No other buildings in our NZ  farming architecture compare to the distinctive Nelson hop kilns.

Used also for drying tobacco these tall quirky structures peppered the Tasman district and rose above the lush hop gardens established over 150 years ago by the German and European settlers who quickly recognised that the hot, sunny climate was uniquely optimal for hop growing.

Now slipping and fading into the landscape, this series is a visual homage to the toil of early settlers, many of whom were women and schoolchildren, they strung, harvested, sorted and baled the crops under the heat of a Nelson summer, laying down the foundation of wealth for the flourishing beer and tobacco giants of today.