Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A little piece of gossip!

The Rolling Stones were once famous for sex, drugs and their rock 'n' roll lifestyle. But guitarist Ronnie Wood recently revealed that on tour he likes to complete jigsaw puzzles because he believes they are "good for the brain".

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Scary jigsaws for Halloween

Our Halloween puzzles were a hit last year, so we have two new ones for you to try. Pretty tricky or a delightful treat? You decide and let us know!
Halloween Surprise 1000 pieces
Count Dogula 1000 pieces

Friday, October 3, 2014

Spring is in the air!!

Spring 24 pieces - especially designed for people with dementia
 
Despite the wind and rain today, Spring is definitely in the air. Daylight saving has come in, and the days are lengthening.  So check out our bright Spring puzzles!
Butterfly visions 600 pieces

Monday, September 29, 2014

Jigsaw puzzles of cities around the world

Putting together a  puzzle of a city is an enjoyable way to travel from your arm chair!  Pathway Puzzles has a number of puzzles that feature scenes from cities around the world.  So, even if you are not able to travel to these exciting places, you can still experience the beauty through the art of jigsaw puzzles.
Piccadilly Circus 1000 pieces

Venice at Dusk 1000 pieces
Scenic  puzzles of cities are also a fantastic way to introduce your children to countries of the world.   Introduce them to famous landmarks and destinations.  The next time you want to choose a puzzle  for the family to work on select a puzzle of a city!

Neuschwanstein Castle 500 pieces

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Guinness Records for jigsaw puzzles

Guinness-recognized puzzles
jigsaws feature a number of times in the Guinness book of Records. Here is a summary for you:

Most pieces: The 551,232-piece, 48-foot, 8.64-inch by 76-foot, 1.38-inch puzzle was completed by 1,600 University of Economics of Ho Chi Minh City students at Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sept. 24, 2011. It had 3,132 sections, each containing 176 pieces. The puzzle depicted a lotus flower with six petals.

Largest: The 21,600-piece puzzle measured 58,435.1 square feet. That's roughly the size of a small strip mall. Devised by Great East Asia Surveyors & Consultants Co. Ltd., it was put together by 777 people at the former Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong and was completed Nov. 3, 2002. Each piece measured no more than about 20 square inches.

Smallest commercially available (1,000 or more pieces): This 1,000-piece, 7.17-inch by 10.12-inch jigsaw puzzle is manufactured by Standard Project Limited, which produces Tomax puzzles in Hong Kong. It was measured in Hong Kong on Dec. 12, 2009. The miniature puzzles were already launched the year before and depict various designs, with images ranging from landmarks to famous works of art.

Smallest commercially available (500-1,000 pieces): This 500-piece, 8.27- by 11.65-inch puzzle depicting Machu Picchu is available from Tomax. It was deemed the record Feb. 3, 2010, in Hong Kong.

Largest collection: Georgina Gil-Lacuna has 1,028 different puzzle sets in Tagaytay City, Philippines. She has been collecting puzzles for more than 26 years. Her largest is 18,000 pieces. The record was set Nov. 29, 2012.

Most expensive: A hand-crafted, 467-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle custom made by Rachel Page Elliott sold for $27,000 at a charity art auction to benefit the Golden Retriever Foundation, a non-profit organization, at the Eisenhower Conference Centre on Sept. 28, 2005, in Gettysburg, Pa. Many pieces are cut in unique designs of birds, cats, horses and golden retrievers in various poses.

Largest spherical: This puzzle depicting a Winnie the Pooh scene has a 15-foot, 7.8-inch circumference and was made by Unima Industrial (HK) Ltd. in Hong Kong. It was displayed and measured at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Jan. 10, 2005.
Source: Guinness World Records

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Spring is in the air - book your sSummer holiday...

Spring is definitely in the air and so we all start to plan our summer holidays. We have a beautiful collection of travel puzzles featuring photographs of gorgeous places and landmarks all over the world.  You’ll be booking your flights and accommodation in no time as these puzzles capture  popular travel destinations from far and wide! And of course, if you can’t afford that trip right now – just enjoy putting together a travel jigsaw  from our  collection.
Porto, Portugal 500 pieces


My Paris, France  1500 pieces


Lake Mangamahoe, Mt Taranaki , New Zealand 1000 pieces

Taj Mahal,, India  2000 pieces

Monday, August 25, 2014

Send Dad a puzzle this Father's Day Sunday 7th September.

Make Dad's day this Father's day with one of the many puzzles available for Dad's - or Granddads or Uncles, or any other special man with whom you will be celebrating on Sunday 7 September.
Would your Dad like either of these puzzles?

Classic Cars 1000 pieces
 
Dad's shed 500 large pieces

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

A jigsaw playground - what fun!

Pedestrians on Queen Street at Bras Basah, Singapore can now enjoy an interactive 3-D jigsaw puzzle outside the Waterloo Centre.
Three sets of large foam structures designed to look like old playgrounds from Singapore's past are providing a  pop-up play space,  open until the end of the month.
What a fantastic idea!
Read more about it here

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

"Must have" Jigsaw Puzzle Accessories

Doing a  jigsaw is all about separating, sorting, piecing together, and then storing - completed or incomplete.  Special jigsaw accessories are available that take away the hassle, and make puzzling even more fun.
We think that sorting and storing your pieces by colour not only helps keep your puzzling area tidy, but also helps you complete the jigsaw faster. Sorting through a lot of pieces using a few old yoghurt pots or meat trays, or just spreading them out on your table, and then picking them up again when you have to pack up is not necessarily the best way!
We have two specially designed puzzle sorters that you will not be without once you have them. Believe me, mine are in constant use!
Sort and Go


Sort your puzzle
Both are in stock on our website. They also make great gifts - and Father's day is coming up!

Friday, May 30, 2014

World's fastest puzzler


15 year old Deepika Ravichandran of East Hampton, is the fastest puzzler on the planet, logging in at 13 minutes and 7 seconds to complete the official Guinness puzzle on May 9. Her time beats the current record of 13 minutes and 14 seconds. She completed the official Guinness World Records 250-piece jigsaw puzzle, which was an oval shape with no picture on the box. Most of the pieces cannot be told apart. “There are pieces that are such odd shapes, I don’t know what goes where,” said Deepika. Despite that she assembled 18 pieces per minute.  Read more about it here

 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

A jigsaw is just what Mum wants this Mother's day May 11

Mum won't be able to resist these beautiful puzzles or any of the others available on our website www.pathwaypuzzles.co.nz!
Tea for Two  Approx 1000 pieces
Rose Cottage 1500 pieces

Friday, March 21, 2014

Autumn is in the air

Romantic Bridge 500 pieces
Cooler mornings are a sure sign that Autumn is on its way, and this is a good time to stock up on jigsaws for when the wet weather sets in.

Magic Forest. Path 1000 pieces

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Art from puzzle pieces

We never cease to be amazed by the uses people put jigsaws to!
Ron Davis from the Queens borough of New York,  re-purposes finished puzzles by combining pieces from several of them to create unique vibrant works of abstract art.                    

Ron Davis and the work titled Antarctica
He hopes to exhibit his work in galleries after he
completes 21, a great feat especially considering that since he first began the project in 2009, he has suffered a heart attack and stroke.

The work below is titled  “My Love Piece,” and features the words “Love” and “Peace,” a homage to his hippie days.  What a fantastically talented man!  Read more about him here
 

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Wicker kittens - a documentary about puzzling!

Wicker Kittens is a documentary about competitive jigsaw-puzzling. It follows four teams as they prepare for the biggest contest in the country at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. The film has just premiered in Austin this week.   See a trailer for it here.
Read an interview with the Director Amy C Elliot  here.

I wonder how long it will be before we see it in New Zealand?

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Puzzler farmer

This retired farmer from Mineapolis certainly has an interesting way of putting his puzzles together. He has created his own system for laying out the pieces. Using sheets of cardboard he draws a series of squares that are lettered and numbered. Every piece of the jigsaw is placed in a square before Merle starts to put the picture together.
It is a time consuming system and add hours to the process. But, no matter, says Merle. Time is something he has plenty of.  Then, unlike most of us who simply take a completed picture apart and put it back in the box, Merle glues them all together, frames them and hangs as many as he can on the walls. Watch the video and read about him here.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Fantastic new puzzles in stock NOW

African Spots Shaped
We are busy unpacking new puzzles from Ravensburger and Sunsout. Stocks are limited so don't wait, order now.
Big Five 1000 pieces


Country Path 300 large pieces

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Jigsaw puzzles completed and resold for fund raising

Jigsaws are a wonderful past-time for all ages, and we love to hear  how they are used.  I really admire this gentleman who has completed 665 second hand puzzles to check the pieces are all there before reselling them to raise funds for their air ambulance.  Fantastic!!  You can read the full article  here.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Summer puzzle fun

If you are away for a summer holiday, take a puzzle for all to enjoy. They are great family fun, and the answer if it is wet and windy and everyone is getting cabin fever! This was taken when we were holidaying in Rotorua recently.  Send us your photo of puzzling on holiday, we'd love to see it!