Thinking of visiting Nelson or interested in what other's say about us. Here's a quick little story that was published recently in Australia in the very cool digital publication Concrete Playground encouraging Australians to pop over the ditch to New Zealand for 72 hours.
Lovely article that featured Nelson in the May 2016 edition of Verve, India.
Simone the writer was here last September after attending the WOW show in Wellington. Some fantastic writing and imagery including a visit to the Jens Hansen Studio…
Pete Rainey smiles as he watches jewellery tumbling from the small, drawstring bag Phillipa Pattison is emptying onto the table.
Every piece, from at least half-a-dozen rings to a striking pair of gold earrings, was designed and crafted by Nelson’s much-revered jeweller, the late Jens Hansen. Three of the rings, Phillipa bought when she was very young, but the rest have been birthday and Christmas gifts from Pete – her partner of the past 22 years.
And, according to Pete, every piece is a pretty good example of his own great taste and great sense of design.
“Choosing jewellery is easy,” he says. “I’m passionate about design and these are all the original, classic Jens’ designs that are still available at the Jens Hansen studio. There’s so much to choose from and the pieces Jens created are so enduring. The only hard part is deciding which piece you’re going to buy this time around.
“I must have got it right every time,” he grins. “Phillipa’s never taken anything back or exchanged it, and she wears it all.”
Just last Christmas, Pete decided he would buy a Jens Hansen designed sterling silver bracelet for Phillipa, and was intrigued when he was shown the original design sketch, drawn by Jens.
“Jens had made a note beside the sketch that read ‘recommended retail price, $18,’ which seemed crazy cheap, even back then.”
Pete and Phillipa are both well-known to Nelsonians. Pete is a city councillor, the founder and director of Smokefree Rock Quest and organiser of the NZ Classic & Antique Boat Show, which Jens Hansen sponsors. He’s a talented musician, conductor and frequently drives and supports various community projects. Phillipa is the Sales Manager at Mediaworks and, she too has been very much involved with community projects.
They met in 1993 when Pete and a friend were visiting Phillipa’s friend and flatmate and, as it turned out, discovered they lived just up the road from one another.
“Phillipa came flying into the house as she was in a huge hurry,” remembers Pete. “We were introduced and then she was gone.”
And, before Pete can continue with his ‘how we met’ story, Phillipa hurriedly gathers her jewellery into its bag, pulls tight the drawstring, excuses herself for her next meeting and, again, she’s gone.
“Anyone who knows Phillipa would say she is irrepressible, and that’s what I really liked about her when I met her. She is just an amazing bundle of energy. She’s smart and she’s done some great things in a tough industry in a small town – though on a personal level, she is not a tough person.
“I think she wears her jewellery almost like battle armour. It’s such a part of who she is.”
Pete acknowledges; there’s no engagement ring or wedding band in Phillipa’s impressive jewellery collection.
“Funnily enough, our boys – Charle, who is 10, and Ned, who is eight – have been having some interesting conversations about that possibility.
“It’s quite nice they’re thinking about that stuff.”
Tom is married to Loz, and the Nelson couple found nationwide fame in 2013 after featuring on the Block NZ.
Loz has been a regular visitor to the Jens Hansen workshop for many years, bringing with her various media when she was International Marketing Manager for the Nelson region.
The couple were also finalists in the 2013 Jens Hansen Love Stories competition, run in conjunction with the Nelson Wedding Show.
Her favourite Jens Hansen piece are her diamond earrings, featuring a beautiful round diamond
Read their story as submitted by Loz for the Jens Hansen Love Story competition:
“There’s nothing truly romantic about a 15-year-old schoolgirl falling in love with a national running champion. Tom was 2 years my senior and a total babe. It was your classic teenage crush, in which said schoolgirl cut pictures of her heartthrob out of the newspaper and pasted them into her deep and meaningful daily journal. "Dear Diary, one day I’m going to marry Tom Heaphy," the young ingénue wrote. "He’s the hottest guy in town".
There’s nothing really romantic either about that 15-year-old growing up into a party girl strutting her stuff down Wellington’s Cuba Street, celebrating her first paycheck since graduating university. Twenty two and bulletproof, she didn’t need a man!
Except that guy on the street corner looked pretty good, and slightly familiar…
"Oh my god!" she whispered to her friends (and we all know that such whispers sound like someone yelling through a megaphone) "It’s Tom Heaphy!"
Here was the moment her 15 year old self had dreamed of – meeting that dreamboat, Tom Heaphy. Thinking cool thoughts, she took a deep breath and minced over.
"Hi, sorry, look you don’t actually know me… I went to school with you, I mean, that is, I went to Girl’s College, haha and actually we’re not the same age, I think you were older than me. Oh, I did athletics so actually that’s right I know you from running." (Which was a blatant lie as our favourite party girl had never run a race in her life). An awkward silence ensued. Finally she finished with: "I’m Loren."
There must have been something about that moment, because suddenly a smile appeared on his face and his hand met hers in a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you."
But there was no time for professions of love as Loren’s friends were off to the Kebab cafe. So they departed with a quick "Have a good night."
But Loren remembered those prophetic words: "Dear diary…" and like the grown up girl she now was, she decided to storm back up Cuba St. Which seemed like a good idea until she realised she was cold, alone and really did want a kebab. As footsteps came crashing towards her, she thought she was about to die.
But like a knight in shining leather jacket, there appeared the very man she had been stalking. "Oh hi!" she said brightly but suddenly feeling like quite an idiot. Now how was she going to explain herself?
"Hi" he said and smiled "Umm, I didn’t get your number and I thought we could catch up for a drink sometime?"
Five years on and a newlywed couple sits basking in the happy glow of their wedding day (and a bottle of champagne). But as the Maid of Honour walks up to the podium to begin her speech, the bride notices a very familiar looking diary and the blood rushes from her face. Uh oh. "Honey" she leans over and mumbles to her groom." There’s something I haven’t told you. When I was 15…I used to stalk you."
Here's a recent travelog article from RND magazine in Germany about New Zealand and The Hobbit. Please click the pictures if you'd like to download/read the complete article (in German only).
Once upon a time during the age of Arda, there was a very powerful ring with malevolent powers that brought world destruction and invisibility to the wearer. The ring seemed to be made simply of gold, but it was impervious to damage. It bore no gem and when placed in a fire, it displayed a fiery Tengwar inscription in the black
speech of Mordor, with two lines from a rhyme of lore describing the ring: “One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”
click either image to read full article.....
Two Nelson students, Haiyun Jiang and Erika Isaksen, have shared the year's top award for visual arts and design from Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.
The Jens Hansen Excellence Award in Visual Arts and Design is presented for Studio Practice in the final year of the Bachelor of Arts and Media programme.
NMIT creative industries arts tutor, Catharine Salmon, says the two students have quite different creative practices, Haiyun works in graphic design and Erika Isaksen with video installation. Haiyun (Harry) Jiang from China used T-shirts as a medium for his exhibition work, exploring in a humorous way, cultural, societal and economic relations between Chinese and Western societies. Erika's digital installation explores the absurd repetitiveness of the everyday as a crucial part of a fulfilling and meaningful life
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