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
July 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment
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
July 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment
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 […]
2. In the south: Mohua-Golden Bay
July 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment
After our stop at Mapua we drove over Tākaka Hill to Tākaka township, which still has a distinctively ‘alternative’ atmosphere, with its gentle pace, organic shops and old-style hippy culture. Tākaka obviously also continues to have a strong community focus, and a more modern political focus too – a clear Black Lives Matter statement on […]
School Holiday Adventures…
July 19, 2020 by 1 Comment
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 !!!!
July 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment
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 […]
HAPPY MATARIKI , FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
June 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment
21 June is our mid-winter solstice- and, of course, mid-summer solstice for our friends and relations in the northern hemisphere. We wish you all well for the coming year; and from Aotearoa we wish you Happy Matariki as well, as we celebrate the rising of the Seven Sisters star cluster in the north-eastern sky just […]
Beyond Rahui…
June 18, 2020 by 1 Comment
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 […]
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