history

  • Waitangi

    The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are a suitably impressive setting for the birthplace of a nation. Pristine lawns flow down to the sun-speckled waters of the Bay of Islands, while in the distance the pretty white buildings of Russell – once… Continue reading

    Waitangi
  • Kawakawa

    Upon first impressions, it’s hard to imagine what could attract a celebrated European architect to Kawakawa. The small farming town seemed distinctly unremarkable when we passed through on our journey around Northland. The Klondike Ale House, bare walled and unadorned… Continue reading

    Kawakawa
  • Waipu

    As you enter the Northland town of Waipu, a sign to your left extends ‘A hundred thousand welcomes’. Excessively friendly in its English form, it’s there as the literal translation of a sign in Scots Gaelic across the road, ‘Ceud… Continue reading

    Waipu
  • On Marx’s Final Letter to Arnold Ruge

    September, 1843. Karl Marx was feeling stifled. His editorship of Cologne’s Rheinische Zeitung had come to an abrupt end following the publication’s termination by Prussian censors. Authorities were clamping down on anti-monarchical, pro-democratic voices and free political discourse was becoming… Continue reading

    On Marx’s Final Letter to Arnold Ruge