It is that wonderful time of the year again. Deadlines are looming, traffic is congested, frantic shoppers jostle for position at the cashier and all the while we are being mocked by sadistically ironic jingles about what a wonderful time we are supposed to be having. It sure […]
One of my geeky obsessions is stereographic photography. This interest manifests itself in the form of a personal museum of historical stereoscopic photographs and examples of 3D viewing devices ranging from an original 19th century wooden viewer through to an aircraft recognition training tool from the Second World […]
To mark the month of Movember I’ve got some prickly profile shots to share with you from my collection of 19th century Otago photographs, followed by a facial hair inspired parody written by a largely forgotten New Zealand poet. Sadly, the photographs I’m about to share are orphans […]
A few months back I shared this post where I claimed that every envelope has a story to tell. Well today I’m going to share another envelope with a completely different story, one that begins sixty years ago on a remote island at the bottom of the world. […]
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 […]
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