Going West…

  Going West: a Festival of people and language, held annually in Titirangi in West Auckland, this year featured many women and acknowledged te reo Maori  throughout the programme.  We loved the Friday night  opening session with Serie Barford’s poems, Paula Morris’s oratory,  and one of our favourite singers,  Moana Maniapoto.  Some highlights…. The Saturday […]

A local journey..

  For Tanya’s birthday on 16 August, we went on a voyage of discovery to Onekiritea/Hobsonville . We caught an early morning Richmond Road bus to the city,   walked  to Pier 4 near the downtown Ferry Buildings and  caught the 9.00am commuter launch on its return to Hobsonville  in the upper Waitemata Harbour (plenty of […]

See No Evil…

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 […]

Matariki

    At last in Aotearoa we have our own  unique Matariki Festival for mid winter. In Tamaki Makaurau events include dawn karakia, lights on Sky Tower and the Harbour Bridge, kite days, kapa haka groups, jazz concerts, plays, story-telling, films, feasts, street parties…a month to reflect on the past year and celebrate spring and the […]

Delighting in Diversity

We really appreciate the wealth of cultural activities available in Auckland.  The Auckland Writers’ Festival and Film  Festivals , and the Auckland Photography Festival, have provided  an extraordinary range of events in May, June and July.  And then there are live theatre shows, art galleries and community activities as well.  Of course our choices from […]

Ngā Maunga o Tāmaki Mākaurau

After two months in our apartment we feel settled, and are increasingly appreciating the environment around us.  Tāmaki Mākaurau is a city of fifty volcanoes, nestled between two harbours.  The rooftop deck of our apartment building offers amazing 36o degree views of volcanoes, harbours and  islands.   Tanya has captured views of some of the […]

Ngāti Whātua Today…

Ngāti Whātua,  mana whenua of this area, have an important commemoration coming up this month,  to which everyone is welcome.       On Friday 25 May, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei will mark the 40th anniversary of  a defining moment in New Zealand history- the invasion in 1978 of Ngāti Whātua land at Bastion Point by government-ordered police […]

Our first week in the city…

  We moved into our new urban apartment- in Ockham’s Isaac Newton project in Grey Lynn on Saturday 10 March. We feel very lucky to be here. The environment is exciting and stimulating;  The apartment is white, crisp, modern and lovely- our challenges include remembering how to use our “swipe keys” for entrances and exits, […]