And we can’t write about women’s issues without noticing that this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list pays tribute to women in an unexpected way…for the first time ever, there are more Dames than Knights at the top of the list- and what an interesting group, and we all know “there’s nothing like a dame!”…. …except two […]
Matariki
July 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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
July 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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
May 18, 2018 by 2 Comments
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 […]
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, […]
Gardens at Home and at Church
May 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Some friends were worried when we left for the central city- “what will you do without a garden?” they asked Tanya. Six pots on the deck!” she answered confidently. And here they are…providing all our salad greens and herbs. But we’d also explored the Saint Columba church grounds next door, and Tanya started taking our […]
Ngāti Whātua Today…
May 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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 […]
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