The Hobson July 2020

july 2020

leaving town: we share our favourite spots local news, views & informed opinions

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The July Issue, No. 69

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the editor’s letter

the investment

the menu

12 the columnists

Remember this to tell your kids, says Warren Couillault of the markets’ strange behaviour

She needs little introduction but please do welcome our other new columnist, food editor Lauraine Jacobs

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the village

the arriviste

the magpie

The fight to Save Robbie’s Park goes on, the Port’s dolphin is dead in the water, opera comes to the cathedral, and more

Colin Hogg’s now living in this part of town. He’s very happy, his cat is not so sure, as he writes in his first column

Coats, boots, scarves: The Magpie is wrapt with winter

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the suburbanist

the councillor The councillor for the Ōrākei ward, Desley Simpson, shares her news

22, 23 the politicians Updates from local MPs David Seymour and Paul Goldsmith

24 the plan You sure about the spec on that shed, mate? Hamish Firth is quietly alarmed by the new non-consented builds

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35 the getaway

Post-Covid, Tommy Honey wants new conversations about urban design

We’re hitting the road. From the far north to the very deep south, we share our favourite spots

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the sound

the district diary

Andrew Dickens enjoys a great wander down memory lane

We had to sit out last month, but we’re back with a list, actual and virtual

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the second act March on, urges Sandy Burgham

the cryptic Māyā’s puzzle of the month

Oamaru's stately white limestone buildings make it a favourite for Dawn Adams.

See The Getaway, from page 35. Photo by Dawn Adams

the hobson 8

Auckland Obstetric Centre is a unique practice in Parnell made up of six leading specialist obstetricians and support staff. Together we have many years of experience and feel privileged to be able to share in the care of women during their pregnancy. To find out more about how we can care for you and your baby call our team or visit our website.

09 367 1200 | obstetrics.co.nz

Lynda Batcheler Astrid Budden Eva Hochstein Katherine McKenzie Kirstie Peake Jason Waugh

W issue 69, july 2020 Editor & Publisher Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz Art Direction & Production Stephen Penny design@thehobson.co.nz News Editor Mary Fitzgerald maryfitzgerald.thehobson@gmail.com

e’ve been locked down, but we get up again. And what we do next? We hit the road.

All that staying in has made the idea of even the shortest break away very appealing. And as well as supporting tourism operators and regional businesses, there’s the appeal of just being able to get into the car and go. We invited our contributors and friends to share a part of New Zealand that’s dear to their hearts. Many are only a very short hop — or literally on our doorstep, as Sarah Powrie suggests — others will involve planes, trains, ferries or all three — you can read about these truly special places in The Getaway, from page 35.

It’s been heartening to see what’s happening in the neighbourhood too. Retailers and hospitality business owners are reporting buoyant support from locals, offering some light after the darkness. It will take some time for us all to feel like life is back to something like ‘normal’, but in the meantime, if we can keep supporting our local neighbourhood businesses, and spread some love out of town too, we will all ultimately be better off for it.

Writers This Issue Dawn Adams, Peter Bale, Kirsty Cameron, Victoria Carter, Sarah Clark, Sue Cooper, Paul Goldsmith, Colin Hogg, Mike Lee, Belinda Masfen, Sarah Powrie, David Seymour, Desley Simpson, Wayne Thompson, Justine Williams Sub-editor Dawn Adams

Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz 0275 326 424 Facebook: The Hobson Magazine Instagram: TheHobson

Columnists Sandy Burgham, Warren Couillault, Andrew Dickens, Hamish Firth, Paul Goldsmith, Colin Hogg, Tommy Honey, Lauraine Jacobs, David Seymour, Desley Simpson Photographers Stephen Penny Cover Writer Wayne Thompson at the Taranaki Falls, in Tongariro National Park. Photo by Susan Axford THE HOBSON is published 11 times a year by The Hobson Limited, PO Box 37490 Parnell, Auckland 1151. www.thehobson.co.nz F: The Hobson Magazine I: @The Hobson Ideas, suggestions, advertising inquiries welcome. editor@thehobson.co.nz

More new friends! In this issue we are delighted to introduce two new regular contributors to The Hobson. You met Colin Hogg in our June issue, when he wrote about landing in Remuera after living in Wellington. His new column, The Arriviste, is on page 26 (there’s also his tribute to Stewart Is in The Getaway). And we are honoured that Lauraine Jacobs MNZM is joining us as our food editor. Lauraine, pictured at work in her Remuera kitchen, is a highly respected food writer and champion of locally-produced ingredients. She was formerly food columnist of The NZ Listener and for many years, Cuisine. You’ll find Lauraine, and some delicious fritters, in The Menu, page 30.

THE HOBSON is Remuera, Parnell and Ōrākei’s community magazine. We deliver into letterboxes in these neighbourhoods, and copies are also at local libraries, cafés, and at businesses including the Vicky Ave and White Heron dairies, and Paper Plus Parnell. For more about us, see The Hobson Magazine on Facebook.

The content of THE HOBSON is copyright. Our words, our pictures.

Don’t steal, and don’t borrow without checking with us first.

We aim for accuracy but cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies that do occur. The views of our contributors are their own and not necessarily those of THE HOBSON. We don’t favour unsolicited contributions but do welcome you getting in touch via editor@thehobson.co.nz to discuss ideas.

The Hobson Ltd is a member of the Magazine Publishers Association This publication uses environmentally responsible papers.

ICG Logo CMYK.pdf 1 05/08/2015 6:19:01 AM

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The Columnists

Left to right from top row: Sandy Burgham (The Second Act) is a brand strategist and an executive coach with a special interest in midlife change and transformational behaviours. She runs a central Auckland practice. www.playclc.com Remuera resident Warren Couillault (The Investment) is chairperson and CEO of Hobson Wealth, one of New Zealand’s leading private wealth advisory groups. He is also the chair of kōura Wealth, a registered KiwiSaver scheme manager.

Andrew Dickens (The Sound) is a host on Newstalk ZB. For 13 years he was the breakfast host on Classic Hits.

He grew up in Remuera.

Hamish Firth (The Plan) lives and works in Parnell and is principal of the Mt Hobson Group, a specialist urban planning consultancy. www.mthobsonproperties.co.nz Mary Fitzgerald is The Hobson’s news editor. A Mainlander who transplanted to Remuera, she is passionate about hearing and telling our stories.

Urban design critic Tommy Honey (The Suburbanist) is a qualified architect-turned-academic. The Remuera resident is a regular guest on RNZ National, discussing the built environment.

Author, music writer, columnist Colin Hogg (The Arriviste) was born in the deep south. He spent many years living in other parts of Tāmaki Makarau, before relocating to Remuera from Wadestown in recent times.

The Hobson’s food editor, Lauraine Jacobs MNZM lives in Remuera. A former food editor for Cuisine and the Listener, she has published several best-selling cookbooks. She is a passionate champion of NZ ingredients.

Judi Paape (The Teacher) is a parent, grandparent and highly-experienced teacher and junior school principal.

A Parnell resident, her column appears bi-monthly.

Contributing writer Wayne Thompson is a former The New Zealand Herald journalist, covering Auckland news. He has been a resident of Parnell for 34 years.

Contributing editor Justine Williams (The Magpie) is an interiors stylist, writer and fashion editor. The Remuera resident has been the editor of Simply You and Simply You Living.

the hobson 12

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the village

Town & Around COVID KILLS OFF THE PORT’S DOLPHIN Auckland Council’s Covid-19 budget cuts include a proposed $17 million mooring aid for cruise ships, much to the relief of opponents which included the Parnell Community Committee, other inner-city resident groups, boaties and former Waitematā councillor Mike Lee. In April 2019, council’s Panuku development agency won resource consent for an 89m concrete structure, called a dolphin, to be built out from Queen’s Wharf into the harbour. The structure was to let larger cruise ships berth. The consent of the independent commissioners followed public submissions and five days of hearings, with the dolphin’s effects on the so-called “People’s Wharf” drawing most objections.

An Environment Court appeal was mounted in the name of lobby group Urban Auckland, which wanted alternatives considered.

A court hearing was deferred in favour of informal discussions between the groups, council and Ports of Auckland. The key issue became whether the cruise ship trade would be best served at Queen’s Wharf, or by shifting to Bledisloe Wharf, a spacious multipurpose wharf where a new five-storey carpark has been built.

Before the June deadline for the talks, however, council held its Emergency Budget meeting and abandoned the Queen’s Wharf project to help ease the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown on council revenue.

Luke Niue, of the Parnell Community Committee (PCC), praised Urban Auckland’s Julie Stout for her leadership of the pushback.

Stout told The Hobson that PCC and other residents’ groups had done a good job in showing how much people cared about the Waitematā Harbour. “The Super City forced us back together to see the Waitematā as the centre of Auckland, and how important it is for an area where much more people are coming to live in the city.

We need a long-term strategy because there is so much to do to look after the water’s edge. We have rising sea levels and effects of

climate change to address and if we don’t start now we will be in a right pickle.”

At the talks without lawyers, Stout pushed for the alternative of industrial-size cruise ships berthing at an industrial-style wharf.

“It became apparent that everyone appreciated that the scale of tourism required an industrialised setting, and Bledisloe Wharf was the only place for it. We are now talking about what can be done there.”

Just as citizen groups railed against the prospect of the mooring dolphin blocking public views of the harbour, the PCC has taken up concerns about the effects of Ports of Auckland’s preparation for bigger, new-generation container ships. The company wants to deepen the water at its Fergusson Container Terminal and in the main shipping channel as ships get bigger over the next 35 years.

Luke Niue says the committee wants a much shorter period. In a submission to a resource consent hearing, PCC says it’s concerned that the council-owned port company wants to scoop out 2,500,000m³ of material [enough to fill 1000 Olympic swimming pools] over a long period. The port’s future, as well as the need for dredging and its environmental impacts, need to be reassessed in that time.

Parnell is the nearest residential area to the new Fergusson North Wharf (where the biggest cargo cranes are) and dredging will be done at night. PCC has assurances from acoustic experts Marshall Day that noise won’t exceed standards. However, PCC is tackling the port company on Parnell’s ongoing problem with extreme noise from the port when heavy scrap metal from the Glenbrook steel mill is loaded on a still night or in a nor-norwesterly. PCC wants compliance with a deal made a year ago to work the ships 7am to 7pm when the wind was unfavourable, and at other times to stop work at 11pm. — Wayne Thompson p

David Seymour MP for Epsom

For an appointment, please contact me on 09 522 7464 or mpepsom@parliament.govt.nz

Epsom Electorate Office Level 2, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket the hobson 14

Promoted by David Seymour, MP for Epsom, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket

LOCAL VOICES HEARD IN SKY SONG DEBATE Decision makers promise an “open mind” in a late-year debate on whether the National Erebus Memorial is built in Dove-Myer Robinson Park, Parnell. Although the public was denied a say at the hearing where an Auckland Council resource consent was granted for the memorial, Te Paerangi Ataata - Sky Song, it also needs formal approval from the landowner, the Waitematā Local Board. Board members who talked to The Hobson say that local views will be considered despite the pressure of a national project being at stake.

The monument’s developer is the Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH). Its application for landowner approval is not expected to be on the board’s agenda until late this year, says board chair Richard Northey. This is because the project needs an archaeology authority to modify the site, from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

The granting of a resource consent won’t influence the board.

There’s a feeling that the process could have been handled better.

As Northey says: “The board was strongly opposed to it being nonnotified because the public should have been able to have a full say.

A submitter wants to front up personally and put a point of view and feel that it might be taken into account.”

Before the 2019 local body elections, the board gave the project landowner approval in principle, with a list of conditions to be satisfied. The new board was to meet in December to decide final approval but the ministry announced it was deferring the application, saying it wanted to get a resource consent and archaeological authority to “usefully inform the board’s decision”.

Northey says the ministry pulled the application when it knew the strength of local feeling against it. The board’s consultation with the public showed that though Aucklanders’ opinion was evenly split about the monument’s site, the closer to the park, the greater the number opposed. He regrets the former board was requested to make a decision so soon and that the public consultation was so late and rushed. “That possibly increased the opposition to the project . . . people feeling that the board had been rushed into making a decision. It would have been better to have had a longer period of public consultation.”

On the positive side, says Northey, board members read the submissions and are clear on what the opinion of the people of Parnell is. The board may well make its decision on grounds other than public reaction but he feels “the ministry may well have to find another site for it” .

Two new Waitematā board members, Alexandra Bonham and Sarah Trotman, say they will make their decision with “an open mind”. Trotman says this is important because if formal landowner approval is declined, it may come down to the difference of just one vote. “I can come at this with an open mind but not an empty mind, because we have been listening and keeping informed on how the process has gone,” says Bonham. “It is certainly the view of a lot of constituents that this memorial does not fit well within the park, so it fails one of the principles set out by the local board in 2018. We will have to balance the merits of the memorial versus some strong reasons against.”

Trotman’s view that the process was a shambles and disrespectful to the people of Waitematā was earlier reported in The Hobson. Later, the ministry said that as at the end of April, it spent $1 million of a $3.5m budget for the project and ordered construction material before getting building approvals. Jo Malcolm, co-leader of the residents’ group, Save Robbie’s Park, learned that $211,500 of this was for stainless steel and says this shows the ministry was confident of the board’s agreement.

Trotman says the steel order shows MCH was arrogant in thinking they would get approval.

The risk of money being wasted if the board rejects the memorial site, was put to the leader of the project for the ministry, Brodie

FREE AT LAST!

Free at last! Or are we? Level one has ushered in our ability to function on a ‘business as usual’ basis, the only issue is that during the lockdown period homeowners became conditioned by various media that it was a bad time to sell. This has resulted in a general shortage of available homes for sale. This fact is confirmed with Trademe listings in Auckland down 23% year on year. Conversely buyers are out in force, buoyed by low interest rates they are very much on the hunt, in many cases needing to compete hard for their next home.

The upshot is that in the areas we serve, prices are firm. In many cases auctions are being brought forward, open home numbers are strong and some homes have been snapped up in days. In fact it is a great time for homeowners to be on the market. We just need them to come out of lockdown!

If you’re thinking real estate please give me a call let’s have a chat!

Philip Oldham M 021 921 031 philip.oldham@uprealestate.co.nz

LICENSED AGENT REA 2008

the village

Stubbs. He told The Hobson that a “significant” amount of work would be wasted. “The design of the memorial is specific to that site, so all the detailed works on preparations could not be carried over to a new site. We might be able to use some of the ideas behind the design but it wouldn’t look the same. Potentially, the stainless steel would form part of that design because it was one of the features the Erebus families latched on to . . . that mirror-finish steel, with individual snowflakes cut out for each of the 257 people who died.”

Stubbs says a calculated risk was taken to try to meet a deadline.

An enormous amount of work had to be done in 2018-19 if the project was to be completed by May this year as intended for the 40th anniversary of the Air New Zealand aircraft’s crash on Mt Erebus, Antarctica. Stainless steel had a long delivery time and therefore needed to be ordered in advance if construction had to start in late 2019.

“That, I don’t think, was making too many assumptions about taking for granted the decision-making of the local board,” says Stubbs. “But we did have a fair degree of confidence that we had met all conditions of the board [in the landowner approval in principle] and we had endorsement from the board of the design itself. That gave us confidence we were heading in the right direction.”

Jo Malcolm says Save Robbie’s Park has reserved its rights to appeal. “However we hope that common sense will prevail and we won’t need to exercise them. We trust that the local board have listened to the strong objections of the community and will decline landowner approval if it is requested. Our hope is that the ministry put the memorial elsewhere so that the Erebus families can have an appropriate place to remember their loved ones. That is not DoveMyer Robinson Park. The ministry have known that since August 2018 when their own experts and Erebus family feedback made that clear.” — Wayne Thompson p

WE ARE HONOURED

Several locals were amongst those announced as receiving Queen’s Birthday honours last month. We extend warm congratulations to Sir Robert Elliott KNZM of Remuera, knighted for his services to medical research. Maureen Corby of Parnell received a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to early childhood education, while Aseta Redican and Maria Winder, both of Remuera, were honored as Members for services to health and Pacific peoples; and for services to musical education respectively. p

RALLYING FOR WATER QUALITY Save the date: All concerned about the dreadful state of the water in Waitaramoa Hobson Bay are invited to attend a community afternoon on Sunday August 23, 2pm at the Hapua Reserve, Remuera. “Despite the serious nature of the information to be shared, we plan to have a fun event,” says a spokesperson for organisers Hapua Thrive. “There will be music thanks to Mike Chunn and friends, well known sporting stars attending, and top executives from Watercare and Healthy Waters available as well as key Auckland Council, local board representatives and MPs to answer your questions. No PowerPoints or blatant campaigning we promise!”

The event will have the use of the Newmarket Playcentre facilities in the reserve, and there is parking for those with limited mobility. Organisers invite community groups keen to raise funds by selling food or refreshments to get in touch, ditto those who can contribute support in material ways. For further information email hapuathrive@gmail.com or visit hapuathrive.nz p

DIARY DATE: ART Rescheduled due to, you know, Covid, the Baradene Art Show will return next month. The ever-popular school fundraiser has more than 800 works for sale. It launches with a ticketed gala night on Friday August 21, and continues with free entry over the weekend.

See baradeneartshow.co.nz for details. p

LOVE, PASSION, REVENGE & THE CHURCH

Sir Bob: Robert Elliott KMNZ photographed by Stephen Penny last year, when he was recognised with a Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship for his work with Cure Kids

During lockdown, the New Zealand Opera kept working, nurturing the creative powerhouses behind its new production, an immersive staging of Handel’s baroque masterpiece, Semele. “Fame and immortality come to church,” says NZ Opera’s general director, Thomas de Mallet Burgess, who will conduct Semele with associate director Jacqueline Coats in a site-specific production staged in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell.

“Handel’s score is an exciting mix of opera and oratorio,” says de Mallet Burgess. “Unlike his much more famous Messiah, this work scandalised audiences when it was first performed at Covent Garden in 1774. It’s drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a sensual story which explores a love triangle between Jupiter, king of the gods, his wife, the goddess Juno, and his lover, the mortal princess Semele.”

Australian soprano Celeste Lazarenko will make her NZ Opera debut in the title role. The cast also includes tenor Amitai Pati, Paul Whelan, Sarah Castle, Stephen Diaz and Chelsea Dolman. Giving voice to Handel’s polyphonic choruses will be the Freemasons New Zealand Opera Chorus and the Holy Trinity choir. The NZO has also formed a new baroque orchestra of expert period instrument players, conducted by Peter Walls, a globally acknowledged master in the performance of period music.

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Have your say on the future of Ōrākei Our local board has come up with a three-year plan outlining the key initiatives we want to focus on to help our communities thrive and support the recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.

Now we need your help to check if we’ve got it right.

So love local and get vocal about your community by having your say. Submissions must be received by 4pm, Thursday 13 August.

For more information, a copy of the draft Ōrākei Local Board Plan 2020 and to provide your feedback go to akhaveyoursay.co.nz/lovelocal

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Toget her we can love local

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Handel’s Semele will be performed at Holy Trinity in Parnell from September 10 to 19. “This production brilliantly immerses the audience in the action — there’s two weddings and a funeral,” says de Mallet Burgess. Tickets, times info at nzopera.com. Photo: NZ Opera p

the councillor

Desley Simpson

L

ike as it is for so many of you, Auckland Council’s finances have been adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our revenue has taken a real hit and we now face the challenge of balancing our budget while maintaining essential services.

From the end of May to later June, the public consultation process for our first ever Emergency Budget asked you to get involved and tell us what you thought of a number of proposals to address the half billion dollar hole in our revenue. Large numbers of people from across the region took part by submitting feedback online, answering questions by telephone or taking part in the online webinars which took the place of our usual public meetings, due to the restrictions on gatherings in place at that time.

I’m so grateful to everyone who took the time to share their views with us – it’s imperative that we get this right and we can’t do that without you. Always at the heart of my decision making are the views of my community, so thank you sincerely for your input.

So what happens next? Your feedback will be collated and reported back to the mayor and councillors on July 8, before we make the final difficult decisions a week later. The Emergency Budget will be formally adopted on July 30, and published the next day. I will continue to keep you all updated throughout this process on Facebook and via my own site, desleysimpson.co.nz We know that New Zealand’s approach to tackling Covid-19 has hit businesses hard. As we emerge from the public health aspect of our response and focus on our economic recovery, a local-led approach is key to ensuring our communities can thrive. I’ve been talking to a number of business owners and business association managers about how we can best

continue to support the local businesses we love.

The Parnell Business Association’s Cheryl Adamson made a great suggestion that as well as purchasing from local stores and retailers, you can also help by being the blogger you’ve always wanted to be, using your voice online. Taking the time to follow businesses on social media and sharing reviews of positive experiences is a really good way to help those businesses gain traction online.

Robin Chemaly of the Remuera Business Association reminds us of the wide range of options Remuera offers to shoppers and diners — everything is available right on your doorstep. As well as quality restaurants and cafés serving great coffee, Remuera also has world-class hairdressers; antique jewellers; designer fashion labels and grocers selling healthy, organic produce.

We often think of our beachside villages such as Mission Bay as summer destinations, but it’s important to remember that they are open all year round. Beachside businesses tend to rely on support from locals during winter – this year more so than ever! Megan Burgess of Mission Bay Business Association explained that most of these beachside businesses are owned and operated by local families and asks that we take this opportunity to have the venues “all to yourselves” while there’s a temporary absence of overseas tourists.

This pandemic has offered us a real opportunity to reset and reconsider how we live our lives. I’m encouraged by the way communities have rallied round to support each other in challenging times and hope that together we can continue to embrace this local-led approach.

Desley Simpson is the Councillor for Auckland representing the Ōrākei ward

Yes, even Mahé needs a navigator.

J U S T N O T O N T H E W AT E R

GUIDING, GROWING, AND P R O T E C T I N G YO U R W E A LT H

H O B S O N W E A LT H .C O. N Z | 0 8 0 0 74 2 7 3 7 Hobson Wealth Partners Limited (FSP29782), is an NZX Advising Firm. The disclosure statement for Hobson Wealth Partners is available upon request, free of charge.

Experience counts Over 20 years Lesley has navigated her way through many markets VENDOR TESTIMONIAL Lesley was referred to me in 2015, and on first meeting I knew she felt the same passion and understood my love for my home. She noticed detail that I never would have expected anyone else to notice. Lesley successfully sold our house at auction in August 2015.

In 2020 I decided to sell my holiday home, I contacted Lesley and again she was so passionate about my house and getting the best price. Lesley kept me informed on a very regular basis and worked tirelessly on my behalf.

- Jo Nicholls

Lesley McLellan M +64 27 453 5070 | lesley.mclellan@nzsir.com 295 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland nzsothebysrealty.com Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

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the hobson + remuera

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1. Welcome to the neighbourhood, Yvonne Bennetti! The glamour brand’s faux fur Petra bomber jacket, $795, is just one of the styles now available at Yvonne Bennetti’s brand new flagship store at 403 Remuera Rd, ph 021 680 716. yvonnebennetti.com

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2. Banish cold hues in this cosy coral David Pond Manhattan coat, $455, and Antonia dress, $350, from Gabriella, stockists of classics-with-a-twist that make the foundation of a seasonal wardrobe. 357 Remuera Rd, ph 520 1156. gabriella.co.nz 3. Briarwood is celebrating a year in Remuera with a winter rich with colour, textures and prints.

Be pretty in pink in the Maria coat, $439, Hattie skirt, $259, Pink Wilder bag, $369. Madonna shirt, $229, Vera Gomma boots, $329. 401 Remuera Rd, ph 948 2200. briarwood.co.nz 4. Love layering linen? Rags and Romance is Remuera’s stockist of stylish NZ-designed Rogue Linen, sizes 10 to plus sizes. Owner Marianne is an Intimo lingerie bra fit specialist too. Shop 5, Remuera Mall, 319 Remuera Rd, ph 021 0287 7482. ragsandromance.com 5. “Maman is a contemporary space for the sophisticated, stylish woman,” is how sisters Kate and Emma describe their curation of global brands. Check out the Zadig et Voltaire Visko Strass Jormi jacket, $1049. 407 Remuera Rd, ph 520 1020. maman.co.nz

Remuera Knows Style !

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6. “You’ll be amazed at what we have in store at any one time,” says Renew Designer Recycle Boutique owner Toni. Find top brand bags, shoes and styles like this size 8 Trelise Cooper Florabunda Dress, now $299 (was $699).

1a St Vincent Ave, ph 522 2594. renewdesignerrecycle.co.nz

Live life local in style when you shop in Remuera.

With an array of local and international labels, upmarket recycle boutiques and glamorous new stores, it’s never been a better time to check out the fashion Remuera has to offer.

7. Quality, stylish European footwear that doesn’t compromise on comfort is how the team at Mikko Shoes describe their styles.

This winter, embrace boots in deep hues: from top, Arche Curzon, $479, Gabor Jorum, $329, Ara Aston, $399. 402 Remuera Rd, ph 972 2357. mikkoshoes.nz

the hobson 21

the politicians

Paul Goldsmith

Ngāti Epsom

M

y great-great-grandfather Charles George Goldsmith received a bit of attention in the press recently. As I said in my maiden speech in Parliament, “He was a typical big-hearted pioneer, and a trader, and over the 50 years or so he lived in New Zealand he had four wives — two Ngāti Porou and two Pākehā — and 16 children. That is the sort of spirit that built this nation”.

I descend from one of the European lines. My greatgreat-grandmother, Harriet Wales, had a busy time with eight children. While I have no Māori ancestry, the East Coast is thickly populated with my Goldsmith kin from the Māori side. Some friendly souls would say I’m part of the wider Ngāti Porou family. Hence the confusion.

Charles Goldsmith had the misfortune of employing Te Kooti as a labourer when he had a store at Matawhero. He accused Te Kooti of stealing his rum, drained through the floorboards via a hollow stem of toetoe plugged into the bottom of the barrel. Te Kooti was exiled to the Chatham Islands. When he returned in arms in 1868 he killed 50 or so men, women and children in what was known as the Matawhero Massacre. Two of Charles Goldsmith’s children — Maria, aged 15, and Albert, who was just four – were amongst those killed. The historian Judith Binney, who supervised my MA thesis, wrote all about it, rather too sympathetically to Te Kooti for my liking. But that’s ancient history.

They were desperate times. Goldsmith later kept a hotel at Muriwai, south of Gisborne, and had to navigate the long depression that gripped New Zealand from the late 1870s to early 1890s.

I have no idea what they thought about all their trials, but Charles and Harriet, and people of their generation just did their best. They were resilient and determined; prepared to adapt and take huge risks to provide for themselves and their large families.

Without wanting to sound melodramatic, I have a sense that we will need to recapture some of that spirit now – grit, resilience, and determination — a willingness to take risks and work hard.

New Zealand will emerge from the Covid-19 recession with a huge burden of government debt, higher levels of unemployment and many households will have found their wealth and income reduced. Some

commentators will imply there are magical cures out there – the Reserve Bank can just print the money we need, hydrogen or some green energy will transform us – but the reality is that, like every successfully economy, we’ll have to do lots of things and keep doing them better.

National would borrow what we need to get the country back on track. But no more. We can’t just spend with no thought for tomorrow. We can reduce the size of the debt mountain by spending responsibly, with a focus on outcomes rather than the size of the announcement, and by reprioritising nice-to-have spending that might be fine in good times, but isn’t essential.

There’s no kind way to repay debt, but we will need to get on top of it before the next crisis. Then we need a plan to dig us out of the hole – not turning to the lazy option of new and higher taxes, but returning to that combination of an extended period of budget discipline and a focus on growth that served the country well when John Key and Bill English got on top of the debts taken on during the global financial crisis and Canterbury earthquakes.

For growth we have to move away from the habit of saying no to those Kiwis trying to get on with things – the regulatory mindset against building, developing, trying new things, bringing in capital – and be prepared to say yes.

Paul Goldsmith is a National list MP based in Epsom and the Opposition spokesman for finance

the hobson 22

the politicians

David Seymour

Something Smells Locally

I

t’s said that all politics is local, and as a politician I can tell you it is 100 per cent true. We have a local issue in the Hobson Bay, and it’s going to take a focused community to fix the atrocious water quality there.

You might have smelt it when walking the waterfront.

You might have read it in The Hobson’s April issue or heard later on Radio New Zealand that E. coli levels have tested at 700 times the ‘allowable’ level in the bay. You may have had the misfortune of being on the walking school bus that witnessed dead eels from this pollution.

Clearly this is not what we want from local government. Sewers, along with rubbish collection, are one of the original public health initiatives. Long before public health involved government ad campaigns berating individuals for their private choices, it was about eliminating public sources of infectious disease.

Of course, we are amidst a global lesson in what public health is really about but, back to ‘all politics is local’. Luckily, a range of community leaders are rallying around this cause and a solution is available but will require wider community commitment.

Margaret Voyce of the Ōrākei Local Board has thrown herself into advocating for the issue. She’s working with the excellent Hapua Thrive, a knowledgeable group of locals led by Margot Nicholson that has long been committed to the environmental health of the Hapua valley. Not to mention our local councilor, Desley Simpson, who is across it.

For my part, I’ve spoken with all of these folks and met with the mayor, Phil Goff. What follows is a very brief description of the state of play (it does not do justice to the detail that the above listed can go into) and what needs to happen.

The most pressing problem is in dry weather. The test results that have raised the alarm happened during our recent long summer. Due to decades of overload, intensification, and neglect, there are numerous places where the sewer system is leaking.

How did it get this bad? Well, the Newmarket Borough Council, which last existed in 1989, restricted intensification because it was aware that its sewers could not cope. Needless to say, a lot of intensification has occurred since then. In some cases the connections

are illegal, further overloading the system. Then there is the political problem that no politician has even had their photo taken next to underground infrastructure.

There hasn’t been enough attention paid to sewers.

That is not to lay blame. Western cities around the world are now struggling to catch up on maintenance of infrastructure built in the post-war boom, and in this case even earlier. Thankfully a team is now working on, and funded to work on, identifying and fixing the leaks that cause the dry weather problem. It should be done in under two years.

The next, and larger, problem is in wet weather.

This is when rain overloads the sewer system and it overflows into the wastewater system that flows into the sea, instead of to the Māngere treatment plant. A separation programme, as has been done in the western bays, is not currently funded. The vaunted Central Connector may alleviate problems on the north west of the Newmarket-Remuera ridge, but will not solve them.

The challenge now is for our community to decide if it will support an extension of the targeted rate scheme in council’s 2021-31 budget. The mayor tells me this means several dollars per week per household for an additional three years. As a central government MP, this is not a decision I have any direct involvement in or control over. However as Epsom’s local MP, I believe it is an issue we need to confront as a community. I look forward to a discussion we need to have on this most essential local issue.

David Seymour is the MP for Epsom

the hobson 23

the plan

A

s you may know, it will soon be possible to build a single-level sleep-out or shed on your property up to 30m2 in area — think 6m long x 5m wide, or 10m long x 3m wide, or a mid-size double garage — without the need for a building consent.

Praise be! I can hear the DIYers singing symphonic harmonies. Man/she-sheds will spring up like a patchwork quilt, with the paperwork now not costing the same as the shed itself.

The Government will be exempting these “low risk” buildings by introducing new exemptions to the Building Act, which it says will save homeowners $18 million in consenting fees, and reduce councils’ burden by 9000 consents per year.

And so, it should be. Sheds over 100 years old still exist without all that record keeping.

While on the surface this may seem like a godsend, the only reason it has come to this is because of the length of time, the significant cost and the depth of paperwork it takes to get even a simple “low risk” job through the council process.

So instead of reforming the process, and perhaps making councils the keepers of record and not the last layer of liability, they’ve just said “bugger it, go for your life, build away”. This is the biggest travesty.

Dealing with this issue has been a constant failure of governments for the last 20 years. The leaky homes crisis has kept teams of council lawyers and insurers busy paying out multiple millions of dollars of ratepayers’ money, because somehow councils were responsible for what was largely shoddy workmanship that somehow met rules set by the Building Code. If you don’t put waterproofing under tiles and the house leaks, is it council’s fault? If the seals were not installed in accordance with manufacturers’ specifications, it is the council’s fault? If the liability instead fell to the builder, who was then insured, councils could process consents by collecting them, rather than reviewing them. If engineering details came peer reviewed, then both engineers would be responsible.

Now I am sure that for many, having the local council out of their lives for minor matters will be a godsend. In the same way a registered electrician can put in a power point without having to talk to the council, using a licensed builder, plumber and electrician will ensure the process goes well most of the time.

However, as a homeowner, you are also a neighbour. What you may do to the letter with professionals on your property may not be the same as what happens next door. There

is nothing wrong with DIY – I long to be good at it — but ignorance of the law, rules and the odd illegal kitchen and bathroom will see neighbours at war. And did I mention stormwater run-off? The concentration of 30m2 of roof area to a single uncontrolled outlet will mean waking up to greater overland flow as the concentrated water finds its way to the sea, via your back yard.

And what of the district plan and yard requirements and maximum building site coverage? Who will check these off to ensure compliance? Council doesn’t enforce the lack of compliance with the rules as they should. That is, they work with errant homeowners who have a non-compliant structure to fix these issues, not remove them. Build first, resource consent later. Unless you are a hoarder, or pouring battery acid into a stream, there is very little non-compliant built form that gets removed.

And then there is the health issue. A shed gets built — it’s not up to habitable standards, but people move in out of necessity. They are constantly getting sick due to lack of insulation and ventilation, so we actually create more problems. Jenny Salesa, the minister for building and construction, was recently interviewed by Peter Wolfkamp, the builder/ foreman from the TV series The Block NZ. He diligently asked questions about the potential consequences of consent-free sheds, some you could tell came as a real surprise to the minister. In response, she concluded that many of these new, exempt builds would indeed need a consent. So now we will be living in a grey area where one person thinks no consent, another thinks consent, and the council is just not sure.

And what of the official records? You come to buy and sell property, and the LIM sets out what has been consented (or not) by the local council. It gives a real time guide with plans and reports. So some of these sheds may have needed a resource consent. But who would know? They may not be fit for habitation but be advertised as such — but who would know?

In theory, this change seems the perfect foil to officious overregulation. But throwing out the baby with the bathwater will not end well.

Higher-level reform, moving liability would be a much better result. I live in hope. And despair of the day you ring me to sort the code compliance certificate on your unconsented laundry that a cowboy builder reckoned didn’t need a consent.

— Hamish Firth

the hobson 24

Stephen Crowley/UnSpash

Nah Mate, She'll be Right

the investment

Writing a New Chapter

I

n late June, I said to my team at Hobson Wealth that they are witnessing history and to the younger people in the business, to remember it and tell their children. What we have seen in the securities markets recently can only be described as of biblical proportions – in an investments context of course. As will be the case with many of you, I have witnessed and worked during the Asia crisis in the mid-90s, the tech-wreck and Y2K in the late90s, a couple of flu scares, the GFC in the 2000s, the Euro crisis and Grexit in 2010/11, and now this. But what we have seen and are seeing now is very, very different and, I’d have to say a touch scary to me at least.

The markets sell-off since mid-March was just savage and like nothing I’ve seen before. Thousands of points a day — indeed, day after day — on the Dow, and hundreds of points a day here on the NZX50. The widely representative US S&P500 fell 34 per cent in just a few weeks as the markets — in expectation of a significant downturn in economic activity and company earnings, and therefore dividends — priced as a result of government-initiated social restrictions and various forms of lockdown. New claims for unemployment relief in the US totalled 40 million in just five weeks! The NZX50 dropped a whopping 30 per cent over the same period for the same reasons, notwithstanding that we have yet to see our unemployment stats, as our data collection here is woefully slow and inadequate. But it won’t be pretty and I simply don’t believe Treasury estimates of NZ unemployment peaking at 8.7 per cent.

But then something weird happened. Governments globally began borrowing big and effectively giving money (lots of it) to companies, workers, beneficiaries. I am talking trillions and trillions all around the world. The NZ government announced its ‘borrow, spend and hope’ Budget in May, including establishing a $50 billion ‘Covid fund’. Central banks all around the world, including our Reserve Bank, began printing money and buying government bonds. And markets rallied hard. The S&P500 climbed 43 per cent and the NZX50 bounced 32 per cent off their respective lows. So we now, at the time of writing, find ourselves with the S&P500 and the NZX50 down just 6.7 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively from their highs reached in early March, before all this began.

Paul Goldsmith

I honestly don’t get it, because the economic effect and fallout of all the above-mentioned restrictions can only be bad. It seems the markets have effectively ‘swapped’ the restriction downturn with the fiscal and monetary stimulae, support or even upturn.

We will see . . .

So where to from here and what to do? The markets will remain volatile for some time, at least throughout the rest of the calendar year. Restrictions and vaccine–related news are driving investor sentiment and markets. We will likely see big movements up and down as sharemarkets react to this news.

Overall, I can’t help but think that sharemarkets must in the main drift back from current levels over the next 12 months – surely the economic news must be more than sufficiently negative over the coming year to outweigh any fiscal and monetary stimulus provided? That’s not to say there won’t be opportunities to make good investment gains — there always are in any environment — so investors should stay in close touch with their advisers to take these opportunities as they arise.

And one other thing I’d like to stress is diversification. A welldiversified investment portfolio with appropriate asset allocation to match the underlying investor’s risk profile, circumstances and objectives will see you solidly through volatile markets. At my business, we preach diversification and I’m delighted to say that the vast bulk of our client portfolios held up very well over the past few months. Our conservative portfolio actually gained 0.11 per cent over the three months to the end of May while our highgrowth only fell 1.17 per cent over the same period*. You’ve got to be happy with that.

So in summary, investment markets behaviour is of biblical proportions, we’ve never seen movements and volatility like that of the past few months and to be honest, I hope we never see it again! Tell your children, tell your grandchildren. More of the same is likely over coming months but probably not of the same magnitude or savageness. Stay diversified, stay in touch with your financial adviser, and stay the course.

— Warren Couillault *Information from Hobson Wealth Navigator Series funds

National List MP Based in Epsom 107 Great South Road, Greenlane 09 524 4930 paul.goldsmith@parliament.govt.nz paulgoldsmith.co.nz paulgoldsmithnz

Funded by the Parliamentary Service.

Authorised by Paul Goldsmith MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

the arriviste

Welcome to Catsville, Remuera

T

here are a lot of posh cats living in our street.

Stroppy posh cats – the sort who don’t recognise boundaries and, if they do, they cross them, though they probably sit on them first. With that sort of attitude, our own cat should fit into the new neighbourhood perfectly, though, being a cat, she didn’t seem to want to fit in at all. Well not at first.

Cats can be complicated, as any cat person knows.

And, as mentioned, there are a lot of cat people in our new street. Our own beast wasn’t the least impressed with all the catty company at first. Neither had she been impressed by being packed into a plane, taken away from her previous home in Wellington and flown off to a new address in the north. She was angry all the way to the airport – and probably all the way to Auckland in cargo.

Finally, after a week of indignity at a local cattery, she landed at our new place in Remuera, where she moaned so much at being kept indoors with a cat tray that I let her out after just two days. She sniffed the air, took a long slow walk around our fence-line and, seemingly finding everything to her satisfaction, lay down in a sunny spot and had a snooze.

But while she was relaxed, the local cats weren’t.

Some of them seemed outraged at the new arrival, even though our Charlie is a posh cat too, just not the same sort of posh cat as the other posh cats in the street.

So far, with the help of Google, I believe I’ve identified a Balinese, a Burmese, a Chartreux, a Siamese and a Singapura, though I might be wrong about that last one and possibly one or two of the others. They’re all so exotic I feel like I’m living inside a Disney cartoon, complete with a dramatic scene.

That would have been when I woke up at three in the morning to what I took to be the sound of sirens coming from two directions. One from under the bed, and the other emanating from the doorway, where I spotted the shape of a cat.

I know the shape of our cat and this cat in the bedroom door was not our cat. Our cat was the siren under the bed. So I did what you do in these circumstances and leapt from bed to sort the situation out, sending the mystery cat off at some speed down the hall, zig-zagging off the walls in panic before, through some miracle of instinct, it shot out through the cat door and into the Remuera night.

Which is how it got in, of course. Then things got even more invasive the next afternoon when I bumped into a Burmese in the bedroom staring at Charlie, who was staring right back at it, the way they do. No sirens this time. Just a scrap when my intrusion broke the spell.

The situation was getting to where I was losing sleep. Every time our cat-flap flapped I wasn’t sure who was coming in – especially if it flapped at the same time as I noticed the lump on the end of the bed – our cat, sleeping. So we had to fork out for a flashy microchip cat-door which opens only for the chip of its chosen cat, though Charlie wasn’t an early adopter when it came to the new technology and took to nudging me awake to let her out.

She eventually adjusted to her smart door, but the cat gang is still working on arrangements. They send the Burmese over most days to check on our security.

If the front door is open, he wanders in, looking for Charlie so they can sit and stare at each other.

The people of Remuera seem a lot easier to coexist with than the cats. I’m seeing more and more of them as we come back to life after the lockdown and, my, you’re a handsome and often glamorous and well-dressed lot – the sort of people who put on shoes to go out.

I can adjust to that. — Colin Hogg

the hobson 26

the suburbanist

Post-Viral Space

M

ost lives are like parallel lines, one life existing alongside another, divided only by an apartment hallway or a cubicle wall, close but never touching.”

This could be a prescription for how to avoid being infected

by Covid-19 or, perhaps, a description of life in the lockdown, of the barriers visible and invisible that we erect around us. It might be a script for the future, of how our spatial narratives will change. And yet, it is none of these. These are the opening words of episode 12 of Heavyweight, a podcast produced by Jonathan Goldstein that first aired in November 2017. In each episode Goldstein helps people try to resolve a moment from their past that they wish they could change.

Episode 12, titled ‘Jesse’, has nothing to do with pandemics, infection, apartments or cubicles, but it is about a lifechanging moment and how ordinary people respond.

Prophetic or not, Goldstein’s words give us a lens through which to view the world and how to make sense of how we occupy and move through space. This lens has long been used by actors and architects to focus their work. Actors now share their space through a screen until such time as we are ready to share their breath. Tihei mauri ora!

Since Vitruvius, architects have shaped and defined space for us to navigate and the Modernists of the 20th century were obsessed with it – subtracting it, as Mies van der Rohe did with the Barcelona Pavilion or denying it, in the Glass House of Philip Johnson. Towards the end of the century, post-modernism briefly turned away from space towards decoration, only to be replaced by a divergent set of -isms with their own preoccupations, none of them interested in the spatial.

In a post-pandemic world, perhaps we will see a post-postmodernism architecture emerge, a return to the role of space that puts at its centre the literal and physical relationship between people. The – still – mysterious transmission of

Covid-19 has made us all highly attuned to our surroundings, to each other, to distance – physical and social – and to the space we carry with us. Though challenging, this is not a bad thing. We are now alert, cognisant, aware, and ready for a spatially responsive architecture.

Even as the world locked down, journalists were speculating about the world of the future. Much of it has been about the implications of working from home, sometimes bordering on the hysterical, as a newfound idea or, possibly, threat. There has been speculation too about the return to an office environment that will radically change: from lines on the floor delineating safe zones, less dense office floors, bigger desks and higher screens between cubicles, the end of the open plan office and the dangers of hot-desking to a ‘reimagining’ of the water-cooler as the centre of the social and informal life of a business. I have trouble simply imagining the water-cooler, let alone reimagining it – do people really gather around them, or is this apocryphal?

But these are prosaic, pragmatic projections concerned with rules about space and the imposition of boundaries where before there were none; they describe a world where we need protecting from one another when really, we need to rediscover a way of connecting with each other; safely, of course.

We might be driven by a fear of infection, but we don’t need an architecture built from fear. Let’s not fight the last war. We can learn from the massive environmental and spatial shock that the pandemic has delivered but we need to evolve an architecture that knows how to be kind.

The New York Times said of Heavyweight, ‘Jonathan Goldstein climbs inside the stories that shape people’s lives to see if he can help them create better endings’ . The best ending of the pandemic is one that would allow us to create meaningful new beginnings. — Tommy Honey

582 Remuera Rd, Remuera Auckland 09 520 3119 | staff@sibuns.co.nz www.sibuns.co.nz

the hobson 27

the sound

Lord of the Lockdown

I

And it led to the son who never really got piano, deciding to t is no profundity to say that our Covid-19 lockdown was relearn ‘Concerning Hobbits’ on our piano this lockdown. Our an unprecedented pivot in history. The unprecedented and neighbourhood really knows those seven notes now. And a few pivotal use of the words ‘unprecedented’ and ‘pivot’ was in more that are not quite so elegant. itself an unprecedented and pivotal moment. Consign those My other time of Covid memory was a raft of memories. two words to the naughty boy stool at the back of the dictionary Simon Grigg, the man behind so many nightclubs and reserved for words that lose all meaning through overuse — record labels and the definitive New Zealand music website, hello, ‘awesome’. audioculture.co.nz, had a genius idea. He launched a Facebook But it was unprecedented and pivotal and changed everything page called ‘The lost nightlife of inner-city Auckland’. A page and we will remember it forever. So I’m trying to pick the that fired up many, including the editor of this magazine, who musical moments from Covid life that I will remember through has been a keen submitter time. of memories from her shady Surprisingly, the first that and rambunctious past. It’s comes to mind concerns nostalgia writ large, but such hobbits. We chose the lockdown nostalgia. to revisit the Lord of the Rings It started with the clubs. trilogy. Blame Josh Gad. Josh is Cause Celebre, Box, Club one of the original stars of the Mirage. Memories of epic Broadway musical, The Book of nights. Epic DJs, epic Mormon, but is most famous musicians. Nathan Haines for being the voice of Olaf, the playing seven-hour sets. The snowman from Frozen.

Six Month Club. Zanzibar.

Over lockdown he did Rapidly it diversified as something good on YouTube. rock clubs and pubs were He recorded Zoom meetings remembered. The Island of that brought together the Real. The Globe. XS with the casts of seminal movies like, Screaming Meemees invading ummm, Splash and Back to the from the North Shore. The Future. It was called ‘Reunited Rumba Room. The Reverb Apart’ and its best episode was Room. The Gluepot. The bringing together the cast of The Windsor. The Mon Desir.

Lord Of The Rings.

The Masonic. The Esplanade.

It’s a great 57 minutes and Mainstreet. the cast are truly happy to Then the older generation see each other 20 years after got stuck in. The Monaco the filming, and the release in Federal St, the home of of the first of the trilogy of Larry’s Rebels: “The In Scene films. Through it, there’s for Jet Set Teens. Be Where an acknowledgement of the It Happens. All The Time” creativity and resourcefulness — a Phil Warren special. of New Zealanders to make The Oriental Ballroom. The what is often regarded as the Mandalay. The Ace of Clubs. biggest and most ambitious See him go: the Screaming MeeMees' Tony Drumm at the Reverb Room, 1981. Photo by Stephen Penny.

What struck me is that none film projects ever undertaken. of these venues exist anymore.

Hearing Orlando Bloom Which is not unexpected — the life of a venue is short and mention “number 8 wire” almost brought a lump to my throat. frantic — but few have risen to take their place. If a mate from When they brought in composer Howard Shore we all out of town came to you on a Friday saying “take me to where thought about the music of Lord of the Rings. The music is so the action is?” where would you go? Cassette 9? familiar to me from our family’s repeated watching of the trilogy It also shows us that we’ve become used to live international that I take it for granted. But it is exceptional and evocative. acts. Many of us have been to gigs in the past year at Spark Viggo Mortensen commented that he was lucky enough to Arena. Very few, though, of the acts we saw were local. watch the NZSO performing and recording the score for scenes As we come out of the prison of 2020, we will carefully dip he hadn't even filmed yet, and that gave him extra insight into our toes into communal gatherings. A great band and a good the power of the moments. venue with a good crowd is something we all crave. But to be So there’s the theme for hobbits and happiness and brutally honest, it’s something that Auckland doesn’t have. Yet tranquillity and The Shire. It’s called ‘Concerning Hobbits’ and if we used to. there’s a piece of music that could be called ‘Home’ it’s that. You If this has all been so pivotal I hope that something with yearn for a return to the days for which that is the soundtrack, precedence happens. A good solid venue with good solid music. as it was for all 10 hours of the trilogy. I'm pretty sure most of us Because I’m up for a good time on a Friday night. could whistle that tune if asked. Hear the first seven notes and — Andrew Dickens you know exactly what it is. That’s the mark of a good tune. the hobson 28

the second act

Power to the People

I

was raised in a solid working class Labour household but my career was birthed in the 80s, and it took my politics the other way. In retrospect, I was probably desperate to subconsciously distance myself from my upbringing as I started climbing the ladder of the system. I was really part of the great unwashed, completely impressionable, voting for whomever my friends and work colleagues were; I noticed people jokingly voting for someone they thought handsome or hot. No-one, least of all me, seemed to be thinking about what was best for the majority of people but considered things like tax policy which would benefit them individually. I didn’t worry too much about being uninformed because I assumed what I thought or did really didn’t actually matter in the overall scheme of things.

But 10 years ago, something changed. The government was suggesting that certain tracts of Crown conservation land might be taken out of scheduled protection (Schedule 4) to open up mining rights. I woke up. A line was crossed. A deep fundamental value challenged, and a sense of trust breached.

Suddenly I found myself participating in the democratic process.

I rang people I knew in the National Party to complain; I went to see my local politician. God, I may have even called talkback radio. I was furious, upset, and emotional. This wasn't about my bank balance — it was about legacy and posterity. It was about Aotearoa. The issue consumed me so much that I was distracted at work and spent company time rarking up my young team to join the cause. We had our web developers create a site which sent submissions directly to the Minister of Conservation. When I decided to help mobilise forces to join what would eventuate as a 50,000-person protest up Queen St, my assistant got her signwriter fiancé to make some nifty placards.

That peaceful, impassioned protest got the desired result and government backed down. Other protests have not been so successful. We stopped traffic during a sit-in to prevent some lovely old art deco homes in St Heliers being bowled to make way for a concrete and glass monstrosity. (We lost.) I protested against the University of Auckland closing the fine arts and other specialist libraries. That cause was lost too, but not before our daughter reminded the Chancellor of the issue whom she

heckled during his speech at her graduation day. She had had her first taste of civil disobedience at 14, when we made her join the mining march. (Our son, who was 10 at the time, whined so much en route that my husband had to take a break from leading a chant of “What do we want? No mining! When do we want it?

Now!”, to nip in to McDonald’s for a combo to shut him up.)

I joined a small but determined group earlier this year to protest against the marine dumping on Great Barrier Island’s waters, which seemed to help that cause. More recently I watched (I was feeling a bit off, and also, it was still level two) thousands march past our city apartment in solidarity of the Black Lives Matter movement.

I have seen many marches from our vantage point high up above Queen St. Go the nurses! Go the teachers! Go the Burger King employees striking for better wages! Go the vegans, even.

In fact the only protest I didn’t fully support was predominantly white South Africans taking it to the streets to protest against the repossession of land from white farmers back in the old country.

The placard that read, ‘Stop the abuse of minorities’ seemed to be a little revisionist. But I respect their right to protest. It’s critical to get out there and be seen.

So those in their second act, who might have been planning a nice comfortable slide into retirement, think again. If you are appalled by what is happening in the US, what exactly are you doing about it?

It is you who must show future generations that being invisible in an imagined silent majority is a cop out. We must not keep our politics politely hidden away, only to be brought out in conversation in our comfort zone, or in the echo chamber of a Facebook group. Be up for being seen, banging some pots and pans, and starting the fork-dropping conversation at the dinner party. If it feels awkward – great, you are part of social change.

Trust me, you always feel slightly embarrassed at the start of the protest but the idea is to push through it and serve something greater than your ego. Each of us in our small actions does in fact make a difference.

— Sandy Burgham

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the menu

Food for Thought

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y career in food began with some splendid cooking lessons in our Remuera home, more than 35 years ago. I had studied at London’s Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School and although I returned to NZ with great intentions to start a café or catering business, marriage and small children got in the way.

A squash buddy at Remuera Rackets Club suggested I offer cooking lessons. Ten willing students at a time attended weekly classes in our new kitchen, which my husband Murray designed and purposefully built. Sitting around our dining table, observing the cooking and devouring a three-course dinner party meal was quite an occasion. Many tales were told of those students cooking the same menus for months afterwards in local dining rooms.

A life-long passion and quest to get people into the kitchen followed these lessons, through regular writing gigs in magazines.

First at Fashion Quarterly as food editor, then 22 years at Cuisine in the time where New Zealand fell in love with fine fare and restaurants. More recently, for nine years I was food columnist of the now lamented and lost NZ Listener.

It’s always been my aim to do two things; to teach people how to cook fresh food at home, and secondly, to convince everyone to appreciate and buy the very best locally produced food they can find. I am quite bemused that it’s taken this global pandemic, not me, to achieve those aims.

Fresh food wasn’t hard to find during the lockdown. But so many small growers and food producers were locked out of the supply chain as it’s a fact that contracts determine what’s stocked in the aisles and shelves of the supermarkets. There are growers on our city fringe who normally provision restaurants and smaller businesses, who literally had to plough their crops back into the fields. It poses a big question that’s still hanging over the realities of our food chain as many sectors of society were desperately lining up for food parcels while this was going on.

What was impossible to find was flour and yeast. Who would have thought this nation could become filled with experts on sourdough bread and cake baking? As an avid social media follower I became weary of posts of yet another glistening sourdough loaf being proudly displayed to the world. What was much more fun were those who were bold enough to post their failures. Flat, pallid loaves that I am sure even the chorus of chirpy birds in the gardens rejected made me and others smile.

The freezer and store cupboard took on new meaning for many families. My freezer had been filled with mainly ice-cream, frozen peas and lots of ice for my gin and tonic. With the once-afortnight stock-up I had meat, milk, chicken, fish, stock, bread and much more stored in there. Even my husband started to appreciate meals made from leftovers.

One of my favourite meals in the Time of Covid turned out to be fritters. It didn’t matter if it was lunch or dinner, as a bunch of eggy fritters served straight from the frying pan was always tasty, quick and welcome. The basics of a fritter is to start with a vegetable, fish or cheese base. A little flour, a pinch of baking powder and then beaten eggs. I could delve into the store cupboard, the veggie drawer in the fridge or find some leftovers and within 15 minutes we’d be enjoying a fresh, interesting meal.

One of my favourites from this time were my salmon fritters.

Many New Zealanders like me grew up believing salmon came in tins, and we loved it. We didn’t have the gorgeous fresh King Salmon that’s readily available now. Back in the day, our mothers, who could not easily buy fresh fish, became absolute geniuses making lovely dishes so that we kids could get our Omega 3 and have strong bones. Salmon chowder, salmon kedgeree, salmon fried rice, salmon pie, salmon cakes, sandwiches and so much more.

And so the salmon fritters I whipped up became a metaphor for comfort food and our stash of tinned salmon really has become a staple ingredient we cannot live without. Here’s my easy salmon fritter recipe.

Take one cooked leftover potato, chopped finely or mashed. Soften one small chopped onion slowly in butter in a pan before adding to the potato. Beat three eggs with four tablespoons of flour, add to the potato with lots of chopped parsley and salt and pepper. Finally add that tin of salmon, mashed up.

Mix everything together and cook large tablespoons of the mixture in a frying pan in a mixture of olive oil and butter over gentle heat, until each side is golden. Makes 12 fritters to serve with a spicy chutney.

— Lauraine Jacobs

3 Easy Meal Ideas!

Pop in for dinner tonight to discover these delicious new meals, and many more, at your local Farro food store.

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PIZZA PARTY

Introducing three fabuloso new pizzas from Farro, featuring classic toppings like Margherita, Prosciutto & Rocket, and Salami on top of a traditional sourdough pizza base. Easy, tasty Friday night fakeaway! From $15.99/each

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TASTY TANDOORI

We’ve collaborated with Auckland’s favourite Indian Restaurant, Satya to bring you Farro x Satya ready-to-cook Tandoori Chicken! Free-range chicken pieces marinated in Satya’s secret Tandoori spice and yoghurt – ready to simply tip and roast. Serve with rice, yoghurt raita and a squeeze or lime and fresh curry or mint leaves for a super succulent and aromatic Indian feast. Serves 4, $24/each

BIG BANG

Farro Bang Bang Chicken is bursting with vibrant Asian flavours. Simply tip in the roasting dish and bake for an easy dinner in 40minutes.

This makes a delicious dinner for 4. $24/each

FIND YOUR LOCAL FARRO FOOD STORE AT FARRO.CO.NZ the hobson 31

the magpie

Put the Boot In Our wise bird is not a girl to be afraid of a little chill in the air. In fact, she delights in a wardrobe restock of an essential coat, a stylish new scarf and a kicky pair of boots to go. Follow her lead . . .

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1. Ketz-ke Cocoon Jacket, $185 at Flo and Frankie, floandfrankie.com 2. R.M.Williams Cootamundra Scarf in green and pink, $109, rmwilliams.com.au/nz for local stores or to order 3. COS Light Grey Belted Wool Coat, $250, cosstores.com for Auckland locations 4. Urban Turnout Boot, $645, rmwilliams.com.au/nz for local stores or to order 5,6. Witchery Check Coat, $449.90, and Emma Floral Scarf, $64.90, witchery.co.nz 7. Kathryn Wilson Manhattan Boot in cream, $419, kathrynwilson.com 8. Briarwood Checkmate Coat, $569 from Briarwood, 401 Remuera Rd or briarwood.co.nz 9. Karen Walker Magmatic Trench Coat, $695, and NYX Chelsea Boot, $495, at Playpark by Karen Walker, 6 Balm St, or karenwalker.com q

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the magpie

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10. Low Classic 2-Way Trench Coat, $779, from Workshop, workshop.co.nz 11. R.M.Williams green Holts Scarf, $169, rmwilliams.com.au/nz for local stores or to order 12. Witchery Two Checker Scarf, $79.90, witchery.co.nz 13. Timberland 6-Inch Waterproof Boot, $360, timberland.co.nz 14. Doc Martens Quad Boot, $349, at Playpark by Karen Walker, 6 Balm St, or karenwalker.com

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the getaway

Take the Long Way Home With our borders still closed, there’s never been a better time to see more of our own land.

We invited The Hobson’s contributors and friends to share a few words on a place that’s dear to their hearts, and that they think you will find special too. Set the nav, as we start from the north and head south . . .

The beach at Omaha, an hour north of Auckland. Photo by Sarah Clark

the getaway

HELENA BAY CAFÉ, NORTHLAND

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he old Russell Rd departs State Highway 1 at Whakapara, which is really just a BP and a road sign. It wends its way a windy 80km up to Kororāreka, our first capital and the cradle of colonial New Zealand that no less than Charles Darwin called the arsehole of the South Pacific, or something like that.

Fourteen kilometres into this ode to road engineering and childhood car sickness is the most extraordinary business, the Gallery & Café Helena Bay Hill. Even without half its tables removed for social distancing, it is always full, in the middle of nowhere. Why? Part of it is the serene location, looking through deep green tropical Northland bush to the Pacific Ocean. The café deck is a perfect place for a good catch up. Part of it is that they’ve never let their food and drink standards slip — the lamb burger in particular is a treat. Part of it is the impressive art gallery fed by local artists living the good life with lots of kauri to work with. They can fit you

URUPUKAPUKA ISLAND, NORTHLAND

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hen you have 144 islands to choose from, some untouched by civilisation, some easy to kayak to, some with Department of Conservation status, some pest-free and all surrounded by some of the best fishing spots ever, the Bay of Islands provides some of New Zealand’s most natural beauty in abundance. Some call it a maritime adventure playground as let’s face it, all those magical beautiful islands are surrounded by water. For me, it’s the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and to truly get away, experience nature, play in and on the water and spend time with the four generations of our family who each find something interesting and special to do.

My extra special place is Urupukapuka Island - the largest island in the Bay of Islands, located about 7km from Paihia. It’s easy to take the 45-minute Explore cruise — it’s worth every cent for the scenic views of the islands and a high chance of spotting dolphins. I love spending a day on the beach at Otehei Bay, which has crystal clear waters ideal for little ones to swim in, bean bags to relax in and enjoy the sun and even a little café. For the more active explorers, there are beautiful walking tracks around the island that are fit for all ages and stages.

Another great attraction is the Bay of Islands Parasailing which is the highest parasailing in NZ — even my 89-year-old mother enjoyed it! (That’s her on the right and me centre.)

— Desley Simpson

out with anything, from an all-purpose card with an original watercolour of a kōwhai, to a $12,000 handcrafted kauri table.

The browsing makes it more than a coffee stop.

Perhaps best of all is the long-running presence of enormous Newfoundlands. After the sad departure of the much loved Wolfie last year, they have a new arrival. Leo (pictured) was last seen at 28kg and three months old, the perfect greeter for a stop off. It’s out of the way but not that far if you’re heading to the Bay of Islands (you can catch the car ferry back to SH1 from Russell). In the unlikely event that nothing takes your fancy in the gallery and you’re not into views or giant friendly dogs, it still has the best coffee for miles and miles.

– David Seymour

Desley is the councillor for Auckland for the Ōrākei ward

David is the MP for Epsom. He has received no inducements from the café except for a private audience with Leo last time

doc.govt.nz

galleryhelenabay.co.nz

exploregroup.co.nz

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The beach at Waipu- Cove, Northland.

WAIPŪ

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itting on the Waipū River and Bream Bay in Northland, Waipū is found off SH1, about an hour and 45 minutes drive from Auckland. It became home to many Scottish highland migrants from the 1850s and to this day wears its tartan proudly, hosting Highland Games every January 1 – it’s a great day out. There’s an excellent local museum about the immigrants too. Combining the best of Scots’ hospitality and Italian food is McLeod’s Pizza Barn & Brewery, which has the best hand-made pizzas in Northland, salt and pepper squid and award-winning craft beers — the Cooper family happily recommend McLeod's Great Migration IPA and McLeod's Longboarder Lager. You can always eat well here, we also like the Waipu Café and Deli, Goody Goody, and Little Red and The Black Shed. For supplies, there’s a market every second Sunday with more than 50 stallholders offering organic vegetables, jams and chutneys and pastries, as well as art and craft works.

Close by is the patrolled beach at Waipū Cove which has great surfing and a large campground. Johnson’s Point at the mouth of the Waipū River is a sanctuary for fairy terns, dotterels and banded rails: it’s wonderful bird watching. There are also limestone caves nearby which have glow worms, stalactites and stalagmites. Waipū is proud of its Scottish heritage and is friendly fun for all the family.

— Sue Cooper Remuera resident Sue is a historian and chairs Remuera Heritage whangareinz.com waipumuseum.com

OMAHA

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ust an hour from Auckland, Omaha is our little slice of paradise. For over 35 years this has been my happy place.

My late father, Bernard, searched very hard for a spot at what was then known as the “Poor man’s Pauanui”. He scooped up a section in what we fondly call the ‘old’ part of Omaha, popped a Kentucky home on it, and a lifetime of happy memories began.

Bernard was mortified by the thought of spending $20,000 on a beachfront section when they opened them up for sale a few years later – an outrageous amount of money! So we stayed put in our little spot with a peek of the sea. This spot has lead to Omaha friendships that now span up to 35 years and are

irreplaceable. We are now watching a third generation enjoy our beautiful beach.

I love the ever-changing beach at Omaha. I love the sparkling — usually safe but sometimes treacherous — water. I love the beautiful white sand. I love the beautiful surrounding beaches and walks so close to us. But what I really love is the beautiful memories my family and friends have because of this Omaha.

And I’m forever grateful to be able to keep building those memories at this special place.

— Sarah Clark Sarah owns Hedgerow in Remuera. She lives in Parnell, and when it’s warm, in Omaha omahabeach.co.nz

KEPA BUSH, ŌRĀKEI, AUCKLAND

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uring lockdown we spent many happy hours walking in Kepa Bush. This area of the Pourewa Valley is a hidden treasure, a remnant of coastal forest on our doorstep. The reserve, which is situated below busy Kepa Rd, is home to many impressive native trees, including a 300-year-old kohekohe and indigenous birdlife; I love the cheeky pīwakawaka (fantail) that seem to guide you on your walk as they flit and flutter through the bush. The mangrove-lined Pourewa Creek borders the southern boundary and the wetland area is reputedly home to a rare native kōkopu. The tidal waters were clear at high tide, but the murky green depths did not reveal any secrets. We ventured across the stream, to find the mighty oak, reputedly planted by Bishop Selwyn 200 years ago.

In 1841 the Crown purchased Kepa Bush as part of the Kohimarama Block from Ngāti Paoa. Kepa Bush was worked as farmland and part of St John’s College Trust Board landholding, but farming ceased completely by 1962 and the site reverted to bush. We are fortunate to have a keen group of volunteers in our community who help manage weeds and wage war on the pests which threaten our birdlife. Restoration planting has been carried out for many years to help return the area to its former glory for us all to enjoy.

The shared pathway from St Johns Rd to Ōrākei Basin is due to begin this year, it will be exciting to have access to the valley as a whole; a daily commute or a weekend ramble to cheer the

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the getaway

Left, Sarah Powrie in her beloved local bush. Above the Pourewa Valley bush stretches - between Orakei and Meadowbank. Photos courtesy Sarah Powrie.

soul. Kepa Bush is a place of tranquillity and unexpected peace in the heart of the city, a place to cherish, a place we love to visit.

— Sarah Powrie Sarah is the deputy chair of the Ōrākei Local Board and a long-time resident of the area See Friends of Pourewa Valley on Facebook

MANUPIRUA SPRINGS, LAKE ROTOITI

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will drive hours down the windiest, dustiest, gravel road if there’s a promise of a geothermal hot pool at the end.

One day, I’ll be proud to say I’ve soaked in as many as are publicly permitted from the tip of the north to the deep south. From my ramblings so far, my second place winner is the Te Waiariki Ngāwhā Springs near Kaikohe. Looking like a movie set with perfectly disordered ti-tree fencing, these are lushly mineral: you smell for days afterwards as the rich chemical cocktail exorcises your skin of whatever lurks below the surface. It’s a dermatologist’s dream. (Note it is closed for a big renovation until the end of this year. I hope the ti-tree stays.)

But my favourite is about location. The Manupirua Springs Hot Pools sit on the eastern shoreline of Lake Rotoiti, in the Bay of Plenty. Accessible only by boat, the pools are warmed by the necklace of thermal activity that runs from Whakaari White Island to Mt Tongariro.

Long enjoyed by the local Ngāti Pikiao hapū, the pools have been in commercial use since 1914. While the pointy fingers of OSH have more recently insisted on non-slip paths and handrails, the pools’ kaitiaki have resisted overimprovement and kept the charm intact.

The routine is simple: arrive to the jetty — there are several boat and water taxi services to bring you in from Rotorua or Rotoiti itself — pay the more than reasonable entry fee,

The hot pools on Lake Rotoiti — visit in winter and soak up the serenity.

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change in the rooms that will 100 per cent remind you of the swimming sheds at primary school, and take to the waters. The pools nearest the lake are cooler, they increase in heat as they go up the incline. Sit back, inhale. When the heat and sheer bliss threatens to overwhelm you, do one of two things: hurtle down the jetty and fly off the slide into the lake, or ease in gracefully from shore. Either route into the cold green lake, you will be reminded that you are indeed alive, with every sense awake to the beauty of this land.

— Kirsty Cameron

’ll never forget the feeling of exhilaration one morning paddling through glassy waves just after dawn into the blinding sun at ‘Whangas’. I was never particularly good at actually catching the waves, even worse now, but Whangamata is generally forgiving. It may be neither remote, nor a great secret. It’s not particularly classy. In summer the kids will bump into many school mates from Remuera and Epsom. Some call it ‘Remuera-by-the-sea’, but surely that’s Omaha. It’s closer to Hamilton-by-the-sea, but I still like it.

Aside from the beach itself, there’s three spots I’d recommend. A paddle out to Whenuakura Island – or Donut Island, as we call it. I’ve done it with a succession of kids and the experience is remarkably consistent. A lovely paddle out, wonder at the extraordinary Pirates of the Caribbean-style lagoon inside the island, entered on a heaving swell through a watery cave, followed by a miserable grind back what seems like three times the distance into a howling wind, waves and spume. Second, the mini golf on the main street. Bittersweet for me. Scene of many victories, but also where I was jilted as a teenager by a girl who wasn’t interested in me. Played against my girls again last summer. I don’t think a cent has been spent on maintenance since the 1980s, but it’s still fun. Third, a caravan at the corner of Port and Ocean roads which serves real fruit ice creams. How can you beat wandering home in the sun with one of those?

— Paul Goldsmith

But I am talking about Te Horo Beach. The place where Dad and Mum in the early 1950s bought a section in a block carved out of a dairy paddock on ancient sand dunes, serviced by a gravel road. During his two weeks annual leave and at Easter, year after year, Dad, a shipwright, hammering and sawing from dawn until well after dark, built a bach. And some bach it was – plenty of room for five kids, double clad and as strong as a castle; built of Oregon and Australian hardwood, ship’s dunnage brought home from the Wellington waterfront, plank by plank lashed to his bike, then once or twice a year trucked from Wellington ready for Dad’s ‘holidays’.

For us city kids they were holidays to dream about. Goodbye city asphalt and noisy streets. This was the country — cows and horses, sand beneath your feet. At night the call of the ruru (morepork) and if the wind was right, the distant wail of a steam train heading up the island. The creek across the paddock, where we learned to swim, and where with Mum and Dad and Mrs Ashdown, the local storekeeper yarning in her country way, we sat quietly as dusk turned to dark, catching eels for breakfast.

Then there was the beach, not a sandy beach I’m afraid, except at low tide, but a great shingle beach, the cobbles tumbled down the rivers over millennia from the Tararua Ranges, standing on the eastern skyline, splendidly snow-capped in winter.

The sea at Te Horo was normally sparkling blue but in a Tasman gale the huge waves rearing up to break were grey green, sometimes dirty yellow streaked with foam; tiger-like, wild, savage, frightening. The sound of the sea was always present, whether a drowsy murmur on a summer’s afternoon or roaring like a battlefield. In the quiet of a country night, a wave, sometimes miles in length, could break simultaneously along the coast with such a crash it shook the very ground. We loved playing in the sea but we never forgot that up the coast, some kids were swept away and drowned. On hot January afternoons at low tide we gathered ‘pipis’ (actually tuatua). And shivering as we dried and changed, Dad, taking an early break from his hammering, would build a driftwood fire and roast them on the stones. We ate them dipped in vinegar with buttered bread Mum had prepared, washed down with tea boiled in a billy. Gazing at the sun setting behind Kapiti with the night drawing in, as the fire crackled Dad would tell us stories of the old days, of Te Rauparaha and the fights that took place along this very beach. So I would like to go back to Te Horo. Do the spirits of Mum and Dad, drawn by those happy days, sometimes return there too?

— Mike Lee

Paul is a National list MP based in Epsom. He lives in Remuera and has connections to the east coast too

Mike is a former councillor for Auckland for the Waitematā and Gulf ward, and contributor to The Hobson

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TE HORO, KAPITI COAST

TARANAKI FALLS, TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK

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Bay of Plenty born Kirsty is the editor of The Hobson lakerotoitihotpools.co.nz ngawha.nz

WHANGAMATA BEACH, COROMANDEL

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favourite place I plan to include on my post-lockdown road-trip is not really a tourist destination. There’s not even a motel though you can book-a-bach and there is plenty of accomodation nearby. That place is Te Horo. Situated on the Kapiti coast, just south of Ōtaki, about 70km north of Wellington, it’s still sufficiently remote to save it from becoming a dormitory suburb. But for me as a child growing up in inner-city Wellington, it was a place of wonder and dreams. There are actually two Te Horo’s: Te Horo Beach, and 3km inland on State Highway 1, Te Horo township, the old name given to the houses, general store and dairy factory centred around the old railway station where until the 1960s trains used to stop.

here are more ways to enjoy Mt Ruapehu than climbing to its crater lake. At the mountain’s feet are paths less trodden that give a sub-alpine experience and cracker views of the park’s active volcanoes.

Of the six entertaining walks which start from Whakapapa Village, my favourite leads to the Taranaki Falls. It’s a pleasure in sun or snow. You walk a gravel path that sometimes follows a clear rocky stream in the shelter of beech trees and at other times exposes you to a chilly wind rippling the tussock tops. From nearly 1200m above sea level, the track shows off Ruapehu’s glory and the scars from its eruptions. It presents beauty too: in summer, slopes festooned in shrubs teem with

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A walk in the Park: the Tama Lakes. Photo by Wayne Thompson.

insects and a white daisy of the New Zealand edelweiss species; a clear day gives sweeping views of a countryside shaped by ash falls and now stained purple by a covering of heather.

The waterfall itself is not as tall as some in the North Island but it’s just as spectacular. Creek water tumbles 20m from the edge of an old lava flow into a rocky pool that is often choked by ice. From the edge, or the safety of a bridge, you see how the stream has gouged out a deep gorge in the volcanic debris and smoothed black rocks in its path.

It’s a nice spot for lunch on a two-hour loop walk of 6km but it’s often the first stage of a longer adventure to the pristine Tama Lakes on the saddle between Ruapehu and Mt Ngāuruhoe.

I rate this extension as a worthy Plan B if poor weather closes the Tongariro Crossing or the Ruapehu lifts. Away from the crowd, you can experience why the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its landscape and culture.

— Wayne Thompson Parnell resident Wayne is a regular contributor to The Hobson.

He can often be seen out walking nationalpark.co.nz

Journalist and media commentator Peter came home from London before lockdown and after writing this, may never go back starnaudholidaycottages.co.nz

OAMARU

LAKE ROTOITI, NELSON LAKES

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Hopeless, Angelus and Cupola. Even in summer there can be snow on the ranges and ice in the sapphire-blue tarns. To the west, the Buller River drains from the lake on its way to the Tasman.

A walk around the lake is a perfectly possible option for a day. It’s 23km if you can cross the braided gravel beds of the Travers at the head of the lake, or 31km if you cross at a swing bridge upriver. Rotoiti and its neighbour Rotoroa are in the Nelson Lakes National Park and DOC maintains huts and has a visitor centre just near Long Lookout. The hamlet of St Arnaud also has baches to rent, camping and the Alpine Lodge. Explore the Wairau Valley Marlborough wine county, Nelson or on to Kaikōura, Westland or Canterbury.

— Peter Bale

n 1948 my grandmother and uncles bought what was even then an old house which sat atop the glacial moraine at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes. It overlooks Kerr Bay where smooth stones skip easily across the icy water.

‘Long Lookout’ has changed little and that’s just the way we like it: the heads of long-dead stags on the wall beside NAC posters and wooden skis. The dinner table with cracks just right for my now-dead father to wedge in a hook and tie a trout fly.

The smell of Rotoiti is the fragrance of the South Island black beech which surrounds the lake and the house. Its sap smells like I imagine ozone might: crisp, fresh, pure. Streams cascade through the forest from the spine of the St Arnaud Range and at the head of the lake, the Travers River feeds in from Mounts

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t’s no surprise that I can hear Oamaru calling me. I was last there in 2008 — it’s been too long. What has stayed with me from my visits to this town in the South Island’s Waitaki District is the history of the place, the feeling that time has stood still a little bit, the feeling that you can step off the treadmill of life and be a part of something simpler.

In 2008 I was a new Kiwi (and maybe slightly homesick exPom) so Oamaru with its goldrush civic history and gorgeous old white limestone buildings reminded me a little of home.

The retailers in ‘Victorian Precinct’ are so-styled inside and out; second-hand bookstores, old world cafes, galleries, antique clothing stores and even a talented carver working on pieces of the local stone. I had to take a small helix carving back home with me and was wishing my suitcase was bigger for a full-size penguin carving that I ‘needed’ for the garden. Maybe next time.

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the getaway

Peter Bale on Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes, skippering the family dinghy. Photo courtesy Peter Bale.

Segueing nicely to the penguin topic: you can visit not one but two types of penguin colony a short drive from the main centre of Oamaru. For this English girl, getting to see the little blue penguins scurrying back from a busy day’s fishing and watching the yellow-eyed penguins roost was beyond amazing. Penguins in their natural habitat!

I’d previously only seen the classic emperor penguin in the zoo.

If you want to take a trip that grounds you (and if you’re a recent migrant from the northern hemisphere, may well remind you of another land) Oamaru ticks the boxes.

We can’t go overseas just now, and maybe we’ll be less inclined to in the future, but you can feel transported to another place and another time right here.

— Dawn Adams Transplanted from Yorkshire to Aotearoa, Dawn is The Hobson’s sub-editor waitakinz.com Above, a bibliophile's dream in Oamaru's Victorian Precinct. Photo by Dawn Adams.

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the getaway

WANAKA

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Francesca Masfen catches her kai at Hook; Dublin Bay on Lake Wanaka. Photos by Belinda Masfen.

nsiders know that the real heart of adventure tourism in New Zealand is, in fact, Wanaka, so for those of you who crave the outdoors, you will have arrived in heaven. Without a doubt it is my favourite place in the world.

Other than boasting two of the best ski fields in New Zealand, other outdoor options you may like to try include the Roys Peak hiking trail — the climb up to the 1578-metre summit is well worth the five hour trek. The Rob Roy track and glacier is a great day walk for the whole family and slightly easier on the legs. For mountain bikers, try Dean’s Bank. The 11km loop track is a definite must-do for keen bikers. The track consists of a few tight corners and rocky obstacles, so it’s suited to intermediateadvanced riders. For those wanting a thrill that requires no physical effort, give Peter and Julie a call. They own Flying Adventures, and will take you to see some spectacular scenery from the air — the incomparable Milford Sound, majestic Aoraki Mt Cook, the ruggedly beautiful West Coast.

Hungry and thirsty after all that activity? Luckily for oenophiles, Wanaka sits in the middle of one of the country’s better wine regions. The Maude Wines Tasting Room serves exceptional snacks and local wines — its pinot noirs, rosés, and pinot gris are a delight. There’s also the Rippon Vineyard — exceptional pinot noir — which sits on the edge of Lake Wanaka.

The Cardrona Distillery is a relatively new venture creating serious buzz in the global spirits world for its totally sustainable gins, liqueurs, and whiskys.

Food in Wanaka places an emphasis on fresh, seasonal produce with ethical and sustainable ingredients. Our favourites include Francesca’s Italian Kitchen, Big Fig, and Kika. We like the sourdough and baked goods from Pembroke Patisserie, and for quick eats, there’s the Burrito Craft food truck and Red Star for a bloody good burger. For something a bit novel, take the family to Hook, which offers a unique laketo-plate experience. You catch your own Chinook salmon from

spring-fed waters, which the chefs then prepare for you.

If you’re looking for a cosy spot to hunker down and enjoy so much that’s special to the region, check out Lake Hawea Station. Historic cottages and shepherd huts provide stunning accommodation, and the working station offers eco-agri tours that showcase sustainable farming practices through regenerative agriculture, protection of endangered species, native plantings, renewable energy, fine merino wool, working farm dogs and carbon clear operations.

— Belinda Masfen Parnell resident Belinda has enjoyed winter and summer family holidays in Wanaka since she was a wee thing of five lakewanaka.com lakehaweastation.com

FIORDLAND

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ur Fiordland cruise was one of the best holidays I’ve ever had. We flew into paradise via helicopter to meet the magnificent Fiordland Jewel, a 24m luxury boat with all the mod-cons: four king bed ensuited cabins, another private top deck cabin, some twin rooms and a bunk room for families.

There were kayaks supplied, loads of fishing rods and even a spa pool. Underway, we cruised through Doubtful Sound, explored where Captain Cook had ventured and walked the route his crew did when they surveyed the fiords. We kayaked in smooth waters, saw penguins, seals, dolphins, and even whales.

Everywhere we looked, we saw beautiful scenery: vast mountains, snowy peaks, waterfalls, stunning bush and trees right down to the shore line. It was like waking up in a Lois McIvor painting.

And I haven’t even mentioned the food! Fresh pāua, blue cod,

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Rob Suisted

Dusky Sound, Fiordland. Inset: floats and a feast of cray photographed by Victoria Carter.

Below, a cove on Rakiura Stewart Is.

crayfish, all caught while we were on board. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and red meat for those who pined for it, all washed down with Mt Difficulty Pinor Noir and other Queenstown area wines. It was unique and glorious.

We covered a huge amount of water, beginning in Dusky Sound, through Breaksea Sound and ending in Doubtful Sound. Skipper Rob has cleverly designed the boat so there are plenty of large windows — you can lie in bed and just stare at the view, which is always changing.

It wasn’t all sea and mountains. It was fascinating to see the cray fisher’s huts where they live when the ocean beyond the fiords is too rough, to see where Cook explored and learn some history. Kiwis are so good at seeing the world but Fiordland deserves to be seen too – don’t just take my word!

— Victoria Carter Victoria is chair of the Northern Club and a passionate traveller fiordlanddiscovery.co.nz

RAKIURA STEWART ISLAND

I

f you really want to see the country, then why not go all the way, to the very far end of the country for a deep and unforgettable immersion in an older, ageless, unspoiled New Zealand?

Stewart Island is a dull name for such a place, its older names being much better. Originally it was Te Punga o Te Waka a Māui (The anchor stone of Māui’s canoe). Then it became Rakiura (glowing skies) and both made a lot more sense than naming it after a long-forgotten Scottish map maker (William Stewart).

When I was a kid growing up in Invercargill in the 1960s, it was simply “the island”, the place we used to go and stay for the school holidays. It seemed such a magical place and it left such a mark on me with its moody bush, deep tranquil inlets and understated locals, that I never

forgot it, though I didn’t get back until just a few years ago, only to find it had barely changed at all.

The population of the island’s only town, Oban, had increased by only about 50 (people, not per cent) in the half century since I’d last visited and the lush bird-crowded rainforest still came down to the edge of everything, mostly the sea. Fishing boats bobbed in the harbour and, up on a knob overlooking everything, the South Sea Hotel offered a briny menu, filled with the local delights, oysters, salmon, blue cod, mussels and crayfish.

I caught the big catamaran over Foveaux Strait from Bluff for that return visit and went for lunch at the South Sea. I wish I’d stayed on for dinner – and breakfast and longer.

But, as Arnie Schwarzenegger said, I’ll be back.

— Colin Hogg Writer and The Hobson columnist Colin grew up in the deep south and now lives in Remuera stewartisland.co.nz

the hobson 43

the district diary

July 2020 Christian Tjandrawinata

Local 1 - 15 Light Up Tāmaki is part of the Matariki Festival, which began on June 20 and continues to July 15 while the Matariki star cluster (also known as Pleiades) is visible in our sky. Lockdown levels disrupted live events usually held in celebration of the Māori new year, but some are still on: check out themed light shows across the city (including the museum, Sky Tower and Te Ara I Whiti/The Lightpath) at matarikifestival.org.nz 3 Last day of Term 2 for most schools 11 Step back into the 50s with MOTAT’s drive-in movie experience every Friday and Saturday night at the Aviation Display Hall in Meola Rd. $30 per car. Tonight is 80s classic The Goonies (PG), 6.30pm, tickets from eventbrite.co.nz 12 For just a gold coin donation, learn all aspects of rose cultivation including growing, care, maintenance, feeding and pruning, at the Auckland Rose Society workshop held at the Auckland Horticultural Centre, 990 Great North Rd, Western Springs, 1-3pm 14 The Remuera Library Māori Language conversation group, Kapa Kōrero, provides a space to meet and practice te reo Māori in a supportive environment, regardless of fluency or level. Every Tuesday 4.30-5.30pm, 429 Remuera Rd 20 School’s back for most 22 Overcome public speaking nerves and learn to communicate with confidence. The Remuera Toastmasters Club is free to attend and you won’t have to speak unless you’re ready to. St Mark’s Church hall, 95 Remuera Rd, 6.15-8.30pm 25 Held the fourth Saturday of each month, Craft Harvest sits alongside the Parnell Farmers’ Market and has a range of original, high quality arts and crafts. Jubilee Building, 545 Parnell Rd, 8am-11.45am

Virtually anytime . . .

We’re no longer in lockdown but as we move through the alert levels it’s never been easier to get your entertainment fix from the comfort of your own home.

1-5 The Doc Edge Festival 2020 took Covid-19 by the horns and moved the entire collection of 80+ award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary films online. Head to festival. docedge.nz for titles, times and tickets for this final week of screenings 2 Is it still Rotorua if you can’t smell the sulphur? In these online times, it is indeed.

Get the kids taking part in the Rotorua Museum Discovery Zone activities; from puzzles to patterns to coding, with LEGO prizes on offer. rotoruamuseum.co.nz/ education/nz-schools/discovery-zone 4 Workshops and an online market are keeping the Auckland Zinefest 2020 spirit alive this year with local artists and zinemakers sharing inspirations and techniques. See Akl Zinefest on Facebook 14 Join Kiwi songstress LA Thompson in cyberspace as she performs songs from over four decades of song-writing, as well as new tracks from her latest album release. Visit lathompson.co.nz for details 25 Waste Free Parenting with Kate Meads is more environmentally friendly than ever with a new online format. Learn to minimise waste at home with babies and toddlers around; all participants get sent a free pack of waste minimisation products. See katemeads.co.nz to book

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And a little further afield . . .

With our options for travel currently being confined to our own clean, green Kiwi backyard, it’s the perfect time to enjoy what it has to offer.

4 Hit the road for a market experience not too far out of the neighbourhood. Options includes the Mangawhai Tavern Market, 8.30am; NZ Made Market, Albany Village Community Hall, 10am; Matakana Village Farmers Market, 8am; Waiheke Island’s Ostend Market, Ostend War Memorial Hall, 8am; Sunday: Clevedon Village Market, 10am 11 For the feel of a holiday where you don’t have to do anything but take in the sights, take an overnight tour with Kiwi Experience. Visit the trilogy of Hobbiton, Rotorua and the Waitomo Caves, and see our beautiful country through a tourist lens. kiwiexperience.com 25 The Hawke’s Bay isn’t just home to some of our nation’s best wine and fruit. During NZ’s short truffle season Sacre Monte Truffles offer the ultimate truffle experience for foodies; hunt and forage for truffles, learn about the industry and taste any of the ‘black gold’ found. See sacremonte.co.nz, or for a weekend package that includes a truffle hunt, visit themanse.co.nz

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CURTAIN CALL

2,500 curtains needed for homes this winter!

OUR PROUD SPONSORS

The Parnell Rotary Club is helping Habitat for Humanity to put curtains into homes that have no curtains and need the extra warmth.

What we need Curtains

Curtain Fabric

Time

The curtains need to be in reasonably good condition.

To be made into curtains at the curtain bank.

If you are a keen sewer, volunteer your time to help Habitat for Humanity repurpose the curtains.

How you can help Contact Avis Nelson avisnelson@xtra.co.nz or 021 289 7893

the cryptic by māyā

Set by Māyā. Answers will appear in our next issue, August 2020. Can’t wait, or need help? Visit https://thehobsoncrossword.wordpress.com

ACROSS 1 Cambric and lead accommodate what may be described as guttering (6) 4 How I got into talk earlier? That’s “The $64,000 Question” (4,4) 10 Mars Rover: not a restorer? (9) 11 Disreputable scion of prickly hero (5) 12 State in which there's no mind, primarily (4) 13 Roughly sum up a hi-fi enthusiast? (10) 15 Tested composition of recently minted currency? (7) 16 Trauma follows the French militiaman from 6 (6) 19 Accommodation for journalists investigating the Shard (6) 21 Covering everything? (7) 23 Idiot ruled without being sent elsewhere (10)

25 Doctor’s assistant heads into Garden of Remembrance (4) 27 Bishop kept in animal accommodation made his mark (5) 28 Provides more accommodation (using these?) (9) 29 Orbital imagers resolve model sandals (8) 30 Plaster covering cuts, backed by cotton tips (6) DOWN 1 County nurse swans by to get contents of ears (8) 2 Relative's remote about atomic scale (9) 3 Start to evolve . . . back into baby? (4) 5 Like “The Luminaries” - gold rush heading to Roberts (7) 6 Godfather and adversary reflect about a

good man, where the best is like the worst (4,2,4) 7 Healthy extremities can be useful (5) 8 Cool, like a 1 ac? (6) 9 Medication makes broadcaster lose rotundity (6) 14 Whoo! Presley’s Throwers regularly play this (10) 17 Cure for a pain in the bum? (9) 18 Coal fires burning? . . . No, I eat out (8) 20 But 26 toppled a tower (3,4) 21 Not that remote from lifting a vow of silence (6) 22 With popular support, Queen returns to the country (6) 24 Covering article about street-walker (5) 26 Enthusiastically attack the butter (4)

JUNE CRYPTIC CROSSWORD ANSWERS Across: 8 Brooklyn, 9 Abacus, 10 Adit, 11 Wheatstone, 12 Censor, 14 Two clubs, 15 Isis, 17 Forth, 18 View, 19 Waterloo, 20 Airmen, 22 Prosthesis, 23 Styx, 24 In toto, 25 Integers. Down: 1 Bridge, 2 Foot, 3 Flower, 4 Ancestor worship, 5 Saw-tooth, 6 Cantilever, 7 Burnable, 13 Suspension, 16 Sparring, 17 Falchion, 20 Assets, 21 Eeyore, 23 Saga.

the hobson 46

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