Thank you for bearing with me as I posted single images during my trip to Taupo, New Zealand.  Because I was using a APP on my iPad and because internet access was sketchy, I was limited in what I could post.  I had a most wonderful time on this trip, where I was a tutor at the symposium, with many adventures, both quilt-related and touristy!  This begins the first of several to come that highlight some of the wonders that occurred during this trip.

At the Exhibition

My friends, Diane Anderson and Melissa Gelder (2 rightmost in image above) took me to see the quilts at the exhibition during one of our lunch hours.  Taupo is filled with outdoor sculptures such as this one entitled, “Taupo-nui-a-Tia, the Great Cloak of Tia” by Lynden Over (2009).  The first sculpture commissioned by the Taupo Sculpture Trust, it symbolizes the two sides of the legendary cloak.  The colors of the glass feathers represent the lake, the river and the volcanic earth.

Fireworks by Ruth Wheeler

Inside the exhibition hall,  we first encountered the Special Exhibits area.  Fireworks, by Ruth Wheeler of Whakatane was the winner of the Hoffman Challenge.  Ruth reported that she enjoyed the challenge of working with the flower fabric, trying to use as much as possible in her original design.

Speed Kills by Lyn White

Another exhibit was the “Make a Statement Challenge”.  In the above quilt, Speed Kills by Lyn White, the message is clear.

Save Our Seas by Bridget Gill

This quilt by Bridget Gill, bespeaks of the trash that has accumulated in the ocean, where The Great Pacific Garbage Patch extends over hundreds of miles.

Learning on Shaky Ground by Heather McOnie

Learning on Shaky Ground by Heather McOnie was particularly poignant as a major earthquake struck Wellington, New Zealand, four hours south of Taupo, during the week we were there.

Although no shaking was felt in Taupo during this time, there was a strong odor of sulphur on the days of the heaviest geologic activity.  I learned about GeoNet, a website that tracks the Earth’s movements in New Zealand. It’s a fascinating site that I checked daily, drawn by the numerous shakes right about then.  It was at this very same time that the White Island volcano, located in the sea north of Tauranga, also roared back to life.