New Zealand Week 3

 I am one week into my tour, it's going fine.  The pace is pretty leisurely compared to how I normally pace myself, also the budget level for experiences and hotels is a lot higher so equally a novel experience for me.  We have made it all the way down the North Island to Wellington at the southern tip, and tomorrow we cross over on the ferry to the South Island. Today marks roughly the halfway point for my overall trip I think.

I visited the Te Papa Tonga Tongarewa national museum today and saw a couple of quilts or 'tivaevae' which their label said are important to the Cook Islands people living in New Zealand  being used for their practical purpose but also as decorations and presentati

ons on important ceremonies such as weddings, 21st birthdays etc.  One was a 2015 applique quilt made by Tukua Turia, the other is a 1992 patchwork quilt made on the Cook Islands by an unknown maker.

Walking up Cuba Street in Wellington, I came across Made Marion Craft, a nice multi-craft shop with a classroom area in the back.  From the notices, they do some interesting introductory courses to sewing, lampshade making, crochet etc.  They have small displays of yarn, fabric (I bought another Kiwiana FQ which I think is different from the ones I bought in Auckland), haberdashery, embroidery etc.

I was briefly excited in the old mining town of Waihi when I saw a large knitting store in a heritage building called Unravelled Yarn Store on our lunch stop. My hopes were dashed  by the permanently closed sign in the door however. I've seen a few shops advertising knitting as we drive along, and one tantalising sign for quilting and knitting supplies but I don't think the rest of the group would see stopping for that as a priority. I went into the library at Taupo while waiting for the bus to come back - they had a good selection of craft books but the knitting section was twice as big as the quilting section, so I don't know if that reflects the demographic here.  I've been looking at craft magazines in newsagents and bookstores - there don't seem to be any native NZ publications, they are carrying some American quilting magazines and British knitting and cross stitch mags.

I carry my knitting on the minibus and have turned the heel on my second sock on a few of the longer driving days.  In the evenings I've been working on the sashiko sumo panel that I bought in Japan.