237.130 Communication for Makers Assignment - Behind the Scenes

I first began by taking photos to reference for my drawings. Unfortunately, Taupo has changed alot over the years and is becoming more of a tourist attraction so some of my drawings had to be done by memory. I was kind of glad I didn't opt to do the assignment with photos as the last few days have been cloudy/rainy.

I chose Taupo as a large majority of my childhood resides here after I came from Thailand. It's brought alot of fond memories whether I've lived here or not and alot of nostalgia just going past the old places I used to frequent and seeing the next generation using that space, especially the lake where I spent a large majority of my time swimming in as a child.

Alot of these photos have been shot after I've finished work.

The first place I went to was down Richmond Heights where my Aunty and Uncle used to live. Taupo was roughly discovered 700 years ago by the Ngati Tuwharetoa, their explorers Ngatoroirangi and Tia arrived via Te Arawa Canoe. The longer  name of Taupo is Taupō-nui-a-Tia, which translates to, "Great cloak of Tia". In 2021, it was officially changed from Taupo to Taupō.

This is the tree me, my cousin and his friends used to climb when we were kids. The guy that owned the property told us off for climbing on it so my cousin actually jumped on the branch until it snapped off. The neighbour then cut the tree and it was left as a stump for awhile. I don't blame him.

Due to privacy reasons, I didn't want a full shot of the house but here's the first place my aunty and uncle stayed in before they built the new house. Eventually me and dad lived here, then my cousin and me in intermediate, and then it became a mancave. There were lots of memories like me and my cousins singing the Barney theme song, us hiding under the covers because we thought the place was haunted (it was just draughty), watching my uncles and his friends play darts in the kitchen, and lots of family parties and get togethers out here. I also remember breaking that window when I played softball and weirding out my uncle because I'd use up a whole bottle of conditioner for my barbies because I wanted her hair to look like those Pantene commercials.

This became the new place and I remember this is the first time we met my other cousin, I remember playing hide-and-seek in the hallway and us climbing up the wood up to the ceiling so the seeker couldn't find us. We annoyed my aunty and uncle GREATLY.

 I've actually never noticed this sign when I went swimming up the wharf with my cousins.

The wharf me, my cousins, and the neighbourhood kids went swimming in. It's changed because of the metal reinforcing it now but I smiled when I saw some kids doing the same things as we did by jumping off of it.

Around the corner of the wharf where me and my cousins roughly found the hidden boulder to catch mussels and see crayfish swimming at the bottom. No jagged rocks there now which is different. This was also the colour scheme for my assignment book: Greens, blues, aquas, and greys,

Toilets me and my cousins used to change into our swimming togs in. Glad they've panted over the blank cream brick wall.

Where my aunty and uncle got married and where dad shouted at me for the first time cos I was climbing along the edge trying to pretend to be spider man with the other kids in my traditional pink Thai flower dress. There was alot more sand and the weather was much nicer that day.

Grandma's swimming pool me and my cousins used to play in

Back of grandma's house where me and my cousins used to play in with our happy meal toys and rotary phones. Was also a seperate area from the adults too. Had a nice little chat with grandma while I was there.

Grandma's backyard (which was a gorge) not turned into a walkway.

The Taupo Primary school library where I learned how to read without pictures. Still hasn't changed. I took a photo outside of the school because it had a lock and I also didn't wanna ask if I could walk around a primary school to take pictures. Creepy enough.

Where I used to have my lunches when I was a kid.

Tuck shop area and also the assembly further right where we used to sing the national anthem and have discos.

My old class got removed but it used to be next to the Taupo Primary School Sign

The walkway to the Waipahihi playground.

Playground me, my cousin, and the neighbourhood kids used to play in. It was so tiny but when I was a kid I thought it was massive.