Book of the Week: Muriwai, Piha and Other Lost Paradise

Steve Braunias is the literary editor of The Newsroom’s book section, ReadingRoom, and a NZ Herald noted author and author of 10 books. His most recent title was Cover Story: 100 Beautiful, Weird and Frankly Incredible NZ Album Covers (Oratia Media, 2021).

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“His Photographs,” Sandra Coney writes in an essay in a black-and-white picture book, Nature Boy: Photos by Olaf Petersen“For too long it was a secret enjoyed by a few people.” Peterson (1915-1994) was a cult figure. weekly newsIn other words, he was a hack, but his artistry was plainly hidden. boy in nature Bring it out and share your secrets. Wisely, the jury for the 2023 Occam New Zealand National Book Awards has put this book on their long list for the Illustrated Nonfiction Award. good. Too old to win awards – there are other more topical books involved in contemporary New Zealand – but tastefully designed of Peterson’s photographs of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. A full page layout is accepted and I hope it becomes a finalist.Auckland’s west coast beach. The book is a knockout.

This book is produced in collaboration with the Auckland War Memorial Museum. This partly means an opportunity for some of New Zealand’s biggest boas to produce essays without death. Peterson lives up to the name of Dr. David Geimster, calling him “New Zealand’s preeminent nature photographer of the twentieth century.” Frankly, this is complete bullshit.Where are the flowers, where are the alpine meadows, where are the snow, seaweed and birds? boy in nature Far away or played for laughs. Peterson was not the moon of Jeff, a prominent New Zealand bird photographer of the 20th century. He placed the goldfish in an ornamental pond, held a time-lapse camera, and waited for the kingfisher to dive in for dinner.

Similarly, attempts by other contributors boy in nature To compare Petersen with painters Bill Hammond, Theo Scone and Don Binney misses the point. The comparison is odious. You don’t have to involve an artist to claim that Peterson was creating a work of art. you just have to see Art His writer and curator Justin Peyton always knew how to look at paintings and works of art and communicate what he saw.he lacks the knowledge nature boy, Although Peterson himself put us in the middle when he was a sand student. “I’ve learned what happens when I go out after a storm,” he quoted.

Peterson spent his entire life in rural Swanson. He is a born and raised Westie, and Sandra Coney puts him in that context in her essay. There are pictures of Piha and Muriwai, but the beaches he found most appealing were Tehenga or Bethel, which he found most appealing. Andrew Clifford wrote: well said boy in nature offer a In a state of innocence and bliss, before the devastation of Cyclone Gabriel, fully immerse yourself in the light and texture of West Coast beaches from the distant Black and White era.

Nature Boy: Photos by Olaf Petersen Edited by Katherine Hammond and Sean Higgins (Auckland University Press), available in bookstores nationwide.