Soon after our return from Wellington we went for a few days to North Piha to stay in the lovely Forest and Bird house, Tai Haruru, again. It’s a very restful place in the bush, old-fashioned and well-furnished for five in the house and another four in a separate self-contained flat. Tanya had her 40th […]
Solstice greetings to you all..
December 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Saturday December 22 is the longest day of the year and promises to be warm here, of course. To our Northern Hemisphere friends and family experiencing the Winter Solstice on Friday 21 December, stay snug, and we’re glad the days will be lengthening for you from now on. We wonder what you will be doing […]
…and finally, a good place to stay…
December 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
…a small town whose population increases from 3000 to 10,000 for a couple of weeks over Christmas and New Year, every year, but outside this peak Christmas period offers a lively, diverse community, every outdoor activity you can think of , and outstanding places to stay, to eat, and to explore: Whaingaroa-Raglan As part of […]
Creativity in the City…
November 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Architects… Taiga, our 9-year-old friend from Earthsong, joined us for a day exploring the work of some of Aotearoa’s leading architects. Fifteen central Auckland architecture firms held open days, and we managed to spend time at four, talking with staff and looking at current project models, past work images and futuristic designs. Taiga had two […]
Celebrating Te Reo
November 18, 2018 by 1 Comment
We’re still enjoying the upsurge in use and acknowledgement of Te Reo Maori. And we urge you all to read the excellent article on page 112 of the September-October issue of New Zealand Geographic. Kennedy Warne’s essay, A Flash of Fire: what a difference a name makes , explores the differences between Maori and English government […]
See No Evil…
July 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This collective of Maori and Pacific women, Oceania Interrupted, is demonstrating solidarity with the people of West Papua… How much do we know about the actions of our governments in the Pacific over the last 60 years? Most of us, very little, especially about those things which should concern us deeply. Take the story of […]
Closer to home…
May 18, 2018 by 2 Comments
Closer to home… The rooftop provides other interesting views… …and then there are the birds, of course, announcing themselves from steeples and other high perches To our surprise, the most obtrusive birds on our rooftop are not the expected urban pigeons and mynahs, but our loud friends from the paddocks at Awhitu- the gurgling magpies and screeching spur-winged […]
Our neighbourhood…
May 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Grey Lynn neighbourhood is diverse, colourful and fascinating. We go to the Farmers’ Market at the Community Centre every Sunday morning for our weekly fresh produce, and every Thursday for a Tai Chi session; and relish a coffee at one of the many cafes now and then. Charmaine walks, reacquainting herself with plane-tree-lined avenues, […]
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