedding daggers!

Cecilia n' Megs

Quite an entrance Mr. Dalton

The other adorable couple

Why are we leaning?

"We're men, we're men in kilts..."

Sadly my camera ran out of juice, but I'm sure there are far lovelier photos courtesy of the wedding/fetish photographer. Which I'd like copies of. Hint hint.

It was great to see everyone again. These are some of my favorite people in the world and I miss them terribly. Stupid time-space thing.

He's finally here!

2007-04-05T11:21:00.000+12:00

I just received this from Jason

"Ronan Rhyon McDonald was born on April 4, 2007. He was delivered by
emergency c-section after a lack of amniotic fluid and a 9-pound (even!)
weight (21 inches long) combined to slow the labor down to the point that
his heart rate dropped and they had to get him out of there. Scary stuff but
it all turned out alright.

Mother and child are doing well, but both are exhausted. Look for the whole
story on http://www.jasonandterry.com/ (not yet, I need to sleep, will be
posted in the next few days.)"

Hooray for Jason and Terry! Now to track down some black baby booties... maybe a skull onesie...

Mt. Doomy Doom Doom

2007-03-17T18:35:00.000+13:00

Last weekend we headed for the hills. We rented a bach (pronounced "batch." A small beach house), then spent a day on the ass-kicking that is Mt. Taranaki. Beautiful views. The day ended with us soaking our weary bodies in a hot pool. Yezzer.

Touch the mountain Patty, touch it.

Valley... of doom.

Um. More valley of doom.

Joe vs. The Volcano. Tim vs. The Taranaki.

If you look hard enough you can see the Rebels' base on Dantooine. Yes I'm that nerdy.

Mmm scroggin.

Taking a breather.

Trish and Tim.

The icy summit.

Amongst the clouds.

What the hell is that face.

And what trip is complete without a heel-click?

We totally knocked the bastard off.

Tune in later. Same bat-time, same bat-channel.

Revelery Inc.

2007-03-17T18:05:00.000+13:00

All that remains of our flatwarming. Good times were had.

Pre-party contemplation on the hill by Tim

Wilson warms up for a night's dancing

Sancho Panza?

Introducing Liam. The nacho hat man.

Dancers in orange

Suze and Naomi the Flamenco dancers

Don't dig too deep, you'll get to his brain

What a douche.

Hi Kathy.

The night concluded with a sleep out on the hill behind our flat. Slept maybe a half an hour, but the sunset was totally worth it.

More invites.

2007-03-01T22:34:00.000+13:00

Because Will demanded them, here are a couple of other invites. They didn't really scan with the kiwi audience. No one seems to know what a donkey punch is. It's probably better this way.

I've totally lost your respect, haven't I?

Flatwarming invite

2007-02-26T19:02:00.000+13:00

I was asked to come up with an invite to our flatwarming fiesta next weekend. My early attempts included a faux zapatista recruiting poster and a frida kahlo-esque mural. Fun, but historically/politically aware.

Then I was reminded of my audience.

Laborious labor

2007-02-05T16:42:00.000+13:00

Congratulations to Mr. Fain, he is job.

I've got a couple video gigs lined up, including being an AC for a X-Games type event going on this weekend. Doesn't pay much, but I get to check out some craaaaazy breakdancers. May also lead to more work. Who knows. No semi-permanent work yet. Guess I don't have a face for retail.

Yarr.

The Vista

2007-01-28T17:13:00.000+13:00

Behold y'all.

My new flat. The view is teh best.

And the living room (full of burning, daystar light)

The dining room(where we eat the babies)

Er, forgot to take a picture of the kitchen. But it's huge.
Lastly, the view from the backyard.

We should be getting broadband at the flat soon, so uploading will be less of a chore.

Also, please visit the cutest couple in the world http://www.jasonandterry.com/
They're expecting in March, meaning I only have a month to find skull & crossbones baby booties.

Blarghable

2007-01-23T13:22:00.000+13:00

Had food poisoning this weekend. Broke my 12 year no-puke streak. Just thought I'd let you know.

Moved into the new flat though. Good stuff. Awesome views, good kitchen, small but comfy room. Now if I only had a bed...

The flatmates are good. Favorite movies: Princess Bride and Wayne's World. How can I go wrong.

Seriously.

2007-01-19T11:28:00.000+13:00

please please please please PLEASE WETA PLEASE please please please...

The Great Hunt

2007-01-17T15:07:00.000+13:00

Resuming transmission. Back in Wellington, where the wind comes from.

Found a flat with groovy flatmates (yay), one of whom is well connected with film/animation people in town (double yay). Been doing the job search (boo), handing out CVs to people 6 years younger than I am. Ah retail. Soulcrusher Inc.

Sallying forth however. Contacting filmy people this week including the ascended god-kin that comprise WETA workshop.

Oh yeah pictures. Durrr. They exist I swear. Will upload as soon as I move into new flat. Empty promise, you say? How dare you. I'm appalled.

Everyday with you is an adventure I never wanted. Like swimming naked through shards of glass. -BM, 8-Bit Theater

Wassail.

2006-12-24T21:37:00.000+13:00

Happy consumer-oriented holiday of your choice!
Off to Malaysia tomorrow, be back in a couple weeks. And then updates. Fun, exciting, photo filled updates.

And free pie.*

*subject to availability. Freedom, not pie.

"There are children throwing snowballs
Instead of throwing heads
They're busy building toys
Absolutely no one's dead

There's frost on every window
Oh, I can't believe my eyes
And in my bones I feel the warmth
That's coming from inside..."

-Jack, The Nightmare Before Christmas

Zombie Turkey Day

2006-11-24T14:38:00.000+13:00

They hunger for YOUR stuffing. Eat them before they eat you.

This message brought to you by the Association for Defense Against Undead Poultry.

And we're back.

2006-10-30T16:11:00.000+13:00

Hardware problems? Sorted. Time for the dog and pony show.

In the last episode, our dynamic duo Ennui & Mallet (Mal-ay. It's french) set off to plunder the remainder of New Zealand's North Island.
Our first stop was the little town of Thames, home of the Pinnacles. Met a Canadian named Stewart along the way. Though a hitchhiker, he made no attempts to cut us up and wear our skins. Thanks Stew!

The hostel we stayed at also had a monstrously fluffy chewbacca cat.

After Thames we headed further north-east into the Coromandel Peninsula. Stopped off in a little place in Hahei, where I took a kayak trip out to Cathedral Cove & Stingray bay.

Rotorua was next. Known affectionately(?) as Rotten-rua or Roto-vegas, the city is considered the center of Maori culture. Scattered about the city are these boiling mud and sulphur pits. Tasty, tasty brimstone.

Here's Lake Rotorua, the crater of a giant volcano.

Boiling mud pit

Purdy flowers!

One evening we were treated to a Maori concert and hangi (earth oven feast). So much food. Sooooo good. No pictures though, maybe on Will's flickr site? From Rotorua we headed east to East Cape. This leg of the trip was far more relaxed and made me lazy in the photography department.

The Eastern lighthouse

The "longest" wharf in the country

Our last stop on the East coast was the Art Deco town of Napier.

Aaaaah! Run! It's a giant ice-cream wielding monster museum!

Neon clock tower

Neon clock tower 'sploded.

At a couple points in our trip we stopped at the town of Matamata, otherwise known as Hobbiton. It was here on a quiet little farm that Bilbo's house was constructed. Here is a stupid picture of me.

I'm afraid that's all the internet time I have today. Much more of the North Island will be uploaded when we get back. South Island pics will abound as well.
See you next month, same bat channel, same bat blog-thing.

$300 Coaster

2006-10-27T13:29:00.001+13:00

I commend thee to the valkyries of techno-valhalla oh silly stoopid hard drive.

A new hard drive has been installed. Pictures forth-coming.

Oh yes, the pictures there will be.

The Computer is Dead. Long live the Computer.

2006-10-23T18:05:00.000+13:00

It's looking like my trusty laptop of 4+ years is on its way to Techno-Valhalla. It may be a while before I can post again.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Where the sun comes from

2006-10-04T12:42:00.000+13:00

Hi again. Been travelling around the East Cape here in the ol' NZ. Pretty sweet I must say. Lots of pictures to upload, but that'll have to wait until I get back to my computer. Will and I are currently hanging out in Napier, the art deco stronghold of the country (think Miami minus the half nekkid people).

A full report to come. Not that anyone reads this anyway.

Sniff.

The Great Northy-North V.2 teh REMIX.

2006-09-20T01:17:00.000+12:00

Will and I attempted to buy a car this week. We found a potential vehicle, had it checked out, and were promptly told it would explode should try to drive it.

Suffice it to say, we did not purchase aforementioned vehicle.

Instead we will be touring the rest of the North Island with the good people of Kiwi Experience. Internet access will be spotty over the next couple weeks, so don't expect any major updates. When I return there will be pictures.

Oh the pictures there will be...

DARKON!

2006-09-14T22:33:00.000+12:00

Just got back from seeing Darkon, a documentary on "wargaming". It's like larping but with less talking. It's like the SCA, but smaller and with people pretending to be dark elves. Pretty funny. Almost poignant at parts. YOU SEE IT NOW. www.darkonthemovie.com

I also highly recommend The Giant Buddhas, The Cats of Mirikitani, & The World According to Sesame Street. All wonderful films. Oh and Crossing Arizona. BEST MOVIE EVER.

Cuz I worked on it.

The Great Northy-North.

2006-09-12T10:28:00.000+12:00

Hey. How's your week? I like what you did to your hair.
Hmm. What? No, I don't think that looks infected. For seriously, I do not need a closer look.

So I'm predicting a weekly/bi-weekly update to the blog. So for those of you who check the site every 10 minutes, stop that. It's creepy.

Perhaps at some point I'll attempt to organize my thoughts and provide you with my impressions and observations of kiwi land (i.e. big blocks of text).

For now, pictures. This past week we sallied forth from our farm to visit the far north. We based ourselves in a little town in the Bay of Islands called Paihia. We sailed around the area, kayaked, hiked, the whole bit. Even went to the northern most point of the country, Cape Reinga, and witnessed the meeting of two seas.

Paihia is known for it's devil duck crossings. Fear the duck.

We visited the Waitangi Treaty site, where (in colonial terms) New Zealand's history as a nation began. Go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi. Educate yourself.

This meeting house was erected circa 1940. Belonging to no specific social group, it is supposed to represent all maori peoples.

Inside the meeting house

A war canoe, also constructed for the centennial of the treaty.

Some detail on the columns surrounding the canoe

Totally in love with maori design by the way

One of our hikes brought us to the Haruru Falls

"Ah. The rushing water, the wind in the trees... I should hurl Brendan into the depths."

Natural mirror

The next day we did a tour of the islands. A wee bit o' sailing to shiver the timbers.

Avast! Preeeeetty fish.
Yes those are dolphins, and no we did not partake in the jackassery of swimming with them. Poor things. All they wanted to do is eat and hang out. Yet the loud americans on the other boats insisted on trying to cuddle.

Attack of the artsy island shot

We stopped for lunch and kayaking on the island pictured below

crazy moss covered trees

An Ang Lee moment (minus the talent)

Cliffs are for jumping

Onward. More mangroves were travelled in our hikes.

Leaves

Ooh ooh kauri. Big trees that grow naturally straight. Only about 3% of the original population exist today (silly logging).

I suck. Below is the only photo I took of 90 mile beach before being distracted by frisbees and pipis (shellfish buried a couple inches under the sand). For a far better photo see Will's blog.

And now, Cape Reinga. The northern tip.

A solar powered lighthouse

The meeting of the Tasman Sea & the Pacific Ocean

And what trip to one of the most stunning sites on the planet would be complete without...

Will doing a cartwheel.

Thanks for reading.
And maybe you should get that thing looked at.

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

2006-09-03T21:01:00.000+12:00

The family we stayed with was way into mosaic & sculpture.

Chickens!

This one's my favorite. I named him LunchMeat. Or was it SnakPak? I forget.

Oh this is cool. So apparently after Xena was cancelled, they sold off all the props to the locals. Our family had a Xena staircase, a Xena yurt, and even a Xena chandelier. Check Will's blog for a picture of me falling victim to a falling chandelier.

NZ, hooooooo!

2006-09-03T18:38:00.000+12:00

Will at JFK. Not used to camera, focal length is fricked.

Inside a traditional Maori meeting house (Auckland Museum).

Will meets the man in the wall.

Maori tiki statue.

After the Auckland Museum we got ourselves thoroughly lost. In doing so, we came across an abandoned train yard.

I was tempted to set Will on fire and pull a Spike Jonze. Will was not keen on the idea.

The next day. Will is still not amused.

Botanical Gardens. It's... full of trees.

Mmm shadows.

God I'm artsy.

The indomitable mr. fain.

A moment on Waiheke island.

After a week in the Auckland area, we made our way north to a farm on the Otamatea river. We spent 2 weeks thigh-high in pig/cow/horse crap planting trees, feeding animals, herding cattle, repairing fences, and eating stew. It was an amazing experience.

This is where the family was living while construction of their dream house took place down the hill.

The bricks for the house are essentially made of saw dust and sand. The plans include a tower/turret, an indoor movie theater, and an indoor bridge that will span the 2nd floor.

Here's the view from the porch.

Piggy! I love-ed yooooooouuuuu!

Will exploring the Otamatea river during low tide.

Cows!

And of course, the sunset.

Let us begin.

2006-09-03T11:20:00.000+12:00

Here it is, the end of an era. My bliggity bliggity bloggy thing. Don't expect much, I'm really not that interesting as you well know.

I do plan to post alot of my pictures here.

Enjoy?