NZ Part 3. In early December 2005, after hiking the Routeburn Track and before going onto the Kepler Track, I spent a few days letting my blisters heal in Queenstown, New Zealand. Queenstown is a small but vibrant town that's generally used as a temporary stopover point, or as the starting point for adrenalin-pumping adventures like bungee jumping and helicopter snowboarding.
All over New Zealand you can find Maori-inspired carvings in jade and bone (cow bone is used now, rather than whale bone). The workmanship varies tremendously, of course. Eric Dyer makes and sells his own pieces - the quality is very high and his prices excellent. Plus, Eric is a very nice guy! Blob and I talked to him in Dunedin, I saw him again in Te Anau, and then again at this weekend market in Queenstown! I bought a couple of pieces from him at the market and we chatted. He got me interested in carving, which would inspire me to spend a day in Hokitika much later, designing and carving my own piece. With that experience, I now have even more respect for the quality of his pieces.

All over New Zealand you can find Maori-inspired carvings in jade and bone (cow bone is used now, rather than whale bone). The workmanship varies tremendously, of course. Eric Dyer makes and sells his own pieces - the quality is very high and his prices excellent. Plus, Eric is a very nice guy! Blob and I talked to him in Dunedin, I saw him again in Te Anau, and then again at this weekend market in Queenstown! I bought a couple of pieces from him at the market and we chatted. He got me interested in carving, which would inspire me to spend a day in Hokitika much later, designing and carving my own piece. With that experience, I now have even more respect for the quality of his pieces.
Original size: 2272px x 1614px |
Current: 400px x 284px |