T-Cross | Now from $39,990 +ORC +CCF | Save up to $5,000*
T-Roc R (pictured) | Now from $69,990 +ORC +CCF | Save up to $8,000*
Passat Alltrack | Now from $59,990 +ORC +CCF | Save up to $7,000*
Touareg | Now from $96,990* + ORC +CCF | Save up to $10,000*
Grand California | Now $169,990 +ORC +CCF | Save $11,000*
Phil and Aaron are pumped to introduce you to some of the stylists at Blow Hair Co. Together they range from emerging stylists to 40 years of hairdressing expertise, high heels, sore backs and ruined clothing. Blow is known for the “family feel connection” they have with our diverse and loyal clientele and if you’re up for good banter and a light hearted conversation come hang with the team.
6 Tawa St. 07 5747242
55 Sixth Avenue. 07 5780808
blowhairco
Pictured from left to right: Carron Wells, Linda Bester, Stacey Rangitakatu, Dianna Tyack, Tori McEwan, Marine Vignau & Yvonne Dillmann.
Curated
kayustudio.co.nz
New Showroom Opening November — 13 Totara Street, Mount Maunganui
A
Selection Of Furniture & Homewares
BAR & GRILL
Open 7 Days
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Founders Rachelle & Christopher Du y Creative director Christopher Du y Editor Sarah Nicholson sarah@ourplacemagazine.co.nz
Social manager Millie Guest social@ourplacemagazine.co.nz
Advertising enquiries Rachelle Du y 021 032 7873 rachelle@ourplacemagazine.co.nz
Contributors
Carla Bragagnini, Karen Clarkson, Debbie Gri iths, Holly McVicar, Arpége Taratoa, Tuihana Walker, Katherine Whittaker, Skye Wishart
Photographers ilk, Adrienne Pitts, Alice Veysey
Pick up your copy from The Little Big Markets, plus at selected cafes, restaurants, shops and businesses.
Want to receive regular copies of Our Place for your business to distribute? Email rachelle@ourplacemagazine.co.nz
To tell us about anything happening in your area right now, email sarah@ourplacemagazine.co.nz
Cover & contents
Cover photography: Tasmyn Roach (with partner Lance Wanakore and son Kahika), from Awhi Company by Adrienne Pitts (page 32).
Contents photography: From the book The Land Remains; A Tribute to Mahia by Jane Keam (page 69).
Well, not much to be honest, except this issue we have stories on two locals who have produced two very different publications about these subjects. Twenty-year old Braedyn Veysi (page 92) has just released his first comic, Death Before Dawn (ft zombies!). Author Nicole Miller is about to release her second children’s book, Daisy McCray and the Wave of the Day, which looks at how the constant distraction of screens can mean missing out on real life adventures (79).
We continue our Kōrero series by meeting Tasmyn Roach, the wahine behind Awhi Company, which offers cosy wraps and blankets for pēpi (babies) and stylish throws for your whare, all with traditional Māori designs (32). Tasmyn’s business isn’t just about selling product though, she’s also focused on creating a space for māmā and pēpi reclaiming te reo Māori. When you’re next at The Historic Village, check out her fantastic shop that opened this year.
In Seasonal Kitchen (97), Holly is celebrating kōanga (spring) food with crisp veges in rice paper rolls, and using her glut of lemons to make bottles of zesty limoncello (a great Christmas gift idea). And with delicious food in mind, we get the exciting low-down about the upcoming Vegan Vibes festival (86). It’s shaping up to be another super-fun day for vegans and flexitarians alike, so grab your tickets and we’ll see you there!
Mā te wā, The Our Place team
The Tauranga Arts Festival hits town soon so make sure you’ve booked tickets! There are also lots of free events, so here’s a taste: Waiata Mai (28 October) is a joyous community singalong at the waterfront; at Tauranga Zinefest (22 October), you can explore the diverse world of zines; and in Te Whakaata i Te Matapihi: Glimpses (29 October) local rangatahi explore our city’s museum collection (pictured, left). A Seat at the Table, an art installation in the CBD, attempts to rebalance the voices at the dinner table of contemporary fine art, giving space to diverse artforms and lesser known artists in our community, including works by Tracy Keith, Nephi Tupaea, Elliot Mason, Devyn Ormsby and more.
Everyone’s invited to this dinner party!
Tauranga Arts Festival runs 19–29 October
taurangafestival.co.nz
The sacred festival of Diwali welcomes people of all backgrounds, the culture lovers, the music fans, and those who love to meet new people. The Tauranga Diwali Festival (4–9pm, 28 October, The Historic Village) is about celebrating South Asian heritage, art and dance. In fact, there’ll be five straight hours of dance floor action, from soulful Kathak by international act Meghranjani and Marami Medhi, to devotional Kirtan music by international act Kirtaniyas and loads of other colourful performances. Plus, Ramayan drama performance, henna art, the colourful art of rangoli, and of course delish Indian street food!
@thetaurangadiwalifestival
Ms Information is a documentary film that follows the pink-haired microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles through two years of the pandemic, when her credentials and communication skills cemented her as a media go-to. Directed by Gwen Isaac, with producers Alex Reed and Mount Maunganui-based Phillida Perry, the film not only gives an insight into Siouxsie’s intense media schedule but also what was going on behind the scenes at home. Being in the public eye when tensions were sky-high and misinformation rife, made her a target for harassment, hate and misogyny, which her husband, Steve and teenage daughter, Eve (pictured left, with Siouxsie) also had to deal with. It’s a compelling personal story about a very public figure. In cinemas from 26 October. siouxsiethemovie.co.nz @ms.information.movie @ms.information
FutureFit is a simple yet powerful way for you to engage with climate change. By answering a few quick questions about your lifestyle, FutureFit provides a snapshot of your carbon footprint. You can compare results with the NZ and world (OECD) average or delve deeper for a more accurate result and to learn about how you can make positive changes.
TLBM is a thriving community hub on a Saturday. This issue we meet a range of local stallholders who make fragrant bath bombs, deliciously authentic chorizo, fruity ice cream and sustainably made clothing .
Kerry and Maurice Meyers may or may not have a unicorn in their backyard. At least that’s what they tell the kids buying Unicorn Poo at TLBM. Their company Bath Bomb NZ is known for handmade bath bombs and cleansing products, and kids aren’t the only fans.
The grown-up selection runs from bath and shower bombs to bubble bath with essential oils. Kid-friendly scents include Monkey Fart (banana), and Dino Eggs bath bombs. The aforementioned Unicorn Poo is made from broken bath bombs. “If a bath bomb breaks, we have very little waste,” Maurice says.
“I think what makes us unique is the products are made locally and we know what our ingredients are. It’s a very simple recipe,” Kerry says. “Most of the ingredients are ones you would find in your pantry.”
The duo have been hand-crafting products for 10 years and TLBM has been key for them. “We’ve known some of the stallholders here for years. It’s like a family,” Maurice says. “Our stand is a pick-and-mix, like a lolly stand,” Kerry says of their vibrant setup. Kids can choose DIY bottled rainbow salts, while adults can pick up felted (wool-wrapped) soaps — fun for all ages.
bathbomb.co.nz @bathbombnz
With small-batch ice cream and smoothies handmade on-the-spot from frozen fruit, Pipis’ formula is as simple as it gets. So when Chrystal Pokaia was looking to simplify her life from a 9–5, the answer came in the form of Pipis mobile ice cream trailer. “I’d worked in corporate since I was 16,” she says. “I thought, I don’t want that lifestyle anymore — then Pipis popped up.”
Though Chrystal and her partner, Tu Tiananga, only took over Pipis in February, it has been a Mount staple for three years. They’ve kept favourites like mixed berry and banana, while trialling seasonal flavours like feijoa, with more fun to come. “I’ve given Pipis a paint job and a freshen up for this summer.”
Chrystal’s foray into entrepreneurship is a lifetime in the making. “I was learning about business when I was ten years old from my dad. He always worked hard and he instilled that in us too. But then the flip side of that is always to help others and give back, as well,” she adds.
“I’m really big on trying to support local and small businesses,” she says. “If I need to buy something, I’ll always have a scan around the market.”
The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree with El Jefe smallgoods maker Nicolas Pagani. Hailing from Uruguay, he had a butcher grandad, restaurateur father and pastry chef mother, so it’s no surprise that he studied hospitality and went on to become a chef.
As a chef, Nicolas travelled widely to work during busy seasons, which is how he ended up in Aotearoa with his wife, Betania. “We were coming for six months, but we found life here a lot more relaxed,” he says. “A chef’s life is harder in South America as they are still serving people at 12 at night. So for me, when everything was closing at 9pm here, I thought, this is cool, I could almost have a normal life!”
He was cheffing in Wellington, and making sausages and salami at home as a hobby, when a chef friend asked him to make Argentinian chorizo for his restaurant, as he was unable to find what he wanted. “I wasn’t sure if I had time, but thought I would give it a go,” says Nicolas. “Then others heard about it, people were making requests, asking about new recipes…”
Nicolas looked to his homeland for help with his repertoire. “I was talking to my dad, saying, ‘can you give me some recipes from your old man?’ My dad’s like a bohemian, he lives off nothing, he bikes all around — and it became his goal. He biked to butchers that have been there for 40 or 50 years,
asking for recipes. He was sending me pictures of really old recipes, I couldn’t even understand the writing!” laughs Nicolas. “I took some basics from that and started writing my own.”
Nicolas is now a Tauranga local and TLBM regular, with El Jefe’s stall offering smallgoods, such as Uruguayan salami, smoked meatballs, burgers and other meat cuts, and serving up bacon sammies and hotdogs (made from scratch, of course). He’s also just opened a shop front at his Mount premises. “It’s good to have direct sales, rather than just wholesale. That’s really valuable, as we can talk to the customer about the product much more,” he says. “Our whole concept is to keep it natural — that’s why we don’t use nitrates or preservatives or fillers in our sausages and meats.”
Saturdays are busy at the shop, and you’re more likely to hear Spanish rather than English being spoken. “We have a big South American customer base, and in the weekend we sell a lot of cuts for big asado-style barbecues.” Popular choices are the Argentinian chorizo and morcilla (black pudding), and big slabs of wagyu brisket. “It’s not your usual scotch fillet or ribeye, it’s about slow-cooking over the fire for seven hours, it’s about people around the fire, chatting, having nibbles... It’s more a ritual than cooking.”
eljefemeats.co.nz @eljefemeats
Caring for the ocean is a cause that most Bay of Plenty residents can get behind. It’s also what brought together London-born Ash Morgan and Tauranga local Dave Allum, founders of Ocean Cycle ocean-friendly clothing.
“The idea of Ocean Cycle is to supply sustainable products, with part of the profit going into our ocean-related charity, Outflow,” Ash says. “We figured, instead of paying into lots of other charities, it would be more beneficial for us to do the work ourselves.” The pair is hands on with their charity — carrying out beach cleanups and surveys, and undertaking research projects.
Ocean Cycle offers long-lasting jumpers and t-shirts made from 100% certified organic cotton. “The clothes are part of Fair Wear and they’re made from solely green energy, from solar panels and wind farms,” Ash explains. “We also have shorts that are made from recycled ocean waste plastic and ponchos and beach towels made out of single-use plastic.”
New to TLBM since earlier this year, the concept has taken off with market goers. “We’re successful when we can talk to people at the
markets and it’s just great seeing their faces light up,” Dave says. “That means the utmost to us because we are passionate about the environment,” Ash adds. Over summer, they’ll be hosting beach cleanups. “We’ll also be surveying for the quality of the ecosystem around the Bay and how we can help improve it. I think that’s where Dave’s [marine biology] degree comes in handy,” Ash says. “We’re in the process of trying to get boats and some dive gear, and we’ll be out there picking up old fishing lines and any rubbish we come across,” says Dave.
“Eventually, we also want to start getting into schools and doing talks and presentations for students,” Dave says. “We need to educate people from a young age to always naturally care for the environment, so they’ll grow up and they’ll pass it onto their children,” Ash says.
Ultimately, the goal is to allow people to make a difference through their consumer choices. “Some people can’t afford the time to do conservation work, but if they can put a t-shirt on or a jumper or a poncho, that’s their way of donating to the charity,” Ash says. “It doesn’t have to be big, it’s the small things that add up.”
oceancycle.co.nz
When you buy local, it has a positive impact on the whole community. Check out these fantastic products from The Little Big Markets and see all the market dates in our Events Guide (p 108).
Green Tiger Interiors is passionate about colour, texture and great design. It believes in fair trade and only sources exceptional quality, handmade items. Check out the range and support traditional arts. greentigerinteriors.co.nz
@greentigerinteriors
With delicate, romantic themes and vintage influences, Claymore pieces bridge the gap between soft expressions of femininity, and the more daring and iconic styles found in modern polymer clay jewellery. claymorenz.com @claymore.nz
Island View Pottery offers beautiful, functional pots made by Sarah Ziessen in her Rotorua studio. Each piece is totally unique, and made with love, care and attention.
islandviewpottery.com
@sarahziessen
Beautiful 100% wool, wide-brim fedoras, plus jewellery and apparel for all those brave, authentic and fearless souls. Showroom at 12b Kopukairoa Boulevard, Pāpāmoa. @meandthebrave meandthebrave.com
Nana Dunn + Co was started to keep Nana Dunn’s pickled onion magic alive. The handmade range also has Red Onion Jam, Curried Onion Chutney, and Tomato Onion Relish. Lovely jute bags now in stock for Christmas — order online. nanadunnandco.co.nz
A visual storyteller, Robbi Carvalho’s career as an architect and jewellery designer has refined her style and technique, but she truly finds her freedom in painting. Myths, feminist movements and the female body are subjects of her study.
@birdwomanstudio
You’ll definitely become addicted to Small Batch’s top-quality nut butters that are freshly made right here in Mount Maunganui. Be sure to try the innovative spreads too. smallbatch.co.nz
@smallbatchnz smallbatchedibles
Defy is a New Zealand owned and operated brand that prides itself in creating high-quality, functional clothing with a distinct street aesthetic — think hoodies, tees, shorts and activewear. defyclothing.co.nz
@defy_clothing_nz
Noxen’s 100% cotton hooded poncho towels, surf accessories and custom apparel are for everyone in the whānau, from groms to grandparents. Call in to the showroom at 12b Kopukairoa Boulevard, Pāpāmoa. noxen.co.nz @noxensurf
Support little businesses and let everyone know about it! Get yourself one of these stylish TLBM totes and fill it with the brilliant, creative products you pick up from locals at the markets. Check out all the cool tees too. thelittlebigmarkets.co.nz/shop
Stick Hunters is a local clothing range for adventurous kids who live an outdoorsy lifestyle. From puddle jumping to beach play, it’s all about exploring and having the most fun. Join the hunt. stickhunters.co.nz
@stick.hunters
ANZAC BAY . WAIPAOPAO RAHOROI
FREE EVENT FOR ALL AGES
SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER
FROM 2-6PM
LIVE MUSIC FROM 2PM
MATTY AND THE BUX TONES
FOOD TRUCKS . KID’S WORKSHOPS
LIVE MUSIC . OTAWHIWHI MARAE STORY TELLING
MAJOR SPONSORS
The support of whānau and a focus on te ao Māori have created strong foundations for Tasmyn Roach’s Awhi Company, which offers beautiful wraps and blankets adorned with traditional Māori motifs.
Words by Tuihana Walker Photography by Adrienne Pitts
“Poipoia te kakano, kia puawai.” Nurture the seed and it will grow.
What started as a passion project inspired by a natural aroha for pēpi (babies), Awhi Company has grown into a thriving business at a capacity that founder Tasmyn Roach (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, Waikato) could never have imagined.
Becoming a mother herself in 2022, Tasmyn (29) found new motivation in running her own pākihi (business), as it allowed her to stay home with her son, surrounding him in aroha and his culture.
Awhi, meaning to nurture and cherish, is woven throughout every important aspect of Tasmyn’s life, from the foundations of running the
business to cultural connection and nurturing whānau, māmā and pēpi. “A lot of what we do is inspired by a deep passion to learn our culture, whakapapa and history so that we can pass it on to our pēpi,” says Tasmyn. “Whānau is also pivotal in this journey; it’s the foundation Awhi Company is grounded on.”
Growing up in the small town of Ōtorohanga, the journey to establish Awhi has been one shaped by personal growth, cultural awakening and strong whānau support. Despite not actively learning te reo as a child, it was Tasmyn’s Pākehā māmā, who ensured it was present in her life through waiata and kupu Māori. Tasmyn has been devoted to creating something that exposes tamariki to Māori culture from
the very beginning. “I want to be able to wrap pēpi in their culture and identity from the moment they enter this world,” says Tasmyn. “Our vision is to see our tamariki standing strong in who they are and where they come from, embracing their Māoritanga.” Working with different artists and creatives on unique designs, every blanket or muslin wrap is created with an element of te reo Māori or mātauranga Māori. The designs stem from traditional motifs, adorning the blankets with a beautiful symbology for tamariki to be cloaked in. The latest muslin wraps, and the blankets in the new Whare Collection (designed for multispace use) are in earthy tones, inspired by te taiao (the natural environment).
↑ Strong support from her whānau meant Tasmyn was able to balance a new baby and her business.
Opposite page: Tasmyn in her light-filled Awhi Company shop at The Historic Village.
Opener: The whānau: Tasmyn, Lance and baby Kahika, who is wrapped in Mahana Throw (Rahota).
“Our vision is to see our tamariki standing strong in who they are and where they come from, embracing their Māoritanga.”
When Tasmyn fell hapū with her son Kahika, the essence of Awhi Company took on a new meaning for her. “It’s really special being able to immerse Kahika in our culture through what we do. One day I hope he continues to share our stories and our mātauranga Māori.”
Operating the business from her whare since 2017 has allowed Tasmyn the opportunity to be a stay-at-home māmā to Kahika, rather than returning to full-time work. However, a few months in, Tasmyn realised that juggling both the responsibilities of the business and being a new mum was trickier than she had anticipated. “There was no
boundary between work and being a māmā, it was hard to switch off,” she says. “I had prepared myself mentally and physically for the arrival of our pēpi, but the first few months were really challenging — I felt like I had bitten off more than I could chew.” Fortunately, Tasmyn’s partner Lance Wanakore, who is studying environmental science, and the wider whānau, including her mum and sisters, played a crucial role in supporting her as a mother and business owner. Whether it was lending a hand wherever it was needed, preparing orders, setting up shop at weekend markets or caring for pēpi — they were there. “I couldn’t have
managed without my whānau being so involved,” Tasmyn says gratefully. As Kahika grew, so did the business, and earlier this year the young parents decided to set up a permanent shop and get their home back. “We had boxes all over the whare, which wasn’t safe for Kahika.”
On 16 June this year, Awhi Company launched their new shop with whānau and friends, celebrating an important milestone in their journey as a whānau and as a Māori business. Opening their doors to the community at Tauranga’s much-loved Historic Village, Awhi can now be found alongside other talented local artists and entrepreneurs.
The shop is a fantastic showcase of Awhi Company’s cot quilts, pēpi blankets, and the new Whare Collection of throws and blankets.
Opposite page: Organic cotton muslin wraps.
The new physical space allows Tasmyn to connect with the community and other māmā, all while having Kahika close by, at the local kindergarten on-site.
This is part of a much bigger plan for Awhi Company, that extends beyond pēpi blankets. The shop also welcomes māmā and pēpi who are reclaiming te reo, offering a space to learn and share the language, with plans to also offer them reo classes. “I love this for Awhi Company, for whānau and others embarking on a similar journey, that we can step into these spaces where we can normalise our culture and reo. That’s what excites me about the future for my son.”
While business responsibilities have increased, Tasmyn remains dedicated to spending quality time
with her son, and whānau continues to be a major support in the growth of the business. “It’s certainly not easy running a full-time business while raising a pēpi, but having strong whānau support makes it possible,” says Tasmyn. Now very settled into their new location, the future looks bright for continuing Awhi Company’s mahi.
“You need to be realistic with yourself and be smarter about where you invest your time. There’s no point trying to do everything,” says Tasmyn.
“Part of our success is also about employing the right people with the right skills to fill the gaps — hire where you need it most so collectively you are strong.” With big-picture vision and whānau-driven values, Tasmyn’s story is one that exhibits ambition, awhi and aroha.
Tasmyn is a true testament of a mana wahine Māori, passionate about providing nurturing products and spaces that help whānau and tamariki connect to te ao Māori from the beginning. With family and culture at its core, Awhi Company is a business with heart and soul, not to mention beautifully designed muslin wraps and knitted blankets!
Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tīna. Seek out distant horizons and cherish those you attain. Karawhiua!
awhicompany.co.nz @awhi_company
Summer is just around the corner, have you booked your holiday yet?
The Sauna Project’s mobile sauna offers Bay of Plenty locals the chance to get hot ‘n’ steamy (then freezing cold) at their favourite beach or event and experience the physical and mental benefits.
Going from extreme heat to extreme cold sounds punishing but dozens of locals are soaking up the euphoric experience every week at Pilot Bay and Waihī Beach.
The Sauna Project offers hour-long sessions where you alternate between 800C inside their wood-fired mobile sauna before dashing across the sand to plunge into freezing cold water during winter. It’s a shock. Your skin tingles and your heart races, but a sense of peace and calm also descends as you take in your idyllic surroundings and forget about the stress of daily life.
Contrast therapy (hot to cold) is great for your cardiovascular health. It gets the blood pumping in the same way as moderate exercise, and can help improve your sleep, mood, skin and general wellbeing. The multi-sensory experience is enhanced by the addition of essential oils on the sauna’s hot rocks, and is something that people of all ages, sizes and physical abilities are able to enjoy.
The Sauna Project is the brainchild of three Tauranga friends — David Seidel, Keelan Kanji and Luke Mexted.
David grew up in Germany where having a sauna in your home was commonplace. Keelan’s father is one of New Zealand’s leading pain specialists and prescribes sauna therapy for many
of his patients. While Luke discovered the power of sauna when living in Queenstown with his wife, Tish, who worked at Aroha Retreat. “We started using their sauna one or two times a week followed by a cold plunge. Suddenly our sleep was better, our skin was better and we were having more in-depth conversations about life,” Luke explains. When Aroha Retreat’s sauna was occupied by other guests, Luke and David (who was also living in Queenstown at the time) were disappointed there wasn’t another good option publicly available. So when they moved back to Mount Maunganui in 2022 (and into a flat with Keelan), they decided to build their very own mobile sauna. “We built it in the driveway on a trailer and the space was only just big enough,” David recalls. “We could hardly walk on either side. We had this vision for all these beautiful places we could take it to all over New Zealand — lakes, beaches, isolated spots.”
The original sauna was 3m x 2m and featured a secondhand window and door, which they refurbished. Luke is a builder by trade so it didn’t take long to figure out how to design and construct it. The friends then took their invention to NZ Spirit Festival and were blown away by the demand from festival goers. “We were fully booked for the entire three days from 7am until midnight. New people would arrive
“We started using their sauna one or two times a week, followed by a cold plunge. Suddenly our sleep was better, our skin was better and we were having more in-depth conversations about life.”
for a session every hour. It was crazy. Everyone loved it and we were just buzzing about how many people had joy from it.”
Before the trio knew it, they were regularly booking public sessions for their sauna at Tay St beside the beach. “We have built a community around this sauna,” Luke says. “Regulars just kept coming.”
These days, their sauna sessions are held at Pilot Bay on Wednesday and Thursday evenings (6pm–9pm), and at Waihī Beach on Monday and Tuesday evenings. A third mobile sauna has now been set up in Gisborne and a fourth location is soon to be unveiled.
The Sauna Project also builds handcrafted saunas for private buyers around New Zealand, with 10 having been sold in the past 18 months alone. “Our ethos is to use sustainable, locally sourced materials,” David explains. Timber is harvested from Bay of Plenty forests (typically redwood, macrocarpa or modified pine), and their wood-fired sauna heaters are custom built by Roaring Meg fires in Southland.
“Our mission is to have a sauna in every town in New Zealand. It’s a modality of health that could benefit a lot of different people. We’ve had so much positive feedback and it’s honestly just that classic
story of ‘we had a problem that we wanted to solve’ so we just took that Kiwi attitude and ran with it.”
Luke says there’s so much healing and social connection that goes on around the sauna experience. “One of the coolest things is typically we have random people sitting in the sauna together and over time they become sauna buddies. When you’re inside, you have really good chats with people and you’re just able to connect with each other. There’s no distractions. Your phone isn’t there, you’re just in a conversation with another person. And we found that so many strong connections and genuine friendships have developed from that experience.”
As part of their commitment to growing a sauna culture in New Zealand, David says The Sauna Project plans to hold an annual festival in Tauranga every year. “We held our first one this year and it was a baptism by fire. Next year will be even bigger and we’ll invite other sauna companies to come together to share their craft, so watch this space.”
thesaunaproject.co.nz
This story was made possible with the support from Tourism Bay of Plenty.
When an accomplished endurance athlete tells a story about being their most mentally and physically broken, it conjures up images of a gruelling race — perhaps an Ironman. But Sarah Mortimer, former swim-run ultraracer and ocean swim champion, is recounting raising premature twin babies.
In August 2019, Sarah went for her first-ever pregnancy scan with her partner, Hamish. They were amazed to be pregnant, excited to see the heartbeat but… “It never crossed my mind there would be two, it was a shock for both of us. I went into hyperventilation mode and Hamish went ghost white.” Then, the practicalities: their Mount Maunganui flat was tiny — they’d need a new home. A bigger car. And later, two of everything.
But there wasn’t time to buy two of everything because Sarah’s babies, Skye and Arlo, were born suddenly at just 30 weeks (38 weeks is considered full term for multiples). With no time to get to Waikato Hospital, which has the nearest Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) unit, Sarah delivered them at Tauranga Hospital. A helicopter was sent from Waikato to collect the babies, but it turned out Waikato’s 41 NICU beds were full. So the babies were flown to the next NICU in New Plymouth, leaving new parents Sarah and Hamish on the ground at Tauranga Hospital, stressed out with no babies, no hospital discharge and a tortuous five-hour drive to take the next day.
It was followed by two weeks drifting around New Plymouth’s NICU, pumping milk 24/7 and living out of suitcases, five weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit in Tauranga, and then about three years of sleep deprivation.
Almost four years later, Sarah has resurfaced and is president of Multiples Bay of Plenty, her experience giving her the motivation to offer parents that critical wraparound support. The organisation is affiliated with Multiples New Zealand, and regionally it supports 183 families — raising 180 pairs of twins and 3 sets of triplets, from Whakatāne to Rotorua to Waihī Beach. “In this country, Multiples New Zealand and its regional clubs are the only organisations supporting families with multiples in any way,” says Sarah.
New Zealand’s national rate of twin births is 2–3% of all births. Last year, that worked out to be about 500–900 families around the country who are
experiencing the miracle/challenge of twins/triplets. While some families take newborn twins in their stride, it’s often not the case. “In families with multiples, there are troubling statistics around prematurity — around half are born premature — and mothers’ mental health. Twin and triplet births are associated with a higher rate of divorce and higher rate of postpartum depression, we see those families could do with extra support.”
While the government does provide childcare assistance for those parents of multiples who already have other children under five years old (240 hours assistance spread over one year for twins, 1560 hours spread over two years for triplets), first-time parents of multiple babies are not eligible.
Multiples Bay of Plenty offers a wide range of services (outlined below) because the adage ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ rings truer for families with newborn multiples. It costs $35 to join the organisation, but that comes right back immediately, with a big box of nappies and frozen meals once families arrive home from hospital.
“Having twins is a completely different ballgame to having two single babies in quick succession,” says Sarah.
Breastfeeding advice Feeding two babies takes time to master, so Multiples Bay of Plenty provides plenty of information and support. “Tandem breastfeeding can be a logistical challenge. It’s not just the mountains of cushions you have placed around you — it’s almost comical — or even the twin breastfeeding platform you can strap yourself into, but when one twin doesn’t latch properly or nods off, it can throw the whole process,” says Sarah. This is especially the case if they’re premature.
Equipment hire Twin babies can be expensive. “You have to have two of everything and you need them at the same time — there is no such thing as economies of scale at play in this scenario. One of our services is equipment hire for short-term stuff, like breastfeeding pillows, capsules, prams, breast pumps and frontpacks for twins.”
Social events for connection Using funding from local community grants, the charity sees its events
Athlete and nutritionist Sarah Mortimer experienced firsthand the challenges that come with twins. Now president of Multiples Bay of Plenty, she’s guiding the charity to help support other parents.
This page: Hamish Collie and Sarah Mortimer and their three-year-old twins, Arlo (in green) and Skye.
as key. “We organise events to keep our families socially connected. You’re not as mobile with two babies… You can’t pop out easily with the frontpack. It’s harder to go along to SPACE and mum’s groups, because you have to manage feeding, carrying and naps for two of them.”
Playgroups occur at houses, playgrounds and even willing cafes. “At cafes it does form a bit of a scene, you take up a lot of room with double prams and two BYO high chairs each. Cafes are not ideal but sometimes you need a coffee — it’s been a long night!”
There are also free family events at Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and nights for mums and dads a few times a year — these are baby-free evenings at a restaurant or bar.
Mental health Sarah says events are especially critical for the mental health of parents with multiples. “Sleep deprivation can be massive with one baby, but it’s double with two. With two potentially prem babies who might have extra wind, these parents can be feeding for one hour, burping for one hour and changing — doing this for every feed. That’s a long night.”
Raising twins requires tenacity, but mealtimes are the one place where Sarah doesn’t wage battles. In addition to her president role, she’s a nutritionist, and she’s raising her twins on a largely plant-based diet. With constant exposure to colourful and varied dishes, she’s achieved the impossible: both children will now eat just about anything she serves up.
Through her business, Seed Nutrition, she provides guidance about introducing solids to babies and creating a balanced diet for kids. Given she’s developed countless recipes (with two in-house taste testers), it’s food they’ll eat.
“While my own household has been plant-based for the last three years, my client approach is ‘plant-centred’ rather than plantbased. I’ll build healthy dietary plans based on a family’s preferences — that’ll often include meat. Or if they want to explore vegetarian/vegan diets, I can help them navigate that safely.”
Sarah has a Bachelor of Science in human nutrition, is undertaking postgrad study in maternal and infant nutrition, and is an associate registered nutritionist. In a world of wellness influencers and unreliable content, she feels it’s important to have correct, personalised information when undertaking a plant-based family diet, especially for child development. seednutrition.co.nz
Attention is also paid to the partner or other supporting family members, checking in to make sure they’re doing ok — it’s much more hands-on than with one baby. “When the partner gets home from work they need to be onboard straightaway, you can’t take turns, especially around witching hour.”
This October, the organisation is holding a golf tournament to raise further funds, which will enable it to start sending out a second lot of meals at the six-weeks-of-age mark. “We find that time can be the hardest, whether they’ve just come home from hospital or emerging from the newborn stage to be more awake or partners have just gone back to work.”
It also plans to go into partnership with a postnatal doula, who will be contracted by the organisation to visit families in their homes well beyond the typical midwife timeframe — helping holistically with feeding, sleeping, routine and, most critically, dealing with postpartum depression and anxiety.
Members tend to leave when the twins are of school age and families find their groove, but parents can remain as Facebook group members and can be a valuable resource for new parents with questions.
With her twins past the baby stage, Sarah can slowly get back into athlete life. At the time of writing, she’s was in Fiji “relaxing” with three days of 3km open-water swims as part of the Fiji Ocean Swim Series, while Hamish watches the kids on the beach.
“Now that my twins are three years old and developing into amazing little people, I’m seeing the
golden side of having twins — I love watching them play together, knowing they’ll always have each other for all their firsts in life. But in the beginning, the support I received through Multiples Bay of Plenty was a godsend. The antenatal classes and those connections with other parents became so important to me in those early months. It’s a support system I deeply appreciate to this day.”
multiplesbop.org.nz
A big thank you to the Multiples Bay of Plenty members in this story who let us come to their homes and photograph their beautiful families!
We’re your local getaway to the Mediterranean, with authentic Italian food cooked by a real Italian artisan. Only 15 minutes from Papamoa, you'll feel the enduring European charm as soon as you enter.
Reserve a table online today.
thetradingpost.nz/thetradingpostnz
Open Tuesday - Saturday 9 am - 2.30 pm. Thursday and Friday from 5.30 pm (bookings essential).
PĀPĀMOA’S BEST COSMETIC AND SKIN CLINIC
Words
Whittaker
“You’ll have that heated with butter?”
He’s already on the move when he says it. Pivoting on his heel, Matt Coombe moves from one end of his Welcome Bay container kingdom to another. He puts just the right amount of butter across the warm scone before the woman replies: “You have to ask?”
The smile that appears on his face says he has heard this before but enjoys it no less.
Matt is the face and frontman of Pippy’s Pantry, a coffee and food stop set up in a shipping container at Tauranga’s busy Waipuna Park in early 2022. And the woman alongside Matt is his wife Nicole, the classically trained chef who creates Pippy’s food.
The pair met in Port Douglas, Australia over a decade ago. She was travelling, living in a tent with friends. He ran a restaurant with his brother, smashing through up to 160 covers at a time. It was, he says, hectic, adrenalised and heady. Those were the frantic days of work and thinking of what was next on your own path.
Until they weren’t. Matt met Nicole (known to some as Pippy after an appearance at a Christmas party as Pippi Longstocking) “round the traps” and that was that. They bonded over a love of food and family.
The pair eventually made their way to New Zealand and landed in Welcome Bay. And while they worked for other people, the idea of their own place was never far away.
Pippy’s Pantry took a while to become a reality. But the concept of a shipping container (potentially moveable in a few hours) and a genuine desire to improve social connection through food, coffee and interaction eventually won the day.
Nicole prefers to let her husband front the business. He is, she says, phenomenally good at it. “He matches, he listens and he facilitates. He will say, ‘Hey Bernie, you’re into classic cars. Well, John over there has a classic Jag’. It’s kind of like life used to be. These days people are on their phones so much and don’t really look up. The people part of it fuels Matt. It fills his cup.”
Both Matt and Nicole come from families where genuine connection and business went hand in hand. Nicole’s father ran one of Auckland City’s first espresso bars downtown in the ’80s before it was fashionable to do so. And Matt’s father was a dairy farmer in New South Wales who opened a butcher’s shop, the kind you used to see in every town. He loved nothing more than a yarn with customers as he wrapped their meat in his butcher’s paper.
This is the first story in our series about Tauranga’s coffee ‘carts’ (sheds, caravans, containers) — places that bring people together. We order a brew from the popular Welcome Bay hub, Pippy’s Pantry.
↑ Clockwise from top: Pippy’s Pantry is a community hub for young and old; trained chef Nicole creates the food; a perfectly made brew.
Opposite page: Matt chats with a regular.
Opener: Matt is the welcoming face of Pippy’s.
Days at Pippy’s can be unpredictable with busy times interspersed with quiet ones, sometimes with no rhyme or reason. Saturday mornings during kids’ sports seasons are normally “mad busy”. And while the money side is good, the ability to have a conversation drops away, Matt says.
Back at the park, a mum with her baby snoozing under a woollen hat stops in. As she pushes her sunglasses up to reveal tired eyes, her coffee is already on the go. Coffee maker extraordinaire Ash works the machine like some sort of pinball wizard, multitasking to ensure the brew will be up to the usual high standards. She smiles as she greets the new customer, then leans out of the container to call a name and matches them to their drink.
Matt flicks a flaky almond croissant into a paper bag as the woman closes her eyes, feeling the sun on her back and stroking the baby’s fuzzy head. The locally made dried flower installation on the ceiling of the container ruffles slightly in the breeze.
A man walks up. Hesitating, he waits for the flow of customers to recede. He holds no dog lead or cell phone, and juggles no sticky children’s hands. He just waits. He has ambled over from his nearby home, which is altogether too quiet these days.
Matt sees him and adjusts tone accordingly. “Hey mate, how are you? What can I do for you today?” And then he listens. There is no moving on to the next customer until that person has, quite literally, had their moment in the sun. The man is one of a few regulars the team see that lives alone and craves a little social interaction.
People wait and chat amiably, friendly pups cruise around looking for a scratch behind the ear and the odd scrap. Nearby, a couple sit, relaxed in the mid-morning sun. Another couple comes to join them in happy silence on the other side of the picnic table.
Matt says the community got divided during Covid-19, locking down and masking up forcing us apart. “We were all meant to stay away from each other, to become strangers. We are happy to encourage the opposite of that here,” he says.
Nicole agrees. “People just really want to be seen. They want to be seen and acknowledged in this world. We all want that. And here we have our eyes fully open.”
If you’re seeking community spirit, find the places where people play.
Where they dance together, exercise together, shoot hoops, sing, paint, roller skate, march, meditate, stretch, kick a ball, whack a shuttlecock, learn to cook, make music and laugh — out loud and together, all at once, for no reason.
These pockets of play are everywhere. They’re in your neighbourhood. You’ll find them tucked away on the edge of your local park, or front and centre on the main street, right at the heart of where your suburb hums.
All across this rapidly growing city of ours, from Pāpāmoa in the east to Welcome Bay, across to Tauriko, over to Bethlehem, and everywhere in between — including Mount Maunganui and Greerton, Matua and downtown Tauranga — you’ll find community halls and centres full of people playing. This includes the very youngest of people, tiny humans, who might discover the sheer joy of smearing brightly coloured slime all over their clothes and smiling faces. This also includes joy-seekers with many more years under their belt, who have long since opted for playing with brightly-coloured tiles instead.
But let’s start in town, on a Thursday evening, with the sun setting and cars pulling up to Elizabeth Street Community & Arts Centre in time for a 5.30pm ura class. Ura is traditional Cook Islands dancing and Ngaire Utanga says her weekly class is “all about the fitness”.
“I’m getting women out here who are too shy to go to the gym and want to try something new,” she says. “It’s fast tempo, medium tempo and slow tempo movements, and it goes for an hour.” By the looks of it, it’s also a lot of fun.
The class works up a sweat to a fast-paced mix of music and drumming — hips, legs and arms moving to the beat, their pareu (sarong) creating a blur of orange, yellow, blue, green and red. The women are full of smiles and laughter, when they finally catch their breath.
Ngaire has been running this class, which also features Tahitian dance styles, for just over a year and says it’s grown from just 10 regulars to nearly 30.
“I’m just really proud of them, they’ve come a long way over a year and a lot of them, when they first started, couldn’t even move. They were just so stiff. Now they’re so flexible, they’re so happy, and they leave here feeling excited because this form of fitness is totally different.”
Ngaire says the ura class has also created “a sense of community” and has attracted a diverse group of people, “from the Pacific, Europeans, all over”. There’s also a good mix of ages, from high school students all the way up to a woman in her 60s. “I’m pretty excited. A lot of the participants are from Polynesian backgrounds and a lot of them are coming here to learn the dance, learn the Cook Islands culture through the form of dancing.”
The next morning, on the other side of the city, more play beckons.
Young mums and dads and their babies are arriving at Pāpāmoa Community Centre ready to make a mess. Nine-month-old Luca Tomlinson is particularly enjoying the green slime made from cooked couscous and natural food thickener. He’s sitting in the slime, playing with a toy donkey, and the green mush is everywhere — in between his fingers and toes, all over his pants and top, around his mouth. When he looks up, a big wide smile on his face, you can see a single green drop on the tip of his nose.
“Thrive gives me a chance to bond with Luca through messy play, without the set up or clean up,” mum Laura says, herself wearing a bit of slime. “It also offers Luca and I experiences that we just don’t have the resources for at home. He absolutely loves it and so do I.”
Thrive Sensory is the brainchild of Georgia Murray, a trained children’s social worker who specialises in sensory processing — how our bodies receive, interpret and respond to sensory input. She started the business last year after having her first child — she wanted to create a place where parents could connect with others and do fun activities with their kids that they might not do at home. Each Thrive Sensory session has six different stations, introducing babies to new colours and textures (both dry and wet). All of the stations are “taste safe” and the final activity is a warm bath in a bucket, meaning the mess doesn’t make it home.
Tauranga has a vibrant network of community halls and centres — places where you’ll find a thriving community spirit and a huge line-up of activities for a diverse range of people.
Georgia runs sessions at Pāpāmoa Community Centre, Pāpāmoa Sports & Recreation Centre, Waipuna Park Pavilion in Welcome Bay and Bethlehem Hall. The sessions are selling out. She also has a slightly more structured “sensory adventures” class for toddlers.
“We’ve had people who have stuck with us from day one and that’s been awesome — seeing their little ones grow and how they interact differently at each age and stage,” Georgia says. “Parents just keep coming back for more, they see the benefit of it but they don’t want the mess at their house, so they’re like, let’s come here. And it’s more fun doing it with other people, connecting with other families and babies connecting as well — interacting rather than just at home on their own.”
It’s now almost lunchtime and it’s Friday, which means Marlin Friendship Mahjong will be starting soon at Arataki Community Centre in Mount Maunganui. The group meets once a week to play the game of tiles and they are already sitting at their tables when I arrive.
The two longest-serving members, Betty Watts, 86, and Barbara Lagan, 85, have been involved from the very beginning — 26 years ago. When asked what brings them along each week, Betty responds quickly, “the company”.
The women play mahjong together for about three and a half hours each week in a quiet, lightfilled room, with a break for coffee and maybe a piece of cake.
What is it about this game specifically? “It makes you think,” Betty says. Gill Bagnall, 75, sitting
Happy participants at a Recreate NZ programme. ← Exercise is fun at ura dance classes. Opener: Luca Tomlinson relishes some slime.
across from her, agrees. “It keeps the brain going and at my age that’s terribly, terribly important.”
Another group making the most of Tauranga’s community halls and centres is Recreate NZ, an organisation running life-changing experiences for young people with intellectual disabilities through social, recreational and educational programmes.
Recreate NZ has had social sports days at Welcome Bay Hall and Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, and a MasterChef Challenge event at Pāpāmoa Sports & Recreation Centre. Its community work experience and volunteering group, MOXIE, has also been visiting some of the venues and lending a hand, including helping out at the Arataki Community Meal at Arataki Community Centre.
“We love connecting with our wider community and getting out and about, and these facilities provide us with the opportunity to do so,” Bay of Plenty Programme Coordinator Fleur van Lieshout says.
And so there you go. If you’re seeking community connection — community spirit — you just need to wander down to one of these places where people are playing.
You will find salsa dancing and belly dancing, yoga and Zumba, table tennis, indoor bowls, country music, accordion music, ballet, drama, arts and crafts, gardening, the LOL Laughter Club, and just about every other hobby, class, group, club or activity imaginable.
There is a community hall or centre waiting for you just around the corner.
bayvenues.co.nz
We believe in coffee’s strange power to bring people together. From grower to patron, bean to brew. we’re here to shine a light, to learn and tell stories. Gather round and enjoy a cup more curious, Roasted for Folk, by folk.
148 durham st, tauranga
folkcoffee.nz
Mount-based photographer Jane Keam has spent time in the small coastal town of Mahia, capturing the connection between people and the land for her new book, The Land Remains; A Tribute to Mahia.
↑ Sunset in eastern Mahia. The Land Remains; A Tribute to Mahia will available in November from janekeam.com and bookstores.
Modern-day mermaids take centre stage at the new exhibition, The Mermaid Chronicles 2.0 at Tauranga Art Gallery POP UP.
‘Always be yourself, unless you can be a mermaid. Then be a mermaid instead.’
The Mermaid Chronicles explores writer Megan Dunn’s fascination with mermaids and the world of professional mermaiding. All her life, Dunn has been secretly obsessed by mermaids, from Daryl Hannah’s portrayal of Madison in the 1984 romantic comedy Splash to her print of John William Waterhouse’s A Mermaid.
Titled after a long prose poem that Dunn wrote in the 1990s, The Mermaid Chronicles showcases the mermaid not only as an enduring and powerful mythological archetype, but also as a potential portfolio career! Dunn brings together retro artefacts with underwater photographs and videos by artists and professional photographers, and features several high-profile mermaid performers.
What does it mean to feel like a mermaid from the inside out? Dive into the exhibition and find out.
Here, Serena Bentley, Senior Curator of Tauranga Art Gallery, chats to Megan Dunn about The Mermaid Chronicles 2.0...
Why mermaids? Where did your interest in them begin?
Somewhere back in the primordial ooze of childhood. In 1984, aged ten, I watched Daryl Hannah play Madison the mermaid in the blockbuster film Splash, directed by Ron Howard. Daryl was enchanting in her bright orange koi carp-inspired swimmable mermaid tail. One of the tails from the film was later mounted on the wall of a Planet Hollywood cafe!
In Splash, she grew legs and moved to New York City to have a romance with the young Tom Hanks. But that wasn’t my hook… I loved the scenes of her turning into a mermaid and swimming away underwater. She was so beautiful, elegant and free… also convincing! I came home from seeing Splash at the cinema and ran a bath and pretended that I was a mermaid too.
Later as a young woman at art school, I tried to make a video work about how much I loved Daryl Hannah in Splash but it backfired. Then decades later still, I found a community of professional mermaids online. Yes, women (and men) working as
merfolk in oceans, aquariums, bars and at kids’ parties — many of the performers wore orange Madison tribute tails. Now there’s an industry supplying both fabric and silicone mermaid tails for a wide market. The mermaid is a myth but also a dream. I became fascinated with the idea of the ‘professional mermaid’. What do mermaids get paid to do?
The Mermaid Chronicles was originally staged at the Adam Art Gallery in Pōneke — how does this show differ?
The show has been ‘scaled’ (no mermaid show is complete without fishy puns!) to suit the pop up, and features the mahi of the Māori Mermaid, aka Jessica Hinerangi Thompson-Carr (Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāpuhi), a poet and artist from Ōtepoti. I adore the Māori Mermaid’s work and the way she uses the mermaid symbol to capture her Māoritanga. The mermaid is a flexible symbol that is embraced by many people, that’s why the mermaid is such a potent and enduring archetype. In a time of rapid climate change, the mermaid is also a symbol of our intertwined connection to the planet.
The show has a little somethin’ for everyone, young and old — from my 1979 Sea Wees doll, Coral, and her pink, retro clamshell travelling case, to
underwater photographer Brett Stanley’s awesome portrait of Hannah Mermaid underwater in a Californian kelp forest.
Hannah Mermaid also saw Splash as a child and was inspired by it. She told me, ‘I got to live my dream’. I’m proud to feature the collaborative work Brett Stanley and Hannah create together.
My show also includes video footage of three OG mermaid performers, Hannah Mermaid, Mermaid Linden and MeduSirena — these three friends jokingly call themselves the Mermaid Trifecta. Each started mermaiding independently in the early 2000s before the mermaid community took off. The Trifecta are all kick-ass Generation X women, like myself. Unlike me, however, they swim and perform and inspire others as real-life mermaids!
How to transform on an individual and societal level, how to pursue your dream in a monofin, how to use myth to enhance and enchant the everyday. How to be an activist with a mission, who just happens to be wearing a custom-designed mermaid tail that culminates in a fluke. I love how the fin at the end of a mermaid’s tail is called a fluke! It’s no fluke that the world is filling up with DIY mermaids as our oceans are rising... heed the siren’s call!
The Mermaid Chronicles 2.0 runs 14 October 2023 to early Feb 2024 at Tauranga Art Gallery POP UP, 42 Devonport Rd, Tauranga
“My early attempts at writing were filling my diary with stories of summers spent in the Coromandel and my cats — stories about cats who could walk and talk,” author Nicole Miller laughs. “My Mum has kept all my home-published books, which I illustrated and bound with staples.”
In year 6, Nicole wrote a short story called Jodie’s Jump, set on the Wairoa River. It was her first foray into sharing her writing publicly, and earned her a finalist spot in the Bay of Plenty Times short-story writing competition.
Growing up on an orchard in Aongatete, her earliest memories are filled with time spent outdoors, summers spent by the sea, and reading. “Books were a huge part of our childhood. I devoured The Faraway Tree series, and English authors like Shirley Hughes, Joan Aiken and Roald Dahl. Mum always encouraged me to reach for New Zealand authors, so Sherryl Jordan and Maurice Gee became favourites as a teenager.”
After finishing high school at Katikati College and completing a Bachelor of Teaching, the next decade saw her focusing on travel and her teaching career, so writing projects became few and far between. “When I moved to the UAE, I definitely missed home and being by the sea. At the time, they had built the biggest man-made wave pool with these perfect waves. I always think it’s funny that I grew up by the beach, but really only took up surfing when I lived in the desert,” she says.
This love of the ocean has inspired both of Nicole’s books, which highlight global issues affecting young children. Her first
book, Celia Seagull and the Plastic Sea, published in 2019, speaks to the harm caused by plastic waste that ends up in the sea. It aims to encourage families to protect our marine life and oceans, one piece of plastic at a time.
When she was hoping to secure a publisher for the book, Nicole entered it into the Storylines Joy Cowley Award in 2019 and became a finalist. Nicole explains it was this public recognition of the manuscript, and the endorsement from conservationist and environmental activist Dame Jane Goodall, which gave her confidence and reignited her passion for storytelling.
“I remember my publisher at Little Love saying to me, ‘It would be great to get the manuscript endorsed by someone like David Attenborough or Jane Goodall.’ I laughed and thought, ‘Yeah, right.’ A week later, I got a response to my email to Jane’s PA who said that Jane had read the manuscript, loved it and was happy to endorse the book.”
Her second book, Daisy McCray and the Wave of the Day, hits bookstores across New Zealand in November. Nicole wrote it during lockdown in 2021, originally as a play for her children. “They spent half a day practising and dressing up. We tied a blue sheet to the fence and curled it over our heads to become the wave and filmed the whole thing,” Nicole says. The book tackles the increasing presence of technology in young people’s lives, a topic that she hadn’t seen covered in a children’s book with a fun, light-hearted rhyming verse.
“When discussing this with others in the field of education, we see the impact of screen time in terms of children’s language skills and attention spans. Technology at our fingertips is an ongoing balance for all of us and I’m like every other parent whose attention can be divided between screens and our children. I want this story to provoke families to think about the impact of reaching for devices all the time. ‘What are we missing out on? What are our kids missing out on?”
Through characters like Daisy, Nicole hopes her readers will think about how important real world adventures are versus spending time on screens. “Daisy seems like any well-organised, sun-smart teen seeking an adventure and some epic waves. We soon learn she is impatient and distracted, disconnecting from nature and tuning into the world of social media.”
Nicole lives in the Mount with her two children, partner and step-children, and says that writing and parenting go hand in hand. Her books have become an important creative outlet in the depths of motherhood, and children are a constant inspiration for her writing.
“Publishing my first book was a much-needed form of healing in that time of my life. I was on leave from my teaching career, navigating a separation, had moved back to Tauranga with a newborn and a toddler, and was facing life as a solo parent,” she says. “I saw an image of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on social
Nicole Miller, a Mount Maunganui-based teacher and author, frames global issues facing kids in fun-to-read books, aiming to inspire positive change. We find out about her latest book.
media and felt so emotional and immediately inspired to create.”
One of Nicole’s favourite parts of being an author is visiting schools around New Zealand, holding author’s talks and running writing workshops for aspiring authors, including sharing advice on how to keep positive in a competitive writing world. “After Celia Seagull and the Plastic Sea was made a finalist for the Joy Cowley award, I thought it would be easy to get it published. Once I started submitting it, I realised it’s really hard,” she says.
Her advice to young writers is to believe what you have created is worthy and important to share. Have a few trusted people who will critique it honestly, use that to improve your writing, and thank publishers or those who took the time to provide critical
feedback. “I’m inspired by other female authors, like Sherryl Jordan whose first published book (Rocco) was her thirteenth novel that she had written. JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as a solo mother and was rejected a number of times. I have had more setbacks in the competitive writing world than success. So I say, don’t ever let rejection force you to stop.”
Nicole believes the key to successful children’s books is an important moral, rhyme, repetition, humour and of course a twist. Her inspiration also comes from authors like Julia Donaldson, Dame Lynley Dodd and Dr Seuss, and their world-renowned use of rhythm and rhyme. “Creating an enjoyable auditory experience for the listener is key in children’s books. I’m always counting
syllables and conducting the phrasing to test if it works when read aloud.”
Thinking about what the world will be like for children in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time, and what problems they will face, provides Nicole with a purpose, and she plans to keep presenting those important topics in an entertaining, engaging way. “I want to be remembered as an author who inspires positive change.”
Daisy McCray and the Wave of the Day can be pre-ordered at nicolemiller.co.nz and is in bookstores from 25 November (including local stores Books A Plenty and Little Trooper). For book launch details at Mount Maunganui Library, follow @nicole_miller_author
From skateboarding and inline skating to BMX and scooting — whatever spins your wheels, you’ll have the perfect place to let loose with the new and upgraded skate facilities across Tauranga.
How do you like to roll? Whether your wheel-spinning bent is skateboarding, scooting, BMX, roller (quads) or inline skating, spinners are winners when it comes to the brilliant new skate facilities being developed across Tauranga.
The jewel in the crown (or skaters cap, in this instance) has got to be the destination skatepark project. Encompassing more than 3000sqm, the skatepark — currently under construction on the corner of Hull and Maunganui roads, is anticipated to open in autumn 2024. The skatepark project came about following community engagement on the city’s Long-term Plan. After hearing loud and clear from the city’s ardent and growing skate community that existing skateparks were too small, outdated and limiting for users, Tauranga City Council committed to improving, expanding and investing in citywide skate facilities.
Tauranga Moana is already one of Aotearoa’s favourite surf destinations. With surfing and skating so closely aligned, developing a premier skate facility feels like natural progression, adding to Tauranga’s outdoor adventure sport offerings.
The demand for larger and more modern skating facilities has increased in line with the rising popularity and profile of the sport. Skating attracts a diverse range of followers, and it provides physical, mental and social benefits. It’s a fun, unstructured,
affordable activity that promotes being active and creative in outdoor environments.
The debut of skateboarding at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics influenced the increasing popularity of the sport. And while the new destination skatepark will be a world-class facility for aspiring Olympic skateboarders, it will be accessible for all roller codes including roller skaters, scooters and BMX.
Setting the wheels in motion for the destination skatepark has been a community effort.
Following a 2021 survey of wheel-spinning user-groups to find out what makes a good skatepark, a 24-member co-design group was established to inform the planning and design, in conjunction with council and landscape architect Richard Smith from Rich Landscapes.
The co-design group represented a diverse range of ages, including four under 16s, and skating interests — skateboarding, roller skating, inline skating, BMX and scootering. Equally, the new skatepark has been designed with all ages and abilities in mind. Features will include a large flow bowl, a big skate ditch going down into a mini ramp and lots of street skate obstacles like competition stairs, ledges and ramps. There will also be a flatter piece of concrete for learners. Design elements will incorporate the cultural history, insights and narratives of the area.
The skatepark, which is being built by Angus McMillan Concrete, will feature innovative and
sustainable construction methods. The park will also feature some 3D concrete printing which is being undertaken by Hamilton-based company, Qorox.
Helping make the dream a reality, Tauranga City Council has been supported by grants from TECT ($1,023,000), New Zealand Community Trust ($459,370), Lotteries ($528,847) and Project Tauranga ($200,000). This support has been vital as it helps contribute to the broader physical, mental and social wellbeing of the community.
The high-profile location of the destination skatepark will add value to the surf/skate culture here in Tauranga. It was chosen for multiple reasons, including proximity to a range of amenities, shops, the beach and Blake Park. The area is also located on an existing cycleway and close to public transport, which allows easier access by foot, skating or other roller modes. Traffic, rail and safety improvements planned along Maunganui Rd, Hull Rd, Tweed and Dee streets will also integrate with the skatepark’s location.
As well as building the new destination skatepark, existing skate facilities across the city are already being upgraded.
Memorial Park skatepark recently received a facelift, with the addition of a new mini ramp (in partnership with Sam’s Skate School) and a new wedge ramp. Other upgrades included a quarter pipe and some fun street-skate obstacles such as a manual ledge, a pole jam, a glass reinforced concrete (GRC) standard ledge and bank ledge, three different types of kerb grinders, and a fire hydrant with GRC kicker.
Pāpāmoa is the proud home of the recently revamped Gordon Spratt Reserve skatepark, designed in collaboration with experienced local skaters and the Acid Skatepark crew, who also constructed the skatepark. The skatepark includes a range of quarter pipe and street style features such as a manual pad, a street hip, a euro gap, A-frame ramp, stairs, ledges and rails. The skatepark’s footprint has increased by around 300sqm to an overall size of approximately 900sqm. Lighting has also been installed to enable use of the park when night falls.
← Opposite: A design render of the impressive skatepark project in Mount Maunganui that’s due to open autumn 2024.
↓ Bottom: A look at the skatepark’s progress.
More than two months into construction, the destination skatepark is taking shape (above). The flow bowl is nearing completion. This will be followed by the new skate ditch.
Locals will be itching to get their skate on once the new skatepark is completed in 2024. Until then, check out a 3D model on display at Mount Hub Office (9 Prince Ave) or visit tauranga.govt.nz/skate
Kicking back in the sun, listening to music, enjoying great food, spending time with friends... If this all sounds like you, put Vegan Vibes in your diary.
The festival returns to Soper Reserve on Saturday 21 October and the line-up stars some all-time favourites and plenty of new faces.
First-timers include Epic Cheese from Kirikiriroa Hamilton — makers of plant-based cumin cheddar and chilli cheddar, Top Hemp with its range of pata (hemp seed spreads), and Misfit Garden, which is showcasing food boxes of perfectly good fruit and veges that are rejected by supermarkets. Other highlights include Innerbloom Cold Brew Coffee, Nana Dunn + Co Pickles, Mama Kali’s microgreen growing kits, and beautiful objects from Chloe Grey Studio and Little Slow Ceramics.
The family friendly event has plenty of free activities, such as a yoga class, pottery workshop, and photo booth, plus henna body art and kids’ face painting. Hitting the stage is No Reply — a local band making big waves right now, Caribbeanz Southern Stars Steelband, bringing authentic Caribbean music and good vibes, along with DJ Mike, and Wildlanes (the soul powerhouse Laney Van Jaarsveld).
Flavours of Plenty Festival is sponsor of the speakers’ tent, which will have a diverse line-up of talent, hosted by festival chairperson, Stacey Jones. There’ll be a cacao demonstration by natural health company, Seleno Health, Savour Cheese (makers of cashew nut cheeses) will demonstrate how to create a perfect grazing platter, and there’ll be more speakers announced soon.
Here we meet three businesses that are new to the festival to tell us what we can expect on the day!
Janin Dei-Conti makes vegan cheeses from cultured plant-based milks. With an eye to treading lightly on the planet, she handcrafts her flavour-packed cheeses in small batches in Orewa, Auckland, then packages them in glass or compostable packaging. She’ll be bringing her crowd favourites such as the Smoked Gouda (which improves as it ages), Guinness-infused Drunken Irish Ched, Black Pepper & Dill Chevvie, and the new Basil Pesto & Sundried Tomato Cremaggio. Plus she’s hinted that she may just bring another special cheese she’s creating.
Gather your friends and whānau! Vegan Vibes festival is back with a slew of new stallholders, loads of fresh flavours and irresistible treats, expert speakers and plenty of free entertainment for all ages.
Left to right: Vegan treats on the day will include Raw Kind jelly tip cups and Mind Your Temper bonbons. Opposite: Whether you’re vegan or just interested in enjoying more plant-based food, Vegan Vibes is for you. Opener: The festival entertainment is always a highlight — here’s Brown Sugar Factory on stage last year.
“I’ve had such amazing feedback on the cheeses so far, and it makes me so happy when people taste the cheeses — yes there will be tasters on the day! — and their faces light up,” says Janin. oneloveplanet.co.nz
RAW KIND
A love of both health and good food were united when Bea Ghanadzadeh, a food lover from Auckland, launched Raw Kind. Bea is all about creating treats that taste amazing but also support health and wellbeing (with none of the nasties found in processed desserts). Her picture-perfect goodies — from black forest cake to choc peanut butter and jelly cups, and choc kumara brownies — are “un-baked”, vegan, refined sugar free and gluten friendly (may contain traces).
“We will be heading to Vegan Vibes with New Zealand’s First Mobile Raw Bakery” says Bea. “We’ll be serving up our mouthwatering slices, cakes, signature chocolate cups and new jelly tip ice cream logs!” rawkind.co.nz
Mind Your Temper is coming all the way up from Ōtautahi Christchurch to bring the Bay of Plenty some of the most exquisitely made chocolates we’ve ever laid eyes on.
The gem-like bonbons (painted dark chocolate shells with creamy fillings) have luxe flavours like calamansi cheesecake, and maple bourbon & caramel; and the dragées come in flavours such as salted caramel, and almond & matcha. Then there
are the super creamy handcrafted dark, white and ‘mylk’ chocolate bars, all dairy free. Mind Your Temper’s award-winning chocolates use organic fair trade Dominican Republic and Peruvian cacao and lusciously creamy Whiteheart hazelnuts grown in Canterbury. “We’ll be bringing all our product line and there’ll also be tastings as I find this is the best introduction for anyone who has yet to try our creations,” says chocolatier, Arnel Vicencio. “We’ll also do special market prices and bundles.” mindyourtemper.co.nz
Vegan Vibes has it all on offer, whether you’re vegan, flexitarian or just love eating good kai. See you there! Follow @veganvibesnz to hear when more speakers and vendors are announced.
Vegan Vibes Tauranga
→ When 10am–3pm, 21 October 2023
→ Where Soper Reserve, Mt Maunganui
→ Tickets ticketfairy.com
Prices
→ $10 Early Bird
→ $15 Pre-purchased general admission
→ $20 Door sales
→ $49 VIP
→ Children under 12 FREE
Over three art-filled days, Bay of Plenty artists will welcome you into their studios.
ElizabethWoodDiscover the artists living and working in the beautiful Bay of Plenty and step into their colourful, creative worlds at Meet the makers, explore their work, chat about their practice, learn what inspires them and purchase artwork directly from their studio.
BOP Open Studios.
Find out more at
bopopenstudios.co.nz
At just 20 years old, Braedyn Veysi is out to prove to himself, to his parents and to comic-book lovers that he has what it takes with the launch of Veysi Studio’s first comic, Death Before Dawn.
Twenty-year old Braedyn Veysi pauses to laugh when asked how it feels to have his work on the bookshelves and bedside tables of complete strangers.
“It’s been a long time coming — it’s taken ages to get to where we are now. It’s so exciting to finally be selling Death Before Dawn,” he says. “We’ve been playing with comic book ideas for years but fully committed to
making this one about a year and a half ago. I also had to break through the mental barrier that my work simply wouldn’t be good enough, so I took the time to get it right.”
Braedyn admits that as a youngster who hated books, it was comics that developed his love of reading. “It’s funny that now I’m the one creating books. Who would’ve thought? I hope
I’m inspiring kids with a comic that’s made here in New Zealand, and making them think, ‘well, if he can do it, we can too’.”
As the son of two teachers, Braedyn needed to push back against their insistence that he attend university. “Me stepping straight from high school into the real world was, I think, quite a scary one for them,” he says. “I guess I needed to prove that
↑ The two covers of Braedyn’s first zombie-slaying comic, Death Before Dawn. Opposite page: Braedyn with his cute sidekick, Toby.
I could run a business, and the philosophy of Veysi Studios has actually been inspired by them. Their job is to empower students and figure out how to help them learn. I wanted to develop a product for an audience that would learn from the comics we create.”
Braedyn was reminded recently that his love of storytelling dates back to primary school, when as a seven year old he started doodling comic strips. “Then, during Covid, I would sit and write stories and that’s where Death Before Dawn was formed. It was just scribbles on paper that weren’t going to become anything but after lockdown I started talking to people about it. I was encouraged to turn it into an artform that others could enjoy.”
The young entrepreneur launched Veysi Studios to facilitate collaboration between artists around the world from his home in Rotorua. This first comic was developed by a team of seven
based here in New Zealand, as well as Australia, the US and Germany, with artist Mwebaze Jordan contributing from Uganda.
“As soon as we mentioned zombies in a post-apocalyptic world, Mwebaze was pumped. He loves sci-fi themes and when we gave him the script, he went away and drew the front cover. In fact, he stayed up all night to do it. It was exactly what I had imagined. We’ve become more than business partners through the process — we’re now really great mates.”
One challenge has been keeping his international team motivated and working to deadlines, which has proved costly to manage. “There have been times I’ve had to pick up more part-time jobs to fund it, but honestly, life’s too short not to just go for it. I’m so passionate about it — I have to give it a shot. It might not work, but there’s every possibility that it can. I think if you hustle hard enough, it’ll all work out.”
Braedyn admits to some nerves in releasing his first comic but has been rapt with the response and surprised to find his readers span the generations. “We have some loyal customers already who message us constantly about when the next comic’s coming out. Our youngest customer was around six years old and then an older woman rocked up to our stand at The Little Big Markets and was telling us how much she loved zombies. She bought one and loved it.”
Braedyn is dreaming big. “I really want to be the director of an animated series. We believe it’s going to be a big market in the next few years so we’re really excited to be doing these comics now, to eventually turn into even bigger projects in the future.”
Buy a copy of Death Before Dawn from veysistudios.com @veysi_studios
.butfi�stdesse�t.co.�z
Words, recipes & styling by Holly McVicar Photography by ilk
Spring! The passionfruit vine is snaking along the picket fence, the fruit trees are bright with new leaf growth and flowers are starting to bloom for the bees — the garden is coming together once again. Our lemon tree nearly split in two from being so laden with fruit this winter and last year’s silverbeet, spring onions and fennel are still going strong. I’ve been pulling out lacklustre ornamental gardens to make way for summer produce and sowing seedlings in places with protection from those sneaky spring frosts.
The kids are eager to have their own garden space and are learning about seed germination and care. Let’s see if our three year old warms up to vegetables this year, rather than me hiding them in every meal. I’m hopeful… though I may need a sip of limoncello spritz to swallow that truth!
This issue, I’m welcoming fresh, crisp vegetables with colourful rice paper rolls that do double duty as a work lunch or a snack with drinks. A bottle of limoncello is also perfect for entertaining — with the abundance of lemons hanging on trees right now, the time is ripe to make your own. Try my cocktail idea or simply serve as a digestivo after dinner. It’s a lovely gift decanted into small bottles too. I’m a big fan of carrot cake, so much so that it was my wedding cake many moons ago. This chai-spiced version has evolved from a family recipe and it’s just too good not to share.
If you try these recipes, I’d love to see your creations — tag @madebyhollys
Thanks to ceramicist and jeweller Chloe Grey for the lovely pale bowls used in this shoot, chloegrey.co.nz
Spring heralds new life in Holly’s garden, so she’s showcasing crisp veges in spring rolls, using juicy lemons in zingy limoncello (perfect to sip or gift), and adding a spicy lift to her favourite carrot cake.
SERVES 4
These nutrient-packed rolls are vegan and gluten free (as long as you’re using tamari instead of soy sauce), but they’re also delicious with smoked salmon and avocado, grilled chicken or beef marinated in lemongrass, ginger and garlic.
1 packet dried rice paper sheets (a 100g large-diameter packet contains about 9 sheets)
½ cup mint leaves
Coriander leaves (optional)
1 red or yellow capsicum, cut into thin strips
2 carrots, cut into thin batons (julienne)
2 baby cos lettuces (also known as gem), leaves picked ½ large cucumber, cut into thin batons (julienne)
A good handful of thinly sliced red cabbage
Peanut dipping sauce
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp grated ginger
1 large lime, juiced
4 tbs soy sauce (or tamari)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
To make the dipping sauce, add all ingredients to a bowl and combine with ¼ cup boiling water. Place a damp clean tea towel over a board. Fill a large dinner plate with lukewarm water.
To make each roll, take a sheet of rice paper and dip each side into the water until it starts to soften. Transfer to the damp tea towel and fill with vegetables and herbs in the centre of the roll. Fold each side and firmly roll from one end to the other. Serve with the peanut dipping sauce.
Note I like to keep the rolls whole if I take them for lunch, otherwise I halve them and present on a platter to showcase the vibrant fillings. For a wow-factor, add edible flowers such as nasturtium, pansy and cornflowers.
This is a twist on tradition with the addition of chai spices and a crunchy topping of spiced candied pecans, which are a delicious snack in their own right.
Carrot cake
2 cups plain flour
1 cup rice bran oil
1 cup caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
2 cups grated carrot
1 tsp salt
250g can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tbs chai spice mix (below)
½ cup roughly chopped pecans
Chai spice mix*
2 tbs ground ginger
3 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs ground allspice
1 tbs ground cardamom
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
Candied Pecans
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup whole pecans
1 tsp chai spice mix (above)
Cream cheese icing
125g butter, softened
125g cream cheese
500g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the chai spice mix, add the spices to a pan over medium heat and stir constantly until just fragrant (about 1–2 minutes). If using whole spices, toast the largest first and then grind together in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Store in an airtight jar.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 26cm springform cake tin. Combine all cake ingredients in a bowl then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean and the top has turned dark golden brown. While the cake is cooling, make the candied pecans. In a saucepan, add the sugar with 1 tablespoon of water and bring to a boil, stirring until it starts to make a caramel (about 1 minute). Add the nuts, a pinch of salt and the spice mix, and stir well to combine, then cook until the caramel is thick and the nuts are toasted and starting to clump. Spread over a lined baking tray and cool before roughly chopping. For the icing, beat together all ingredients until smooth.
To assemble, place the cold cake on a large platter, spread generously with icing and scatter over the candied nuts.
* This chai spice mix makes more than you need for this recipe but it’s great to have on hand to make chai tea (recipe below), to use in baking instead of just cinnamon, and as an addition to poached fruit, crumble and muesli. Store in an airtight jar.
Chai tea Add brown sugar and chai spice mix to a small pot, and once the sugar starts to melt, add milk and black tea leaves and bring to boil. Froth the milk using a frother or pulling (pouring between 2 jugs), then strain and serve.
Chai-spiced carrot cake
MAKES 2L
Master this basic recipe, then get creative by introducing other flavours. I add a couple of kaffir lime leaves and a slice of fresh ginger when steeping the skins. Although only the peel is used, I squeeze the juice to make lemon juice ice cubes or use it in homemade sorbet for a cocktail (see recipe, right).
1L vodka
20 large clean lemons (substitute oranges to make arancello or limes for limecello)
1½ cups white sugar
Peel the lemons and place the peels in a large jar (avoid adding the white pith as this is bitter). Add the vodka, seal with a lid and leave in a cool, dark place for around 4 weeks to allow the alcohol to pull all the wonderful oils and flavours from the lemon. Patience is key here — the longer you wait, the better the taste. When ready to bottle, make a simple syrup by placing the white sugar and 2½ cups water into a small pot over low heat until dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Filter your limoncello through a clean muslin cloth into a jug, then add it to the sugar syrup. Stir to combine and decant into small sterilised bottles.
Limoncello cocktail: Use the surplus lemon juice from this recipe to make a sorbet. Add a scoop of sorbet to a cocktail glass, pour over a double shot of limoncello, top with prosecco, and serve as a refreshing drink.
Mt Maunganui Papamoa Pony Club
Papamoa 9am—2pm For
thelittlebigmarkets.co.nz
shopthelittlebigmarkets.co.nz
@thelittlebigmarkets
Capturing your classical and spontaneous wedding day moments on the Coromandel and beyond.
Sat Tauranga Farmers’ Market
7.45am–12pm, Tauranga Primary School, 5th Ave, Tauranga
Sun Mount Mainstreet Urban Market
8am–12pm, Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka, 137 Maunganui Rd, Mt Maunganui
4. Hot Pink Walk
5.30–7pm, The Waterfront, The Strand, 120 The Strand, Tauranga, eventspronto.co.nz
6. Jordan Luck Band — Winter Tour 8pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totara.flicket.co.nz
7. Comedy Improv with The Honest Liars
7.30pm, 16th Avenue Theatre, Tauranga eventfinda.co.nz
Derek Toner
7–9.30pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, Tauranga, theincubator.co.nz
The Little Big Markets
9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui
8. Cybele Chapman Album Release 3pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui. Free.
11. Ladies Night NZ's Sexiest Comedy Ever!
7.30–10pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz
Women on Top Special: Life Lessons 101
6.30pm, Elizabeth Cafe & Larder, Tauranga, blablaevents.com eventbrite.co.nz
12. Charity Pre-loved Fashion Show: Supporting Women's Refuge
7–10pm, Mount Maunganui Golf Club, 15 Fairway Ave, Tauranga, myetickets.co.nz
13. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun — 80's Party 8pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totara.flicket.co.nz
14. Creatures of Comfort 4pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, Tauranga, theincubator.co.nz
Opus Orchestra: Somi Kim — Mozart & More 7.30pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz
The Little Big Markets
9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui
15. Elton John vs Billy Joel NZ Tribute 7.30–10.15pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz
Nairobi Trio In Concert 7.30–10pm, 16th Avenue Theatre, iticket.co.nz
19– Tauranga Arts Festival 29. taurangafestival.co.nz
20. Katchafire 7.30–11pm, Mercury Baypark, eventfinda.co.nz
21. Vegan Vibes 2023
10am–3pm, Soper Reserve, 95 Newton St, Mt Maunganui, ticketfairy.com (see page 86)
22. Tauranga Zinefest
10am–3pm, Cargo Shed, 5 Dive Cres, Tauranga. Free. taurangafestival.co.nz
The Little Big Markets
9am–2pm, Williamson Park, Whangamatā
23. Re:generate Fashion Market 10am–2pm, Mount Sports Centre. Door sales.
25– Biggie & Smalls Workshop & Dance Battle 26. Cargo Shed, 5 Dive Cres, Tauranga. Free. taurangafestival.co.nz
28. Sidewinder: Northern Lights Tour
7–9.30pm The Jam factory, The Historic Village, Tauranga, theincubator.co.nz
Tauranga Diwali Festival
4–9pm, The Historic Village, Tauranga. For more details, see page 19.
The Ultimate Drag Show
7.30pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz
The Little Big Markets Pāpāmoa
9am–2pm, Pāpāmoa Pony Club
28. Waiata Mai
4–6pm, Edgewater Fan Tauranga Waterfront. Free. taurangafestival.co.nz
28– Bay of Plenty Baby Expo 2023
29. 9am–4pm, Mercury Baypark, eventbrite.co.nz
29. Te Whakaata i te Matapihi: Glimpses 4pm, University of Waikato Tauranga. Free. taurangafestival.co.nz
4. Gindulgence Tauranga
12–6pm, Wharepai Domain, Cnr Cameron & Hamilton sts, Tauranga, ticketfairy.com
The Little Big Markets
9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui
Unrestful Movements 40 Years
7.30–9.30pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, Tauranga, theincubator.co.nz
White Chapel Jak Spring Nights Tour 2023
7.30pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totara.flicket.co.nz
5. Mitre 10 MEGA Tauranga City to Surf
7am–2.30pm, Mt Maunganui, citytosurf2023.eventdesq.com
5–6. Sleeping Beauty Royal Czech Ballet
Various times. Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz
7. Waiting for Waiting for Godot
7.30pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, Tauranga, ticketek.co.nz
10– Tauranga Harbour City Lions Annual
12. Book Sale
Various Times, Tauranga Racecourse, 1383 Cameron Rd, Greerton
11. Mike Garner and Robbie Lavën
7–10pm, The Barrel Room, 26 Wharf St, Tauranga
Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic 3 & 8pm, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, ticketek.co.nz
11. The Little Big Markets 9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui
11– Tauranga Women's Lifestyle Expo
12. 10am, Mercury Baypark, iticket.co.nz
12. The Little Big Markets 9am–2pm, Williamson Park, Whangamatā
15. Not The Church... But Damn Close 8–9pm, The Matua, Tilby Drive, Tauranga
18. Taylor Swift: 1989 Party 8pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totara.flicket.co.nz
The Little Big Markets Pāpāmoa 9am–2pm, Pāpāmoa Pony Club
19. GENX Homes/Marra Construction Tinman Triathlon 6am–1pm, Mt Maunganui, eventplus.net
24. Blindspott Summer Tour 7.30–11pm, Mercury Baypark, eventfinda.co.nz
David Shanhun 7–9.30pm, The Jam Factory, The Historic Village, Tauranga, theincubator.co.nz
Pearl Jam Tribute: VS Turns 30 8pm, Totara st, Mt Maunganui totara.flicket.co.nz
25. Elemental 8pm, Totara St, Mt Maunganui, totara.flicket.co.nz
The Little Big Markets 9am–2pm, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui
26. Dinner the Park Matua 5–8pm, Matua Park, Matua
Oempa Festival Tauranga
12–7pm, Soper Reserve, 95 Newton St, Mt Maunganui, ticketfairy.com
29. Bill Bailey — Thoughtifier 8pm, Mercury Baypark, ticketek.co.nz
Dinner in the Domain 5–8pm, Pāpāmoa Pony Club
