Lockdown/Rahui  again…

We’re in Level 3 for 12 days because of a new cluster of Coronavirus cases detected  in Auckland City,  and  since  a few cases in Tokoroa and Rotorua.  The whole country has been put into Level 2:  https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19/alert-system/alert-level-2 Here in Auckland, we feel for the smaller shops and cafes that can’t afford to become delivery […]

De-Carbonise Auckland by 2030!!

( please consider signing the open letter on their website) On Monday 10 August We went to an excellent meeting at The Grid in downtown Auckland, organised by Bike Auckland and Generation Zero and chaired by Lucy Lawless. The purpose of the meeting was to publicise the campaign, “The Race to Decarbonise Auckland Transport”: https://www.generationzero.org/decarbonise_transport_2030?mc_cid=58df924e64&mc_eid=264f2bbd2d […]

Celebrations..

Tanya’s 75th birthday We managed special outings for Tanya’s birthday-she turned 75 on Sunday 16 August.  On her birthday, we climbed her childhood maunga, Ohinerau (goddess of whirlwinds), previously known as Mount Hobson, with magnificent 360 degree views over Tāmaki Makaurau and the two harbours.  We also discovered the newish walkway (previously a wild impenetrable […]

Ngā mihi o Te Mātahi o te tau

 Greetings for the first fruits of  the Māori New Year!   We had a special celebration this year during Matariki- a lunch at Manee Thai with our Shakti friends, because the   birthdays of  two of their older supporters happened to fall during Matariki this year: Retna, mother of Shila (July 14), turned 84, and Charmaine […]

1. In the south…Whakatū-Nelson

On 22 June we took off to the South Island for 10 days, to catch up with friends and explore an area we hadn’t visited for some years- Whakatū (Nelson) and Mohua (Golden Bay).  Of course, we were doing our patriotic duty too, at PM Jacinda’s suggestion, supporting AirNZ and a range of small businesses […]

School Holiday Adventures…

We look forward to school holidays because we get to be kids again for a few days!  Two of our favourite young ones come for overnight stays in our apartment- Ellie, aged 8 (Tanya’s grand-niece) and Taiga aged 10 (our Japanese neighbour from Earthsong days). With each of them, we look at what’s on downtown, […]

Don’t Dump in Dome Valley, Auckland Council !!!!

  On Friday 17 July we joined a hikoi from Albert Park to Aotea Square to protest against the possibility of Dome Valley – Te Whārua o Waiwhiu –  north of Warkworth,  becoming a major dump site for Auckland City’s  rubbish collected by Waste Management Services. Like Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara, who organised the march […]

Beyond Rahui…

Two huge challenges are spreading around the planet- the sickness caused by the Covid-19 Virus, and the liveliness aroused by the healthy Black Lives Matter movement.  Surely we humans can use these two dramatic experiences to shape real changes for our futures together on this tiny, fragile planet?  We’ve been moved by the shifts which […]