Oh garn.

I caught Lu in the act: she's filming an iron wall. There's trouble.

Such good intentions. Fell by the wayside. Oh woe. Woe is me. Apologies to those who have been visiting Onekakara Films faithfully, only to find that the film-maker has done a disappearing act. But - [insert flash of Magic Dust right here] - I'm back!

In the last...hmmm...month?! What have we been up to?

Julia and I have -

• discovered that filming animals is a relatively complicated process. Not perhaps the actual filming part (we wouldn't know - we haven't got there yet) but the bit that comes before that. The bit that involves permits and paper and a lot of talking to a lot of people.

• been in touch with some amazing people. Wonderfully helpful people at DoC, gecko experts at Zoology, lecturers and film-makers, EPs, and the one-and-only Field Store Ed (DIY genius). We've picked their brains almost clean in an attempt to design a set (or three), get a collecting permit...and a holding permit...and a releasing permit...and a filming permit, submit an Animal Ethics Comittee protocol. Oh, and we haven't even started that darn shooting script.

• visited Tony! And gone gecko hunting with him. He's a great guy - very kind, very gentle, very knowledgable when it comes to geckos. An interesting character...! And a gecko is a beautiful animal. I am now a huge fan! We filmed a bit up there too...and were relieved when, on returning to Dunedin and presenting the material to Those with More Experience, we given the thumbs up.

So what's next? Another trip to Cromwell, this time to try to try filming in the dark. Ed has been filling us with excitement by letting us in on the secrets of NHNZ's infra-red equipment. How about this for a possibility - using an endoprobe to film beneath the gecko's retreat rocks...in the field!!