Maori Fish Trap #2

Earlier I posted about the oversized Maori fishing basket on the waterfront in Whangarei, New Zealand.

Today’s fishing basket image is from the Auckland Art Gallery.

This piece is by artist Chris Charteris and titled Te Ma (Fish Trap). Here is the explanation provided by the museum and artist:

I’m the daughter of a fisherman. My sisters and I accompanied him on many, many fishing trips. We rowed the row boat for him, floated on our own inflatable raft, and got to fish with the crap fishing rod he always brought along just in case. Sometimes we caught fish, too!

In any case, I’m drawn to images of fishing and fishing techniques, and Maori art has created some of the most beautiful images in the world. These posts are for our dad, Bobbo Campbell.

NOTES: © Jadi Campbell 2025. To see Uwe’s pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

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Save the Animal Kingdom #4

…Here’s the next installment from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals! … See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

1. Grain needs a grist!
2. The sound of the sounder almost gave her a heart attack.
3. The flock flocked on his poor kids.
4. Wow, the muster mustered such gaudy colors.
5. When my bike ran over the bike, I knew I was in big trouble.
6. The drove drove towards us in the dirt road.

Muster member

Answers:

1. Grist of bees [1]
2. Sounder of wild boar
3. Flock of lice
4. Muster of peacocks
5. Bike of hornets [2]
6. Drove of horses

Drove, Northern Thailand

Grist, Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

NOTES: [1] Status: Endangered “….[P]ollinators are under threat around the world…about 40 percent of invertebrate pollinator species (such as bees and butterflies) are facing extinction.” This could have major implications for world food supply, because “about 75 percent of the world’s food crops … depend at least partly on pollination.” NPR Report  35 UK bees species are under threat of extinction, and all species face serious threats. UK Bees [2] European hornets are a protected species in Germany. European_hornet

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration is gutting environmental protections. Take action. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

[1] https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-04-05/trump-is-gutting-the-nations-environmental-programs-heres-how-much-it-will-cost-americans © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see Uwe’s pics from our trips go to viewpics.de. Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. My most recent book The Taste of Your Name was a finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award.

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A Moment of Serenity: Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

Today’s moment of serenity and joy: Doubtful Sound, Fjordland National Park, New Zealand. Uwe and I visited this spot in February.

According to my journal notes we got up before 6:00 to catch the tour bus to reach Lake Manapouri, crossed the lake in a 1-hour boat ride to meet a second bus. That bus brought us to another boat into Doubtful Sound (actually a fjord) and into the Tasman Sea. It was a long haul to get there – and worth the effort.

Absolutely breathtaking!

NOTES: © Jadi Campbell 2025. To see Uwe’s pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. My most recent book The Taste of Your Name was a finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award.

Follow these links for Amazon.com or Amazon.de.