"Walking rainbow" Valerie Hutton in her studio with work inspired by 14 years on remote Pacific islands. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Fans of Pacific art have a rare opportunity to bid on the life's work of Kerikeri artist Valerie Hunton at an upcoming auction. She is donating her art and all proceeds go to the Cancer Society.
The Elam School of Fine Arts graduate, art teacher and author is a former artist in residence at the Fiji School of Medicine. She has lived in Micronesia, Melanesia and parts of Polynesia with her husband, Rex, a surgeon who taught medical students.
Hunton's work was inspired by the women she met during the couple's 14 years in the region, including vibrant mixed-media pieces and many that incorporate traditional weaving.
Her work has been exhibited at the University of Hawaii, the ISLA Centre for the Arts in Guam, the Pacific Festival of Arts in Samoa, and in the Suva Museum in Fiji.
The artist says her personal experience of cancer and her awareness of the support available through the Cancer Society prompted her to donate such a large collection to charity.
"I wanted to gift the art now, while I can see the works go out and find their place in the world."
Cancer Society Northland manager Jenni Moore says the charity is incredibly grateful to have been gifted most of Hunton's collection, some of which will be exhibited at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri from April 22-24.
"This is not only an opportunity for people to bid on these special works, but the funds raised will directly benefit people facing cancer in our Northland community."
The artworks, and an additional selection of Pacific artefacts from the Huntons' personal collection, will be sold via silent auction. The exhibition is sponsored by accounting firm BDO.
The exhibition, The art of Valerie Hunton – a Pacific journey, opens on April 22 from 5.30pm–7.30pm at the Turner Centre Kerikeri. Hunton will be at the opening to tell some of the stories of her work. It continues April 23, 10am-4pm and April 24, 10am-1pm.
The next concert by the Bay of Islands Singers on Sunday April 18 will be quite different.
As well as the 70 voices, a soloist baritone, two grand pianos, five drums and a vast array of percussion instruments requiring five players will perform the powerful and haunting Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams with baritone Malcolm Leitch, and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
Carmina Burana is an electrifying collection of songs illustrating the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the fleeting nature of life, the joy of the return of spring and the pleasure and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust.
The singers started rehearsing last year but were only a few weeks into it when lockdown forced a stop. In February they picked up where they left off.
It's a packed programme with very little rest for the choir. The baritone has some solo passages but otherwise the choir is on song, so to speak, for the entire time.
The percussion and timpani set up on stage on Friday 16 and play together for the first time the next day, the day before the concert.
The two grand pianos belong to the Turner Centre. One is the Steinway, which lives at the back of the main stage and the other is the Yamaha that resides in the bar.
Visit turnercentre.co.nz for more information.
The Millennium Cup regatta is now in its 15th year and as such, is the longest running superyacht regatta in the South Pacific.
The 2021 regatta was delayed because of the Auckland Covid-19 lockdown but finally the fleet made it to Russell at the end of March for three days of racing under a new scoring system.
Day one's racing was in the rain. Tawera, designed by Ron Holland, battled it out with Miss Silver, a 36.2m sloop, which was declared the winner just four seconds ahead of Tawera.
On day two, most of the fleet was escorted to the start of the race by a pod of dolphins.
Sassafras, a Royal Huisman-built yacht of 34.3m and captained by Tim Michalick, took line honours in both the day's races. Miss Silver was declared the overall winner so far.
Day three racing was cancelled because of the unstable weather so Miss Silver was crowned the 2021 winner, the alloy yacht having won all three handicapped races.
Between races the crews swapped sails for oars by jumping into skiffs and battling for the top prize of a 20-litre barrel of Mount Gay Rum.
The crew from Aschanti IV overcame questionable technique to be the first to return to the beach but forgot to run to the finishing barrel, which cost them the race.
Catalina's team started strongly in the first heat before an in-boat tumble took its toll. Limited skill but plenty of enthusiasm helped Tawera's Foul Play power ahead to take out the overall skiff competition.
Mike Preece is an ex-1970s DJ who owns an eclectic collection of British and US vinyl records and he's on the revivalist path.
He migrated from London to New Zealand in 2004 and now lives in Opua. He dragged the vinyl record collection all the way from the UK and it has sat in his garage for the years since migrating.
Since the onset of the various levels of lockdown because of Covid 19, he noticed a global increase in people seeking out nostalgia and a "feel-good" factor generated from "the way we were" thinking.
He found that vinyl sales were outselling CDs and decided to dust off his Motown, his Beatles and his Elvis and went in search of an audience. He found it at the Kerikeri Retirement Village.
"I did a show for the residents and they have had me back every month since.
"It's incredible the way they boogey. There's a lady there who is 102 and she said she thought she would never dance again," he said.
From small beginnings grow bigger things. He's now appearing at the Turner Centre, every Friday night for the next six weeks.
BE IN TO WIN
Two double tickets are up for grabs for Preece's first event on April 16. Winners will be drawn and notified by Monday, April 12. Email: mywordmedia@yahoo.com
About 9000 property owners in the Far North will receive letters from the council about Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) on their land.
Councils now have a statutory obligation to identify unique landscapes, species and habitats and manage them in a new District Plan.
Northland councils collaborated on a project last year to map the areas in the region. The new maps have identified that 42 per cent of the district contains potentially sensitive environments, an increase from about 30 per cent in the 1990s.
The FNDC will advise property owners of the new maps and provide ecological reports detailing the plants and habitat within the SNA.
The council uses Department of Conservation Protected Natural Areas Programme maps, which have not been updated since the 1990s.
In 2018, council engaged Wildland Consultants to assess significant areas in the Far North. This involved an analysis of existing information, including DoC's Protected Natural Area maps, as well as using updated aerial imagery and site visits to ensure accuracy.
The consultants identified 685 SNAs, covering 282,696 hectares.
Nearly half of that area is already zoned as conservation land and half is in private ownership.
Owners of land that have SNAs have to apply for a resource consent and to protect the area if they want to develop the land or clear vegetation. The proposed District Plan will have land use and subdivision rules associated with the areas.
Council expects a lot of public interest. Inquiries and submissions can go to submissioners@fndc.govt.nz .
The winners of last week's giveaway to the Big Bike Film Night are Julia Going (Whangārei screening) and Dale Simkin (Kerikeri). If you missed out, tickets are still available at www.bigbikefilmnight.nz.
Weetbix Try – Sunday, April 11 - road closure Paihia
April 11 - 7.30am-1.30pm - Temporary road closure of Te Karuwha Parade from Puketona Roundabout to just after the entrance to Copthorne Hotel including Waitangi Bridge as well as Te Kemara Rd from Tahuna Rd to Te Karuwha Parade.
Alternative provision will be made for traffic.
• Email Sandy Myhre at mywordmedia@yahoo.com if you have any news you'd like to see in Bay News.
The charity has three Northland stores collecting books this festive season.