Being caught in an air raid is something that most of us don’t usually need to worry about, but that is no excuse for not being ready. If you know what to do in the event of an earthquake, tsunami, cyclone/hurricane and other similar hazards then you owe […]
As the latest large quake to hit New Zealand was a safe distance from any communities and deep enough to not cause any severe damage it seems okay to treat it with a bit of ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ humour. So this goes out to the many […]
Congratulations to prolific historian, writer and blogger Matthew Wright on the launch of his latest book, Convicts – New Zealand’s Hidden Criminal Past. Any book that features convicts, piracy, tall-ships AND cannibalism will automatically get my seal of approval but to have someone with the experience and ability […]
I once read somewhere that if a country is invaded then it takes over a hundred years for the wounds to fully heal. It is as if occupying forces can leave invisible scars on the towns, cities, roads, bridges and fields. Once lost, innocence is difficult to regain. […]
Today is a pretty big anniversary for history geeks, it is the 197th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. So yes, there will be some pretty big commemorations in another three years when the bicentenary rolls around. To mark this historic day I thought I’d post a bit […]
I’ve got an exciting series of posts coming up soon on life in wartime New Zealand including a guide to surviving aerial bombardments, a look at the threat of Japanese attacks and the resulting American invasion. Speaking of which – this month marks the 70th anniversary of the […]
Well so far I’ve lasted just over a whole month in the blogosphere so I thought I’d take the opportunity to post a bit of an update on the aim of this blog and some of the places I want to take you the readers in the next […]
Today is D-Day – the transit of Venus will be visible from New Zealand for the first time in 130 years. If you get the chance then I urge you to get out and take a look as you won’t live to have another opportunity. Just make sure […]
History, the weather and the sea are all muses of mine – which is why this postcard is one of my favourites. It shows stormy waves pounding Nelson’s Rocks Road, a scene that I’m very familiar with. Nelson was founded in 1841 by the New Zealand Land Company […]
Today I thought I’d share a bit about an explosive topic. My daytime job involves sourcing all kinds of film and photographs for use in television documentaries. One of my current projects recently gave me an excuse to re-visit a fantastic archive – the U.S. Department of Energy, […]
History Geek 