Several Maori friends gave us a farewell dinner on Monday April 22, 2013. Here Matt sang this song to begin the evening.

Kay Liddle book launce with John Hitchens and Dan Shaw at Laidlaw College

April 18, 2013 we participated in the book launch of two books by Kay Liddle at Laidlaw College near Auckland, NZ. Dan was the featured speaker (did a great job introducing 'transculturation') and John Hitchens interviewed Kay and his son Jeff (fantastic).

The books tell of Kay and Gwen's time in PNG from 1952 onward...get the books "Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea" and "Deeper into the Heart of Papua New Guinea". I am pictured with John's wife Ann Hitchens (I first met Ann in 2011 at CLTC in PNG).

 

 

 

 

Niagra Falls (New Zealand version)

Yes, that is the "falls" above the sign...little bit of Maori humor there!

Invercargill, NZ

Mt. Cook, New Zealand

Christchurch, New Zealand

Driving Creek Railway & Potteries

 

While touring the Coromandel Penisula near Auckland, NZ we visited the DCR and even met the 76 year old designer/owner Barry Brickell. It took him 32 years to get to this stage and it is amazing. After buying this 60 acre hilly scrub-covered land in 1973, he built major viaducts, 3 short tunnels, 2 spirals and 5 reversing points to elevate the railway up to the top at the Eyefull Tower (and has 3 trains).

 

In 1961 Barry became New Zealand's first Kiwi-born fulltime handcraft potter. All along the wooded train track he has placed pottery and glass art work, and recently had one of he workers (or train engineer) design and build a wooden waterwheel just because he wanted one! Barry is bent on reestablishing native trees and plants that have been destroyed by the foresting that has been done in the whole ares, so we saw new kauri trees of various sizes along the track. Initially they grow about a foot a  year from limb to limb, amazing and beautiful.

 

The DCR is a wonderful attraction of art, conservation and engineering

 

Maori welcome

Oct 9, 2012 Dan and I attended the celebration of Ryan Bolger's book The Gospel after Christendom, to honor the life work of Eddie Gibbs. The guest speaker was Phyllis Tickle ( author of Emergent Christianity). It was a fantastic, fun, time as the shot of Bill Pannell and Myrlin Call demonstrates. Photo in top left is of Ryan Bolger presenting the process he took to produce the book: he asked 138 people 4 questions and came up with 273 issues which he reduced to 6 cultural issues . . .  great book!

Time with grandkids in Chiang Mai