In ISLAND's raumati summer issue, we present a small collection of photographs and writing by BENJI BRADLEY selected from an ongoing book project, documenting time spent on Aotea Great Barrier Island. "We stayed at Keri’s place for several hours, talking, laughing, and listening to music. Then, when it was time to leave, I asked Keri if I could take some photos of him at his camp, a proposition he seemed happy to oblige, on the condition I did not disclose its location. Keri posed for several photos, and then crawled into his tent, returning with his collection of rocks in a tupperware container. He showed us a small glass jar filled with a blue liquid and tiny specks of gold dust. I asked Keri if I could get a photo of him holding Lil’ Kim. “Sure”, he said. “If you can find her”. I wandered into the bush behind Keri’s camp searching for the chicken, creeping slowly and quietly, like a hunter stalking his catch, and then, I heard her. Shuffling, clucking, and pecking in the bush. A flash of white in a dark green land, she appeared before me. I approached Lil’ Kim very slowly. Seemingly indifferent to my presence, she didn’t try to run. I reached out and quickly scooped her up, cradling her soft feathery body close to my chest and whispering something like, “it’s ok Lil’ Kim”, to calm her as she struggled to escape. That’s when I smelt something strange; the odour of cheap shampoo. Returning to the camp, I handed the chicken to Keri, asking why she smelt so perfumed. Keri told us how he regularly washes Lil’ Kim with Pantene Pro-V to maintain the integrity and vibrance of her delicate white feathers." #summer2223 #islandmagazine #outnow