Charmaine’s year of unexpected activities…

Some of my time-consuming activities this year have arisen in the course of local community commitments; others have been projects which have emerged through meeting interesting people  further afield.  Here are some examples of both… Earthsong Centre Trust constitution and new reporting requirements At meetings of the Earthsong Centre Trust, which I chaired 2015-16,  it became […]

Raukura O Te Koroto

Our family friend Nic Moon won the commission to design a sculpture which was also a useful structure at Wenderholm Regional Park to celebrate 50 years of regional parks in Auckland.  She worked with three mana whenua groups on the project.  We were delighted to be present at the dawn blessing for the sculpture by mana whenua groups […]

Auckland Regional Parks

  The Regional Parks in Tamaki Makaurau are amazing –  26 of them, from Te Arai in the north to the Hunua Ranges in the south, and on both east and west coasts.  Many have baches which were farm cottages,  now available to the public to rent for holidays. We honour the foresight of the regional […]

Storytellers…

      From the Raindrop, to the River, to the Sea.. Tame Iti, artist and activist,  is often seen as the wild man of the Urewera Wilderness.  On November 9, in top hat, tails and a scarlet bow tie, he gave a formal lecture in the Halls of Power (actually the Sir Paul Reeves […]

Turanganui-a-Kiwa… (Gisborne)

  Turanganui-a-Kiwa was our spring holiday destination this year.  Sunshine every day, so much to do and see.. here are a few  highlights.. Watching the Walkway From our motel balcony we enjoyed watching the variety of people on Oneroa, the new coastal walkway, which stretches the length of Waikanae beach: walkers, of course, but also runners, […]

Two Roads Worth Travelling

From Turanganui-a-kiwa to Te Wairoa: on the inland road… From Gisborne, the inland road leads across plentiful plains, up into rugged hill country , and then descends into Tiniroto, Frasertown and Wairoa. A side road took us to Tiniroto village – pub, school, community garden and a couple of houses clustered above the lake.  A hospitable publican […]

Te Wairoa…(Wairoa)

Te Wairoa itself has all the charm to be a thriving town.  The shops and cafes stretch along the edge of the river, colourful and cared-for.  Houses are plentiful – and unbelievably cheap, around $100,000 for a modest bungalow .   But there aren’t enough paying jobs.  The Wairoa Freezing Works, once a major thriving employer […]

Kotare Village and Koanga Institute

We’ve known Kay Baxter and Bob Corker for more than 25 years.  They did design plans for our land at Awhitu, and our orchards were planted with Kay’s recommended varieties of heritage deciduous and subtropical plants.  We have a huge respect for their work over the years.  So we decided to go to an Open […]