Today marks one hundred and fifty years since the first skirmishes of the Waikato Invasion were fought. I’m not an expert on the subject but it feels wrong to not acknowledge such an important date in New Zealand’s history. It isn’t about celebrating; it is about commemorating and […]
As a follow-up to my earlier post on the HMAS Encounter I thought I’d share another photograph from the same collection. Last time the identity of the ship was written on the back of the image by the photographer, but this time I know a lot less about […]
One of my largest collections of vintage postcards focuses on those sent by soldiers during the First World War. When I started collecting as a teenager I used to pick them up at stamp fairs, from dealers, auctions, antique shops and secondhand book stores – but I had […]
I’ve been blogging for about ten months now and one of the fantastic parts of the experience has been the exchange of ideas and stories with fellow bloggers. It is inspiring to see so many passionate people sharing our past in different ways and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed becoming […]
Now is the time of year when New Zealand families make like a D-Day assault team and storm the beaches. The ice cream vendors make a killing while people get sand in their hair, work on their tan and lap up the beach culture. Of course none of […]
Happy New Year! 2013 has arrived and I thought this might be a good opportunity to take a look at what historical anniversaries are coming up this year. Some I hope to blog about in more detail over the next 12 months in-between my regular ephemeral broadcasts. First […]
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 […]
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 […]
Resurrecting the humour of yesteryear is a favourite pastime of mine – so today I thought I’d share a charming hundred year old postcard from my maritime collection. As usual, it also comes with an interesting back story.
If you are the owner of a child that is obsessed with dinosaurs then you probably already know just how many complex names and facts a child can learn and recite. Perhaps you have wondered If only there was a way to expand that self propelled learning potential […]
History Geek 