Robin Morrison

Another kiwi photographer I’ve just come across is Robin Morrison. I’d never seen his work before but every New Zealander knows him, and he published some iconic books on the country. He died in 1993 and the images below were taken at the end of the 70’s/early 80’s. People talk about him as the landscape photographer but for me there is much more social depth to his work than just good landscapes. His photography seems to cross a few different styles and you can definitely see influences such as his in some of today’s photography.

New Zealand Photo

So as I’m here I’ve been having a look around at the photography of New Zealand. Here are two photographers I’ve come across in my searches. Both documentarians and both immigrants to New Zealand in the second half of the twentieth century. Marti Friedlander and Ans Vestra. Both are known for their work looking at both New Zealand’s  Western and Maori societies and the changing relationship between the two over the last 40 years or so.

© Marti Friedlander

© Marti Friedlander

© Ans Westra

© Ans Westra

Holiday Fun

The New Zealand ‘Bach’ or beach home is a core part of kiwi culture. Traditionally a pretty basic wooden hut built on the coast as a holiday home for the family. Apparently they took off in the 50’s as the masses gained the means to have regular vacations at the seaside. There are some more modern versions around now but many of the older ones are still going and they’re still very popular. Anybody going to the beach for the weekend will either have their own family bach, they’ll try and get into their friends bach or finally failing that they’ll rent one. Just spent last night in one… …interesting.

Lava Bed

I was interested to find out Auckland has been built on an active lava bed. Apparently there are about 50 craters scattered around the city marking the areas volcanic history. A new one could pop-up pretty much anywhere and at anytime in the next few hundred to few thousand years.

Rugby practice inside the crater of the Pukekawa Volcano. Site of one of the earliest eruptions from the Auckland lava field dating back to around 100,000 – 150,000 years ago.

The old swimming pool built upon hardened lava on the volcanic island of Rangitoto in Auckland Bay. The area marks the most recent activity from the city’s volcanic bed at around 600 years ago.Witnessed by the local Maori, Rangitoto’s eruption created a brand new 5km wide island in the bay, with a 250m high crater at its center.

Apparently the lava field has a life of c. 1 million years or so with the eruptions getting gradually more violent. So the area’s due a few yet. Its always adds a good perspective on things to consider how delicate our civilisation actually is, it’ll probably be no more than dust in just a few geological seconds. God save us…