AA Directions Autumn 2025

MAD MIKE

Q&A with a motorsport legend

IN THIS ISSUE

Inspiration for travel, home and more

New Zealanders with clever solutions

TIME OF YOUR LIFE CLOSE TO HOME

27-DAY SOUTH PACIFIC CROSSING

Seattle to Sydney Noordam

12 October 2025*

*Ship and map based on 12/10/25 cruise.

14-DAY AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Auckland to Sydney Noordam

23 November 2025*

*Ship and map based on 23/11/25 cruise.

14-DAY NEW ZEALAND DISCOVERY

Sydney roundtrip Noordam

7 December 2025*

*Ship and map based on 07/12/25 cruise.

14-DAY SOUTH AUSTRALIA DISCOVERY HOLIDAY

Sydney roundtrip Noordam

21 December 2025*

*Ship and map based on 21/12/25 cruise.

Smart solutions

The answers to problems come in many shapes and forms: simple, super smart, sometimes surprising. We meet a selection of clever people who’ve solved some tricky troubles, from an oversupply of misshapen fruit and discarded plastic pool toys to an undersupply of classrooms and life-saving medical equipment.

We join MPI Detector Dog Handler Amy Mua and her canine partner, shed light on the often-confusing rules around bus lanes, check out a foiling ferry, and provide details of some awesome prizes up for grabs, including an adventure with Heritage Expeditions.

TRAVELLER

Mountains to sea Road-tripping Taranaki’s Surf Highway 45 around iconic Mount Taranaki is a treat for the senses, with great food and landscapes to enjoy along the way. 56 A history lesson

Onboard The Ghan, the train that’s been travelling the 3,000 kilometres between the top and bottom of Australia since 1929, is an enriching lesson in history, geography and even pronunciation.

AA HOME & LIVING

A home with history

Warwick House in Nelson is a wooden Gothic Revival-style property that’s been lovingly restored as a space to be shared. 68 Meet the maker

If you had asked a young Mad Mike Whiddett what his dream job would be, he’d say it’s exactly what he’s doing now. We chat to the drift champion in a rare moment off the racetrack.

Positively plugged in

Why has enthusiasm for electric vehicles waned? There are many positives to EV ownership and now is the ideal time to buy one.

Raglan potter Tony Sly opens the doors of his flagship seaside store and shares the secrets of a successful business that began as a hobby.

73 MY AA Staff profile

What’s it like to be an AA Roadservice Officer? We tag along for a day on the road, reveal a new partnership with Mevo that gives AA Members a great deal, and share an update on AA Centre relocations.

BY

Committed to reducing harm

ROAD SAFETY is an issue that we are very passionate about here at the AA, so we were pleased to see that New Zealand ended 2024 with the lowest number of road deaths per head of population in a century.

Last year, 293 people lost their lives on the country’s roads and while just one is too many, that was 48 fewer deaths than in 2023. To see the road toll back below 300 for the first time in a decade is positive news, especially as our population has grown significantly since then. It was due, no doubt, to a combination of factors.

The Police have stepped up enforcement on drunk driving and speeding, safer highways have replaced a number of high-risk roads, some speed limits have been changed, vehicles continue to be safer and tough economic conditions likely reduced some driving. Most importantly, it reflects drivers being safer behind the wheel.

The AA advocates for road safety and plays an active role in reducing harm on our roads.

Over the past 13 years, the AA Research Foundation has conducted close to 40 research projects into issues like drunk and distracted driving, speeding, driver

training and safer road design, revealing insights that can be used by the Government and transport industry to keep us all safer.

Our 18 district councils are connected to the local transport issues that matter to our Members and we work with our councillors to drive positive change in their communities.

We also support Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD), empowering the next generation of young people to prevent loss on our roads, as well as provide hi-vis vests for students who volunteer for school road patrol across the country.

I’m proud of the impact the AA makes in this area and my hope is that 2025 is an even safer year on the road than 2024.

We’ll continue to be there for our Members when they need us, delivering value both on and off the road, as well as continuing to ensure the AA remains trusted and relevant in the years to come.

Nadine Tereora CHIEF EXECUTIVE

PHOTOGRAPH

JESSIE CASSON

EDITORIAL TEAM

Kathryn Webster

Monica Tischler

Jo Percival

DESIGN & ART DIRECTION BY SCG

Julian Pettitt, Alanna Dennis

Catherine Huang

HOW TO REACH US

EDITORIAL

AA Directions

He Ngākau, Level 5, 20 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland, 1010

99 Albert St, Auckland Central PO Box 5, Auckland, 1140 Ph: 09 966 8800

Email: editor@aa.co.nz

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Moira Penman 021 228 5854 moira@gsjadvisory.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES:

Ph: 0800 500 444

ISSN 1171-0179

Published in print twice a year Circulation 665,731

Readership AC Nielsen 772,000

Contributors

CANDICE ROBERTSON

As head of corporate relations for the AA, Candice looks after the communications and sustainability teams and plays a role in making sure the AA Directions team knows about all the great things the AA is doing for Members, customers and the community. Over the past 20 years, she’s worked in journalism, PR and communications in a multitude of industries. When not working, she’s doing yoga, indulging her love of food by whipping up something delicious for her husband and two daughters, or researching her next travel getaway.

Kia ora

People come up with creative, innovative ideas for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it's a solution that seeds a new business. They have a problem, they solve it and they understand that others would pay for the same solution. For others it may not be commercial, rather it's a social good they're contributing to that increases in intangible glue the more it is shared. I hope you all find the stories in this issue as inspiring as we on the editorial team do.

Kathryn Webster EDITOR

GUY FREDERICK

Christchurch-based photographer and writer Guy Frederick has been delving into the lives of New Zealanders for over two decades. Find his story about Erin and her Chevrolet Camaro on p.31. He says when he first met Erin at her Dunedin home, it was to discuss another story – but then he spotted her car. “I left Erin’s that day with a story, just not the one I’d expected. And that’s exactly what I love about storytelling: discovering those narrow gaps in the hedge that lead to a whole new place.”

ALEX WALLACE

Photographer Alex Wallace says nobody likes having their photo taken. “It’s rare that I’m a welcomed guest,” he says. “The camera creates an instant barrier between me and my subject. It's ironic that the very tool I rely on for my job is also the thing that can stand in the way of my success.” He loves the challenge of building a connection and capturing a great photo. Getting positive feedback from people who are pleasantly surprised by the result is the ultimate reward. See his work on p.10.

to

Has the AA helped you out of a pickle, saved the day, surprised or delighted you? Do you have a story to share with other Members? Send it to AA Directions, PO Box 5, Shortland St, Auckland 1140 or email to editor@aa.co.nz

LETTERS

At crossroads

I’ve never had an accident at a rural crossroad but had a few near misses when people didn’t stop, or they pulled out when they shouldn’t have.

The best solution I’ve seen is the equipment at the intersection of SH1 and the road to Himitangi Beach, where flashing signs warn motorists to watch for crossing traffic and slow down. The sign is well before the intersection. These signs can be solar-powered and radar fitted to detect vehicle movement.

I doubt if these signs would be too expensive to install on many of the bigger and more dangerous intersections.

M Watson PARAPARAUMU

First things first

Congestion charges work when there’s infrastructure for alternative transport. Between Katikati and Tauranga, there’s one park-and-ride. I park the car in Katikati and get the bus to Tauranga. But on the way home, the park-and-ride is not on the route so you have to ask the bus driver to detour to it!

A robust public transport system needs to be in place before congestion charges are even discussed.

C Dale  KATIKATI

Aussie vs NZ

Please improve the driver licensing regulation in New Zealand! My very sensible 18-yearold granddaughter in Victoria, Australia has only just completed the beginner stage of her licence after 200 driving hours, including night and motorway, and she won’t get her full licence until she’s 21.

I also have grandsons growing up in New Zealand where the licensing system is by date, not driving hours. I really worry for them.

M Day UPPER MOUTERE

Careful unclogging

I read your article about the proposed congestion charging being introduced in our major cities (AA Directions, Spring 2024).

The Government must put in place better public transport. Show investment first. If, after creating good infrastructure, the Government was to announce the introduction of congestion charging as a way of paying back the lending for such investment, it would be more palatable. Congestion charging without doing this first would provide more revenue but fail with its supposed goal of significant reduction in car use.

T Strutt WELLINGTON

Call for consistency

For years as a paramedic and driving instructor, I found driver behaviour was patterned by consistency. For example, in the 90s, passing lane ending warning signs fluctuated from 80- to 300- metres. I lobbied to get all passing lanes with a standardised 200-metre warning. It worked and cut down end of passing lane crashes, as drivers trained their brain that each passing lane end would require the same judgement.

I also lobbied to get all rural road crossroad markings to be consistent so drivers would standardise their thought processes. This would have involved warning signs the same distance back, thicker markings, bigger signs and warnings for those not having to yield.

As a paramedic, I saw where the crashes occurred and, as a driving instructor, I found out why.

G Marriott

FAIRLIE

Three things

I’m a driving instructor of ten years. Three things I feel would definitely benefit young drivers are a mandatory minimum of ten hours of driving at night (in hours of actual darkness), use of a log book with minimum of 80 hours supervised driving and a minimum of five onehour lessons with a qualified instructor, with an emphasis on scanning, hazard detection and observation.

J Goodman GERALDINE

6,500 raincoats donated for school patrols

488,000

100,000+

AMY MUA

MPI Detector Dog Handler

Amy Mua joined the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) biosecurity team last year as a detector dog handler. She works with her canine partner, Ally, a six-year-old Labradorspringer spaniel cross to protect New Zealand’s unique environment from foreign contaminants.

How did you end up working at MPI?

When I was thinking about going back to work after I had my children, I wanted to do something where I could give back, for them and for the future. I chose biosecurity because I think it’s hugely important work, and I really wanted the time that I spend away from my kids to mean something.

Plus, ever since I was a small child I’d had a dream of being a dog handler. It wasn’t something that I thought would ever actually happen, so when the opportunity came up, I jumped at it!

What does the dog handler training involve?

It’s an intensive process that takes three months. We start in the training room and move on to on-site training. We do exams on animal welfare; we learn about target odour and animal behaviour. The dogs are normally learning while the handlers are learning. For them, pretraining is six weeks before the handler course starts, so the dogs are already picking up the basics.

We also have to learn how to move, which is weirdly the hardest part. We use very different muscles! We do things like ‘pivoting in’ which is almost unnatural. At the beginning there’s a lot of falling over – I’m not the most graceful person! But once you get it right, it becomes this fluid dance.

Why do you need to move like that?

If we’re just walking up and down, it’s not engaging for the dogs. We move our bodies to encourage them to go and sniff the right places. We want to keep it interesting and direct them but without being prescriptive. Those movements also help us work around all the obstacles – the passengers, the trolleys – so they all get coverage.

When did Ally start working as a detector dog?

Ally has an interesting history. She was featured on the first season of the TV show Dog Squad: Puppy School. Then she worked as a BMSB dog (trained to detect the brown marmorated stink bug). Just before I joined the programme, she was training to become an Ag dog, so she has learned to pick up all the standard target odours for meat, fruit and plants. She has amazing trainability.

What makes a good detector dog? Food drive – they really want to get that biscuit. And they have to be very

stubborn. For example, one day at the airport we had a gentleman who told me that he’d had some jerky several hours earlier. He was adamant that was all he’d had. When I said to Ally ‘let’s go,’ she just went ‘nope’ and dug in. So, I had his bag searched and they found a mandarin. Ally knew. That stubbornness is really important. The dog shouldn’t let you walk away if they know something is there.

How do you work with the dogs? When they’re training, they progress through different types of boxes and bags. We start with them open and then close them to make it harder and harder for the dog to find things. We’re always introducing different odours and gradually increasing the difficulty of tasks. Even a dog that’s been working for five years will still be learning. They might know an odour already, but it’s up to us as handlers to make sure we’re keeping them on their toes. If we see that they’re finding more of one thing and less of another, we’ll work on developing those other areas.

the day at the airport again, then bring the dog back to the kennels, give them dinner and put them to bed. Has Ally found any unusual things? There was a lady who had this really beautiful designer handbag, the kind that you envy a little bit. It was very small. Ally stopped on that, and I thought to myself ‘what on earth could you fit in there?’ But she’d put her child’s cheeseburger into her very nice designer handbag and forgotten about it. The weirdest part was that her passports were also in there! She would’ve gone in and out of that bag a dozen times and somehow not noticed the cheeseburger.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Biosecurity New Zealand has many layers of defence, but detector dogs are really layer number one. Being that first layer is a huge responsibility. It’s amazing being able to protect our land and our environment that we all care so deeply about.

Odours come and go. A while ago we were getting lots of flowers off island flights and cruise ships, but staff are getting better at reminding people not to bring their leis back with them. So now we don’t get them as often, but it’s really important that the dogs will still pick up on those odours by introducing them as targets.

What does a typical day look like for you?

We pick up our dogs from the kennels and bring them to the airport where we start processing people. Later in the day we might be deployed to different sites. We go to the port to make sure no-one is bringing any food off cruise ships. We can be on mail, checking the letters and parcels at NZ Post. We normally finish

But on a more personal level, seeing your dog achieve success is one of the best feelings in the world. I get so proud of her and the work we do. Whenever she finds something I think ‘oh, good girl, you’ve done it!’ Of course I’ve got to keep cool when I’m working, but in my head I’m doing a celebration dance. I will admit to doing a little skip afterwards. Not many people are lucky enough to get to do this and every one of us handlers keep that perspective. We work really hard and the days can be very long; you have to be so, so resilient. But when I walk through the airport and hear people saying, “you’ve got the best job in the world!” I bank those comments, and I think, ‘yeah, I do.’

ICONIC ART ON DISPLAY

WORKS FROM ARTISTS who have become household names, including Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh will be on display at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. A Century of Modern Art will be showcased exclusively in Tāmaki Makaurau from June 7, and will feature a collection of 57 iconic works by 53 artists, all of them being exceptional examples by pioneering artists of the American and European avant-garde.

Organised by the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, the exhibition traces the birth of modern painting, beginning with the Impressionists of the 1860s, and follows the evolution through key movements such as Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cubism, Surrealism and more.

See aucklandartgallery.com

Claude Monet, Water Lilies, about 1922, oil on canvas, Toledo Museum of Art, Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey.

Vincent van Gogh, Wheat Fields with Reaperm Auvers, 1890, oil on canvas, Toledo Museum of Art, Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 1935.

with AA Directions

There are great prizes up for grabs in this issue to make life a little brighter as we head into the cooler months.

Cruise with Heritage Expeditions

Discover the beauty of the Marlborough Sounds on board the 18-guest yacht Heritage Explorer. Joining an immersive wilderness expedition with Heritage Expeditions, you’ll spend six nights in a Salvin’s double cabin departing Blenheim on November 21, 2025. The prize is for two people, worth from $6,286 per person. Winners need to arrange travel to and from Blenheim.

To enter, send your name and contact number to:

AA Directions Heritage Explorer PO Box 5, Shortland Street Auckland 1140

Or enter online at aadirections.co.nz before June 30, 2025.

Shop the Tony Sly Pottery collection

Most of the bowls, jugs, mugs and vases of the Tony Sly Pottery collection are brought to life on the wheel between the maker’s own hands; each piece is handled about 23 times over a three- to four-week period. With distinctive shapes and generous coatings of glaze in rich, earthy tones – chalky whites, creamy blues and forest greens evocative of Raglan’s coastal landscape – Tony Sly’s creations are highly original.

AA Directions has a Tony Sly Pottery voucher valued at $300 and redeemable online or in store at Auckland’s Newmarket or Raglan wharf to give away.

Defeat dirt with Dyson’s new Car+Boat vacuum

To enter, send your name and contact number to:

AA Directions Tony Sly PO Box 5, Shortland Street Auckland 1140

Or enter online at aadirections.co.nz before June 30, 2025.

From highway to harbour, the Dyson Car+Boat vacuum is the ideal cleaning companion. This lightweight, hand-held vacuum is powered by a 110,000rpm motor and comes with a 50-minute battery life, as well as advanced filtration. Designed to adapt to modern lifestyles, it offers a practical and quiet cleaning solution for life’s messiest journeys – from quickly tidying spills at home to cleaning up after adventures on the road or at sea. Its compact size and powerful performance make it perfect for cleaning car interiors, boat cabins, and hard-to-reach spaces. From upholstery to tight gaps, no mess is out of reach.

AA Directions has a Dyson Car+Boat vacuum valued at $499 to give away.

To enter, send your name and contact number to:

AA Directions

Dyson Car+Boat vacuum PO Box 5, Shortland Street Auckland 1140

Or enter online at aadirections.co.nz before June 30, 2025.

GIANTS OF THE FOREST

THE TRACK TO NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST TREE, Tāne Mahuta, has reopened after closing during last spring for improvements.

Tāne Mahuta is on Northland’s Ancient Kauri Trail, which starts at the base of the Brynderwyn mountains north of Auckland and passes through Matakohe, home of the Kauri Museum, through Dargaville and along the west coast to the Hokianga Harbour. North of Dargaville is Waipoua Forest, a 30km stretch along SH12, rich in mature kauri and home to Tāne Mahuta.

A short track leads to New Zealand’s most iconic tree, a 51-metre-high, 430 tonne, 2,000-year-old specimen – and Tāne Mahuta’s almost-as-big neighbour, Te Matua Ngahere. Improved boardwalks and viewing platforms have been installed to minimise kauri dieback, the disease decimating kauri forests, and access is now restricted to daylight hours. With around 200,000 people visiting Tāne Mahuta every year, the risk to the tree is considerable. Now, gates will open at 9am and close at 4pm daily and kauri ambassadors are on site to further protect the taonga.

Other giants of the forest can be found within Waipoua Forest and in Trounson Kauri Park, near Donnelly’s Crossing.

A 40-minute loop track around a 101-year-old ‘mainland island’ covers 450 hectares, packed with many thousand-year-old trees.

Kauri forest once covered the warmest parts of the country down to the Waikato, but with only one percent left, it is essential that visitors respect the need to clean footwear and equipment as they enter and leave the bush.

ON ANOTHER LEVEL

A NEW TOURISM OFFERING is taking ferry excursions on Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour to new heights – literally.

The world’s first state-of-the-art electric hydrofoiling ferry, Kermadec, joined the Fullers360 fleet in Auckland earlier this year and is now a regular feature on the harbour.

The craft glides above the waves at an impressive 25 knots, taking tourists on trips to enjoy views of the city skyline, Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Hauraki Gulf. On-board commentary highlights the cuttingedge hydrofoiling technology, as well as detailing the surrounding marine environment.

The six-seater, eco-friendly vessel runs entirely on electricity, making for a smooth and entirely emissions-free ride. Another benefit is the absence of boat wake, removing the environmental impact of disturbance to shorelines.

The 40-minute journey departs from Viaduct Harbour Marina. See fullers.co.nz for more details.

Support for feathered friends

KĀKĀPŌ ADOPTIONS are a special way to support the conservation of this critically endangered bird.

There are just 244 kākāpō alive today. The Department of Conservation is calling for adoptions of these unique New Zealand taonga in an effort to keep them thriving.

Adopt a kākāpō for yourself or as a gift and choose your level of support – bronze, silver or gold –as well as the feathered friend you want to adopt.

Will it be Bluster-Murphy who was attacked in his nest as a chick by a male kākāpō and lost two toes? Perhaps Nora the

Marvellous Matriarch who at 44 years old, is the oldest known kākāpō alive. Or Rangi, a stealthy bird with exceptional evasion skills who hid for 21 years.

Kākāpō adopters will receive an emailed certificate, be kept in the loop about their adopted bird and receive information from the Kākāpō Recovery Programme.

All adoptions are valid for 12 months and are purely symbolic: you don’t actually own the bird. But you will play a vital role in preserving the population of our native green parrot for generations to come.

See doc.govt.nz

RULE CHANGE CREATES SONG AND DANCE

A NEW KIWI MUSICAL tells the unofficial story of the 2012 change to New Zealand’s give way rule.

Performed at Wellington’s Circa Theatre, Give Way –The Musical is a comedic take on the rule change which saw all right-turning traffic give way to vehicles turning left, and the uproar it created among Kiwi motorists.

Join Sophie, an idealistic Ministry of Transport employee who wants to change the world. She starts with the country’s give way rule, knowing a change will make our roads safer. But she attracts a swathe of opposition from those who believe the new rule will destroy the lives of decent, hard-working New Zealanders.

The charming musical is penned by Invercargill resident Stephen Page who, when not writing awardwinning scripts, is a postman in the small South Island settlement of Wallacetown. Performed by a five-strong cast of characters and accompanied by live music, this quirky musical runs at Circa Theatre in Wellington from April 26 to May 24.

See circa.co.nz

Calling all bibliophiles

FEATHERSTON IN WAIRAPARA IS A BOOKTOWN. It’s a small town or village close to a major city, in which bookshops are concentrated. The residents set up events around books: selling them, writing, reading, illustrating, printing, making and publishing them. One of the most famous is Hay-on-Wye in Wales, but there are several around the world. The International Organisation of Booktowns binds these places together.

Featherston, which boasts eight permanent bookshops and is an hour north of Wellington, became a full member in 2018. Each year, the town runs a phenomenally popular book festival and this year is its 10th.

From May 9 to 11, the Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival (Karukatea translates as ‘the clear and observant eye’) will be packed with events, workshops, book launches, author talks and social gatherings for book lovers of every description. Some events are ticketed, some are free.

See booktown.org.nz

DIVAS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

HEAR THE WORD ‘DIVA’ and what comes to mind? It can be a polarising term. A new exhibition at Auckland War Memorial Museum explores how the definition of diva – meaning goddess in Italian – has been subverted and embraced over time, and how the label has been reclaimed by performers, fans and wider society.

From June to October 2025 DIVA will shine a spotlight on how the moniker has been used across gender, genres and history. From nineteenth century opera singers and icons of stage and screen to contemporary global superstars, including Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cher and Rihanna, DIVA celebrates how performers continue to redefine the term.

Through iconic looks, posters, song sheets, personal items, photography and more, DIVA will demonstrate the phenomenal ability of the diva to transform and inspire.

See Aucklandmuseum.com

Understanding Bus Lanes

MANY ROAD USERS get confused about the rules governing bus lanes.

Unauthorised use of a bus lane can result in a $150 infringement fee. One Wellington bus lane camera racked up almost a quarter of a million dollars in fines between December 2024 and January 2025; high numbers of fines have been forked out for breaking the bus lane rules in Auckland and Christchurch, too.

Individual councils take care of local bus lane installation and management. Generally, bus lanes are identified by green road markings.

There are two types of bus lanes in New Zealand: bus-only lanes and standard bus lanes:

Bus-only lanes are reserved exclusively

for buses. Unauthorised vehicles are always prohibited. They have ‘bus only’ written on the road.

Standard bus lanes can be used by bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and in-service taxis as well as buses. Both types of bus lanes can operate for variable hours. Some operate 24/7 but others only on certain days and certain hours.

Drivers need to look out for signs showing what dates and times the bus lane operates.

Outside of those hours, all road users are free to use the bus lane as a normal lane. If there are no signs showing times of operation, then it is a 24/7 bus lane. Also important to understand are the

rules around when and where you can enter and exit a bus lane:

Drivers may enter a bus lane ‘briefly’ – up to 50 metres (the equivalent of ten cars or four bus lengths) – before turning into a side road, a driveway or another lane. Be sure to stay within the 50-metre limit and take care that any manoeuvre does not impede authorised vehicles in the lane. Stopping or parking in bus lanes during their operational hours is prohibited unless driving a permitted vehicle or in an emergency. If in doubt, stay out of the bus lane and stick to the regular traffic lane. Where possible, observe posted lane signage and follow the stop and park rules to avoid fines.

Brought to life

AS MICKEY MOUSE would say: “H-Hey everybody!”

An exclusive Wellington exhibition offers a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes magic that goes into creating some of the world’s most beloved animations.

Every Disney character first began as a drawing. From original sketches of timeless characters to modern, computergenerated renders, visitors to the Wellington show will discover how they are brought to life at the touring exhibition Disney: The Magic of Animation.

Curated by the team at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, the exhibition at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre is on now until July 2025.

Art Exhibitions and Conservation Manager at Walt Disney Animation Research Library Kristen McCormick and her team selected more than 600 artworks from a collection of over 65 million.

“Guests will have a rare opportunity to see how the artists develop our stories and work through different ideas and concepts as they create the films we know so well,” Kristen says.

The exhibition features artworks from classic stories and films spanning 100 years of Walt Disney Animation Studios, including Mickey Mouse from the 1920s and 1940s through to modern favourites like Frozen (2013). The exhibition also includes artwork from Disney’s latest release in 2024, Moana 2

See wellingtonnz.com

experts

A CLASSIC REIMAGINED

NEW ZEALAND OPERA'S 2025 mainstage performance of La Bohème by Puccini will take audiences to the heart of Paris in a timeless masterpiece.

The new production starring a New Zealand and international cast explores the depths of love, art, and humanity while staying true to the bohemian spirit of this enduring classic.

Sung in Italian with English surtitles, the nationwide show begins in Auckland in May before travelling to Wellington and Christchurch throughout June and July.

See nzopera.com

AA Members receive a 15% discount on full priced adult tickets to NZ Opera productions when booking online with the AA promo code NZOAA2025.*

Solutions come in many shapes and forms: simple, super smart, surprising even. They are sometimes born before the problem they’re solving is widely acknowledged. Did you know misshapen fruit was discarded, or that old plastic pool toys were a problem? Have you considered what to do if a school is short of a classroom, or what can be done with all those old vineyard posts? And who’d have thought of taking a surgery unit on the road, arranging au pairs for the elderly or providing an off-road wheelchair to make a mountain accessible? Read on to find out!

See aadirections.co.nz for the full stories and more photographs.

Nicola Edmonds talks to the founders of Wonky Box.

FROM CURLY CUCUMBERS and conjoined twin tamarillos to aubergines with additional appendages, Angus Simms and Katie Jackson have found a place for misfit produce. The couple built a food delivery business, Wonky Box, targeted at reducing the problems of food waste in New Zealand, while also supporting growers and offering an affordable, seasonal and sustainable food source for customers.

The idea first came to them during a summer holiday. Following a post-Covid move back to New Zealand after living and working in London for eight years, Angus and Katie bought themselves a campervan and went travelling through the South Island. They spent a few months parked up in the town of Brightwater on the outskirts of Nelson, a large growing region with plenty of seasonal work, which gave them first-hand experience of the challenges facing local growers.

“We were seeing super-fresh produce, straight from the trees, being refused because it didn’t meet retail or export standards. The growers were reduced to trying to sell from roadside stalls, or to livestock farmers, or even dumping it. And they weren’t getting a cent of profit.”

The couple had seen some initiatives being developed to address food waste while they were overseas and Angus had previously worked for a British company that specialised in lending to small-to-medium business enterprises, which provided a useful window into establishing new products and services. “We put two and two together and started to research whether there was anything similar happening in New Zealand.”

Angus believes that roughly a third of all produce grown in New Zealand doesn’t leave the farm or orchard. The pair developed the concept of Wonky Box to work directly with growers to reduce that waste and start a direct supply chain from farm to consumer.

The business was launched from Wellington in 2021. “We set up a

company online, and just got stuck in straight away.” The campervan was stripped out and they drove it up and down the Kāpiti Coast to seek out growers. “We were literally just door knocking from one grower to the next, asking if they had these supply problems, which, of course, they did.”

Angus and Katie define ‘wonky’ as anything that’s deemed unsuitable in appearance by the major retailers.

“Things can be too big, too small, or an interesting shape that doesn’t necessarily meet the standards that are set for strict export markets or supermarkets here in New Zealand. A grower will rarely grow wonky produce deliberately. They want to grow the best produce, and they want to grow the right amount of produce to meet demand. But the reality is that hardly ever happens.”

A simple subscription service allows Wonky Box customers to choose the contents of their box – vegetables, fruit or both – box size and frequency of deliveries. Growers deliver their surplus or unusual produce to distribution depots in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland where it’s boxed up for delivery to subscribers the next day.

Angus and Katie are proud to report that the Wonky Box initiative has diverted more than four million kilograms of produce from waste. Future plans include finding ways to tackle waste at other levels of the supply chain and deliver these savings to customers. The couple believe that food shouldn’t be expensive.

“It’s a basic need. If we can create more solutions in other spaces, and funnel them through Wonky Box, then that’s a focus for us to work towards.”

Tauranga resident and tetraplegic Amanda Lowry, pictured with her family and helpers, can access the summit of Mount Maunganui thanks to the TrailRider.

A mobility solution for community use impresses writer Debbie Griffiths.

IT’S ONE OF NEW ZEALAND’S most recognisable landmarks, climbed by around a million people every year. For Tauranga’s Amanda Lowry, Mauao Mount Maunganui was a three-times-aweek walk with her partner and daughter until the accident 12 years ago that nearly claimed her life.

“I dove off my surfboard without my hands up,” she explains. “I hit a sandbar and broke my neck.”

It was just six days after the birth of their daughter Ziggy, a sister for threeyear-old Lola.

“I was a kitesurfer, a real water sport girl, and being on the water daily was just what I did. I went from being an active six-foot-tall wāhine to a high-level tetraplegic. When you are able-bodied, the world rolls out in your favour, and you never consider that there’s another way of being. Suddenly, I was in a different group where everything is down low and people don’t know how to treat you or what to say.”

Twelve weeks after her injury, Amanda was back home and had to find a new way of being in the world.

“Wheelchair rugby was a game changer for me and my whānau”, she says. “When you roll into a space where everyone is on wheels there’s a sense of community and belonging. In my rugby chair, I feel so free. My kids got to see that Mum wasn't the only one in a wheelchair. Wheelchair rugby helped us all make a new normal.”

With a desire to ensure everyone has access to a good life, Amanda took on an advisory role with Tauranga City

Council, becoming the first to try the TrailRider in 2022.

“In the TrailRider, you’re surrounded by kaiarahi (your guides). You’re in their arms and they are with you on the journey,” she says.

It had been six years since Amanda had climbed Mauao. The views were “incredible”and reaching the top was an emotional moment that she describes as a gift.

“I had a cry and a cuddle with my family. It was so special to be with them all up there. I didn’t think I’d ever have that chance again.”

The TrailRider was invented in Canada and is one of only three in the country. It has arms for people to guide, a wheel under the seat and a motor, operated with an accelerator and a brake. A team of three is required for operation.

Amanda is passionate about getting everyone active.

“I think people assume they have to be disabled to use the TrailRider, but the more people who use it, the better,” she says. “For example, if your gran can no longer climb the Mount, she might want to go in the TrailRider so she can celebrate her 80th at the summit.”

The TrailRider is for anyone in the community with limited mobility. It’s free to book online for three-hour intervals or in the low season, you can book it and take it away for up to a week.

“While the TrailRider allows us to access the natural environment again, it does more than that,” Amanda says. “It truly connects people and gives you a sense that nothing is impossible.”

The AA is all about providing solutions, from helping stranded motorists, to emergency and maintenance fixes for your property with AA Home. See p.72 for details on AA Home Book a Job, the online service for booking AA-trusted trade professionals.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALAN GIBSON

Jo Percival discovers a new approach to elder care.

ONE OF THE THINGS many older people struggle with is loneliness.

In today’s hectic world when we’re pulled between demanding careers, full schedules and often chaotic lives, elderly people can bear the brunt of our busyness.

Having run a nanny and au pair agency for 20 years, Tanya Burrage came to realise there was a need at the other end of the age spectrum.

“Many of our client families have been with the agency for years,” Tanya says. “But now their children are grown, and their parents are ageing. Instead of children, I was starting to get enquiries about au pairs for parents.

“What we hear all the time is people saying they’re so busy, they’re working full-time and have three kids. They might live an hour away from their ageing parents and can't pop in to see them every day, but they’re worried about them.”

Realising this could be a widespread problem, Tanya and her team at Dream Childcare decided to extrapolate their offering into eldercare.

“We’ve copied the same model that we use for au pairs with children,” Tanya explains. “You can either have a live-in au pair who might come from Europe and would stay with you for six months or a year, or we have companions who will come in for a minimum three-hour period to spend time with you.”

Rather than providing end-of-life care, the Dream team is focused primarily on companionship for older people who might otherwise be lonely or isolated.

“A lot of other care services are Government funded and highly regulated,” Tanya explains. “Carers will tend to focus on people’s physical needs, helping with showering or dressing. Many are only allowed to provide a person with a microwave-heated meal. But because we’re a private agency our companions will share the meal with the person.

“As they get older, one of the things people begin to miss out on is the simple pleasure of sharing a meal.”

A big part of what au pairs provide is being able to slow the pace down to match the needs of the clients, Tanya says. “Life is so fast, we’re all ‘go go go,’ and that can

be quite overwhelming for many elderly people. They want someone who is not under so much time pressure.

“That’s why many families are choosing our service. It means someone will come in and actually spend the time just chatting or taking them on an outing.

Someone with patience is a huge part of it.”

Having a young au pair also provides opportunities for forging intergenerational connections.

“One of the things we firmly believe is that elderly people have so much information and experience to share,” Tanya says. “It’s not just someone coming in to care for the elderly person, it’s also about them sharing their experiences with someone younger.

“One of our au pairs is 27 and studying part-time. She has lived with a 93-year-old man for the last three years and they have the most amazing relationship. I’m sure she keeps him young, but it works both ways –they have fantastic chats about philosophy and politics and all sorts of stuff.”

There’s also an inter-generational element within the au pair network, Tanya says.

“There are a lot of older people out there who don’t have grandchildren and a lot of kids who don’t have grandparents. So, when we have an au pair looking after a two-yearold and another one nearby looking after a 90-year-old, they will get together. We run children’s playgroups each week and the elderly will come along with their au pairs to watch the kids play or read stories to them.

“It's about connecting people,” Tanya continues. “Our job is really just about making family life easier for everyone.”

1. Dream founder Tanya Burrage and business partner Kristen Moolman.

Inter-generational engagements are one of the many positives of the Dream au pair model.

The café is open from 8am to 6pm, seven days a week, serving mugs of tea, bracing stovetop-brewed coffee and homemade baking brought in by volunteers. A koha jar takes the place of a price list, with donations from those who choose to contribute providing enough to cover the small expenses incurred to run the space.

A teacher and students meet a community challenge, reports Nicola Edmonds.

KURA TEACHER Adrian ‘Adi’ Leason encourages students in his English class to think critically. Last year, when he asked them to focus on ‘what’s going on?’, they talked about seeing people sleeping under hedges, someone pushing a supermarket trolley full of packet noodles and a queue along the footpath beside a local fast food outlet.

The year 13 students of Te Kura ā Iwi o Whakatupuranga Rua Mano (WRM), in Ōtaki, saw people struggling with the problem of nourishment. Closer to hand, they saw another problem: a serious lack of space for one of the school’s junior classes which was being taught in a resource cupboard.

The students decided to tackle both problems by building an all-in-one portable classroom and café. They saw it as a way to feed the mind and body through food and connection. “We can talk at length about why a problem exists, and sometimes that's helpful,” Adi explains, “but we can also just get straight to solutions, and that’s what the kids did.”

The project began at Adi’s farm, not far from the school, during the first

term in 2024. It was named Te Mauri Hā (the breath of life). The construction process was a teaching opportunity in itself. Students made even the smallest decisions by consensus and were hands- on in every way, from dismantling and repurposing discarded wood pallets, assembling cladding and insulating the walls, to installing and wiring solar panels.

Local builders and electricians would sometimes stop by and “add some value.”

Most of the materials were found or donated. Apart from the flatbed truck, which was bought cheaply online using funds raised by the school, the project cost only a few thousand dollars, which Adi paid for himself.

The completed 6x3m cabin, which houses comfy couches, a potbelly stove for the winter months, a fridge, bench and gas hob, was originally moved to the school where it served as an adjunct classroom for the next few terms. When it came time for Te Mauri Hā to assume the other side of its dual identity, as a free café, it was taken to a car park beside the dunes at Ōtaki Beach.

The main challenge for the students was to find the time to sustain their dream once it was open to the public. Their original intention was to staff the café themselves.

Student Starr Rikihana says, “I think we were more committed to this project than we were to our actual classes!”

She and her classmates and teacher were overwhelmed by the support of local community members who came forward to help and created a roster of two-hour shifts. Volunteers now serve in the café and provide manaakitanga (kindness) to all comers. Their only request was that they be allowed to run the café by themselves, for themselves.

Selina Metuamate, one of the café volunteers, describes it as magnetising for both locals and foreign visitors. “This is a space where we can just be ourselves and at peace with the environment.”

Another student, Halo Rikihana, talks about the pride everyone involved feels in the project, successfully solving two problems at once. “It’s not normal to be learning in an English class about how to build a café and how other people are struggling, but I think we really made a difference,” she says. “It’s about learning to treat other people with kindness and give to everyone in need.”

1. Volunteers at work in the Te Mauri Hā café. 2. The mobile café, now located at Ōtaki Beach, began life as a classroom.

3. Teacher Adrian Leason with students, twins Starr and Halo Rikihana.

Repost now repurposes this broken wood for some of New Zealand’s best-known producers, including Villa Maria, Pernod Ricard and Yealands.

“We’re a portable service so we process the posts on-site at vineyards,” Dansy adds. “It works with the industry because its aim is to be zero waste to landfill by 2050.”

Fiona Terry reports on a solution that saves money and trees.

SINCE STARTING what they call their ‘accidental business’ four years ago, Dansy and Greg Coppell have saved over 8,700 tonnes of waste from landfill and helped many farmers, landscapers and gardeners find affordable solutions for their land.

Their firm Repost gives broken vineyard posts a second life as low-cost fencing.

The idea for their initiative germinated after buying a 500-hectare sheep and beef farm near St Arnaud. With a shoestring budget they needed an economical way to complete some urgently needed fencing – 30km of it no less!

“My father-in-law Allan, who’s a fourthgeneration farmer, suggested we go to Marlborough because so many vineyards have unwanted broken posts,” Dansy says. “Greg found a vineyard all too happy to get rid of some.”

The couple started their fencing mission using the wood but needed to remove the many clips and nails that had previously supported the trellis lines.

After cleaning up over 10,000 of them,

Greg’s hands were covered in blisters, so – with many thousands still to go – he and Allan designed and built from scrap a hydraulic clip and nail puller.

The results were such a success neighbouring farmers and friends asked if they could have some too – and so the new business was formed.

A philosophy graduate and with experience in marketing, Dansy took care of the admin and accounts, while Greg focused on processing the posts. At busy times, family and friends helped out. And supply was never a problem.

“Every year the mechanical harvesters break about three to five percent of vineyard posts,” Dansy says. “That’s about a million every year.

“Previously, that was either stockpiled on vineyards, sold on a small scale to some farmers, buried, or burned. There’d never been a solution to all this unwanted treated timber, so the viticulture industry’s really grateful we’re tackling this issue head-on.”

The couple have now also found a use for the sections too short to meet the 1.61.8m requirement for farm fencing.

“We’re keen to divert as much as possible from landfill, so Greg and our qualified engineer, Tom Te Heu Heu, designed a new machine to process the shorter lengths to make batons. They’re also in demand by the everyday farmer and ours are a fraction of the cost of buying new.”

The business, which now has team of 17, recently added another new product essential to farmers.

“Some wire netting companies got in touch wondering if we could help with an issue they were having,” Dansy says. “They explained that when they make a roll, which could be up to 500m long, if there’s even a small defect where the machine hasn’t been calibrated properly and a tiny length isn’t perfect, they can’t do anything with it.

“They’re still perfectly fit for purpose, so we now sell these seconds for the value-hunting farmer rather than them going to scrap metal, or just sitting there. It’s not like a cow or sheep would be worried it doesn’t look perfect!”

Vanessa Trethewey meets a creative hero.

TURNING GIANT SWANS into beach bags may not sound very PC, but when the swans are inflatable pool toys, it’s an ingenious way to reduce landfill.

Aucklander Nina Darrah is a Council employee by day, recycling warrior by night. Since 2019, the resourceful 33-yearold has rescued mountains of unwanted pool toys, giving them a fresh lease of life through her side hustle, I Used To Be. From her dad’s Hillsborough garage, Nina fashions key chains from donuts, purses from pineapples and splashproof carryall bags from flamingos, toucans and lobsters, selling her one-of-a-kind creations at markets and online. Better still, by extending the life of these toys, she is reducing plastic waste.

“Inflatable pool toys are super popular in New Zealand – everybody knows somebody with a pool! The problem is, once they pop and deflate, nobody knows what to do with them, and because they’re made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) they can’t be recycled, so landfill is the only disposal option,” Nina explains.

“Through I Used To Be, I hope to inspire Kiwis to think differently about our consumerist culture, and in doing so, do my bit to reduce the amount of plastic entering New Zealand landfills.”

In the six years since launching her business, Nina has achieved a lot, crafting over 2,000 purses and bags from up to 200 discarded inflatables. (“I can get around 15 bags from a giant swan, maybe ten from an inflatable ring.”) But she’s only just scratched the surface.

“Right now, I have about 1,000 inflatables stacked up in my dad’s garage waiting to be cut, cleaned and made into bags. When I started out I just had one small storage rack, now it’s an entire wall. It’s quite overwhelming actually. It’s hard to make a dent in it.”

Nina first stumbled upon the idea while living in the UK where she met a woman making bags out of bouncy castles.

“I thought it was a cool concept but I didn’t have the capacity to deal with that amount of material. Then I discovered pool toys. I put a call out on Facebook for old inflatables, then made up some samples and took them to a market. People loved them! The reality is that we buy these toys but never know what to do with them once they’ve popped and we feel guilty putting them in the bin.”

Now, with nine established donation hubs from Whangārei to Cambridge (including private homes and resource recovery centres), we don’t need to feel quite so bad.

“It’s cool because people can be involved from end to end, donating a toy and then buying one back as a bag.”

The venture hasn’t been completely headache free, with the quality of donations not always up to scratch.

“It’s a bit like donating used clothing –items need to be clean and in reasonable condition. We can’t make bags out of mouldy inflatables, but sometimes people just want to pass the problem on, and I was getting all these mouldy old pool toys that weren’t fit to be turned into bags.”

A new partnership with Matta has been a game changer. “Matta makes playground matting with a large recycled component, so now I take all of my waste to them, including my offcuts and the toys I can’t use, and they can use it for their matting. It’s exciting because we are now on our way to becoming a zerowaste venture.”

Eventually Nina hopes to go out of business. “That would be the ultimate dream: running out of material because we’re no longer buying and discarding pool toys.”

The AA is all about providing solutions – from helping stranded motorists, to emergency and maintenance fixes for your house with AA Home. See p.72 for details on AA Home Book a Job, the online service for booking AA-trusted trade professionals.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JESSIE CASSON

are local, it becomes their service, not someone else coming in and taking over.”

Taking the scary factor out of a procedure for children is something Mark prides his team on.

Taking health to the community makes good sense, reports Monica Tischler.

SENDING RURAL PEOPLE to a centralised “big white hospital” for low-risk medical procedures and day surgeries can create challenges for both the patient and their families. Not to mention the added pressure on an already stretched health system. So, why not flip the model?

The question was discussed among medical professionals more than 30 years ago and led to the creation of Mobile Health Group, a trio of trucks on an extraordinary mission to bring lifechanging medical procedures to isolated Kiwi communities.

Rethinking the conventional ‘one size fits all’ approach makes sense on all accounts, says the group’s Chief Executive and former nurse Mark Eager.

“You don’t always need to go to a big white hospital for treatment. We’re creating issues by sending everyone to a central place. There are many services that can be delivered to communities around New Zealand if they’re wellcoordinated, efficient and reliable, which we’ve proven to be,” he says.

“If you’ve got an expensive piece of technology that you don’t use every day,

then make it mobile and share it. That’s the reason we exist.”

What began as the brainchild of urologist Dr Stuart Gowland three decades ago, a truck and trailer called the Lithotripsy Unit began travelling up and down the country for the non-invasive treatment of kidney stones.

The Surgical Unit joined in 2002. It’s kitted out with an entire operating theatre for low-risk elective day surgeries including colonoscopies, gastroscopies and paediatric dental operations which Mark says is an answer to a “nationwide health crisis” of unhealthy teeth and gums in children.

And last year, the country’s first mobile PET CT Unit hit the road to diagnose and monitor cancer.

Today, around 50,000 patients from Dargaville to Gore have benefitted from these mobile services. The units are privately owned and receive Ministry of Health funding.

“We bring the surgical units and the specialist staff like an anaesthetist, surgeon, charge and recovery nurses but we utilise the local staff from the local town,” Mark says. “When the nursing staff

“We tell the children they’re in a transformer. Some will sit in the driver’s seat and they can honk the truck’s horn. These kids walk into theatre thinking ‘wow, this is amazing’. It’s a completely different experience for them,” Mark says.

He recalls a time, in Hāwera, during a routine operation to insert grommets under general anaesthetic. “It was a nice sunny day. There was a group of mums with their kids playing under the poplar tree. That was the pre-admission area, and beneath the oak tree was recovery. Kids would come out a bit sleepy and wake up in mum’s arms under the tree. We had all the proper equipment, but it was a much nicer experience for everyone and not nearly as traumatic.”

There have been times when the Mobile Health Units were commandeered as backup support. Mark recalls when Tīmaru Hospital closed all four of its theatres for maintenance: “For four days we provided the only theatre in town, delivering nine babies via caesarean and an emergency hip replacement.”

Mark hopes that one day the mobile health concept will become more widely used.

“We all know the health system is challenged. We need some innovation. There’s no reason why there couldn’t be a small fleet of units going to general practices in rural and regional areas and freeing up those big white hospitals. Ideally that’s the next step.”

See aadirections.co.nz for this issue's full feature stories and more photographs.

BY JIM

PHOTOGRAPHS

HUANG

Wheel Love

Erin and her 1983 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.

WHEN SHE SPOTTED THE CAR in the Dunedin classified ads, Erin knew it was hers. For starters, she was born in the same year as it was made. The clincher was that its American ‘muscle’ would suit her obsession with big sound.

There was a barrier though; Erin was still on her learner’s licence. She signed up for driving lessons and six weeks later, sat the test. Then, with restricted licence in hand, she drove straight to collect the Camaro.

“I had gone from driving a small, quiet car to this big left-hand, ridiculously noisy V8.”

For Erin it’s all about the sounds and aesthetics. “The 80s were about the noise and being showy and, as the Camaro is a child of that era, the speakers are unreal.” The sound quality gets even better as the volume

is cranked up. “You can hear the music clearly over the rumble of the engine and the twin exhausts with that great old V8 sound.”

Erin has added her own Kiwi twist using pre-loved Axminster carpet to line the floor and boot. Sourced from an old pub in Central Otago, she says the provenance suits the Chev’s bigger story. “I love the brown velvet seats and the cigarette burns, which tell a similar story to the pub the carpet came from.”

This creative collaboration with close friend and machinist Haley Videler seeded a new venture to custom-make upholstery using colourful and patterned carpets.

Erin revels in matching cars with carpets, and the Camaro’s spacious boot is used as a salesroom at car shows and swap meets.

We chat with Kiwi motorsport legend, Mad Mike Whiddett.

Behind the scenes of a lesson with AA Driving School.

not EV?

What you need to know when considering an EV purchase in

Kiwi

“Mad Mike” Whiddett is a global motorsport legend. The Red Bull athlete has carved out an enviable career custom-building cars, winning drift championships around the world and amassing millions of fascinated followers. Jo Percival has a chat.

When did your passion for cars begin?

When I was a teenager in the 90s. Every Thursday when the Trade and Exchange would come out my mates and I would race to the dairy to buy a copy, flip to the $1,500 and under section and find old Toyota Corollas, Mazda 626s, 323s or anything RWD that you could pick up for $50 to $100. We’d figure out whether we’d catch a yellow bus, skateboard or BMX to buy these cars. This was about two years before I even had a licence.

What was the first car you owned?

My first car was a 1978 Mazda 323 bought out of the Trade and Exchange for $100. It was just a standard rear-wheel drive with a 1300 piston engine. We also found a RX7 that had been crashed and writtenoff. My buddy had $200, so we swapped the money and my skateboard for this RX7. With no-one to guide us and just half a toolkit from Kmart which was missing a bunch of the main tools, we managed to get the rotary engine from the RX7 into the 323. I remember the hardest thing was trying to convert from a cable clutch to a hydraulic clutch.

Now, when you say your first car was a 1978 Mazda, people ask “how did you afford that?” because they’re so expensive. But back then all that classic stuff was cheap.

How did you get into drifting?

As teenagers we’d race around the gravel roads in Woodhill Forest. We did get in a bit of trouble, I will admit to that. But in Woodhill, we’d shut the gates behind us so we knew no-one else was on the roads and just thrash these cheap RWD cars. That’s where I learned the skill and the discipline of pushing a car to its extremes. Now, I don’t condone street racing at all. These days we have tracks scattered all over the country. I host grassroots drifting days out at Hampton Downs; we’re very fortunate in New Zealand to have so many racetracks where you can have fun in a safe environment. But back in the 90s that was just what we did because it was all that was available.

From there I got into the Rotary Nationals and Skidfests. I’d build cars to do the burnout competitions. For me, the burnouts were more about the show and the excitement, whereas the drag racing was about how much money you could pour into your car to make

it fast. The skid comps were all about entertainment, personality and how the car was built and looked.

From a very young age I learnt the discipline of drifting, but I never once thought that it would turn into a sport and a career.

What do you like most about drifting? I love that it’s the cheapest form of motorsport you can get into. If a car is rear-wheel drive, it will drift. It teaches so many car control skills. If you’re ever in an emergency, if a car is coming towards you on the wrong side of the road or if you simply break traction in the rain and your vehicle starts to get crossed up, you’ll know what to do. If you can drift, you’ll have the instinct to counteract with the steering wheel and the throttle rather than do what most people would when a car starts sliding and either slam on the brakes or freak out and not know what to do with the steering wheel.

How have you seen the sport evolve? Drifting has been around since cars were invented. If you push anything on wheels fast enough around a corner, it’s going to lose traction and you’ll be drifting.

They’re blown away when they see me drifting at more than 260km/h right next to the wall while waving to the kids on the fence.

I’ve seen the sport really develop since the 90s and early 2000s when the Japanese guys were turning it into more of a circus and showcasing the insane speeds and precision driving with their proximity to walls and other cars. Since the early 2000s, corporate brands have got involved, wanting the exposure on cars and helmets, and now there’s massive support from many of the biggest car manufacturers, like Mazda, Toyota, Nissan and Ford. A few years ago, I even partnered with Factory Lamborghini in Italy to build the craziest drift supercar I possibly could in just four weeks.

For me personally it’s evolved from a hobby where it was just me and my mates and I’d buy them a box of beers for helping to change tyres to now, where I really need to invest in the best team, as parts and cars have evolved so much.

How did you get into competitive drifting? I discovered a Japanese drifting DVD and thought ‘damn they have a sport for this?’ I had my Mazda 808 burnout car; my wife Toni had a Mercedes show car. We sold both of those, our TV and VHS player, all of our CDs, everything, to fund building a drift car. In my first year I qualified to compete in California; it had been a childhood dream to get there for motocross. I managed to place in the top 16 in a USA vs Japan World Allstars event.

The following year, I was invited to the Formula Drift Asia championship in Singapore, where I qualified first and got third overall. When I arrived home, I got a phone call from Red Bull saying:

“We've been following you for a long time, welcome to the family.” That was my biggest dream come true. When I was competing in FMX all I wanted was a Red Bull helmet. Now, I’ve been with Red Bull for 18 years and I've received a lot more than that dream skid lid – they've helped bring many of my other visions to life.

What does your schedule look like today? It’s broken up into three parts. There’s competition. I love competing to prove that I’m still one of the best on the global stage. There’s the demonstration side, which is not only being able to showcase myself and my brand partners, but also about elevating our sport and giving it the credibility it deserves. The third part is the film shoots. That’s where I really get to express and push myself. I love fear. It’s the balance between fear and

adrenaline and control. On film shoots I can really push myself to that edge.

I think demonstrations are the most exciting part, especially for people who’ve never seen drifting before. The expectation is that they’re going to see some donuts along the front straight, but they’re blown away when they see me drifting at more than 260km/h right next to the wall while waving to the kids on the fence.

What do you want the young people who look up to you to know?

Maybe you’ve got yourself into trouble and think life’s over because of a stupid crime, but you can change. I was far from the perfect teenager. I was always in trouble with the Police for driving offences and on a rapid downward spiral. But it is possible to turn your life around. If you have the vision, you're already halfway there. The rest is just hard work, determination and surrounding yourself with supportive people.

It’s exciting that people are starting to see that there are actually careers available in New Zealand in car culture and racing. When I was at school, it was all about ‘if you want to be a successful sportsperson, you have to be an All Black.’ For me, I was never kicking a ball around. I had a skateboard, a BMX and radio control cars.

What motivates you?

To never stop challenging myself and never stop entertaining; chasing that feeling of fear and adrenaline and success. Because we didn’t have much when I was growing up, I found it really easy to level up on myself on a day-today basis. I still use the same mentality now and I’ve been able to build a pretty awesome career out of it.

WAY TO GO

My oldest son, Ben, recently turned 16. For me, it was marked not by the usual teenage boy rites of passage – like trying to grow a moustache – but by the reality that my baby boy was ready to learn to drive. Oh, the joy! The relief! The time of taxi driving was coming to an end. But also the panic. Would my nerves survive?

On the couple of occasions I’d taken him out in my car, my son complained that I was freaking him out as I gripped the passenger door and lurched for the steering wheel when all he was doing was “swerving to avoid a bird, Mum!” Not exactly a recipe for successful instruction.

So, I did what every worried, responsible parent would do: I hired a driving instructor.

Our chosen instructor, Jeff Macey from the AA, was, in a word, unflappable.

He was sharp as a tack, with a good repertoire of appropriate jokes at hand to ease the tension and a driving manual embedded in his memory.

Jeff told me his mother-in-law had been killed in a road traffic accident and his daughter had also been involved in a serious crash. This was what had motivated him to become a driving instructor over seven years ago.

“One of the biggest challenges of learning to drive is getting your head around it,” Jeff says. “We’re all unique, and our brains develop at different rates. I tailor my lessons to the individual and try to be gracious in what is a very complex learning process.”

The first lesson started with six-foot Ben somehow curling himself into Jeff’s Suzuki Swift. I waved them off from the driveway, heart in mouth.

One hour later they returned, Ben’s eyes wide and sparking with stories. “Mum, did you know that some people don’t signal before they change lanes?”, said like he’d just discovered a new galaxy.

For lesson two, I decided to join them, to observe. Jeff was very open to the idea and said many parents would do well to do the same.

Jeff spoke calmly, telling Ben, “Let’s try that again,” in a tone that felt more like a cool uncle who lets you mess up but wouldn’t let you crash the car. He used catchphrases such as “mirrors are your friend”, “read your road” and “look long”. With infinite patience, he made sure that Ben didn’t just learn how to drive, he learned the art of driving. Jeff taught him about merging with the confidence of a master conductor orchestrating traffic, and about parking with perfection.

Eventually, the big day of the restricted driving test arrived. I can’t describe what that morning felt like. I had my hopes and fears stuffed into one corner of my brain, while the other corner was distracted by the fact that I was now old enough to have a son taking a driving test.

When he came home that afternoon, the look on his face said it all: a combination of triumph and disbelief, like he’d just been awarded an honorary degree in Adulting. “Mum,” he said, throwing his backpack on the floor, “I passed!” And just like that, my son was driving.

So, parents out there with teenage drivers on the horizon, trust me when I say get them a good driving instructor. Find your Jeff. Get them someone with the patience of a saint, the expertise of a pro, and the tolerance for “why do we need to check our mirrors again?” questions.

And when it’s all over and your kid is cruising around with their new licence, remember that if they’ve been taught by a driving instructor, they may well have better road education than you do.

Kathy Catton witnesses her teenage son taking the wheel.

THE SADD STORY

This year marks 40 years since SADD – Students Against Dangerous Driving – launched in New Zealand. Monica Tischler reports.

Ask Lucy Mehrtens why she joined SADD as a high school student back in 2005 and her answer is simple: “I just didn’t want any of my mates to die in a crash.”

Fast forward two decades and Lucy is continuing to fly the SADD flag as Road Safety Coordinator for Timaru District Council. Her motivation remains the same as when she was a SADD student leader years ago, only now she’s working alongside the charity to help reduce risk on New Zealand roads.

“I’ve always been passionate about road safety because I don’t ever want to see anyone make the wrong choice,” Lucy says.

SADD’s vision is to empower young Kiwis to prevent loss on our roads, together.

It’s this strong sense of student-led unity, Lucy says, that’s paramount to its longstanding success. Students and schools work alongside national road safety organisations, including the AA, towards the goal of reducing harm on the roads and improving the wellbeing of young New Zealanders.

“I call us The SADD Team. Fire and Emergency NZ, Police, St John, Council: we’ve all got our different areas, but we work together as a team. We’ve got good wraparound support so if there’s ever a crash, we’ve got a team ready to respond and provide support to all those involved.

“Obviously SADD wants to avoid crashes happening altogether, but my goal is that if something does happen,

these students can reach out and say, ‘hey, I need help.’ If someone’s nervous about putting their hand up and raising an issue, they can ask one of us.”

SADD began in Massachusetts USA in 1981. In 1985, it was introduced to New Zealand by an American exchange student at Mahurangi College in Warkworth after a spate of drink driving accidents in the region.

Back then, SADD stood for Students Against Driving Drunk and was initially supported by Rotary. Momentum grew, and by the late 1980s, SADD had become a national organisation with resources sent to every secondary school in New Zealand. Today, more than 200 schools are involved in SADD, the only student-led road safety education organisation in Australasia.

The charity holds annual national conferences and regional workshops with thousands of Kiwi students contributing over the years.

SADD General Manager Donna Govorko says the organisation has recently changed gear to encompass the bigger-picture challenges young people face on the road.

“This includes peer pressure, driving distracted and managing fatigue. SADD also encourages and supports young people on their driver licence journey, so that anyone who drives on our roads is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to be safe drivers,” she says.

“After recognising the positive effects of SADD’s work, we realised that we could change other behaviours, too. We saw a culture shift from fear tactics to positive influencing, and working with young people on what they can do to make constructive changes.”

SADD Operations Manager Victoria Domigan says the organisation has introduced four programme aspirations: safe vehicles, safe road users, sharing our roads and the driver licence journey. In 2022, the te reo Māori phrase ‘Kaitiaki o Ara’ was woven into the brand name, translating to ‘guardians of the path, or journey’.

“It’s about empowering youth to be in control of their own destinies,” Victoria says.

Working closely with rangatahi, Lucy knows that the future of SADD is in capable hands.

“SADD is vital in New Zealand communities. The benefit is that those who are involved are already wanting to promote that road safety message. They’re already converted and talking to those who aren’t. Mates talking to mates makes a difference.”

Backed by the AA

The AA plays a pivotal role in SADD’s nationwide reach. AA Driving School and AA’s Transport Policy and Advocacy team work closely with SADD and student leaders to achieve the shared goal of improving road safety.

AA Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer and SADD Board Trustee

Simon Douglas says it’s this symbiotic relationship that is an effective platform from which to reinforce road safety.

“If the AA just stood at its big yellow lectern and told young people what they should do, key messages wouldn’t get traction.

“Young people are still the highest risk group on the roads by far, so we need to have that connection with youth,” he says. “The advantage of

SADD is that with support from the AA and New Zealand Transport Agency as sponsors, Donna and her team provide the framework that allows the students to engage, using evidence and best practice to understand what’s going on in the road safety space.”

Simon says having a youth voice at board level is crucial, and a youth representative, usually drawn from SADD’s National Leaders Programme, attends every meeting. “It’s brought great perspective to the table.”

Road safety among youth will continue to be a focus for the foreseeable future and the AA is committed to keeping SADD funded and functioning.

See SADD.org.nz for more or to donate to the help young Kiwis who are working to prevent loss on our roads.

1. SADD embodies a strong sense of student-led unity. 2. Timaru District Council Road Safety Coordinator and former SADD student leader Lucy Mehrtens. 3. SADD General Manager Donna Govorko. 4&5. Newspaper articles from the archives.

Ben Whittacker-Cook investigates the electric option.

It’s been a challenging 12 months for the electric and hybrid vehicle sectors, but reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated. EVs are here to stay and now might be the ideal moment to embrace clean and green driving.

A few factors are at play in New Zealand’s EV market. Sales have slowed – EVs contributed to 7.7% of all new vehicle sales in 2024, down from 9.8% in 2023 – the Clean Car Discount ended in December 2023, and previously discounted ACC levies have increased to be in line with other cars.

“The enthusiasm for EVs has waned,” says Terry Collins, Principal Policy Advisor at the AA. “And there are some complex reasons for this. But that makes today a good time to buy an EV. There are some sharp value-for-money deals out there, the range of options is growing fast, EVs come with plenty of innovative safety features and, of course, they’re good for the environment.”

Car manufacturers Ford, Nissan, BMW and Audi are among the big hitters launching new models this year, and there’s huge anticipation in the market for the new Tesla Model Y. China remains an influential source of new models, products and innovation with BYD launching the next generation of Blade EV battery, which is designed to last 30 years and comes with an eight-year warranty.

Vehicle stock is what will be of interest to potential buyers right now. Buying new? The GWM Ora, with a range of 310km, is available for $26,990. As of mid-February 2025, a quick look on Trade Me reveals around 2,000 electric vehicles for sale out of the total 113,035 electric cars registered in New Zealand (Drive Electric), with the majority sitting under the $30,000 mark.

And it’s a buyer’s market. Once dealers clear their stock, prices rise, and with supply outstripping demand at present, lower-cost EV motoring has never been more accessible. Electric cars don’t like sitting on the dealership forecourt doing nothing. And neither do sellers. EVs need to keep moving to stay healthy, and a trip to a local dealership or online may present the bargain of a lifetime. In short, there is plenty of choice out there.

One thing that hasn’t changed in the fluctuating market is the exceptional running costs and convenience of EVs. Gen Less reports that 80% of EV owners do half of their charging at home, costing the equivalent of $1.60c per litre to ‘fill up’.

Concerns about range anxiety and the availability of publicly-accessible charge points continue to be barriers to entry. Kiwis like to travel, and while short trips and daily commutes are easily navigable, a longer road trip can seem daunting. However, in April 2024, the Government announced plans to significantly increase the number of public EV chargers across New Zealand, aiming for a network of 10,000 charge points by 2030.

And just like the empty petrol gauge in an internal combustion engine (ICE) car, which can still run a few extra kilometres, real-time tests prove that EVs travel over a greater range than specified. Technological advances are taking EV

collision, for example. And if you get hit at the side, a well-positioned, strong bumper bar runs from one side of the car and one end to the other. Basically, EVs are incredibly tough.”

EVs are also fun to drive: quiet, smooth, easy to handle and rapid in acceleration.

For those wanting some of the fuelsaving and environmental benefits of an EV but with more versatility, a PHEV or FHEV hybrid may be the way to go. A PHEV is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that uses an electric motor and petrol to power the internal combustion engine (ICE); FHEVs are full hybrid electric vehicles that combine a hybrid battery and ICE. FHEVs are selfcharging, the battery is charged through regenerative braking.

Buyers of new hybrids will be spoilt for choice this year, with new cars on the way from Subaru, Great Wall Motors, an updated version of the legendary Honda Civic, and many more.

There are some sharp value-for-money deals out there, the range of options is growing fast, EVs come with plenty of innovative safety features and, of course, they’re good for the environment.

drivers further, too. The first generation 2010 Nissan Leaf, one of the world’s best-selling electric cars, has a range of approximately 160km. Today, the Volkswagen ID4 Pro can make around 519-530km. That’s the equivalent of Kerikeri to Auckland Airport and back on a single charge.

Existing and emerging technologies also make EV driving an extremely safe option. More sophisticated collision avoidance systems, airbag technology (the Volvo XC40 features airbags in the vehicle floor), high-resistance, fire-safe materials, emergency shut-off systems and more: the tech packed into EVs is mind-boggling.

And, as Terry points out, even the design of a basic EV makes it inherently safe. “EVs have a low centre of gravity and a well-protected ‘crumple zone’ that sucks up all the energy of a head-on

And there are thousands of used hybrids on sale, all the time. Thinking PHEVs? The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Outlander are real Kiwi favourites, with ranges of around 55km and 84km, respectively. Older 2018 Crosses with 100,000+ on the clock are on sale for less than $20,000. Popular FHEV models include the versatile Hyundai Ioniq, and the durable Toyota Prius which you can pick up for around $20,000.

Whatever your next purchase, do your research, take plenty of test drives, think about the type of journeys you make, read the reviews and shop around.

See aa.co.nz/cars for car buying and selling advice.

NEW CARS

MG ZS HYBRID

The new MG ZS Hybrid+ has a distinctive design that is both elegant and robust. Under the bonnet, the ZS integrates a 75kW, 1.5L, four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, paired with a 1.83kWh battery and a threespeed ratio hybrid transmission. The combined output delivers fuel consumption of 5.2L/100km. It doesn’t require cords or plugs; the battery recharges while you drive. Advanced safety tech abounds: the MG Pilot system predicts potential safety threats in advance. MG has prioritised comfort and visibility in the ZS Hybrid+, with large rear windows. Available in two variants, the ZS Hybrid+ Excite is priced from $36,990 + ORC and the ZS Hybrid+ Essence is priced from $39,990 + ORC.

VW TIGUAN

The incoming model is bigger, longer and wider, with more interior and boot space. Exterior styling has been refreshed to include a bold rear end. The Life and R Line 2WD have 1,395cc four-cylinder, in-line turbo engines pushing out 110kW at 5,000-6,000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1,500-3,500rpm. Tow rating is 750kg unbraked and an impressive 1,800kg braked. New safety features include central air bag, Front Cross Traffic Alert and Dynamic Road Sign. It has a fivestar ANCAP safety rating. Pricewise, the range starts with the Tiguan Life at $54,490 + ORC, the R Line is $61,490 + ORC, and the R Line AWD is $79,490 + ORC.

KIA EV5

The EV5 is a medium-sized, five-seater SUV, with a 88.1 kWh LFP Blade battery. It’s a quiet and smooth family car, tipping two tonnes with passengers on board, but weight distribution is excellent, providing confident grip, dampening, braking and acceleration. It feels agile and suitably balanced. The EV5 comes with five years of free Kia Connect. This app can remotely control real time tracking, climate control, SOS calls if airbags are deployed, vehicle health status, EV charging status and more. The EV5 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Entry price is $67,990.

HONDA HR-V SPORT

The Generation 3 features e: HEV, a unique two-motor hybrid system that combines high environmental performance with driving pleasure. More joy, less cost, lower carbon footprint. Visually, the HR-V has sleek lines, balancing styling and aerodynamic performance. Inside, the cabin is quiet and clean, with plenty of leg room and comfort. New technology includes an app which lets you connect to turn the lights on and off, remotely lock the doors, geo-locate your car and check your fuel level all without stepping into your car. The HR-V has a four-star ANCAP safety rating. Initially, New Zealand will see just one variant: the HR-V Sport available for $45,800 + ORC.

KIA SPORTAGE EARTH HYBRID

BYD SEALION 6

The Dynamic model has 160kW and 300Nm driving the front wheels via three modes of propulsion: electric, hybrid series and hybrid parallel. Driving in pure EV mode feels competent; 0-100km takes a modest 8.5 seconds. The Premium AWD version adds dual electric motors and extra zest. The chassis and suspension have been tuned for urban driving so it’s a soft ride; the trade-off is confident stability and positive driving characteristics around town. Overall, an impressive experience from a vehicle that balances safety, value, range (an impressive 1,100km), style and features. It has a five-star ANCAP safety rating and pricing starts at $57,990 + ORC. The BYD Sealion won the 2024 AA Driven Car of the Year.

The 2024 Kia Sportage Earth Hybrid is sleek, with a bold grille, distinctive LED headlights and a sporty profile. The interior prioritises comfort and technology, with extra room from an increase in overall length from the previous model. It features an easy-to-use infotainment system plus thoughtful innovations like a wireless phone charger that reminds you if you leave your phone behind. Kia’s hybrid technology combines a petrol engine with an electric motor. This set-up lowers fuel costs and contributes to a quieter and smoother driving experience, especially in urban environments where hybrids excel. The electric motor provides instant torque, aiding acceleration, and responsiveness. Pricing starts at $55,390 + ORC.

Fuel economy ratings are available for these models. To compare fuel economy and safety ratings across other vehicles, go to rightcar.govt.nz

BUYING A NEW CAR?

The AA Motoring Services team test-drives new models and makes of car. Their detailed, impartial reports are available at aa.co.nz/cars , along with ANCAP safety ratings.

48

Exciting evolution

A plethora of luxury makes Christchurch the place to indulge.

54

New beginnings

Port Chalmers Maritime Museum has had a serious makeover.

58

How about Hobart?

There are many reasons to visit the capital of Tasmania besides the Museum of Old and New Art.

Top Spot

Comedian Josh Thomson has fond memories of a rugged beach south of Timaru.

THERE’S A PLACE near my mum and dad’s farm called Lighthouse Reef, just down from Jack’s Point Lighthouse. The beautiful thing about the area is that on a good day you can see the lighthouse, mountains and sea all at the same time. The coastline is eroding and usually has a golden hue to it that’s very Otago, and a deep, azure-blue sea.

I saw it as a metaphor. Although I could see it now, it wouldn’t last. Eventually it would all be gone. I was a pretty deep child.

We spent a lot of time there when I was little. It’s a stony beach and tests your balance. If you time it right, the reef reveals itself and you can walk quite a long way out on the rocks to collect mussels. Sometimes my brother would go diving for pāua. I’d never do that because it was terrifying.

It’s quite turbulent water, it’s not a swimming beach. It’s not necessarily a pleasant beach. It’s very harsh, rugged and raw. But on a sunny day, we’d play in the little rock pools, get a load of mussels and light a fire with some driftwood on the beach to cook them. It was a really special time.

If we had relatives visit from Auckland or Tonga we’d always take them out to collect mussels. They’d be so impressed with the quality and size.

I live in Auckland now and it’s been far too long since I was last there; probably about ten years. The next time we go to the South Island we want to stay at the farm with our two children. Mum and Dad aren’t with us anymore, but it will be part of our adventure, remembering my history there.

Josh is performing at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in May. See comedyfestival.co.nz for more.

THE Taranaki LOOP

Jo Percival takes her son on a road trip around the mountain.

Is this it?” Gus asks, with a note of teenage disdain. I admit, from the outside the former dairy factory in the Ohangai countryside doesn’t look like much.

We’ve arrived at Tawhiti Museum, the first stop on our looping route around Taranaki’s mountain-to-sea Surf Highway 45. From its unassuming entrance the museum unfurls into a wonderland of creativity, the result of four- decades’ work by Nigel Ogle. Formerly an art teacher at Hāwera High School, Ogle channelled his passions

for art, history and storytelling into the sprawling, enthralling museum.

Gus quickly loses his layer of indifference, captivated by the intricate miniature dioramas showing scenes from local history, hand-made, life-size models, and a whole wing dedicated to vehicles, machinery and agricultural paraphernalia, aromatic with grease. We’re eventually driven out by hunger, but he could’ve happily spent a whole day here.

We cruise through Hāwera with its wide suburban streets to Ōkaiawa where creamy collared cows graze the roadside

Ahead, the maunga is truncated by ominous charcoal cloud, but we’ve packed raincoats so we press on.

On the track to Wilkies Pools, we walk under kamahi trees furry with moss and past undergrowth studded with the tiny purple ballerinas of fuchsia flowers.

The pools are forged from gnarly volcanic rock worn smooth by the perpetual flow of the stream. We cup icy water to our lips, tasting the mauri of the mountain and grin at each other with dripping chins.

Dinner in New Plymouth is at The Hour Glass, sharing plates of prawns and soft tacos, chorizo and chicken.

For breakfast we head to the USA. Deluxe Diner is a well-executed pastiche of 1950s America. Waitresses in collared, cropped dresses with gingham trimmed aprons serve filter coffee (and good espresso, too). We’re surrounded by shiny chrome, neon signs, pumpkin pie, Dr Pepper and root beer floats. “This is cool,” Gus concedes.

The morning sees us drive inland past the purple haze of roadside agapanthus. Paddocks are divided by hedgerows rather than fences, some close cropped, others unruly. The mountain is in there somewhere, hidden behind windwhipped piles of cumulus.

Like Nigel Ogle, Steve Fabish is a man who has brought his passion project to life. Though for Steve it’s Holdens rather than history. The Hillsborough Holden Museum is home to Steve’s collection of 50 cars, dating back to the 1949 FX, the oldest registered Holden in New Zealand.

While the modern vehicles might only appeal to true aficionados, the collection spans to universally appealing classics from the 50s and 60s. We particularly like the two-tone teal 1958 FC Special, and notice how the tan leather of the 1970s morphs into grey velveteen upholstery by the 80s.

From admiring four wheels to using two, Gus and I hire e-bikes and tackle the Coastal Walkway in New Plymouth. My competitive 15-year- old disappears to a navy dot, weaving over the smooth concrete path, occasionally turning to check I’m still following. We pedal through scents of low tide brine, hot Kikuyu grass, wafts of chlorine from the public beachfront pool and freshly ground coffee. Broad flax leaves clatter in the wind and a happy dog streaks in silhouette against the low tide horizon. That evening, after dining on a collection of shared plates at Social Kitchen, we wander to Pukekura Park to experience the biannual Festival

of Lights. It’s full-immersion family fun, with multi-sensory experiences incorporating not just colourful lights, but music, AV projections and occasional blasts of dry ice billowing through the bush. We join a joyful throng of humanity, from couples to multigenerational families; kids up well past their bedtime wearing onesies and brandishing lightsabers

The next day we head for the coast, but don’t make it far. Just a few kilometres from New Plymouth, we find Okurukuru Winery, the only winery in Taranaki. It’s here I discover a varietal I’d never heard of: plantet. A hybrid red grape grown primarily in the Loire Valley, it’s one of the few varieties to thrive in Taranaki’s unusual volcanic, coastal climate. I limit myself to a few modest sips.

In Ōakura, with its rolling mouthful of vowels, we eat oozing toasties in the wood-panelled church that is now Dawn Café. Customers come for coffee with bare feet dusted in black sand and tangled, salty hair. Inspired, we follow their lead and immerse ourselves in the bracing surf at Ōakura beach.

Further down the coast, we detour from the highway to find the SS Gairloch. Or rather what little is left of it. The 164ft ship ran aground here on the Timaru Reef in 1903 where its mummified ribs remain today, resting photogenically on the smooth, low-tide rocks.

From Ōkato we zig inland, tracing one of the mountain’s narrow bush-clad tentacles to Pukeiti. We’re obviously some of the first morning visitors, as we break through invisible, clinging strands

1. An intricate diorama at Tawhiti Museum. 2. Cycling the Coastal Walkway in New Plymouth. 3. The biannual Festival of Lights in Pukekura Park. 4. The wreck of the SS Gairloch.

of cobwebs along the garden paths. In spring, Pukeiti is a blossoming paradise frothing with rhododendron blooms. They’re not in flower today, but I admire hydrangeas in shades from white to cornflower blue and deep burgundy while Gus does pull-ups on the exercise trail.

We zag back to the coast. Down a side road from Pungarehu, we spot the Cape Egmont Lighthouse sitting like a giant chess bishop: white, gleaming and incongruous in the sun-bleached paddock. Behind us, Mount Taranaki appears to be erupting with a giant trail of cloud streaming to the north.

The lighthouse has a peripatetic past. It was first erected on Mana Island in 1865 but was often confused with the Pencarrow Lighthouse at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, so was moved to its Pungarehu position in 1877.

Wrapping around the coast to Ōpunake, we admire the horizon smudged blue against the teal sea. We continue on to close our loop of the mountain at Manaia, “home of bread” – adding flaky pastry crumbs from the famous Yarrows bakery to the accumulation of black sand and sea-soggy towel souvenirs from our Taranaki trip.

Get discounts on your next road trip, from rental cars to accommodation, at aatraveller.co.nz

Okaiawa

Cape Egmont Lighthouse

New Plymouth

Pembroke

Ōkato

Ōakura

Ōpunake

MOUNT TARANAKI

HĀWERA

Wilkies Pools

5. Wilkies Pools in Egmont National Park. 6. Breakfast at Deluxe Diner in New Plymouth. 7. The peripatetic Cape Egmont Lighthouse and Mount Taranaki.

Puekiti

MANAIA

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continues to evolve. In the years since my last visit, many sleek, glass-clad buildings have popped up. Before the quakes, there were two glass-cleaning companies in the city. Now, there are 24. Former vacant lots are now occupied by architecturally designed apartments. Streetscapes brim with new bars and restaurants. It’s the ideal setting for a getaway with the indulgence dial cranked up to ten.

Jo Percival discovers the decadent side of the ever-evolving Christchurch City.

My first activity starts with tough questions and big decisions.

“What pressure do you prefer for your massage?” “Would you like a manicure or pedicure?” “Can we get you a glass of bubbles to enjoy in the bath?”

At Moss Day Spa in Christchurch’s Sudima Hotel, I am booked for a marathon session, a thorough, multi-stage pampering to begin a weekend of indulgence.

The primary objective, it seems, is to turn me into jelly. Sitting cross-legged in a circular bath the size of a small spa

pool, I sip a glass of crisp Prosecco and marinate. Once parboiled, I move on to the next phase: manipulation. Zoe, my petite therapist kneads a well-oiled elbow into my shoulder, then, once tenderised, she smooths fragrant lotions across my cheeks.

The three-hour treatment finishes with a decorative glaze of nail polish. I pick a pale grey which Zoe tells me is called ‘rubble.’ It’s an appropriate choice to wear in a city that is still emerging from its recent seismic history.

Post-earthquakes, Christchurch City

I begin a day with a filigree flat white at the leafy Westend Stories, feast on flamecooked European cuisine overlooking the Ōtakaro Avon River at Roca; experience unusual flavour combinations of burrata and kimchi together at Korean-inspired Brewda, indulge in glamorous Pacificfusion fare at Manu and get a kaimoana fix at Kokomo. Luckily, my gluttony is offset by plenty of walking.

I explore the central city, admiring armadillo-like tiles of Te Pae, the new convention centre, juxtaposed with the neighbouring barricaded shells of condemned buildings: earthquake relics. Though these are increasingly fewer and further between. A sad exception is the skeleton of the Christchurch Cathedral – the restoration currently mothballed from lack of funding.

Early at Riverside Market the sushi train

is static, but queues stretch around corners for coffee. Down a nearby alley I find a shop with a tongue-in-cheek chalkboard sign proudly claiming to be the ‘9th best secondhand shop in Christchurch’. Scorpio Books in the BNZ Centre is a time suck. Outside, at The Crossing, new pavements are cross-hatched with tram tracks, reconditioned heritage bisecting the new.

After a morning of wandering it’s time for more relaxation. Lovoir is another lush day spa right in the CBD. I wait amidst plunking glockenspiel music and velvet banquettes in the pre-treatment lounge The attendants greet me in soothing

tones as if I’m a toddler being talked down from the brink of a meltdown.

Today, my masseuse, Jade, works residual knots out of my shoulders, grinding oily knuckles into the arches of my feet, my hamstrings. The hot stones initially come as a shock, clicking together like pétanque balls lined on either side of my spine, but it soon becomes a comforting weight.

To taste even more of Christchurch, I take a walking exploration of the city with Āmiki Tours. It’s a progressive feast accompanied by warm manaakitanga from host Riwai Grace. Riwai, a former fire chief, was heavily involved in the

aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes and his strong connections with Christchurch are evident as he tells the stories of the city in between dining experiences.

In te reo Māori, Inati means ‘to share’. The fine dining spot is an appropriate place to begin our tour. At the high counter overlooking the kitchen, Riwai shares his pepeha and stories of his own culinary evolution – from ordering Lion Red to savouring fine wine. He entertains us as we eat mini waffle cones with duck liver parfait and delicate tomato tarts. At Cellar Door in the gothic Arts Centre,

1. Delectable bites at Inati. 2. Drifter is a stylish new accommodation option in a converted wool factory. 3. Christchurch City's street art is vibrant and ever-changing. 4. Flame-grilled fare at Roca. 5. Moss Day Spa at the Sudima Hotel. 6. The serene Ōtakaro Avon River. 7. A doodle grid is the first step to creating a wall-sized mural.

we sample flights of local wine; at King of Snake on the Terrace, we share pāua fritters and crayfish sliders. The tour wraps up with generous, creamy scoops from the open-late hot spot, Rollickin Gelato.

To complete my trifecta of wellness, the next day I float. O Studio in the trendy Welder Precinct offers the surreal experience of sensory deprivation. I climb into a larger-than-expected tank – more like a room than a pod – glowing with a LED star-studded ceiling. Half a tonne of Epsom salts dissolved in body temperature water makes for a buoyant experience; the syrupy water feels so dense and resistant it’s like lying on something solid.

It turns out that sensory deprivation takes a bit of practice. Lying in the dark, my mind starts racing. Am I doing this right? Is my breathing always this loud? What is the meaning of life? I also probably shouldn’t have eaten quite so much beforehand as my stomach provides a symphony of digestive whale sounds.

Rather than a new build, one of Christchurch’s latest developments is accommodation in a re-purposed wool

Post-earthquakes, the Christchurch city centre continues to evolve. In the years since my last visit, sleek, glass-clad buildings have popped up. Before the quakes, there were two glass-cleaning companies in the city. Now, there are 24.

factory. Drifter is a hybrid, high-end hostel with stylish shared suites alongside luxurious hotel rooms. Drifter’s common areas are filled with hip young people, using the well-equipped kitchen, the library, onsite cinema and exercise space –all fitted out in effortlessly cool, lo-fi décor.

I’d met Reuben Woods from Watch This Space on a street art tour during a previous Ōtautahi visit, but in Christchurch’s rapidly evolving world of neo-muralism, a lot has changed since then. Setting off on a stroll from Drifter, there are new, colourful surprises around many corners. With a PhD in street art in post-earthquake Christchurch, Reuben is a fascinating guide. He talks about the way ephemeral artworks become embedded in the urban landscape, both as creative expression and as points of reference in a rapidly changing environment.

On our tour we’re lucky enough to encounter a piece in progress. On a sunny morning, atop a scissor lift, artist Kofi is about to start work for the day, tackling her vast canvas on the entire side of a building. A prolific and multi-talented creator, Kofi has been commissioned to paint many of the well-known pieces around Christchurch. We watch as she begins to transform the doodle grid – a collection of hastily sprayed words and symbols – into a brand-new artwork. The city continuing to evolve before our very eyes.

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WATER therapy

Kathryn Webster escapes to the Marlborough Sounds onboard an expedition yacht.

Dolphins! Two bottlenoses racing in parallel alongside the boat before performing a synchronised dive under the hull, trails of silver bubbles in their wake. Everyone around me was grinning, fizzing, scanning the sea for more sightings.

There were many memorable moments on this Marlborough Sounds trip on expedition yacht Heritage Explorer but, for me, moments involving sea mammals were the highlights. I became a little obsessed, staring at the horizon for signs of whales, leaping to my feet at any slight change in the water’s surface, willing the creatures to show themselves.

By the time the bottlenoses graced us with their magical presence, we were on day three of the expedition. Thirteen guests – two Australian couples, the rest

Kiwi – had boarded Heritage Explorer in Kenepuru Sound, arriving by water taxi from Havelock.

Light rain had eased, leaving a calm pause in the air. Reflections of hills the colour of pounamu shifted across the sea surface.

The small, elegant ship swung at anchor, weak sunshine flickering on her white hull. The crew helped us board, reaching for hands and elbows, welcoming us with genuine warmth.

In a flurry we explored the ship, finding light-filled open spaces for meals, lounging and socialising. Upstairs was a sheltered open deck, a large guest suite and the bridge. Below the main deck a warren of cabins included ours, a cozy and practical space with a good bed, a large porthole, plenty of storage and an ensuite.

We were soon underway, moving further up the Sounds for the night. Over dinner we got to know each other. Explorer can accommodate 18 passengers; that there are fewer of us on this journey contributed to the ease with which we connected. The crew, too, proved relaxed, generous company.

The following morning, we climbed onto the tender to visit Foote Farm, one of only three water-access-only farms left in Marlborough Sounds. It’s been in the Foote family since 1881, for five generations. Now it’s the turn of Kelly and Trevor, who led us to the woolshed to share stories of the farm’s history and today's operation with its mix of Romneys (an ideal breed for exposed, coastal land) and tourists, including some who stay a few days.

1. Marlborough Sounds is best explored by boat.

Photograph © Matt Crouch.

And then we walked ten minutes along the coast to – incongruously, in this remote spot – Te Rawa lodge, where we feasted on locally farmed green lipped mussels, served in delicious ways. Mussel farms are a regular sight in the Sounds, their graph-like lines patching the surface in many quiet bays.

The Sounds are a drowned valley system, which makes visual sense of the triangular peaks and strong blocky shapes stark against the sky, coated in variations of green with ochre scars where vegetation has slipped away. Occasionally, the sun glints off a shiny roof exposing a hidden home.

Reflections hold with an intensity peculiar to the Sounds, the blues and greens deep, the silvers more intense in the lake-like quality of the bays. Sometimes the light changes and the silhouetted hills go dark and flat, losing their shape. At other times they become three dimensional, revealing valleys and peninsulas in shadowy, secretive frames.

Up toward Nydia Bay we landed at Pipi Bay, where some of us sampled Nydia Track, trekking an hour or so into ancient beech forest, tree trunks black with honey dew and nīkau palms the height of construction cranes.

Every day featured walking to get a closer look at the terrain we were sailing through. And every evening included a short lecture for a deeper look, a better understanding. Max, one of the expedition guides, shared his passion for seabirds. Another evening, we heard from Lyn about a conservation project she’s involved in; others talked about the value of marine reserves and what is being done to protect the ocean. It was a good way to end each day – low key and thought provoking.

Early the next day we left that sheltered cove for French Pass, offloading by tender to explore the small settlement and climb the hill for a view of the notorious stretch of turbulent water between the mainland and D’Urville Island. Here, the narrow passage, depth variance and clashing tidal rates creates a volatile marine mess.

At the boat ramp we chatted to a fisherman from Havelock, happy with his morning’s haul. An old black dog wandered over for a pat, heavy tail wagging.

Back on board we swung around to a shoreline lit up with morning sun. We were off, to another Sound. Up and out of Pelorus. Time moving meant time on the bridge, time sitting outside with binoculars, time tucked out of the wind on the aft deck

Every day featured walking to get a closer look at the terrain we were sailing through. And every evening included a short lecture for a deeper look, a better understanding.

Another constant on board was excellent food, with the likes of tempura oysters, risotto, prawns, venison, delicious salads and decadent desserts on the menu.

We also grew accustomed to the rhythmic pulse of the boat’s big engine, steady and comforting.

We visited D’Urville Island, landing for a stroll through bush filled with birdsong. We’d started that day tied to the wharf at Elaine Bay and while Explorer was replenished with fresh water, we followed the Pīwakawaka Trail to a perfect little beach. Then we motored up Pelorus Sound, to the open water, west to D’Urville and into Catherine Cove.

watching gulls, petrels, shags, sheerwaters, occasional penguins. Watching, always, for dolphins and whales.

We anchored near Motuara Island for a walk with views across to Long Island and down to Queen Charlotte Sound. From there, the captain took us to the edge of Cook Strait, before tucking into the shelter of Resolution Bay, a deep horseshoe shape, safe as a hug.

Dusky dolphins and a playful, nosy seal played around the still water early the next morning. After breakfast we sailed to Blumine Island and walked a couple of hours around pretty bays and through bush to see the remains of a

Photograph © A.Woods

Photograph © M. Harvey

Photograph © A.Woods

WWII gun emplacement. Above and around us, bellbirds, tomtits, kererū, tūī, weka, pīwakawaka.

After an afternoon walk to a waterfall near Ship Cove, we nosed into Endeavour Inlet, hoping to visit Furneaux Lodge, but the wind was strong and gusty. Katabatic winds from surrounding hills added complication, creating djinns off the sea surface. Hovering at the mouth of the bay while our captain deliberated, the sun sparkled on the sea’s surface like elaborate party lights, bobbing faster as the wind grew wilder. Change of plan: pre-dinner drinks. The closer we got to Picton, the more evidence of civilisation. More houses, more intriguing little jetties, more boats swinging on more moorings. More impact on wildlife, too – although that is widespread. I was told many sea mammals that used to call into the Sounds to give birth now struggle to find a safe spot to do so, with the mussel farms strung along so much of the coastline.

Human impact on the ocean is also archived in the ruins of an old whaling station we visited on the edge of Tory Channel, handy to Cook Strait where whales once passed through in their thousands. A mass of children swarmed Curious Cove where several school parties camped, at full volume, bombing off the wharf, comparing sunburnt shoulders, lining up for turns on small yachts. We edged around them, a bunch of oldies, off to explore and take a quiet swim out of the way. It was our last day and while it was a noisy blast of reality, I was pleased to get back to Explorer. But among that crowd of kids, I just knew there would be several who would go on to be expedition guides, marine ecologists and conservationists, inspired by their love of this part of the country.

AA Directions has a sevenday Heritage Explorer

Discover Marlborough Sounds journey for two in a Salvin’s double cabin to give away, departing Blenheim, November 2025. Enter online at aadirections.co.nz or by post to: AA Directions, Heritage Explorer, PO Box 5 Shortland Street, Auckland, 1140. Entries close June 30, 2025.

Photograph © M. Harvey

Photograph © F.Wardle

2. Every day of the expedition involved walking. 3. Foote Farm hosts visitors keen to hear about the challenges of remote farming. 4. A bird as curious as the photographer. 5. Green lipped mussels served in multiple delicious ways for lunch at Te Rawa lodge. 6. There is always something to watch for, when at sea. 7. Dolphins! 8. Heritage Explorer at anchor.

Stories ahoy

Mark Barratt-Boyes is charmed by a museum’s new chapter.

The white Salvus lifejacket with its simple block letters on display at the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum is easy to miss. But therein lies a tale.

Dunedin woman Orpheus Beaumont created the lifejacket, made of kapok rather than cork, after her brother drowned. The Salvus became standard issue for the Royal Navy and for seafarers around the world from 1918 and saved thousands of lives. The lifejacket could be worn back-to-front or upside-down and even had a pocket for carrying an infant.

The Port Chalmers Maritime Museum, which reopened late last year after a $3.5 million redevelopment, is a prominent landmark of the seaside town 12km from Dunedin.

Originally the post office, the building sits squat and staunch on a corner near the busy port. To its right is a striking contrasting box of smoked glass, designed and built by Calder Stewart, housing the museum extension and the offices of Port Otago.

The port company bought the building from the Port Chalmers Historic Society for $1 and pays the museum running costs.

“You see the museum before you see the port’s new headquarters, known as the annex,” says Jodi Taylor, an executive assistant at the port company who managed the project. “Every visitor to the annex has to enter the museum first.”

One of the first objects to catch the eye in the two-storey atrium are huge propeller blades found buried nearby. Which ship they came from is a mystery. One wall of the atrium has glass cabinets filled with intricate ship models, including two models of the Union Steamship Company’s elegant liner, the Awatea, one in striking livery and the other in drab grey as a troop ship. She was attacked off the North African coast in November 1942; remarkably, everyone on board survived.

A laneway connects the new atrium with the old building, where there’s plenty to see in the ABCDerium, the name given to cubbyholes marked from A to Z housing objects. The Salvus lifejacket is there, along with ships in bottles, musical instruments, old navigation instruments and a model of life between decks for early immigrants experiencing cramped ship conditions.

High in one corner is the coat of arms of the Union Steamship Company, which played a significant role in the growth of the port. The designers drew on the company’s colours of dark green and red for the museum décor.

Inside the original museum building, the mezzanine floor has been demolished, opening up the interior to describe the port’s history. A timeline around the walls tells the story of the port from mana whenua to the Otago gold rush, the change from sail to steam to diesel power, and the introduction of containers.

The port and the township are closely linked; the pioneer room displays instruments and tools used by local tradesmen,

from shipbuilders and fishermen to shoemakers, barbers and sailmakers. Visitors can watch a working model of a gold dredge, turn the handles that pump air to a diving suit, and hear the ‘clink’ on the telegraph as the captain and his officers on the bridge send orders down to the engine room.

And they can take the flight of stairs or the lift to the viewing room on the first floor for a panoramic view across the port. It’s a scene with a thousand stories to tell, and all of them true, aye.

First things first: Ghan rhymes with ‘ban’, not ‘barn’. I’d been getting it wrong. And it’s not just the lemon juice tang of Australian pronunciation, either. ‘Ghan’ is short for Afghan. The iconic train is named for the Afghan cameleers who arrived in 1839 to assist in the early exploration of the Australian outback and worked to build the original railway lines.

The train has been travelling the 3,000 kilometres between the top and bottom of Australia since 1929 and, considered a must-do experience by many Australians, it provides a glimpse of the country’s vastness from air-conditioned comfort.

Amidst the dulcet tones of 70s soft rock and clinking champagne flutes at the Adelaide train station, I overhear similar phrases being repeated amongst the

silver-haired crowd: ‘once in a lifetime,’ and ‘bucket list’ pop up frequently.

Boarding the train it immediately becomes clear why there are strict limits on the amount of luggage I was allowed to bring. I slip down the carriage corridor that’s not quite wide enough for two people and into my compact Gold Class cabin. With tiny compartments for stowing provisions, a microscopic ensuite and a couch that gets converted into a single bed at the end of each day, there is no room for excess. But with its wood panelling and brass trimmings, I feel like I’ve walked into an Agatha Christie novel.

In the Outback Explorer lounge, reached via a swaying string of carriages, I chase the welcome bubbles with a glass of Margaret River chardonnay while watching the graffiti painted back end of

Adelaide slipping past the big windows. There is nothing to do but sit and enjoy the view. How luxurious.

Travelling by train makes you aware of the mechanics of motion. The clunks and creaks, rhythms and rattles of locomotion form the juddering backdrop of the journey as we travel up the guts of hinterland Australia. We pass dusty utes waiting at level crossings as the bells ding red. Behind them, pasture and paddocks grow bigger and bigger under a cloudless blue sky.

Later, the sunset turns the Flinders Ranges ochre, a skeleton army of white wind turbines standing at their feet. Although we are contained in our rattling, hurtling bubble travelling through these Australian landscapes, we can still get a taste of them. In the

Jo Percival travels from Adelaide to Darwin onboard The Ghan.

elegant dining car, each three-course meal showcases local produce and unusual ingredients. Dinners include crocodile, kangaroo, barramundi and lamb, all accompanied by generous pours of Australian wine.

Before dawn, there’s a knock on my cabin door. The train has come to a stop and despite the thick starry darkness outside, we’re to disembark. But it’s not a hardship. This is an experience I’d been looking forward to: sunrise at Marla, a tiny spot just over 1,000km from Adelaide.

The Ghan disgorges its passengers onto red dirt, and we pick our way amongst carefully placed hurricane lamps to pre-lit bonfires as the horizon begins to glow. The crew dispatches pastries and butties and I warm my hands on a mug of coffee while gazing at my first outback sunrise.

Back on the train, I lie on my bed and watch the scenery that unfurls like a soft-focus loop of a video game: scrub, red dirt, burnt-out car, scrub, bonelike pile of sticks, dirt. It’s repetitive but also mesmerising. I find myself instinctively seeking any points of difference or human-made landmarks, but there’s nothing besides an occasional decapitated hill on the horizon.

Near the border between South Australia and the Northern Territory, I check my phone and discover, pleasingly, that there is not a single bar of reception. Just me and the momentum and the endless desert views.

Alice Springs is nearly 2,000km from any other major city in Australia. In summer, the temperature can get up to 46°C. In winter, it plummets to -7°C.

We arrive at a pleasant midpoint of 25°C, leaving the train for a welcome leg stretch at Standley Chasm.

In the elegant dining car, each three-course meal showcases local produce and unusual ingredients. Dinners include crocodile, kangaroo, barramundi and lamb, all accompanied by generous pours of Australian wine.

The chasm is one of those rare outback spots with a perpetual water source; water was also instrumental in the creation of the fiery-hued chasm itself.

The quartzite walls were forged in an ancient seabed more than 2.2 billion years ago, making this one of the earliest mineral formations on the planet. Red rock walls soar above the narrow gap, and we pick our way over loose boulders to admire the reflections cast in the emerald pool below.

I sleep well that night, rocked in my bunk under a fingernail of moon sitting in the corner of my cabin window, winking occasionally behind passing undergrowth. Overnight, we cover many more kilometres. The Northern Territory landscapes are subtly different to those

further south; the town of Katherine is even more distinctive with its strange hybrid of desert and tropics. Pockets of large, lush frangipani trees and bougainvillea grow where sprinklers work overtime. The other side of the road is parched and blackened from fire.

Our final off-train experience includes buses and boats – travelling to and then up the stunning Nitmuluk Gorge. Red, orange and pink cubic cliffs frame the deep river that flashes with silver fish. We take a short walk over rosy hued rocks, weather blasted until they are glossy and smooth. Dragonflies flit and hover in a breeze as comfortable as a loving kiss. Returning to the train, we’re served a last supper and watch a final sunset, clashing fluorescent pink against the dusky red earth as the train heads towards our final destination at the top of Australia.

1. Catching an outback sunrise at Marla. 2. The incredible Standley Chasm near Alice Springs.

3. Stacked rock formations in the Nitmuluk Gorge. 4. The river flows through the Nitmuluk Gorge near Katherine.

When I mentioned my Tasmanian travel plans most people responded: “ you must go to MONA!” And to be honest, MONA – the privately owned Museum of Old and New Art – was the number one reason I wanted to go to Hobart. I’m happy to report it didn’t disappoint and also pleased to have found many other reasons to visit the capital of Tassie.

The Henry Jones Art Hotel is on what was once Hunter Island; it was joined to the main island by causeway as soon as Europeans could get their hands on the tools to do so. Tasmania was occupied already, of course, by people of 10 different indigenous cultures with varied lifestyles and practices but with a common problem in the shape of colonists. That is a dark and sad component of Tasmania's history.

A tour of the hotel ventured into that past, and into the history of convicts, two of whom had a son who established an extremely successful business making IXL Jam. In 1804 he opened a waterfront factory; in 2004, it became the Henry Jones Art Hotel. Dark wood beams from the original building have

Kathryn Webster finds many good reasons to visit Hobart.

been maintained, along with huge blocks of hand-hewn sandstone and even sticky jam stains. It’s also a living gallery. Art hangs in suites and public spaces, including by 19th century English painter John Glover, who spent many years in Tasmania, plus works by winners of an annual art competition named in his honour.

Creativity thrives in Hobart. The famous Saturday morning Salamanca Market has been held since the 1970s, selling all things handmade and homegrown. Along with jewellery, clothing, glass and ceramics, food stalls wafting enticing smells attract long queues.

Unsurprisingly, food is also a focus of Tasmania, as the state is particularly good at producing it. From seafood and excellent wines to fresh citrus, berries and vegetables, it’s a delightfully delicious corner of Australia.

A good example of delicious is Aloft, a beautifully designed attic space on the waterfront. I sat at the bar for the ‘chef’s menu’, meaning my meal was delivered by my chopsticks in small, surprising bites, each packed with a unique punch: saltbush, nasturtiums, pickled lemon, burnt sage...

I scoffed sashimi-style scallops, oysters, and crispy, smoky mushrooms grown, I was told, in a disused railway tunnel. They served me fish with goat curd, lemony cabbage, garlic roasted into a golden crumble. The final surprise: lemon and jalapeño marshmallow!

It was fun. The team was friendly, hilariously energetic. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

Venturing out of town the next morning, I headed to Brighton. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary started as a rescue operation for injured native animals and birds, most of whom had been hit by cars or attacked by cats or dogs. Some are treated at the on-site wildlife hospital and released; some can’t leave. I met a barenosed wombat called Duey, two shortbeaked echidna – one with three legs, the other blind – several rowdy cockatoos, rosellas, gallahs and corellas. The Tasmanian devil gets a bad rap because of the sound it makes, its wide, toothy mouth, its red ears and, well, it looks quite nasty. But it’s also quite endearing, like a wee bear. It probably goes without saying I also met several kangaroos.

From there, I drove half an hour to New Norfolk, to The Agrarian Kitchen.

Within a huge walled garden, once used as an exercise yard for a high-security mental asylum, winter vegetables flourished. Rows of kale, broad beans, Brussels sprouts and leeks grew in bright green stripes; bunches of healthy herbs bordered the paths. Even in the off-season there was a sense of abundance and fecundity within the shelter of the garden’s high walls. I meandered to a glasshouse where I was welcomed through an avenue of plants to a cosy seating area, to be fed a snack of Japanese turnip, snap pea and radish.

In a cavernous, high-ceilinged hall heated by an open fire was the actual restaurant. Before taking my table, I snuck a look at the industrious kitchen where everything – smoked meats and fish, cheeses, pickles, preserves, jellies – is made from locally sourced ingredients, much of it grown in the walled garden. My long lunch was a conveyer belt of surprise. Who thought to perfect caramelised miso or smoked carrot? To serve burrata with fermented lemon, deliver cumquat sorbet, invent boysenberry jelly with woodruff?

The rest of that small town was a bit of a blur after such a lunch.

My last day in Hobart was dedicated to MONA. The adventure began as I joined the excited queue at Brooke Street Pier for the Mona Roma ferry. On board, the music was intriguing, the décor featured tigers and monkeys, the ‘public safety’ announcements were irreverent.

Filing off the ferry we climbed the steps to the doors of the mostly underground museum, built into a sandstone cliff face. Everyone fell silent; unsure, in awe.

This feeling continued as we moved down into a series of galleries connected by spiralling steps, zig-zagging walkways and tunnels. Where to look first? Having

obediently downloaded the app, I found my way and I'm fairly confident I saw most of it.

Exhibitions were a mix of old and new art, as promised, hanging together, in conversation – ranging from ancient relics to installations by well-known and emerging artists. Big names included Ai Weiwei, Anselm Keifer, Sidney Nolan; unrelated, there was an exhibition titled ‘Namedropping’.

There was a surreal quality to much of what I walked through and around. A lot was interactive. Looking inside a huge metal head, I saw mechanical vignettes lit with colour, flitting birds, shifting images. I registered on the MONA app for an experience that had me walk solo into a spiral of darkness, feeling my way, and then ducking through a low door to stand in a ‘confessional’. Way up above me, my head tilted back, I saw daylight. I could hear people up at ground level, and they

could hear me. “Sing a song!” someone called down the hole. I did.

Elsewhere, I walked down a corridor filled with discordant organ music.

Somewhere else was a room of projected images, flashing light and boxes filled with tiny beads being pulled into patterns by magnets. It seemed to be about data, or perhaps the Higgs boson project.

There was a gallery with tanks of sump oil, reflecting the sky, the room, the viewers back and forwards. There was a white library, a full-size military tank made of leather. There was a lot to see, not all of it nice.

Sometimes intense, sometimes dangerous, sometimes mischievous, sometimes just fun – MONA doesn’t hold back. Yes, some of the art is confronting. Maybe you need to be in the right mood? I was. It was a real blast and I left feeling energised and fulfilled.

1 MONA is built into the cliff face on a peninsula close to Hobart's city centre. 2. A blind echidna at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. 3. Are Tasmanian devils that bad? 4. 'roos at the sanctuary 5. Historic downtown Hobart, with Mt Wellington looming.

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PITCHING IN TO HELP your parents renovate the family home isn’t every teenager’s dream, especially when the work extends over many years. For Dani Ferrier, however, it was a magical time.

Dani was 12 when she left Hong Kong with her Kiwi parents and siblings in 2003. Drawn to Nelson, the family initially rented a house in a quiet residential street near the centre of town but were always intrigued by the building two doors away – a large turreted place in need of some love that everyone called ‘The Castle’.

When it came up for sale shortly after their arrival, Dani’s interior designer mum Jenny, and dad Nick – at that time CEO of an export company – couldn’t resist attending the auction. With very little interest from anyone else, they decided to place a bid, without even seeing inside.

Fiona Terry visits a Nelson home that’s moved with the times.

“It’d always been my mum’s dream to do up an old house,” says Dani, who runs her own leadership coaching business as well as being an adventure tour guide. “When Dad decided to raise a hand, nobody outbid him.

“I remember how exciting it was putting up the ‘Sold’ sign with my brother. We couldn’t go in initially because people were living there on medium-term rentals, but it was ours! It ticked all the boxes for my parents because they wanted to employ themselves and have a family house with income potential.”

While they were waiting for the tenants to vacate, Dani recalls climbing

through a window of an empty wing to play hide and seek inside with brother Hamish and sister Isabella. “I remember it felt so scary – but I loved it!”

Warwick House, an early Victorian wooden Gothic Revival-style building, was sorely in need of attention. “The grounds were overgrown and inside there were several dated flats. My parents saw there was a lot of work to be done but weren’t afraid of it and were really committed to the project.”

When Dani and her family moved into the smallest wing of the building, called ‘Sunnyside,’ their restoration work began in earnest to the rest of the property. “We were living in the original part of

the house that had been built in 1854. The rooms were very small and it had previously been used as the housemaid’s quarters. The kitchen was tiny, and I remember it was all so cold in winter.”

Dani and her siblings helped their parents and the full-time builder wherever they could.

“My mum is full of energy and has such a good eye for detail. She’d studied interior design in London and is really talented. Dad loved learning so used to watch videos of how to do things and then start working away.”

Renovations were undertaken methodically, one bedroom at a time, so the family could begin welcoming B&B guests.

As work continued, many discoveries were made, including a bell wire system, a hidden wine cellar, a set of internal stairs and original leadlight windows.

Originally built by British settler Alfred Fell, who set up a law firm, the building grew as he’d became wealthier and added to the original house, including the turret that’s still a prominent feature. When he sold to return to the UK in 1860, another local businessman became the owner and he significantly expanded the house.

Over the years its residents changed as the building morphed into a ‘gentleman’s boarding house’, before being converted into apartments in 1941. It remained that way until the Ferriers took over.

One of the biggest surprises for the family was when a fake wall and ceiling were removed to reveal an original ballroom, with a beautiful matai dancing floor which had been concealed beneath vinyl.

“I remember how much dust was involved completing that work,” Dani says. “Dad would be completely covered in it.”

The stained-glass windows which once again take pride of place in the ballroom had been removed and stored in an archive in Wellington but were tracked down and gifted back on news of the family’s restoration work. Another stained-glass window has since been added with the family’s own coat of arms.

The project took several years, including work on the earliest parts of the house that involved expanding and brightening the kitchen. The B&B proved a huge success, but when Covid hit, once again the building adapted – becoming a residence for mid-term renters. Dani became one of those, having returned from overseas during the pandemic. “I’d lived in a community in the Netherlands, so I knew it could work really well here.”

These days there are six bedrooms in the ‘Sunnyside’ wing, with shared bathrooms and kitchen. The younger part of the property, with its larger rooms, has a number of B&B-style ensuites with kitchenettes. Some residents stay just three months while others remain longer, including the tenant whose flat incorporates the magnificent turret.

Socialising in the shared kitchen and community lounge is a highlight for many, as well as sharing the ballroom for bigger events.

There are also regular classes and gatherings held in this space, including jazz

jam night run by Dani, dancing and yoga, as well as one-offs like weaving workshops.

“It’s a beautiful space to grow and learn together, so why wouldn’t we just open that up to friends of residents and people who know about it.”

Dani moved out last year to live nearby with her partner but still runs her leadership coaching business from the property, including holding group training events for business owners in the ballroom. “A space like this, where it’s not a sterile environment, really helps inspire people,” she says.

“Growing up in the house, I used to hear people at school commenting: “That’s the girl from the castle!” and I’d be really proud.

“There’s such an amazing energy here and I used to say to everyone to come up and have a look around because I always felt like it was something to share. It was never just our house because we’d have B&B guests, WWOOFers, or exchange students. That’s the amazing thing about this place – it’s got so much capacity to host, and we love that.”

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HEALTHY, HAPPY HOMES

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FROM HELPING HOMEOWNERS with seasonal maintenance to providing healthy home inspection services, AA Home’s menu of solutions is designed to make life a little bit easier.

Life is busy, and staying on top of jobs around the home can be a challenge for many people. Niggling tasks like cleaning the gutters before winter, fixing a leaking tap or installing a new appliance might feel like they’re in the too-hard basket.

The good news is that AA Home can take care of those tasks that keep being put off. Instead of a long list, there’s only one thing to tick off: ‘schedule an AA Home Book a Job’.

While the change of season is as good a reason as any to get those jobs sorted,

this year there is another notable date on the calendar to be aware of: July 1 marks the day the Healthy Home Standards come into force for private rentals. Any landlords unsure of the new requirements can arrange a Healthy Home Inspection with AA Home. An AA-trusted home inspector will visit and advise on what work, if any, needs to be done to bring a rental property up to compliance level.

Homeowner or landlord, AA Home’s wide range of services covers all the bases. From fixing dripping taps to installing kitchen rangehoods or bathroom extractor fans, these are the sort of improvements that make any home healthier.

Pre-winter

Check your gutters are clean, to prevent blockages. Clear gutters mean that rainwater is directed away from your home’s walls and foundations. Prune trees that have grown too close to your house. You’ll be pleased you did this when the first windy winter storm hits. Have your heat pump checked and cleaned.

And because a healthy home is a warm, dry and well-ventilated home, another improvement to consider is installing a heat pump or air conditioning unit before the weather starts to get cooler. Heat pump installation is another service provided by AA Home Book a Job that is in high demand as homeowners look to improve the comfort of their homes, whatever the season. AA Home can also take care of servicing the units, checking and cleaning to ensure they’re working as well as they should be. It makes sense to keep an eye on the condition of your property, whether you live in it or not, so you can make necessary improvements and stay on top of maintenance. But AA Home helps make this easy.

If you’re looking for help sorting jobs around your home, visit AA Home at aa.co.nz/homeservices

AA Home Book a Job is our online service for booking AAtrusted trade professionals to help with jobs around your home, at a time that works for you. Easy and convenient online booking process.

Schedule for a time that works for you.

Receive an online estimate before the job.

Up to 10% discount if you’re an AA Member, AA Home Response subscriber, or AA Insurance Policy holder.* End-to-end service.^

*AA Members, AA Insurance Policy holders, and AA Home Response and AA Home Response Plus subscribers receive up to a 10% discount for the initial estimated callout price by entering their Membership, Subscription or Policy number.

^Payment is taken directly with the provider for flatpack assembly, all home inspections and HRV installation services.

What do you credit for your ability to turn around your money habits and recognise when things weren’t going how you wanted them to?

Many people remain stuck in the situations they're in, blaming other people or experiences. My turnaround occurred when I stopped blaming and instead validated my experiences but also made a game plan to change them. I knew that absolutely no one could do this for me, it was up to me.

Do you worry about money?

I used to spend a lot of time worrying; it was really turbulent. This theme is common for so many, which is sad because worrying about money doesn't make you any more! I have learnt many valuable skills, one of which is manifesting. It works with a combination of believing that what you desire is already yours, visualisation practices to see yourself as already having achieved it, plus actually doing what's required to reach your goal.

Do you have any money-saving tips you can share that work for you?

By reverse-engineering any goal you have, you can break down how much you'll need, say on a weekly basis. I like to open a separate account, put an automatic payment on then set and forget. Bonus points if you can hide the account from your view or open it at a different bank so that you can't see it on your phone banking.

Te Kahukura Boynton, United Nations Women's Entrepreneur of the Day winner 2024 and Young New Zealander of the Year semi-finalist 2025, is a mindset and business coach and host of the Māori Millionaire podcast.

How did ‘Māori Millionaire’ come about?

At my own rock bottom – which encompassed a myriad of challenges, including being broke – I realised that there wasn't much representation for Māori in the money space. Much of the content I was consuming about managing money came from nonMāori, or people who had everything together. As all great businesses start, I saw a problem and created a solution. Over time, the business has evolved from focusing on personal finances to business coaching. I believe that it's far more effective to focus on increasing your income through a combination of mindset and business techniques than

just trying to cut costs. The goal is to continue to bring Māori representation to this space and document my journey to one day becoming a millionaire.

What advice would you share with others who are wanting to improve their money habits?

Our lives are products of both the decisions we make and our past conditioning. One shift I made, which led to quantum leaps in my income, was to stop making decisions rooted in scarcity but rather in abundance. Instead of saying “I can’t afford a coach” (to help grow my business), I started asking “How can I afford a coach?”

Do you have an ultimate financial goal? What does it look like? Have you achieved it?

My goal posts always move! One day it was to work for myself, which I achieved. Then it was to grow a six-figure business, which I was also able to achieve. My goal now is to increase the impact I'm creating through my business. I know that the more knowledgeable I become, the better I can coach and support my community and, as a byproduct, I'll be able to increase my income even further.

Te Kahukura's debut book Māori Millionaire (Penguin Books RRP $35) is launching in June. See maorimillionare.com or follow @maorimillionaire_ on Instagram to learn more.

See aadirections.co.nz for the full interview.

Navigating natural hazards with confidence

Buying or owning a home is an exciting milestone and one of the biggest investments you will make, so it’s important to keep it protected.

New Zealand is among the riskiest countries in the world for natural disasters, so understandably, insurance is top of mind for many homeowners, buyers and sellers.

Knowing which natural hazards are more likely in your area, how you can reduce your risk and understanding your cover before you need it, can help you prepare.

Being well informed

As the Head of Home Claims at AA Insurance, Aaron Redmond has helped hundreds of Kiwis get back on their feet after disaster strikes.

He says these big events like storms, floods and earthquakes can cause a lot of damage and disruption to people’s lives – so it’s important for homeowners to understand if their home is more prone to certain natural hazards, so they can take steps to protect themselves and the things they care about.

“It’s also key for house hunters to be well informed about natural hazard risk prior to purchasing a home, as this could impact their insurance,” says Aaron.

Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available to help house hunters get up to speed. For example, if you’re buying a property, the Land Information Memorandum (LIM) provides a summary of

information the local council holds about the land, such as natural hazard risks, issued consents, water services and drainage.

Local councils are starting to share natural hazard information and flood data to help communities understand risks in their local area. Examples of this include the Auckland Council Flood Viewer and Otago Regional Council Natural Hazards Portal.

The Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) has an online Natural Hazards Portal with area and property specific information, which tells you if there’s been any natural hazard claims settled at an address. Understanding details of prior NHC claims is important, as it may affect your eligibility to make an NHC claim on that property in future.

“There are simple things you can do too, like picturing how a property would fare in a natural disaster and considering what actions or investments can help it stay strong against the elements,” says Aaron.

Understanding your cover

Home insurance policies provided by your insurer, along with NHC’s contribution, help cover the costs of rebuilding your home after an insurable event – but your home insurance policy doesn’t typically provide cover for any damage to land. This is where NHC can help.

“We encourage all Kiwis to take time to understand the level of cover provided by your insurer and NHC before you need it, so you can be prepared for the limits to this cover,” says Aaron.

NHC, formerly known as the Earthquake Commission, provides homeowners who have a private home insurance policy that includes fire insurance, with NHC cover. This helps rebuild or repair their homes and limited areas of land if they are damaged by a natural hazard event.

NHC Public Education Manager Hamish Armstrong says, “For each natural hazard event that happens, there is a maximum that NHC can pay towards rebuilding or repairing your home. This maximum amount is called the building cover cap and is generally $300,000 plus GST.”

The cost of rebuilding a home is usually higher than the NHC cap and your home policy will often provide top up cover for natural hazard damage. Any cover over this amount is outlined in the terms of your private insurance policy.

Hamish says there is also limited NHC cover for certain areas of land under and close to your home, but it often won’t be enough to fully repair all the damage to your land after a natural hazard event.

If you’re considering buying a home with a long driveway or that is near to a steep hillside, it is especially important to understand the limits to land cover and think about what things you can do to secure that land from natural hazard damage,” says Hamish.

Checking your cover

Regardless of whether you’re a first-time buyer or have owned your home for years, setting an accurate sum insured is a critical step when it comes to insurance. Sum insured is the figure agreed to with your insurer when you first purchase your insurance, and each year upon renewal. The sum insured is often the maximum amount that your insurance provider will pay to rebuild your home.

“Accurately estimating your sum insured and reviewing it regularly, and after any renovations, helps ensure you have enough cover if you need to make a claim,” says Aaron.

“A qualified professional (builder, architect, quantity surveyor or other valuation expert) can help you estimate rebuild costs for your property, particularly if you have an architecturally built house or high-end features. There are also online calculators available through many insurers, which rely on you accurately inputting your details, that estimate typical building costs for standard residential homes.”

Helping you get back on your feet

Insurance is there to help get you back on your feet if the worst happens, and Aaron knows from experience that when customers need their insurance – they really need it.

“Severe weather and natural hazard events are unpredictable and can be life-changing if they impact you. Knowing your risk and having cover and plans in place to keep your home and the things you care about protected offers valuable peace of mind that help will be on hand if you ever need it.”

Things to consider to protect your home and the things you care about

Home buying due diligence

A pre-purchase building inspection, such as those offered by AA Home, can help you understand how the property is built, what materials were used and potential concerns.

The LIM provides information local council holds about the land, such as natural hazard risks, issued consents, water services and drainage.

Discussing these documents with your lawyer can help flag things you need to be aware of.

Understand your natural hazard risk

The Natural Hazards Portal provides area and property specific information for natural hazard settled claims.

Available local council flood data can help you understand the area and if a property is in or near a flood-risk area.

If the record of title for a property has a section 72 notice (may also appear as section 36(2) or section 641a notice) or a section 28 or 51 notice, it could affect your insurance cover, and you should talk to a lawyer and your insurer.

Understand your insurance

Contact your insurer to make sure you can get insurance to suit your needs and that you understand the ongoing cost of insuring the property.

Check and update your sum insured regularly, particularly if you make any changes or upgrades to your home.

RUnderstand what is and isn’t covered by NHC and your insurer by reading through your policy documents and the NHC website.

Help protect your property

Help prepare your home for wild weather by checking your gutters and drains regularly for blockages, cutting back large trees or branches close to your home and attending to any issues as soon as you notice them. If you need assistance, AA Home Book a Job can help with home maintenance services.

Regularly check and repair any features at risk of damage such as shifting slopes and retaining walls, deteriorating house foundations, unreinforced brick, concrete walls and chimneys, and the condition of your roof.

Meet the maker: TONY SLY

Monica Tischler meets potter Tony Sly in his studio and flagship store, a converted boat shed on Whāingaroa Raglan wharf.

WITH MY OWN cupboards filled with his creations I’m curious to know: how did Tony Sly's pottery hobby evolve into the renowned brand it is today, three decades on?

“It’s interesting when people use the term ‘brand’ because that was never the intention,” he says. “But it’s often said that you have a brand when you can cover up a label and still recognise the product.”

We’re chatting in Tony’s workspace at the back of the seaside store he’s had in Raglan, west of Hamilton, for 17 years (he opened a second, in Auckland’s Newmarket, seven years ago). The high-ceilinged space allows for good airflow and efficient dry-time for the clay. Most of the bowls, jugs, mugs and vases are brought to life on the wheel between his own fingers; each piece is handled about 23 times over a three- to four-week period from beginning to end.

“It’s a bit like the word ‘heritage’. I think it’s really just about time,” Tony says. “Businesses take time and consistency to grow. I'm self-taught through trial and error and I’m good at plugging away and being consistent. That means I’ve built trust with my customers, and they’ll come back for the

colourway they bought last year, or a new colour, or an entire set. The colour palettes we choose, the materials we use, the complementary products we sell are all really a background for other people’s creativity.”

With their distinctive shapes and generous coatings of glaze in earthy tones – chalky whites, creamy blues and forest greens evoking Raglan’s coastal landscape – you know a Tony Sly piece when you see one, even before spying the maker’s mark. It’s fair to call it an iconic brand.

So, how did it all grow from those initial pottery night classes in Hamilton 30 years ago?

“Like a lot of cottage industry businesses in New Zealand that grow, you start by making something that you want for yourself, but you can’t source anywhere,” Tony says.

He recalls poring over Conran cookbooks featuring rustic pottery bowls that weren’t available in New Zealand.

“I was making pots for myself. That’s become a real touchstone all these years later, even when it comes to the other products that we now sell to complement the pottery; I only make or sell things that I would have in my own

home. Whenever I'm working on something new, it’s always something that I would like to have myself,” he says.

Tony laughs that this method is sometimes a point of contention with his partner, Auckland art gallerist Tim Melville, as bringing home prototypes of mugs and plates means they never have a cohesive set of kitchen or dinnerware.

Entertaining guests in the home the couple share in rural Raglan is one of Tony’s true pleasures, and hosting has extended into the way he operates his business.

“There was a pivotal moment when I stopped thinking like a potter and more like a cook, because I really enjoy cooking. When I’m in the studio, it’s almost like I take on the role of head chef; everything is managed by me.”

The Tony Sly Pottery team has grown to six full-time staff who help run the operation, including feeding slabs of clay into a roller for the range of press-moulded pieces that make up a third of the collection.

Even the retail stores, stocked with other homewares sourced from Tony’s travels to Europe and Asia, are treated as an extension of his home. “I tell my team that I don't really want them to be salespeople. I want them to be good hosts so that customers leave with a good feeling.”

I only make or sell things that I would have in my own home. Whenever I'm working on something new, it’s always something that I would like to have myself.

Perhaps it’s that welcoming ethos that has created longevity, with second and now third generation customers visiting the destination store.

“It’s so lovely when young people come in and say, ‘this is so cool’. As an aging potter I’m glad they think it’s cool because usually kids don't want what their parents have.

“It’s interesting that we have this new audience. In an everdigital time, things like knitting and gardening and pottery are really important because we need that contact. I think that really resonates,” he says.

Tony’s been making for so long, it has now become as natural to him as breathing.

“It’s taken a lifetime to get to the fluidity with the bowls and cups and shapes, but they just come out of my fingertips so effortlessly. I love that effortlessness; it’s like playing music.”

While he is considering a change of pace, Tony won’t be hanging up his apron. Future plans include converting an old woolshed on his property into a home-based studio.

“I want to spend more time gardening and less time potting. The woolshed will be my rent-free, smaller-scale business with more of a focus online, a gentle shift. I want to make pots in the summer and travel in the winter. It’s not that I ever want to stop, I just want to have more time to enjoy other things.”

AA Directions has a Tony Sly Pottery voucher valued at $300 to give away. Enter online at aadirections.co.nz or by post to: AA Directions, Tony Sly, PO Box 5 Shortland Street, Auckland, 1140. See tonyslypottery.com for more.

Vanessa Trethewey investigates how climate change is reshaping insurance in New Zealand.

STORMS, RISING SEA LEVELS, severe flooding and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns at home and overseas have made climate change very real for many New Zealanders.

The impacts of climate change are also reshaping the way our insurance policies are structured, and the implications for some Kiwi homeowners are far reaching. Parts of the country at higher risk of natural hazards – like flooding – will likely pay more for insurance and as the impact of climate change worsens over time, some property owners will face a future where cover options shrink or at least look very different.

According to a report released late last year by the Helen Clark Foundation and environmental consultancy WSP, an estimated 10,000 coastal properties

in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland could become uninsurable in the next 25 years. And it’s not just those living on the coast who will be impacted; properties in flood-prone areas inland are also at risk.

The report warns that without intervention, New Zealanders could face extreme insurance premium increases or, in high-risk areas, insurance companies withdrawing completely. It calls for a united effort from Government, insurance, planners and communities to build resilience and keep coverage affordable and within reach.

Insurance premiums have put pressure on household budgets in recent times. Statistics NZ data reveals that residential home insurance in New Zealand increased 19.5% on average for the year ended December 2024. Although the

increases are not all attributed to climate change, Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) Chief Executive Kris Faafoi says it plays a starring role.

“There have been a number of factors recently impacting premiums, including inflation, crime, weather events, reinsurance rates and taxes and levies,” he explains. “The Reserve Bank reported in May 2024 that premiums tend to trend upwards after large scale natural events such as the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle, and we are still seeing some of the effects reflected in premium levels.”

It’s little wonder. Those two catastrophic events resulted in over $3.8 billion in insurance claims and Treasury estimates the cost to the New Zealand economy is up to $14.5 billion. These were the second

and third largest ever insurance events in New Zealand history and they happened within a fortnight of each other.

As more becomes known about natural hazards, Kiwi insurers are moving away from community-based pricing, where the costs of risk are spread evenly across many policy holders, toward greater riskbased pricing, a method used to calculate premiums based on the specific risks associated with a property.

“While globally there have been more frequent and severe weather events causing an increase in claims and reinsurance costs, insurers in New Zealand are continuing to access global reinsurance markets to protect themselves against the financial impact of one-off major events,” Kris says.

But global reinsurers, which provide insurance for insurance companies, may reassess their appetite for New Zealand in the future. Why?

“New Zealand is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to natural hazards. The Climate Change Commission has estimated 750,000 people and nearly half a million properties are at risk from climate-related events such as flooding and coastal inundation.”

Not only are a significant proportion of our communities built on flood plains or in flood-prone areas, but we have the ninth longest coastline in the world and a large number of people living near the coast – and that’s a unique challenge when it comes to projected sea level rise and coastal subsidence.

Reinsurers are becoming increasingly focused on these issues, and more granular, risk-based pricing is one part of the local response. However, it’s clear that more is needed to ensure our insurance market continues to be affordable and available for as many New Zealanders as possible.

So, what else can we do about it? Kris says building resilience is key.

lead to community and local and central Government action to plan for and mitigate the impact of climate-related damage, which can then lead to more resilient, safer communities with greater access to affordable insurance.

“We also support the Government’s goal of a cross-party solution to ensure New Zealand’s approach is enduring. Adapting to climate change requires a long-term political commitment as reinsurers and insurers need long-term policy and investment certainty for some of the likely actions and investments required to safeguard Kiwis and minimise the insurance protection gap.”

A proactive approach to adaptation now makes economic sense; research shows that every dollar we invest in it yields substantial economic benefits.

“By addressing these risks now, New Zealand can avoid the higher costs associated with future climate-related disasters,” Kris says.

The impacts we are seeing from climate change require a collective approach, led by Government, to make sure we don’t build in dumb places and that we are investing in infrastructure to protect communities.

“The impact of recent extreme weather events on lives and property has brought the issue of resilience into sharper focus. It’s important New Zealand takes a long-term view of the risks from natural hazards as we face the prospect of more frequent and severe weather events.

“The impacts we are seeing from climate change require a collective approach, led by Government, to make sure we don’t build in dumb places and that we are investing in infrastructure to protect communities. That also sends the right signals to global reinsurers that New Zealand is taking action to reduce risk and ensure insurance is affordable and accessible,” he says.

Now for some good news. In January, the Government committed to introduce new legislation on a climate adaptation framework later this year – an announcement welcomed by ICNZ as a positive step toward providing certainty for New Zealanders.

“We support a framework that provides long-term clarity and certainty around our response to climate change and creates a consistent approach nationally, but allows for local flexibility. This can

It’s something that New Zealand researcher Jonathan Boston wishes we had done years ago.

“It would have been helpful for all manner of reasons: sound land-use planning, reducing long-term risks and costs, and enhancing certainty and predictability,” says Jonathan, who is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and has been pivotal in developing recommendations for the new legislation.

“The key policy issues have been known about for well over a decade, but Governments have been reluctant to introduce legislation partly because of the political risks involved, including the fact that it will be necessary to decide who should pay for things like protective structures, planned relocation, property buyouts and new infrastructure.”

None of that comes cheap. For example, Jonathan estimates that moving a town like Westport, which has suffered repeated flood events in recent years, could cost around $2 billion, involving several thousand homes, hundreds of businesses, new schools, public services and infrastructure.

“There is no way that the relatively poor councils on the West Coast could fully cover even the public part of these costs, let alone assist private citizens and businesses with the relocation costs they will face.”

A robust policy framework for climate change adaptation would include legislation around issues such as who pays for what, which properties are deemed too risky to inhabit, and how much compensation people should get if they have to relocate. But in its absence, Jonathan says Government responses to climaterelated disasters have been “reactive and ad hoc”, with many different funding approaches being adopted.

“Developing new policies in the wake of disasters runs a variety of risks, including greater potential for inconsistencies, unfairness and greater future uncertainty. The longer we delay adopting a national policy framework for planned relocation, the more pressure there will be from at-risk property owners wanting to build new protective structures. Yet in many cases more protection will not be a wise or cost-effective, long-term solution. Furthermore, local councils have been reluctant to make decisions about property buyouts in the absence of a national policy framework that outlines who pays for what and which owners are eligible for compensation and on what basis, hence planning processes have been delayed.”

Even the question of when to protect properties (through defensive structures

like sea walls and stopbanks) versus when to relocate is fraught, and there’s the issue of “building in dumb places” to overcome.

While some councils are working on adaptation measures, within a year of the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, more than 1,400 new house consents were granted for flood plains in Tāmaki Makaurau. When developments in high-risk locations get the green light, it understandably raises concerns that people and communities are being put in harm’s way. Jonathan says, unfortunately, under the current framework, councils don’t always have a choice.

natural disaster insurance via our Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC, formerly EQC). It means that if you have a home insurance policy that includes fire cover, you also get NHC cover for earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity and tsunamis.

However, there are limits to this cover, both in terms of payout amounts and eligibility. This is because, with limited exceptions, flood damage is not included in the scheme.

“The first step must be a clear recognition by the wider community that our current policy framework for disaster insurance needs to evolve due to the growing and unprecedented impacts of climate change –and thus the need for a proper public debate about policy options and the respective advantages and disadvantages.”

There are many international natural disaster insurance models to learn from, including the UK’s Flood Re (a joint initiative between the Government and insurers to make the flood cover aspect of household insurance temporarily more affordable, while stronger resilience measures are put in place), and the Australian Cyclone Reinsurance Pool. Established in 2022, the pool is part of Australia’s broader strategy to ensure insurance remains accessible in regions highly exposed to natural disasters. Backed by a $10 billion government guarantee, it is designed to improve insurance affordability for homes and businesses in cyclone-prone areas.

As Jonathan and Kris say, there needs to be a proper debate on what climate

A robust policy framework for climate change adaptation would include legislation around issues such as who pays for what, which properties are deemed too risky to inhabit, and how much compensation people should get if they have to relocate.

“Councils have limited statutory powers and are up against powerful vested interests (e.g. developers) with big pockets and a willingness to challenge council decisions through the courts. Councils are reluctant to spend ratepayer funds on court cases, especially if they risk losing the case.”

It’s another reason New Zealand’s legislative frameworks need to adapt and evolve in response to the growing impacts of climate change. For decades, New Zealand has had a framework for

adaptation measures will work best to protect New Zealanders from the longerterm impacts of climate change.

While the challenges of climate adaptation are significant, there is momentum for understanding and overcoming them.

With growing collaboration, investment in resilience infrastructure, policy innovation, and a shift towards proactive risk management, New Zealand will be well placed to move beyond crisis response towards long-term solutions.

A day on the road

AA Communications Specialist Hayley takes a ride with an AA Roadservice Officer.

SOMETIMES I THINK CARS can sense when it’s most inconvenient to cause trouble. My last breakdown was on the way to a yoga class – not very zen energy.

Fortunately, the AA has dedicated Roadservice Officers to help Kiwis get back on their journeys. Out and about on roads up and down the country, their ears prick up at the sounds of tyres deflating, doors slamming shut with keys inside, or the faint click click click of keys in a dead ignition.

I know how to jump start a car and could probably change a tyre if I had to – shout out to my Dad – but when it comes to breakdowns, I know to call in the professionals. Add the fact my car is over 20 years old, and you won’t catch me driving anywhere without AA Membership.

But what do the professionals actually do? I took a ride with Auckland Roadservice Officer Rob McNeal to learn the ropes of the job.

Rob gets an alert, and we’re off for the first callout of the day. This one was urgent: a woman had accidentally

locked the keys in her car boot leaving her two cats stuck inside the car on what was a particularly warm morning.

It’s an easy mistake to make and one that pops up frequently for AA Roadservice Officers.

“People have their hands full with groceries and whatnot, so they put their keys down in the boot, then close it with the keys in there, often realising their error mere milliseconds later.

“It’s a lot more serious if there are children or pets in the car,” Rob says. “The temperature inside a car can heat up incredibly quickly.”

We arrive at the scene and it’s a BMW – notoriously tricky to break into. Maybe that’s good news in relation to car theft, but less ideal for a person who’s accidentally locked two cats inside.

AA Roadservice Officers are trained for emergency lockouts and have the tools and the skills to get in without damaging the vehicle. I witnessed an absolute masterclass of technique from Rob and a short time later, we had two happy, albeit warm cats, plus one very thankful owner.

On to the next job. Car won’t start – a classic. Many of the AA’s callouts, like this one, are straightforward battery issues. But even after 18 years on the job, Rob is baffled by some of the situations he comes across.

He’s rescued a cockatoo from a locked car in the middle of the night. Another time, two kittens were stuck in the inner guard of a vehicle. Sometimes dogs accidentally lock themselves in by jumping on the car’s buttons.

“Once, I got the car open to free a dog and it immediately leapt up and locked itself in again.”

Just last week, someone had driven off in a campervan without winding in the awning and collected a tree with it. Rob was there to help untangle the mess, leaving the driver to make a rather awkward call to the campervan’s owner.

Back to our day on the road. A suspicious dashboard light has spooked an AA Member, so Rob and I go to check it out. A quick diagnosis sees the car referred back to its dealership. Let this be your reminder to stop ignoring your dashboard lights, folks!

If there’s one overwhelming emotion I sense from these Members when we pull up, it’s relief. The yellow and white wagon approaches like a beacon and you know someone is here to help you get on your way.

As for Rob, he says he could never go back to being a mechanic in a workshop. “There’s so much variety in being out on the road helping AA Members. You never know what you’ll come across.”

It’s back to the office for me, ready to flex on everyone with my shiny AA Motoring vest souvenir. Although my mechanical skills remain subpar, I do have a refreshed sense of appreciation knowing next time I drive to yoga, or indeed anywhere, Rob and the rest of the AA won’t be too far away.

See aa.co.nz/membership for full details on AA Roadservice. Your AA Membership covers you, not the vehicle, so you're covered whether you’re the driver or the passenger, no matter what you drive or ride. Need help? Call 0800 500 222

AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT (IDP) is important for New Zealanders travelling overseas as it officially translates your local driver licence into multiple languages, making it easier to communicate with foreign authorities. The IDP must be carried with a valid full New Zealand driver licence.

Many countries require an IDP for tourists to drive legally, including places where many New Zealanders go on holiday. If you're thinking of driving on your next trip abroad, check the rules with the local licensing authority and rental company requirements.

The AA is the only authorised issuer of the IDP for New Zealand licence holders.

There are two ways of getting an IDP at the AA. You must be 18 and over and have a full licence to apply.

Online – $49.50 + delivery fee

To apply online, fill in the application form at aa.co.nz, upload a photo of yourself and of your driver licence and make payment. Your IDP will be delivered in two to five working days for domestic deliveries. Please allow more time for international deliveries. This is a great option for people who cannot visit one of our locations in person.

In-person – $39.50

To apply in person and get your IDP on the spot, visit an AA Centre or AA Driver Licensing Agent. You will need your current, valid New Zealand driver licence and a passport photo. If you do not have a passportsized photo, one can be taken for a fee.

aa.co.nz/drivers

CAR CARE IN NORTHLAND Ticket to travel

A NEW AUTO CENTRE has opened in Whangārei, an area of New Zealand that has been without an AA Auto Centre for over a year. Chief Mobility Officer Jonathan Sergel says it’s particularly pleasing to reopen a site in Northland.

“Whangārei will become our northernmost AA Auto Centre and we’re thrilled the community can now access the AA’s high-quality motoring service without needing to drive so far. With the addition of this new AA Auto Centre, we now have 38 throughout New Zealand.”

Services include mechanical repairs, vehicle servicing, Warrant of Fitness inspections, as well as a wide array of general workshop facilities. Additionally, AA Members get discounts on a selection of services.

“Our teams throughout the AA Auto Centre network, both owned and third-party-operated, are committed to providing a friendly, quality service. Our customers, AA Members and their vehicles are in very capable hands.”

The Whangārei AA Auto Centre at 142 Dent Street is open now.

SERVICE EXPANDS IN WĀNAKA

WĀNAKA HAS A NEW HOME for a raft of licensing and Government ID verification services. The newest AA Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency opened late last year at 58 Ballantyne Road.

There, Wānaka locals and visitors can get their driver and vehicle licensing requirements sorted, including theory tests for learners, registrations, licence renewals, and International Driving Permits.

AA National Manager Government Contracts

Sheelah Ranson says she’s thrilled to see these services available at the new site in Wānaka.

“For several years we had a mobile licensing unit service Wānaka at various dates each month, though with a rapidly growing population, some customers needed to travel to neighbouring towns in order to meet their licence renewal deadlines.

“We are excited to see this Agency set up at its own ‘bricks and mortar’ location to provide greater access for the community. Initially the Agency will be open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week.

“The Agency is run by a fantastic team of people looking forward to serving their community for all their licensing needs and more.”

In addition, customers can access IRD personal number applications, RealMe services and join the AA or renew their AA Membership at the Agency.

Customers are encouraged to book an appointment online to guarantee service on the day of their choosing.

CAPITAL CHANGES

Porirua and Central Wellington AA Centres have moved.

WELLINGTON’S AA CENTRE has a new home and a new name after 40 years. The former Lambton Quay Centre, which had been at that site since 1984, closed and reopened in Featherston Street late last year. It’s now known as the AA Wellington Centre.

Members and customers will find the new AA Centre at 154 Featherston Street, Wellington. And in nearby Porirua, the AA has moved from Cobham Court to 16 Parumoana Street. The team at AA Porirua is enjoying the positive response from Members and customers visiting the new site.

MEVO & AA JOIN FORCES

ON-DEMAND CAR-SHARING COMPANY MEVO and the AA have partnered to promote sustainable mobility to AA Members.

The partnership, which gives AA Members up to $100 free Mevo credit in their first year, will provide new ways to get around in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson and Hamilton.

“We know our Members use a variety of transport options,” says Jonathan Sergel, AA Chief Mobility Officer. “While most have their own car, Members also use public transport, walk, ride and use micro-mobility. Car sharing is rapidly growing in popularity, with hundreds of thousands of trips taken in the last 12 months alone, and Mevo is leading the way by providing innovative access to on-demand services.”

Mevo Chief Executive Erik Zydervelt says the partnership with AA is a great way to promote efficient, low-impact travel to a wider audience, as car sharing becomes a mainstream mode of mobility in New Zealand.

Using the Mevo app, Members can locate a car nearby (usually within a few minutes’ walk in a Mevo inner suburbs zone), reserve and unlock a car, all from their phone. Users can choose between EVs, SUVs or compact cars, utilising a flat-rate pay-as-you-go model that covers all costs.

“Mevo takes care of all parts of the journey including fuel / energy, insurance, parking in the pickup / drop off zone, and vehicle maintenance. There’s no time wasted picking up or dropping off keys – all cars have keyless entry via the Mevo app, so Members can just get on with their journey,” says Erik.

For more information visit aa.co.nz/mevo