International Cultures Day
International Cultures Day brings the world to my neighbourhood
Plenty in Pongaroa
Route 52 between Weber and Pongaroa wound on and on. There was paddock after paddock, sheep, lots of sheep, flowering broom, the occasional farm house (rare but we did see one or two), very few other cars on the road (make that three), and no shops, no service […]
Home through the boondocks – a photo log
The long road home from Gisborne to Napier takes you through the boondocks. Tiniroto Road, also known as the Inland Road, between Gisborne and Wairoa is almost as far off the beaten track as it’s possible to get in New Zealand without going off road. It’s 104km of […]
Eastwoodhill – a tree lover’s sanctuary
Never heard of Douglas Cook? Me neither. Or at least not until I visited Eastwoodhill, the arboretum he established between the 1930s and 1960s. Cook was a little eccentric for his times. Gardening in the nude and reciting poetry, as well as loving trees, weren’t the usual preoccupations of […]
A Christmas treasure hits the stage in Waipawa
The temperature’s rising, the roses are blooming, BBQ’s are in and fires are out, boots are off and jandals are on. Yes, the season is approaching.
Summer comes early in Gisborne
Gisborne. Where the surf rolls in and the surfies are always out, where the sun shines and the beaches are sandy. And where, the summer I was five, I stubbed my toe in a headlong rush across the road to get to the water. It was a beauty […]
In which I realise driving and photography have a lot in common
It took me a while to get my driver’s licence. Years. I had the help of several teachers. They needed plenty of patience and I needed practice – lots of it. Along the way there were graunched gear changes, burnt out clutches, and bunny hops – on one […]
Craft Group
Waipawa Crafties meet erratically. Some of us produce consistently. Others (okay, me) not so much. In the two years I’ve gone along I have completed one garment – a woollen jersey (sweater). I have also started a knitted quilt, worked on a small Christmas themed cross stitch, persevered […]
All Souls Day Wander at Otatara Pa
What better to do on All Souls Day than wander around an ancient pa site?Otatara Pa is on the outskirts of Napier, approximately 13km from the centre of town. It’s one of the largest pa in New Zealand. The site is jointly managed by the Department of Conservation […]
Wellington on a good day
Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is the friendliest and prettiest capital city in the world. It’s true I could be biased – some of my favourite people live there. (You know who you are don’t you – all of you.) Wellington is famous for its cultural life. I’ve attended […]
Jill's Scene 
The korero