Articles by Kerry Meadows-Bonner

Symbolising new beginnings and transition, Christchurch’s ‘Cardboard’ Cathedral has stood as a unique and stunning structure since its creation in 2013 following Christchurch’s devastating earthquake in 2011. Christchurch’s original cathedral was a slow process that was on and off for years due to funding until its completion in 1905. It was built by Jamieson and Sons, renowned…

Located in the Bay of Plenty region, Rotorua is a city on the Southern shores of Lake Rotorua which it takes its name. As a city that was built in the 1880’s, Rotorua is unusual in that is was neither a port, nor a farming community and has always been a town built for tourists who visited the lakes. As such, tourism still remains a huge part of Rotorua’s economy both…

A longstanding historic landmark built over 170 years ago with the hands of over 1000 men with a unique interior of both Maori and European design but also a sad history stands the Rangiatea Church in Otaki on the Kapiti Coast. Formally one of New Zealand’s oldest Maori Anglican churches, Rangiatea church was originally built in 1851 under the leadership of Chief Te Rauparaha and…

Situated in the far north of the country with beautiful sandy beaches, plenty of history and no shortage of land and water activities sits the popular tourist destination, Paihia. With Waitangi directly to its north, Russell across the shore by ferry and situated only 23 kilometres south-east of Kerikeri (the largest town in Northland) Paihia makes an ideal spot for tourists with…

With stunning views of Lake Tekapo and the Southern Alps on its doorstep sits another of New Zealand’s most photographed churches. The small Anglican church in the south island named The Church of The Good Shepherd. With intent to create a place of worship and as a memorial to the pioneers of Mackenzie Country, a successful appeal for funds was granted in October 1934 and was…

With its rich limestone architecture, stunning views of the Pacific Ocean from its harbour and most famous for its blue penguin colony sits Oamaru, one of the largest ‘best wee’ towns in North Otago. Oamaru was laid out in 1858 by Otago’s provincial surveyor, John Turnbull Thompson whom named the streets after British rivers. In the 1860s the town discovered riches through…

In the popular sea side town of Russell in the Bay of Islands is one of the country’s most popular and historic landmarks. Nestled amongst its prominent graveyard is home to New Zealand’s oldest surviving building, Christ Church. In the 19th century, Russell, then known as Kororareka was known as a rough sea port, popular with whalers. The land on which Christ Church sits was…

Famous for its long keeper onions, former champion rally car driver, Possum Bourne and its sports facility, Park Raceway, Pukekohe is a vibrant town with a rich melting pot of diversity, culture and plenty of things to see and do. Founded in 1880 with large areas of volcanic land, Pukekohe’s main rural activity is market gardening known for its large vegetable growing industry…

Christmas Parades or Santa Parades as they’re more commonly referred to are parades held worldwide to celebrate the official opening of Christmas season with the arrival of Santa Claus. Typically, these parades include themed floats, dancing, marching groups and bands with accompanying Christmas songs. As moving floats there is usually a starting point as the parade moves…

Sitting high on a hill in the Awhitu Peninsula overlooking its dramatic backdrop of farmland, Lake Pokorua and the Tasman sea sits an iconic building dubbed by some as New Zealand’s most photogenic church. Kohekohe Church was designed in 1886 by Scottish emigrant, Captain Sir John Makgill, the founder of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Waiuku in the 19th century, and a…

Recognized for many different reasons; a diarist, poet, and punk rock musician, he was part of New York’s post punk and beatnik scene in the 1970’s and 1980’s and had lived a harrowing existence of drug addiction and prostitution in his younger years famously chronicled in his best known novels, the gritty autobiographical, The Basketball Diaries and it’s follow up, Forced…

He was a brilliant playwright, poet and author who was a larger than life figure in the Victorian era. He advocated for socialism and the literary movement, Aestheticism and was famously imprisoned for his homosexuality at a time of illegality, rife sexual repression and hostility. Nevertheless, he broadened the horizons of 19th century literature and helped open the doors to the…

He was the founder of the Gonzo movement, a written style without objectivity and first person narrative and became a prominent writer within counter culture for his life long use of alcohol, drug use, firearms and his contempt for authoritarianism. He was unique and unpredictable, leaving his mark on the literary and real world with a literal bang. Hunter Stockton Thompson was…

He was an American writer, journalist and novelist known for his sparse and uncomplicated writing style that was also economical and understated. He led an adventurous life ending in tragic circumstances and continues to have a strong influence on 20th century fiction. Ernest Miler Hemingway was born 21 July 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, Chicago to Clarence Edmonds Hemingway, a…

He was one of the most respected writers and poets of the Beat generation alongside his friends, William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. He was unconventional and championed for gay rights at a time when homosexuality acts were criminal in every state and embodied counter culture thinking too with his views on drugs, hostility to bureaucracy and economic materialism. Allen Ginsberg…

New Zealand has grown to be a multi-cultural nation and encompasses a wide range of groups and beliefs. But as of the 2018 census, statistics show almost half of our population doesn’t identify with any religion. As churches all over the country celebrate somewhat differently this Good Friday and Easter Sunday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, elocal looks…

He was recognized for his method of spontaneous prose covering topics from catholic spirituality, drugs, poverty and travel and best known for his novel, On The Road, he was a pioneer of the Beat Generation movement alongside Allan Ginsberg and William Burroughs. A former football star turned literary iconoclast and poet, Jack Kerouac. Born Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac on March…

He was an American writer and visual artist of experimental novels and a primary figure in the Beat Generation movement. His influence affected literature and 1960s counter culture figures and he lived a wild ride of a life that included addiction and a fascination for guns. Forever cemented in history, his name remains synonymous to new, emerging writers hoping to make a…

Considered a prolific underground writer who wrote short stories, novels and poems that reflected on the social, cultural and economic ambience of urban life in a downtrodden America Society came the German-American writer, Charles Bukowski. An outrageous anti -hero literary figure, Charles Bukowski was arguably one of the greatest American writers with detractors who charged him…

Adam Mainey has always enjoyed keeping fit. From his younger years playing sport, to his previous jobs as a Bricklayer and running his own Masonry business, he was always challenged, or so he thought, until the day he changed careers and tried Crossfit for the first time. He says he had done the gym thing before and never got into it, but Crossfit beat him up and he fell in love…