journey
of a
map-maker

My Journey as an NZ map-maker by API

BB Maps is a New Zealand map art print studio. Hand-crafting original maps made by me, Aaron (API), from Parua Bay in Northland.

I never set out to be a map-maker, but it was always in the tea leaves.

I'm the kind of person who arrives at life with a truck-load of interests and passions. Inquisitive and curious by nature, I like to learn, explore and experience the world by being in it, jumping right in to find the source of things. I make sense of the world by drawing and analysing it. And I love sharing what I find with people.

Over the years, all of that has quietly shaped my own creative map-making process.

Which turns out to be a very fortunate thing, because maps and map-making are the perfect meeting place for everything I care about. Whether that's geography and geology, NZ pop culture and heritage, travel and design, surfing and hiking, sense-of-place and music, skateboarding and wilderness, adventure and discovery, branding and art, meeting people and sharing ideas, print-making and plants, rocks and gemstones, native birds and coastlines, estuaries and mountain ranges, remembering and giving, place-names and volcanoes, harbours and right-hand point breaks, typefaces and mindfulness, baches and cribs, meditation and mantras, hand-painted signs and twin-fin surfboards, fishing and islands, caravans and peninsulas, camping and vinyl records, street art and nature, manuka and kanuka, wandering and wondering about Aotearoa New Zealand.

Each BB Map is a physical representation of my experiances, understandings, thoughts and feelings of a place, hand-crafted, rooted in time I've actually spent there, made for the love of the place and the love of sharing that knowledge as an art form.

But I want to be clear: these maps aren't really about me. They're about the places themselves, and your connection to them. That deep, personal sense of place. Topophilia. The love of place. Thats what we're all exploring here together.

I'm really proud of what's been created, and genuinely excited to offer these BB Maps as art prints for you to experience andenjoy.

Thank you for supporting my journey as a map-maker.

— Aaron (API)

All BB Maps are hand-crafted original pieces of functional art, they are playful expressions of sense-of-place and explore our deep connections with the places of Aotearoa NZ.

With the increasing influence of artificial and machine generated content and artwork, I’m more proud than ever to offer artworks created with human heart, hand and mind.

A pink and red geometric star-shaped logo with the letters 'BBB' in the center.
Bold white text reading 'LISTEN!' on a black background with a star.
Text and icons reading: No A.I. made by human, API hand crafted, heart + soul, with icons of a person, a hand, and a smiling face.

Puawhananga - Clematis paniculata

Sense of place is the emotional connection and personal meaning people feel toward a specific location, shaped by memories, community bonds, physical features, and experiences there. - A.I Robot

BB Maps: Hand-crafted goodness

An illustration showing a hand pointing upward with an arrow labeled 'N', indicating the direction north, on a map or compass-themed background.

Rage against the machine?

Perfectly imperfect maps, design and artwork. My maps are all hand-crafted. Which means that everything on the map is hand-drawn, every-single-thing.

Every line, every graphic, every letter and number, every dot, every bird, fish and manuka leaf, river, lake and city outline, every road and mountain range, ravine, canyon, cape, bay, harbour, beach, mud-flat, wetland, state highway, rocky outcrop, peak, islet, peninsula, pa-site, volcano, plateau, plain, point, every nook and every cranny is from my hand.

Just layers and layers of hand-crafted goodness
- it’s the wobbly BB way!

A graphic of a tan hand with the letters 'BBB' in black inside the palm.

BB Maps: Bespoke hand-crafted typefaces inspired by local places

Rusty metal surface with the word 'WAITING' written in white powder, four black dots on the left side, and a paintbrush at the bottom right corner.

As a real type geek, I treat my typefaces with much respect and affection, as it is through them that the knowledge flows.

BB Maps are about, sense-of-place and connecting with Aotearoa, NZ. How I try to achieve this is by being , true, real and authentic as I can be to our places. Maps are really just physical platforms for which to display place-names relative to each other. NZ has many special, interesting and beautiful place names, because of this, a lot of care and consideration has gone into the development of my own typefaces for map-making.

I want my hand-crafted typefaces to not only display place names authentically and interestingly, but behind the scenes I want them to be connected to these interesting and unique places throughout Aotearoa, NZ as well.

I reckon that’s where the magic lives, and it might not be completely necessary, and many may not understand it, but you can feel the difference.

-API

A nautical-themed graphic featuring an anchor with letters of the alphabet surrounding it, including A, B, C, N, Z.

BB Maps:
1 of 1, Fully customisable map options

Close-up of a sign or poster on a light blue background with the words 'MAHIA' and 'Premium Pearl Sun' in blue text, a map of New Zealand, and a blue shield emblem at the bottom right.

As a cartographer its a great joy to customise a map for someone. The same physical place can have many, many difference meanings, connections from person to person. Just as no person is the same, no map needs to be the same either.

All BB Cartographer Series Maps are fully customisable

Add your own special map details; places of interest, your holiday home, your boat, where you grew up, where you got married, where your mum is from, Nanna and Grandpappy’s old farm house, you are here arrows, graphics, messages, your favourite nz bird, fish etc…

A black and tan logo with a shield featuring a blunted hand with a spiky crown and a keyhole, with text around it reading 'No Z,' '1,' 'F,' with 'CUSTOM MAPS' at the bottom.

The BB Cartographer Series Wall Hanger

SOLD OUT!

Diagram showing a map of Aotea, Great Barrier Island, with annotations explaining design elements: a hand-tied black cord hanging from a pine frame, a painted black border, the map printed on durapaint, waterproof, tear-proof, print stock, and a hand-sanded black painted pine frame, with a logo at the top left.

More BB cartography services

  • A wall hanging map of Whangarei Heads, New Zealand, showing Parua Bay, the Whangarei Harbour, and surrounding areas, with some decorative flowers and a small bundle of dried flowers attached to the wall.

    Custom map for your holiday rental

    Give your guests a better holiday experience and make your holiday home feel more homely with a BB Cartographer Series Map hanging on the wall. BB Maps can customise your map to make your holiday home front and centre, including your holiday home as graphic, you are here arrow and some of your recommended places to visit etc... Your guests will love it!

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  • A green pennant sticker on a vehicle's rear-side window reading 'AOTE' with a slogan 'Great Barriers' and a graphic of a bird in flight.

    Sense of place brand and product development

    BB Maps are rich with sense of place graphics and place based artwork which make the maps look great. We can develop these elements further to create products in their own right to help locals connect with place more, showing their local pride… think quality souvenirs like bumper stickers that localise your Hilux or Nissan Leaf.

    🤙

  • Map of Alaska featuring locations such as Mount Manaia, Whangarei Heads School, and Tennies Courts. The map highlights various landmarks and natural features like Reotahi, Dorch Point, and Reotahi Bay, with routes and trails marked across the area.

    BB Maps for schools and heritage sites

    Customised BB Maps can be used as educational tools, prefect for local schools, museums and heritage sites to put a place and surrounding area in context and tell local stories. Helping people get a better understanding and build deeper connections with local places.

    🧐

Contact

Frequently asked questions:

How long does it take to create my map?

BB Maps are created to order, please allow 2 weeks for your map to be printed, framed and delivered.

Can you customise my BB Map?

Customised maps are available via special order.

The hand-crafted BB Map platform is really flexible, most things are possible depending on time. Usually people add you are here arrows and some places of interest that are meaningful to them. People have also requested custom graphics of their baches, or boats.

The price of a custom map depends on the amount of customisations you are wanting. We’ve made it easy but there are a few variables to consider so best talk with me via special order and a quote will be given. Contact hello@brokerbrothers.co.nz for special order.

Do you ship overseas?

Unframed prints can be shipped worldwide. : )


Framed prints cannot be shipped overseas I am sorry. : (

Can I reprint, on sell or use my BB map for my business?

We love creative partnerships, working with local businesses and local promotions groups, for all business related questions contact Broker Brothers Design Co.

hello@brokerbrothers.co.nz

A text message on a smartphone screen expressing excitement about receiving a treasure, praising someone named Aaron, and encouraging them to keep finding maps and treasures.