Behind the Scenes at DayOut

This Morning in Thorndon.

2012-01-31T08:29:00.001+13:00

Thorndon is Wellington's earliest suburb.

An Old House with an Interesting History

2012-01-29T18:08:00.000+13:00

56 Armagh St, Christchurch has some interesting connections.

St Mary Street, Thorndon

2012-01-25T12:03:00.000+13:00

Climb St Mary Street from where it meets Tinakori Rd and you will find an entrance to Wellington's Northern Walkway. The walkway traverses what was once known as Tinakori Hill to reach Wadestown.

If you want a city view to rival that from Mt Victoria divert from the Walkway and climb steeply to the Lookout by following the signs for Te Ahumairangi/Ridgeline track.

Along the Foreshore

2012-01-18T23:48:00.000+13:00

Louis (nearly three), Bruno (nearly five), Barry (forty something) and I (nearly 69) rode our bikes along the Petone foreshore this morning to this playground and back again. Its a good place to go.

Stay Near Attractions

2012-01-14T22:10:00.000+13:00

In keeping with the DayOut idea of taking advantage of the immediate neighbourhood we have now made it easier to find and book at places to stay near any of the 4,000+ attractions in our database.

Links to these places are found on the attraction page below the map but above the photos of the attraction.

A Piece of History

2012-01-06T16:32:00.000+13:00

Ten years ago I created this DayOut in the sky using the font derived from Cézanne's writing and against the background of an Oamaru hillside. As you might guess I was a big fan of Cézanne and continue to be so. Fortunately DayOut has not proved to be as ephemeral as a piece of sky-writing.

New Years Day Picnic at Makara Beach

2012-01-01T20:34:00.000+13:00

The road to Makara is tortuous but in a southerly wind the beach is sheltered providing another of the multitude of picnic places within easy reach of Wellington and one suitable for some older folk who didn't want to swim!

A Wet Day in Wellington

2011-12-30T16:11:00.000+13:00

In the Pink - Newtown Wellington

2011-12-27T11:19:00.001+13:00

A Virtual Attraction

2011-12-26T17:50:00.001+13:00

Among the tags we use on the DayOut website is 'urban design'. By far the most significant example of this within our ambit will be the Christchurch which emerges from the devastation of the February 2011 earthquake. So although the new Christchurch is still on paper I have decided to distinguish it with its own attraction listing centred on the Cathedral Square. This will be an attraction to observe over the next fifteen years or so as it takes shape accompanied no doubt by many disagreements and perhaps disappointments about what transpires.

Athfield Designed House in Eastbourne Wellington

2011-12-04T20:57:00.000+13:00

Nearly forty years ago when architect Ian Athfield was trying to establish himself he designed this house for an owner whom I believe built it himself. I found when I went to photograph it today for DayOut that it has stood the test of time well and because I so liked the picture here it is.

New Zealand Audio Guides

2011-12-03T22:11:00.001+13:00

I sometimes wonder if visitors to the DayOut website miss our Audioguides. There are over 200 of them; each intended to provide interesting and in some cases enlightening stories about New Zealand places. We chose our writers with care and believe they have done an excellent job.

In the Botanic Gardens Today

2011-11-27T20:25:00.000+13:00

This antromorphic tree is near the duck pond in the gardens.

The Nikau Arcade

2011-11-18T11:19:00.000+13:00

It was good to get the sun at an effective angle to show Ian Athfield's Nikau palms on the Wellington City Library.

Tattoo takes Over

2011-11-18T11:17:00.000+13:00

A perfunctory attempt to replicate the building style of what I guess was a bank with the penthouse add-on has been eclipsed by the renderings of the Tattoo Studio tenant.

DayOut in Morcambe

2011-11-02T07:37:00.001+13:00

With winter in the air we joined in the popular Sunday activity promenading along the front at Morcambe.

The photos are now part of the Morcambe set.

Which are New Zealand's Post-modern designs?

2011-10-26T10:23:00.000+13:00

Working within a restrictive building code Michael Wilford contributed a post modern design as the new British Embassy in Berlin. (1996 - 2000)

Which are New Zealand's post-modern buildings? Suggest how you think the list should be modified.

Brutalism in Preston

2011-10-26T09:03:00.000+13:00

Listed as a cultural heritage site the enormous Preston Bus Station, built in 1969, is threatened with demolition in a city centre redevelopment project. It is constructed of hundreds of repeating concrete modules.

Unbuilt Albert Speer in Berlin (The Volkshalle)

2011-09-26T02:13:00.002+13:00

Another model of a grandiose proposal. This time it is the peoples hall planned by Hitler. Accommodating 180,000 people it would have been 290 metres high. The model is in the Deutsches Historisches Museum.

New Zealand Self-guided Tours

2011-09-14T19:41:00.004+12:00

For iPhone, iPad, or iPod owners DayOut now provides two Apps each containing a number of New Zealand tours with maps, audio and pictures. Once these tours have been downloaded there is no need to have Internet access. Viewing the individual tours on the App can be a good way of deciding when planning a New Zealand trip which tours to take.

Purchasing the 'Full' App for a fixed sum gives access to all the tours while the 'LITE' App provides several free tours with the rest available as In app purchases.

Lancaster Castle and the Priory Church today.

2011-08-04T04:29:00.002+12:00

This is the best shot I could get to approximate the view of Lancaster Castle shown in the top right of the previous post.

A Lancaster Locomotive

2011-08-03T23:43:00.001+12:00

Locomotive "John O'Gaunt" built 1839-40 for the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway.

Unbuilt Lutyens in Liverpool

2011-08-01T09:39:00.003+12:00

The model of Lutyens design for a Catholic Cathedral on display in the new Liverpool Museum. If built the Cathedral would have been more than twice the height of the Sydney Opera House. Lutyens thought it would take 200 years to build.

Glasgow - the Riverside Museum designed by Zaha Hadid

2011-07-23T08:54:00.000+12:00

Walking in the Cantal - France

2011-07-18T08:09:00.001+12:00

Inside a Kitchen in France

2011-07-18T07:59:00.001+12:00

Le Plat - St Galmier

2011-07-16T23:53:00.001+12:00

Sunderland Point

2011-07-16T20:19:00.001+12:00

The Lancaster Canal near Aldcliffe Rd

2011-07-08T09:08:00.003+12:00

Phone Photos

The Château de Coussay

2011-07-08T04:30:00.011+12:00

In 1617, when Cardinal Richelieu was Bishop of Luçon and in service as almoner to Louis XIII's mother, Marie de Medicis, the Cardinal based himself at the Priory of Coussay. The Priory is near the ideal town of Richelieu he founded in 1631.

La Flotte - Ile de Re

2011-07-07T20:20:00.001+12:00

Nr Jerusalem, la Roche-Rigault

2011-07-07T20:11:00.003+12:00

Not the Lancaster I know

2011-07-07T19:56:00.000+12:00

Notre Dame Du Hamel

2011-07-07T19:53:00.003+12:00

The Petanque Player

2011-07-07T04:50:00.001+12:00

Avenue des 12 et 24 Juin 1944

2011-07-07T04:41:00.001+12:00

DayOut at Saint-Malo

2011-07-02T00:50:00.000+12:00

Lessons for Christchurch from France

2011-07-01T20:11:00.004+12:00

Everywhere we go in France we see ideas for rebuilding Christchurch.

I suppose this is too much to hope for.

St Marys Kirby Lonsdale - Church Gate & Cottages.

2011-06-08T00:49:00.000+12:00

Two Wakefield Photos

2011-06-05T09:25:00.000+12:00

Brutalism in Yorkshire

2011-06-05T05:27:00.007+12:00

Brutalism has re-emerged, but in a refined way at the Hepworth Wakefield; Britain's new art gallery designed by David Chipperfield Architects. However what really distinguishes this gallery are its ten exhibition spaces which flow seamlessly from one to the next. It is worth a visit and so is the artwork!

An Ancient Breed

2011-06-03T04:32:00.002+12:00

One of the White Park cattle which will continue to graze in the nature reserve being created by the Fairfield Association.

The Artist

2011-06-03T04:05:00.001+12:00

Norman Trewhitt is a Lancaster Sculptor.

Cape Kidnappers' Gannet Sanctuary

2011-05-22T15:11:00.012+12:00

With the help of a set of images by Peter Whiteford we now have a tour of the Cape Kidnappers Gannet Sanctuary on the DayOut Iphone app.

Willis Central

2011-05-22T13:36:00.000+12:00

Sitting opposite Chews Lane as if to compete with it in enlivening Willis Street is the nearly completed Willis Central.

Rugby World Cup Venues

2011-05-22T12:37:00.003+12:00

Photographer John Williams generously made this image of an All Blacks Vs Australia game available for use on the DayOut Iphone app. The tour " Rugby Venues for 2011 " is available free within the app.

Audio Guides on DayOut

2011-05-21T10:35:00.002+12:00

This screen-shot from the DayOut website shows the attractions associated with an audio guide.

Rebuilding Christchurch II

2011-05-09T11:04:00.001+12:00

The fact of the matter is that Christchurch needed rebuilding even before the earthquakes. Its reliance on the car with the growth of suburban shopping malls and failure to develop inner city living meant that any vibrancy the central city had was false. It was an artifice built around the tourist trade and the historic buildings. Apart from these things the city had been gutted. There is now an opportunity to redress the situation; to create a living city centre. And press reports suggest that is what Ian Athfield has in mind.

Never mind the trams they are an irrelevance.

Redfern Sydney - Sunday 17 April

2011-04-18T13:27:00.000+12:00

Parkes NSW

2011-04-13T17:14:00.006+12:00

Parkes is hardly an architectural mecca but in addition to some fine Federation homes it has St Georges Church designed by Louis Williams and built in two stages between 1926 and 1956. It also has a muscular court house built in 1895.

The Arts & Crafts courthouse was built 1895-98 to a design by W.L. Vernon.

And, as a legacy from its time as a gold mining town, Parkes has this owner's mansion.

Click on the images to see the detail.

Two New Apps for Places for People

2011-04-02T12:03:00.002+13:00

Although it is somewhat belated, as a fan of the PPS I must draw attention to two new smart phone applications they have developed.

New Zealand Travel Guides

2011-03-28T18:00:00.008+13:00

If you have an iPhone, a series of New Zealand tours is available through the DayOut App from the iTunes store. These tours are compiled from material on the DayOut website.

Using the gps function of the iPhone allows you to see where you are on the tour map. Along with the maps the tours include pictures of attractions and audio guides written for DayOut by professional writers.

Each tour within the App cost US$0.99 though two are free.

So far we have the following tours available:

A Trip to the Putangirua Pinnacles & Cape Palliser
Arrowtown & the Crown Range Drive
Aoraki/Mt Cook and the Hooker Valley Walk
A Wander up Auckland's Queen Street
Milford Sound & the Drive from Te Anau
Nelson Experiences
Round the Bays - Wellington Scenic Route
The Kauri Story
Rugby Venues for 2011 (free)
Wellington's Oriental Bay & Mt Victoria (free).

If what you are interested in is not here, keep an eye out, for there are more to come.

An advantage of the tours is that they are downloaded to your device and can be used where there is no data connection.

The tours are produced in partnership with MyTours

Chester Cathedral - from the archive.

2011-03-25T17:09:00.000+13:00

Click the image for a larger view.

Roxy Cinema in Miramar

2011-03-25T12:46:00.002+13:00

Work is nearing completion on the revival of Miramar's cinema. Now called the Roxy. The Roxy joins the growing number of art house and suburban cinema revivals around New Zealand.

If there is any suburb which should have a cinema it is surely Miramar, the centre of Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop's film making.

Rebuilding Christchurch

2011-03-22T22:29:00.015+13:00

Lille

Ian Athfield is reported as saying Christchurch’s new office buildings are likely to be wider than before and no more than five stories high. While the given rationale is that people will not want to be in high-rise buildings and low-rise can be built to with-stand earthquakes, to my mind there is an even better reason; one undoubtedly not lost on Athfield and his architectural team. The much admired European cities which appeal so much as places for people, have buildings on this scale.

Edinburgh

Barcelona

Barcelona

Chester

Key to creating liveable spaces is good public transport, making life easy for pedestrians and difficult for cars.

Postscript: A relevant and compatible proposal has come from a Christchurch landscape architect.

The ONYAs and the new DayOuts

2010-12-14T09:56:00.009+13:00

The news of the day is found here.

We have had new versions of DayOut.co.nz and DayOut.mobi on line for over a month now but have been getting our databases up to date and sorting out the bugs. With the news that Jay's implementation of the mobile site in a version catering for smartphones has been accepted as a finalist for the ONYAs it is time to make a splash and tell the world . So go and try out the new sites. They are a vast improvement.

The main feature of the smartphone site is that it has the facility to "Find a DayOut near me" listing the attractions in the vicinity wherever you are.

We have adopted the tag line:

"A Cultural and Activity Map of New Zealand for the
stay-at-home and the traveller."

which is a bit ponderous and may have to be shortened but I believe encapsulates the idea behind the site.

Part Worn Tyres From 10 Pounds

2010-09-25T23:20:00.001+12:00

Glasgow Herald Building

2010-09-25T22:53:00.001+12:00

The Glasgow Herald Building was built in 1895 to a design by Rennie Mackintosh. There are splendid views of the city from the tower which has this refurbished staircase.

Glasgow September 24 - Glasgow School of Art

2010-09-25T22:32:00.008+12:00

I first visited this building in 1969 when I was shown around by the caretaker. Things are different today. Glasgow has a thriving Charles Rennie Mackintosh industry. I recognise even more now that he was a genius.

Barcelona

2010-09-16T11:51:00.000+12:00

Barcelona

2010-09-16T11:46:00.000+12:00

Barcelona

2010-09-16T11:40:00.000+12:00

Barcelona

2010-09-16T11:34:00.000+12:00

Edinburgh

2010-09-16T11:32:00.000+12:00

Montpellier

2010-09-16T11:28:00.001+12:00

Scotland

2010-09-16T11:15:00.000+12:00

Whitechapel Gallery

2010-08-11T09:46:00.004+12:00

After wanting to see this building for a long time, I finally made it, and the exhibition (American Painter Alice Neel) was worth seeing too. Click on the image to see the big picture.

Some history: http://gu.com/p/2657z

Another Tall Cottage

2010-08-11T09:30:00.000+12:00

From the 19th Century - Carlisle Station

2010-08-11T09:09:00.001+12:00

In Lancaster

2010-06-06T22:46:00.001+12:00

This cottage overlooks the allotments which are are nearing a productivity peak at this time of year.

and this...

2010-06-02T04:43:00.000+12:00

In Victorian times the temple of travel was a rail station , now....

2010-06-02T04:31:00.005+12:00

Dubai Airport

Hall at Awhitu

2010-05-08T20:45:00.000+12:00

Industrial Buildings on the Napier Waterfront

2010-05-08T20:39:00.000+12:00

Roger Walker at Whakatane Airport

2010-05-03T12:29:00.004+12:00

It is hard to take photographs against the sun but I was pleased to get the opportunity to visit architect Roger Walker's 1975 offering to Whakatane in his style of the time.

Ironbank in K Road

2010-04-28T22:05:00.006+12:00

There has been a lot of excitement in Auckland about Ironbank, RTA Studio's new showpiece sandwiched between 19thC architecture on K road. When you get there it is easy to get excited too.

The Old & The New

2010-04-28T20:40:00.002+12:00

The monolithic structure rising near Wellington Railway Station to house the Inland Revenue has been for me the source of some trepidation, but from one angle at least it looks OK. It has the virtue of being close to a transport hub which should encourage its occupants to leave their cars at home.

Old Government Building

2010-04-19T09:09:00.001+12:00

The Old Government Building is impeccably presented these days.

Supreme Court Screen.

2010-04-19T09:00:00.003+12:00

The container building for the new Supreme Court has an unfinished look below the screen. But from some angles the screen is shown to good effect.

More City Gallery Pictures

2010-02-25T17:06:00.000+13:00

This is the Wellington City Gallery.

City Art Gallery Addition by Stewart Gardyne

2010-02-24T15:27:00.006+13:00

Buildings by Stuart Gardyne

The New DayOut website and the Supreme Court

2010-02-22T19:21:00.008+13:00

Behind the scenes Jay is revamping the DayOut website and I am excited with what he has done so far. The new layout makes a great job of showing the richness of the content. Before going on-line however we will need to edit our database to correct hundreds of broken links; no corrections have been made for at least six months.

Also there are new attractions to add. One is the new Supreme Court.

From the outside the building with its bronze screen and concrete columns seems to me unfinished but the court room itself with its diamond shaped paneling is a calm intimate space with a dramatic top light.

2010-02-20T11:49:00.004+13:00

Wellington Hospital's brutalist Total Energy Centre, now 30 years old, shares with the new Alan MacDiarmid building at Victoria University exhaust stacks which play a part in the design. In one case the exhaust is from Gas Engines, in the other from chemical fume cupboards.

Kapiti Clouds

2010-01-05T11:30:00.001+13:00

"The Perfect House" - Witold Rybczynski

2010-01-02T12:21:00.007+13:00

Witold Rybczynski has a wonderful name. He can also write. His book on Palladio's Villas was not available when I visited Vicenza and its surrounds to see the master's works but it is possibly more rewarding to read it having done the visits. I bought myself a copy for Christmas reading and do not regret it. Rybcznski brings to life the evolution of the design of the villas and provides detail about them which only the most observant and knowledgeable architectural tourist could appreciate in the course of a short visit.

The Perfect House: A Journey with the Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio

The Virtues of Propinquity

2009-12-24T10:45:00.003+13:00

A quote from Simon Jenkins:

Hypermobility is now the opium of the people, an obsession that wrecks communities and planet. There are no free trips.

Why We Should be Worried

2009-12-19T20:29:00.006+13:00

I can not understand why so many people have their heads in the sand over this. The Source

A battle to redefine humanity.

2009-12-17T01:49:00.002+13:00

I don't find it hard to agree with George Monbiot

The Architecture of Cuba Street

2009-12-10T15:30:00.008+13:00

This photograph of the Michael Fowler Centre is not typical but is from a show of mine "Bricks and Mortar" which opens today at James Gilberd's Photospace Gallery in Courtenay Place. It continues until the end of January.

In addition to Cuba Street buildings "Bricks and Mortar" includes a set entitled "Post-Industrial Landscapes" taken in Manchester where global warming can be considered to have begun. The Industrial Revolution took place over the period from 1760 to 1830.

The Best New Zealand Travel Guide

2009-12-10T15:04:00.005+13:00

One might think that in today's world the internet would be the medium providing the best source of travel information on New Zealand but the publication of a new version of a guide book which first appeared in 1973 contradicts that idea.
Diana and Jeremy Pope's Penguin Travel Guide to the North Island has 700 pages packed with easy to read information. If as a traveller you want to be seriously well informed and enlightened there is nothing better.

The Penguin New Zealand Travel Guide: North Island

A Walk in the Botanic Gardens - Rudderstone

2009-11-08T20:30:00.006+13:00

The reflective qualities of the marbles from Brazil and Italy means that this wonderful sculpture by Denis O'Conner changes its appearance with the seasons and the time of day.

Villa Poiana Maggiore

2009-11-08T12:51:00.005+13:00

As a contrast to the previous post with a picture of a battered wooden structure on Wellington's South Coast I thought I'd post another picture from my archive. The building is one whose simplicity and form I much admire as I expect do many other people. Palladio's Villa Poiana Maggiore was built in 1546.

In New Zealand the role of the villa in our housing history has been explored in the recent splendid multi-authored book Villa: From Heritage to Contemporary Living.

Maranui Surf Club

2009-10-27T17:24:00.004+13:00

As a result of its present predicament doubt has been expressed about the architectural merit of the Maranui surf club building.
I found this photo in my archives; probably taken before the cafe existed. It has a 'modernist' look despite the weather board cladding.

Invading the Sidewalk Space

2009-09-03T15:33:00.008+12:00

Verandahs to provide cover from a variable climate are the norm in New Zealand shopping streets but the latest fashion in Wellington architecture is to overhang the pedestrian space to provide modeling to the facade. Here are three examples. Two of them retain the traditional verandah to ensure pedestrian protection. The fourth older building, the City Council complex, encompasses a truly civilised solution, effectively building the verandah into the building.

DayOut in Slaidburn

2009-08-03T21:57:00.001+12:00

A former Methodist Chapel is now the village hall.

Aalto at Seinajoki

2009-08-03T21:01:00.001+12:00

Alvar Aalto -Turun Sanomat Head Office 1930

2009-07-22T07:59:00.002+12:00

The Lutheran Cathedral in Turku

2009-07-22T07:32:00.004+12:00

The Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Aalto's Summer house at Muuratsalo

2009-07-22T01:17:00.001+12:00

Aalto - Paimio Sanatorium 1929-33

2009-07-17T08:19:00.002+12:00

Sanatorium Chair designed by Aalto