Guy Fawkes Day is among New Zealand’s most bizarre commemorations. For my international readers, here it is the only time of year when anyone of a “responsible” age can buy and let off fireworks. The reason for such merriment – to commemorate this foiled plot to blow up […]
Here at History Geek there are two things to celebrate today. It is exactly six months since I started this blog and I’ve also been nominated for another award! My first goal with History Geek was to aim for 12 months so I’m exactly halfway and so far […]
Tempests, waterspouts, thunderstorms and hurricanes have throughout the centuries struck fear into the hearts of many a brave sailor. The image of a tall ship battling against the relentless elements will be familiar to fans of maritime historical fiction such as works by Patrick O’Brian and C.S. Forester. […]
I started this post as an innocent attempt to share a beautiful vintage postcard of Wellington but somehow ended up giving myself a crash course on the introduction of electric street lighting to New Zealand cities. It is a subject that proved to be rather illuminating… First, here […]
Today I thought I’d share a postcard that has a particularly fascinating story. It was sent by a New Zealander who was fighting in the trenches at Gallipoli. For my non-antipodean readers the Gallipoli campaign was this ill-fated Allied attempt to knock Turkey out of the First World […]
Recently a photograph from the New Zealand Police Museum’s collection has generated a lot of attention. It is a mug shot of what is thought to perhaps be New Zealand’s most photogenic criminal, Daniel Lohill. The photograph is from this fantastic Online Exhibit at the New Zealand Police […]
I have some good news! I’ve been awarded the ‘Liebster Award’ by Matthew Wright. He runs a fantastic blog on writing techniques, the publishing industry, science fiction and all sorts of insightful musings – dare I say it laced with an appropriate dose of geekiness. It is quite […]
