The Third Eye

Tuatara means 'peaks on the back',  It's ancestors are 200 million years old. They can grow up to 80cm in length. They have a pronounced photoreceptive eye - the so-called third eye.

It is unique in having two sets of upper teeth which overlap one set of lower teeth.  They are able to hear but have no external ear.  They typically live 60 years but can be well over 100. 

Giant White

An afternoon sketching at Puke Ariki Museum , New Plymouth. This massive model of a giant white shark  ( Carcharodon Megalodon),  which hangs high above the main entrance ,  is  an ancient relative of the current great white and is popular with the kids  and adults who can view it at eye level.  MLB

Turbo

Here's a sketch from a Classic Motorcycle Show. Although there were some very old and rare bikes here, I chose some from the early 80's. These three bikes all have 'Turbo' decals at least once on the outside. Of course, this is short for the Turbocharged engines that they had. This term is a bit spoiled to me and seems slightly kitsch now. Back in the 80's, there were so many things that were said to be 'Turbo'. Bicycles, Gobots, washing machines and pretty much any other home appliance at the time.
I also liked how one of the bikes had Turbo written in reverse on the front... as if someone has good enough eyesight to look in their rear-view mirror and can read that while driving.

Triumph

 Triumph - polished up  and ready to go - a cool $13500. Great colour . I'm sure those at home would understand !  MLB  - 0.04 drawing pen and Tombow.    MLB .

Victory Twin

 Victory  Twin 1800 : parked just outside the show while the owner was looking around. Motor rating the same as a Corolla !   - 0.04 drawing pen and black Tombow    MLB

Classic Bikes

Hundreds of enthusiasts, only some in leathers filed through the New Plymouth Classic Motor Cycle Clubs show peering up and down at the 90 bikes - BMWs, BSAs, Triumphs, Ducatis, Matchless', Maicas...  Eldon was manning tickets at the door - and told me to my surprise he had a Velocette and a monster BMW on show.  The LE (Little Engine) was most unique with its boxy look - 150cc water cooled.  It was in production from 1948-1970.  Their breakthrough came when the British Police ordered more than half their production for patrols. The Met Police normally had to salute Inspectors and above but this meant taking their hand off the handlebars, so it was agreed they could nod instead.  This lead to their nickname 'Noddies' and the bike became the 'Noddy Bike'

It was a lot of fun watching the enthusiasts and sketching midst the distinctive smell of sump oil. This 1932 Royal Enfield 500 Bullet certainly had a classic look.

The Fernery and Display Houses, Pukekura Park.

Last Saturday we were at Pukekura Park. We chose the fernery because although it wasn't raining there was a cold wind about. I found a sunny sheltered spot and did this sketch of "The Fernery and Display Houses":

I then went inside and found all the others upstairs in the warm. My original intention was to draw 6 flowers inside the fernery. Oh well......Here's a leaf:

 The Fernery at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth is among the oldest of its kind in New Zealand .  Old tunnels that connect the some of houses have been carved from the clay banks.  Children love the adventure of discovering hidden tracks and getting lost - all within a safe confined space .   The old wooden glasshouses were replaced some years ago with state of the art glass roofs and automatic heating controls that open roof shutters  . This is a pleasant place anytime of the year.

( 6B pencil and drawing pen  )     MLB

Pukekura Fernery

A cool blustery day outside, but warm, pleasant sketching in the hot houses of the fernery.

Pukekura Fernery

Sketched by Patricia

The Gables

The Gables was a colonial hospital Governor George Grey commissioned in the late 1840s for poor Māori and Pākehā patients. It was eventually bought by Mary King and moved from Te Hēnui to Brooklands, where it became a family home. In 1934 the family gifted the building to the city and in 1985 it became an arts centre.

At the Zoo

Sketches by Patricia at the Brooklands Zoo

Parents

Kids on the swing                                                                  Aussie Brolga