Twenty years ago Simon Burt swapped urban Auckland for rural Gladstone. He hasn’t looked back.
Where there’s muck
What some might see as a waste product is absolute gold for gardeners.
It's blossom time!
Either alone in the centre of a flowerbed or lined up beside a path or driveway, flowering cherries have the seasonal wow factor. Steve and Louisa Portman of Clareville Nursery talk you through some of their favourites.
Hot right now
Pressing Engagements, Martinborough’s boutique olive press finds a clever use for the leftover olive skins and pips that could do wonders for your fire pit this season. By Nicola Belsham. Photo by Sam Cameron.
Children’s bookshop opens in Featherston
Ask Joanna Ludbrook why she’s called her children’s book shop The Chicken and Frog Bookstore and the answer seems obvious. “Chickens say book-book, frogs go readit-readit,” she says.
Twenty-first century makeover
Take a 1970s house, renovate it with eco-friendly modern technology, and you have a home that’s fit for the future.
Artists standing together
A new Aratoi exhibition, called Kotahitanga – Coming together, arose out of the challenges of Covid 19 and embodies the kaupapa of its title: “unity, togetherness, solidarity, and collective action”.*
It's a little beauty
Open to the public for the first time on the Wairarapa Pūkaha Garden Tour this year, Longbush Cottage packs plenty into a one-hectare plot.
Welcome to the Wairarapa!
Whether you live in the Wairarapa or are making a trip here, now’s the time to support the many creative, owner-operated shops and eateries that make our towns and villages such vibrant places to live.
Room to grow
Our cover co-stars talented floral artist and gardener Suzette Herrick, her dog Mavis – and trusty van, Vivian.
The kind power of art
In times of stress and distress, we turn to art to fortify us.
Out in a blaze of glory
Just as you plant for summer and spring colour, you can make the most of autumn’s warm glow by planting deciduous trees.
Music for your bubble
Listen to some great Kiwi artists and support our musicians at the same time. By Simon Burt.
Aratoi – virtually open
Although physically closed, Aratoi can still connect, inspire and engage with you online.
The homebody’s guide
Things may have loosened up a little, but we are still encouraged to stick to our bubble and stay close to home. For Wairarapa folk in need of inspiration, Erin Kavanagh-Hall, lifestyle writer and self-confessed homebody, has a few suggestions…
Stay-at-home ideas for kids
It’s a truth every parent acknowledges – kids cooped inside eventually get cabin fever. Erin Kavanagh- Hall asked some stalwarts of the Wairarapa community for some rainy day ideas.
Art therapy for mental well-being
With our mental health system under enormous pressure, Sara Boult hails art therapy as the understated hero for mental health wellness. By Sara Boult. Photos by Sarah Watkins.
The art of making things
Practising artist and Massey University Wellington lecturer Richard Reddaway has spent a good part of his life making wondrous things, usually by himself or with adult students. Now he’s working with kids to help with his latest show. By Simon Burt. Photos by Lucia Zanmonti
Sew beautiful
Miss Maude, purveyor of fine fabrics, haberdashery and patterns, has set up shop in the old Oddfellows Hall in Greytown and is reviving the (almost) lost art of sewing your own clothes.
Keeping it natural
Natural fibres suit our fickle climate. Fabrics such as cotton, wool, silk, and linen are durable, breathable, keep you cool in summer and warm in winter depending on how you layer them. They are moisture wicking, meaning they absorb dampness, pulling moisture away from the skin. Wearing natural fibres is also believed to reduce skin allergies for some.