Toi Te Rito Maihi, one of our favourite artists, is having a retrospective exhibition at Village Arts Gallery in Kohukohu until 26 June, so we decided to spend a few days in the Hokianga. Her exhibition is inspiring – she is so talented in many different media- drawing, writing, poetry, painting, print-making and , of course, […]
Nga mihi o te tau hou… winter solstice greetings
June 19, 2016 by 1 Comment
We hope everyone in Aotearoa will be enjoying some Matariki events and festivities… (and midsummer greetings to our northern hemisphere friends and family!) Arohanui, Tanya and Charmaine
W.H.O Celebration
May 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
On Saturday 30 April, W.H.O (Women of Hope: Helping Ourselves) invited Ranui residents and others to a celebration in the newly renovated Ranui Community Centre. Beginning with a processional dance by Congolese and Burundi women, the evening continued with a PowerPoint presentation of their activities so far (gardening, driving lessons, establishing a play centre for the […]
Autumn at Earthsong
May 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Manabu has helped Tanya harvest the kumara – a good crop to be shared around the community – and has planted the onions for their six-month growing season. Garlic goes in next month, of course, on the shortest day or thereabouts. We are also gathering copious quantities of persimmons, tamarillos, apples, guavas and feijoas, and the […]
Ika- the restaurant with a difference
May 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ika is the Maori word for fish, and Ika serves very good fish, from sustainable sources.. Ika also serves olives and wine and some vegetables from an organic property on Waiheke. But even more important, Ika pays its staff a living wage – the only restaurant we know of that does so. Laila Harre and her […]
The Auckland Writers’ Festival…
May 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
…last weekend, offered an abundance of wonderful literature read by authors and others, and some excellent interviews and presentations. We indulged ourselves this year, going to nine sessions together and a couple separately. We’re filled with admiration at the efficiency of organisation, fine sound systems, diversity of literature.. The most wonderful session for us was Spirit House: Foreign Soil, a […]
The 1980s – the forgotten decade that changed NZ forever
May 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
On Tuesday 17 May, Charmaine spoke at one of Ika’s Salon evenings… Laila Harre, the owner of Ika Bar and Grill, asked Charmaine to describe some of the huge changes in Auckland and Aotearoa in the 1980s, their effect on her personally and politically, and on the students and staff of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School […]
In Plain Sanskrit
April 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
A most amazing dance performance, with chanting and taiko drumming, had six of us mesmerised on Saturday 9 April. We took our Japanese guests Alex and Tomoko, and our Congolese friends Lema and Amani, to this fundraiser for Shakti at Q Theatre, put on by Karma Dance Australia. The two dancers, Raina Peterson and Govind […]
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