AA Directions Autumn 2023

FEATURE

Keeping our heritage safe

As the AA is celebrating its 120th birthday this year, we felt the timing was right to share the stories of others who are honouring their past in unique and compelling ways.

IN EVERY ISSUE

7 Chief Executive’s Message

9 Letters 10 Compass

What do fish n’ chips and the Māori language have in common? Meet Christchurch restaurateur and custodian of his heritage, Anton Matthews, whose tuition has benefitted thousands learning te reo. Readers are invited to share AA stories to help mark a significant milestone, plus find out about upcoming events and discover how you could win an incredible European river cruise.

33

MOTORING

34

A hole lot of problems

Why are New Zealand’s roads such a mess of potholes, rough patches and broken surfaces? Even before the recent destructive weather events, our roads were struggling to hold themselves together. We ask why, and report on what’s needed to fix them.

42

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

It could be one of several impressive, futuristic transport innovations on their way in the not-too distant future, as Aotearoa joins the global movement to decarbonise and diversify how we get around.

47 TRAVELLER 48

Down the coast

A road trip with a teen from Christchurch to Dunedin covers blustery blokarting, retro pop culture-themed mini golf, the chance to face fears and much more – all in a hot, hired Mustang.

63

Touch down

Landing in Singapore is otherworldly, thanks to the state-of-the-art infrastructure at Changi Airport, making for a mesmerising and memorable stopover.

67

AA HOME & LIVING

Good as new

A visit to Olveston, the historic Dunedin home built in the early 1900s, reveals impressively advanced features that would put some of today’s contemporary houses to shame.

72

Joining forces

We meet a knife-maker whose business as a cutler spans four decades and has recently expanded to include his daughters. Find out how to be in to win a set of their creations.

75 MY AA

We speak to an AA Driving School Driving Instructor about her integral role in building the confidence and skillset of New Zealand drivers, reveal new AA Motoring innovations that’ll get you moving quicker and with less stress, and highlight some fun Member Benefits for your next family outing.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

AS WITH A SIGNIFICANT anniversary in any family, an air of excitement is building for us at the AA, as we prepare to mark the momentous milestone in May of having helped New Zealanders for 120 years. While we honour what has made us so successful as an organisation, it seems only fitting that I also let you know about our exciting plans for a sustainable future. We believe these plans will see us being here for our Members for the next 120 years, and beyond. It is all about building

on our service roots, while evolving to meet the needs of Members who have not yet been born.

Inside this issue of Directions you will read about New Zealanders successfully using traditional methods and techniques in their lives which have been handed down over years and adapted to meet modern needs.

That is exactly the journey we are embarking on within the AA. We have appointed our first ever Chief

Mobility Officer, Jonathan Sergel, signalling our evolution beyond simply supporting cars, to helping our Members in whatever mobility choice they make. We are also continuing to increase our nationwide network of EV fast-charging Roadservice vans to remove the fear of running out of charge, something that can hamper a move to a more sustainable choice.

We are working on the latest technology to help you, our Members, easily connect to everything that is available within the AA network, while we focus on mapping out the best experience possible, whether it’s helping at the roadside or in the home. Our proud history of service above all else continues to underpin our next steps into the future.

It would be remiss of me not to pay tribute to those who have gone before us, whose work significantly shaped the AA. It was May 26, 1903 when Auckland eye surgeon Dr George de Clive Lowe gathered a handful of enthusiasts to start an automobile club; from those small beginnings we now have more than 1.8 million Members. (Incidentally, being the founder offered no favours when it came to the first version of a driving test, with the good doctor himself initially failing twice!)

From those beginnings came a school road safety programme at the suggestion of long-serving secretary George Hutchison, and the launch of a Better Roads campaign in 1904, with local associations even pitching in their own money and labour to improve roads and bridges. In 1923, AA stalwart Roy Champtaloup began erecting road signs and danger signs free of charge, starting a tradition which saw safe routes marked for fellow travellers. Roy also helped motorists along the way, showing how a patrol system for roadside service would be invaluable for Members.

Our strategic intent is to become the most loved, trusted and connected brand in New Zealand. We certainly can’t achieve that without you, and I want to thank you for continuing to believe in us and for choosing us to provide you with the support that makes your journeys through life easier.

Nadine Tereora CHIEF EXECUTIVE

EDITORIAL TEAM

Kathryn Webster

Monica Tischler

Jo Percival

DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION

Julian Pettitt, Senior Designer at SCG

HOW TO REACH US

EDITORIAL

AA Directions, Level 16, AA Centre, 99 Albert St, Auckland Central PO Box 5, Auckland, 1140 Ph: 09 966 8800

Email: editor@aa.co.nz

ADVERTISING

Moira Penman

027 563 0421

moira@gsjadvisory.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES:

Ph: 0800 500 444

ISSN 1171-0179

Published three times a year

Circulation 665,731

Readership AC Nielsen 829,000

PRODUCTION BY: SCG, Auckland

PRINTED BY: Webstar, Auckland

Contributors

Kia ora

Thank goodness for people who look after what’s important. In particular, and in relation to this issue’s feature, I’m talking about those who actively keep our history safe. Because it is important – not only for the preservation of objects, memories, records and techniques to pass on to future generations – but also because history establishes truth and contributes to how we know ourselves. We learned a lot in the process of interviewing people for our Lessons from the Past feature; it’s an honour to share their stories.

Kathryn Webster EDITOR

ON THE COVER

Nick's photographic journey began after 20 years working as an abseiling window cleaner in Dunedin, observing the city from the top down and the ground up. Today, he is a freelance photographer with a passion for architecture. From Dunedin’s ornately crafted heritage homes to contemporary dwellings, Nick uses photography to capture the feeling experienced within each space. See his images of Olveston on p.67

heritage our Embracing

NOTE: The views of contributing writers are not necessarily those of AA Directions or the AA. While AA Directions makes every effort to ensure that no misleading claims are made by advertisers, responsibility cannot be accepted by AA Directions or the AA for the failure of any product or service to give satisfaction. Inclusion of a product or service should not be construed as endorsement of it by AA Directions or by the Automobile Association.

YOUR SAY

In the Spring 2022 issue we asked readers: Have you changed your driving habits due to the increased cost of fuel?

YES: 63% NO: 37%

KATHY

Cantabrian Kathy Catton is a freelance writer and editor, experienced in feature writing, magazine editing and copywriting. Quick to grasp the crux of a story, Kathy enjoys bringing stories to readers with clarity and to surprise and delight. The animal-lover is currently planning a trip to volunteer in a turtle conservation project in the South Pacific. Read her advice on travelling with dogs on p.38

Before joining the AA’s Motoring Affairs team as a communications advisor last August, Matt Tso worked as a journalist in Otago and Wellington. He covered local news in the Hutt Valley for the Dominion Post and Stuff and was also involved with reporting on significant events in New Zealand’s history, including the Christchurch terror attacks, Whakaari eruption and the occupation of Parliament’s grounds. His byline is on two stories for this issue, on p.34 and p.42

This issue we ask: Do you think it’s a good idea to lower speed limits on city streets? Go to aadirections.co.nz to have your say.

NICK BEADLE

CATTON

MATT TSO

PHOTOGRAPH BY MONICA TISCHLER

Photograph by Tim Cuff Design by Julian Pettitt

LETTERS

More dollars than sense

Some people are taking no notice of the speed limits on our roads. Do they not care when they get caught going too fast? Do they have so much extra money they don’t care that they might have to pay a fine? Lowering the speed limit is not going to work for everyone because there is a section of society that will never comply with the road rules.

Heather Kyle WHANGANUI

Loud and clear

New Zealand’s current legal standard limit for vehicle noise is 100db for motorbikes and 95db for cars. However the WOF Inspection only states: ‘the vehicle inspector may perform a noise quick check’ (and then require a subjective test to be performed).

The other out is the legal exemption in respect of modified vehicles: ‘A vehicle will comply if the noise output from the exhaust system is similar to or less than the noise output from the exhaust system that was originally fitted when the vehicle was manufactured.’

Surely it would be more reliable to have a defined test? This lack of an actual measured standard might be an easy out for some testing stations. Hearing damage can occur above 80db. When motorbikes with no silencers pass by a child in a pushchair at up to 140db, this should be a real concern.

Peter Coles NEW PLYMOUTH

The right of way

Here is my two bobs’ worth: just because you have right of way, never assume you’re going to get it! Watch the traffic that is supposed to give way to you and, if necessary, give way yourself.

I know of several accidents that – had the driver with the right of way observed the other vehicle and acted accordingly – could probably have been prevented.

Wayne

TEMUKA

Not a problem

When I received the last issue of AA Directions

I noticed the plastic wrap had a paper address label. I recycle soft plastics regularly through a supermarket bin which has the instruction ‘no paper’ on, which meant I had to tear the label section away from the rest of the wrapper. I don’t think you have solved the disposal problem satisfactorily.

Annette Booth

DUNEDIN

We have checked with the plastic recyclers. Small paper labels such as the ones we use are flaked with the plastic to become part of the processed mix.

Too many humps

I am amazed with the number of speed humps and raised crossings on our roads. I cannot understand why these humps are installed on main arterials, when the object is to prevent congestion, not increase it. If a crossing needs to be controlled, then install traffic lights. These would then only operate on demand and not 24/7 as the humps do. Humps also increase fuel usage and pollution from the vehicles slowing down and accelerating. The other consideration is that emergency services’ arrival times would be increased by the presence of these humps.

Danny Clevely

AUCKLAND

Appreciating wool

After reading your story (Foxtrot Home, AA Directions, Spring 2022) I felt that I needed to say thank you.

I celebrated my 90th birthday in October, and wool has always featured in my life. There must be many, many folk of my age who have loved and appreciated wool. I still do; I still have a pair of blankets in use that I bought at Rendells in Auckland in the early 1970s.

My love of wool would have begun when my grandmother taught me to knit when I was very young. She was a fantastic knitter. I smile now when I remember my grandfather always wore hand-knitted socks.

1.84 million AA Members

40+ exclusive AA Member Benefits

36 AA Centres around New Zealand 450,000 AA Roadservice jobs last year* 800 tonnes of scrap metal recycled by AA Battery Service last

Whitmore

Grace Larsen

AUCKLAND

Christchurch-based Anton Matthews is a passionate campaigner for the revival of te reo Māori, a restaurateur, businessman, event organiser and proud pāpā of three. His Wigram restaurant Fush, which he owns with his wife Jess and sister Māia Gooday, was put on the map five years ago when he started running free te reo Māori lessons. Word spread and now thousands have learnt te reo under his tutelage. He talks with Fiona Terry.

What’s teaching te reo Māori got to do with fish and chips?

When we set up our brand Fush in Wigram, we wanted to be authentic to who we are – a Māori-owned, whānau business – so we decided to have bilingual menus, with every item listed in English and te reo Māori. Customers really appreciated that and were asking for guidance about how to pronounce and use the language correctly.

At the same time, I realised my daughter Te Ariā Aroha was reverting to speaking English to me when we were out and about, whereas at home we would only speak Māori together. I reckoned she thought it wasn’t normal to speak it in public because everyone else was speaking English. I wondered what I could do about that, so we made a conscious decision to keep bringing as much reo into our businesses as possible and embrace the desire to learn by running a free beginners’ te reo Māori lesson at Fush.

Did you intend for it to become a national initiative?

We had no idea it would be so popular. Initially it was meant to be a one-off series of small classes for 12 people, but we quickly had to find a bigger venue because after advertising it on Facebook, there were close to 3,000 people who registered interest. We moved it to the local school and 900 turned up for four weeks in a row. That’s what put us on the map; it became a big story.

How much did te reo Māori feature in your childhood?

I was born in Christchurch. Mum’s Pākehā and Dad’s Māori, and neither one of them learned te reo as children. We spoke as much Māori at home as we

could. My parents were always saying things like ‘aroha nui’ to tell me they loved me, but English was definitely the dominant language.

The change was when I was put into kōhanga reo at the age of two and then kura kaupapa Māori (fullimmersion Māori schooling) for my primary school years.

Are you glad your parents made that decision?

I admire them for recognising the value of the language early in my life and education, but it wasn’t an easy decision. People were against it at the time. It was considered risky and alternative; so many others questioned why they were doing it.

My parents wanted my generation to be far better than theirs, and now we’re seeing that my children’s generation is far better than my generation. The Christchurch immersion school Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi, which is where I went, is now where my daughter Ariā and my son Mana both go. My youngest, Kōtuku, who’s two years old, will go there too.

How did you get into teaching?

I actually left kura kaupapa Māori to attend Christchurch Boys’ High School for my high school years because I was serious about playing rugby at the time and knew that would be the best place to be. Within a couple of days I found myself teaching the school haka to my peers and taking a leadership role in that space. So I guess my teaching days started way back then.

By the time I left high school I already had my university major in te reo Māori. I followed that with a second major in Māori Indigenous Studies at the University of Canterbury (UC) and then later I had

the privilege of graduating from Te Panekiretanga o te Reo Māori (the Institute of Excellence in te reo Māori). After that I gained a Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning, also from UC.

Why the restaurant business then?

I fell in love with hospitality after starting in it part-time at 16 and continuing through my degrees. My whānau bought a business, Joe’s Garage in Sumner, back in 2013, where I assembled a rockstar group of friends and whānau members, including my sister Māia, and that’s where we cut our teeth. We won café of

the year that year but sold that business in 2016 so we could focus on Joe’s Wigram, which was a much bigger store. In late 2016 we opened Fush, next door.

What’s Fush all about?

We’ve found our niche in premium fish and chips. We wanted to create a cool brand and take fish and chips really seriously. We didn't want to do it cheap, we wanted to do it the right way – even down to the best homemade tartare sauce, chunky Agria chips, the most ideal cooking fat and amazing seasoning.

Key to our quality brand has been sustainability and sourcing fish that fits best with our kaupapa, our purpose. We worked really hard to find suppliers that aligned with our values and we only wanted to use sustainably caught fish.

It’s important to us not just to serve the best, but that we do our bit to ensure the decisions we make will better serve our future generations. Some people use kaitiakitanga as a marketing gimmick but for us it’s just who we are!

Your business has mushroomed and Fush is now part of a bigger organisation you’ve created called Hustle Group – can you tell us more about that?

As well as Joe’s and Fush, the group also includes Hustle Events, Hustle Education, Angitu Charitable Trust, Wigram Catering Company, and a handful of food trucks that we call the Fush Waka.

We have this entire business now that goes out and delivers workshops and creates resources with businesses and government agencies all over the country. So that’s a big part of what I do now –teaching workshops to businesses around te reo Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi – as well as policy work and translation work.

We started the food trucks five years ago. We’ve travelled around the South Island and filled out town halls and school halls running classes and selling fish and chips along the way. It’s been a really cool part of our journey.

Through our charitable arm, Angitu Trust, as well as the free language courses we also support local schools with sponsorships. It’s part of the reason we built a business, so that we could do things on our own terms and give back. Te reo, tikanga and manaakitanga are at the heart of what we do to normalise the language through the business.

What’s your hope for the future?

That people will become so confident at dropping Māori words into English sentences it will become a natural way for New Zealanders to speak, regardless of who they are and what their ethnicity is.

How does it feel when you hear people who’ve been on the courses using te reo Māori?

Proud! Proud of them but also proud of us. That’s my job – that’s my responsibility as a guardian or custodian of the language. I was afforded an opportunity as a youngster thanks to the decision my parents made, and I’m grateful for it. Now it’s my role as a kaitiaki to do what I can to make sure I leave the language in a better state than I found it and to be a good ancestor. My tamariki will be my legacy.

Eat curious!

Now dished up across two tantalising tastings, Visa Wellington on a Plate tempts tastebuds.

THIS YEAR marks 15 years of the southern hemisphere’s biggest culinary festival, that has seen close to 90,000 participants devouring more than 1.7 million burgers and sipping nearly 66,000 cocktails since its inaugural event.

With the festival now split into two editions in May and August, each includes ticketed events as well as pop-ups throughout the month. The theme for 2023 is ‘Breaking the Mould’ which will run across both editions, encouraging innovation and creativity with chef and comedy collaborations plus many more highlights designed to whet appetites.

Visa Wellington on a Plate runs from May 5-21 and August 11-27, 2023. Hungry for more information? See visawoap.com

AA DIRECTIONS will bring you even more great content this year! Check your inbox for digital versions of the magazine, delivered four times each year, as well as our two print editions now and in spring. You can also access AA Directions online at aadirections.co.nz where you'll find feature stories, travel inspiration, giveaways and more.

All that jazz

FOR ANYONE needing an excuse to head to Australia’s Sunshine Coast, the Noosa Jazz Festival could be just the ticket. Over eight days from August 27 this year, Noosa Heads Jazz Club will host Australian and international musicians in a celebration of classic jazz.

Visitors can take advantage of fine food options, sunset river cruises, outdoor adventures and plenty of sunshine. And it’s never been easier to travel there with direct flights to the Sunshine Coast from major New Zealand cities. Visit the jazz club’s website noosajazzclub.com for more details.

WIN!

A EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises provide world-class service, five-star farm-to-table cuisine, uniquely designed ships and exclusive excursions to extraordinary places. As the most inclusive river cruise line, the emphasis is on providing carefree and effortless travel; the only thing to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

A LUCKY AA MEMBER could soon be following in the footsteps of musical greats on the 'Delightful Danube and Prague', exploring the Vatican after hours on 'Venice and the Jewels of Vento', taking in the sites of small German towns on 'Magnificent Moselle and Rhine', or exploring UNESCO renowned Douro Valley on 'Portugal, Spain and The Douro Valley'. With a range of itineraries across

Europe currently starting from $2,399 per person, a little goes a long way for your dream European trip. Enter to win a $4,000 voucher to spend on any one of Uniworld’s European itineraries. Send entries, including your contact details, to "Uniworld River Cruise", AA Directions, PO Box 5, Auckland 1140 or enter online at aadirections.co.nz by May 31, 2023.

SHARE YOUR AA STORIES

This May, the AA will mark a significant milestone: 120 years of service to New Zealand.

SINCE 1903 we’ve been proud advocates for motorists and guardians of New Zealand’s roads, helping Members in their time of need, endevouring to make their journeys on the road – and through life – a little easier. To mark the occasion, we want to hear about your experiences with the AA. Tell us your AA stories – the funny ones, the heartwarming ones, even the slightly embarrassing ones! Maybe there was a time AA Roadservice arrived and found that strange noise was just your car radio? Or when you were desperate for help, in a big hurry, and the AA turned up just in time. Whether you were helped through an especially dramatic breakdown, or the AA came to the rescue in a unique and memorable way, we’d love to hear about it.

Share your stories by email to: editor@aa.co.nz, or send them via mail to: "AA Stories", c/o AA Directions, PO Box 5, Auckland, 1140.

CREATIVE GENIUS

Steel-cap stilettos, glass nails, full-body bald caps –these are just some of the supplies found in the storeroom at Wētā Workshop Unleashed.

WĒTĀ UNLEASHED is a location-based experience in Auckland, designed by Richard Taylor and the creative magicians at Wellington’s famous Wētā workshop.

Occupying a cavernous space at SkyCity Precinct, the experience takes visitors on a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of movie-making magic.

Unlike a traditional museum, Wētā Unleashed is almost completely handson and photography is encouraged. This is a vault of creative dreams, laced with movie-nerd humour.

You’ll make your way through three separate zones, set up as SFX workshops and movie sets, exploring horror, fantasy and sci-fi genres. In the horror section, prepare to be confronted with fake blood recipes, interactive scream-generating machines and mirrors that apply augmented reality make up.

Scale becomes distorted in the fantasy section with a human-sized model replicated as a looming giant in the next room, as if you’ve stepped onto his workbench.

Visitors can also try creating their own props – from tinfoil and plasticine sculpting to leather-punching, shaping plastacote foam to look like armour or making plastic chainmail, just like the team did for the Lord of the Rings franchise.

Wētā Workshop Unleashed runs multiple 90-minute tours each day. Find out more at tours.wetaworkshop.com/unleashed

AA Directions has FIVE family passes (two adults + two children) to Auckland’s Wētā Workshop Unleashed to give away. To be in to win, enter at aadirections.co.nz or post your entry to "Wētā Unleashed", AA Directions Magazine, PO Box 5, Auckland 1140, before 31 May, 2023.

30 YEARS OF DRAMA

Auckland Theatre Company is celebrating three decades of great storytelling.

FROM ITS INAUGURAL production at the Watershed Theatre in 1993, the renowned theatre company has gone on to present more than 180 main stage productions. Having performed in numerous venues around Tāmaki Makaurau including Q Theatre, SkyCity Theatre and Civic Theatre, the company always dreamt of having a place to call its own. That dream became a reality in 2016 with the opening of the ASB Waterfront Theatre in Wynyard Quarter.

Auckland Theatre Company will honour its special milestone with a stellar line up of performances for its 2023 season, the pinnacle being William Shakespeare’s King Lear The show boasts a cast of New Zealand’s finest and most celebrated acting talent including Michael Hurst as the lead and Jennifer WardLealand as Kent (see p.47 for an interview with Jennifer).

King Lear runs from 13 June to 1 July, 2023 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. See atc.co.nz for more details.

An eight-day festival, bringing together leading Australian and overseas-based musicians with fine food, sunshine and exciting adventures.

Plan your visit and sign up for more information: www.noosajazzclub.com.

Find information on accommodation and travel at: www.visitnoosa.com.au.

Royal cast: Munashe Tapfuya (left), Nicola Kāwana and Michael Hurst.

Photographer: Tony Drayton.

Roll up,roll up!

Arts on Tour is delivering doses of culture to New Zealand towns again this year.

FOR 27 YEARS the Arts on Tour NZ Trust has been dispatching artists to play in small halls from the deep south to the Far North. When Creative NZ failed to renew funding for this year’s programme, the trust pulled out all stops to find alternative ways to keep the show on the road.

And so, in April, The Boy With Wings tours. Using puppetry, songs, storytelling and sets that magically unfold out of boxes, theatre company Birdlife Productions promises laughter, tears and thrilling adventure when a young man’s journey unites with the miracle of kuaka/bar-tailed godwit migration. Designed specifically for

children aged 5 to 9 years, but loved by all, The Boy With Wings is on tour from April 1-17.

From May 3-27, the NZ String Quartet is on tour with 17 concerts in centres spanning the country from Kerikeri to Invercargill. Many of these concerts will mark the first time the quartet has performed in communities including Balcairn, Roxburgh and Paeroa. The quartet will bring an eclectic and vibrant mix of music, from familiar classical favourites, to spicy contemporary works and a few hidden gems.

The full 2023 touring itinerary can be found at aotnz.co.nz and tickets for all Arts on Tour shows bought on eventfinda.co.nz

End of the trail

After more than 90 years of producing free travel guides and printed maps for Members, the AA has made the tough decision to stop doing so.

It's kick off!

Stadiums in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin will come alive with the cheer of fans celebrating the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

IN AN INCREDIBLE moment for both Aotearoa and for women’s sport, the Women’s World Cup will be co-hosted in New Zealand and Australia from 20 July to 20 August, with tickets now on sale. The opening ceremony and muchanticipated opening game kicks off at Auckland’s Eden Park in July and will mark one of the most significant sporting events New Zealand has ever hosted, plus provide a phenomenal opportunity to showcase our culture to the world.

The largest Women’s World Cup ever will involve 32 teams for the first time –meaning it will have the same number of teams as the men’s tournament. Matches will be unlike anything New Zealand has ever been a part of, with the world’s best female footballers showcasing their skills and talent.

New Zealand will host 16 teams, two quarter-finals and a semi-final – a total of 24 group matches and five knock-out matches.

See fifa.com for more.

THE 2023 SEASON travel guides and current suite of maps will be the last printed by AA Traveller. With increasing obstacles, including soaring paper and distribution costs, combined with declining demand for paper-based maps and guides, the hard call had to be made. Free AA maps and various travel guides including regional guides, MustDo Road Trips, Walking and Cycling guides and Travelling New Zealand with Pets will be available in iSites and AA Centres throughout New Zealand until stock runs out. AA Traveller's wide range of travel Member Benefits –including discounts on Hertz and GO Rentals, accommodation, campervan hire, tours, Great Journeys NZ Trains and Interislander – will still be available to Members.

THAT LOCK & LEAVE LIFESTYLE

With homemade egg and salad sandwiches tucked in her pack, Judy takes off for weeks at a time to explore Aotearoa. “We do it every year. This year, my friend Betti and I went and walked a few tracks – we were away for five weeks.”

To warm up, they chose South Island trails offering a variety of flat and uphill one-day walks.

Tiromoana Bush Walk, Mount Richardson, and the Benmore Peninsula Track at Ōtemātātā were highlights.

The trip culminated in a three-day hike of Fiordland’s picturesque Hump Ridge Track. “Hump Ridge was a

definite stand-out. It’s not in great condition for walking so can be a bit of a battle, but the amazing views are your reward at the end.”

lock up and leave situation,” she explains. And it’s a relief that she doesn’t have to worry about the safety or security of her home. “There’s no responsibility in terms of maintaining the building. When you go away, it’s exactly the same when you get back.”

Judy sees life as one big adventure. A resident at Ryman’s Murray Halberg Village, retirement for her means more time to explore the country. Alongside friend and fellow resident Betti. “My apartment is a

It’s a modern way of living that’s ideally suited to explorers like Judy. She loves that she can pack her hiking shoes and hit the road whenever she feels like it. “You’re still an individual and can live your life with all the freedoms that you had previously. I find that aspect of Ryman really appealing.”

“ Betti makes the lunches for our treks, and I cook the dinners.”

When Judy’s home, her spare time is spent on the water. Rowing has been a passion for the past 20 years and she has just returned from rowing in seven events at Rotorua’s Blue Lake Regatta. “I’ve been rowing since my 50s and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon. I enjoy the sheer grittiness of rowing – it moves your whole body. It’s exhilarating.”

Judy competed in several events with her rowing partner Alison including the Women’s Doubles and Women’s Quads, with the pair taking home silver for placing second in the 1,000m Women’s Pairs. “The Masters was a week-long event. It was exciting, great fun.”

Independent and adventurous, Judy lives life on her terms. Locking up and heading off without a second thought. Except, perhaps, to check that Betti’s egg and salad sandwiches are secure in her pack.

The 2017 World Masters Games at Lake Karāpiro on the Waikato River was a highlight. “The World Masters Games became a goal of mine and Alison’s as soon as we knew it was coming to New Zealand.”

A FULL LIFE GETS RICHER WITH AGE

rymanhealthcare.co.nz

“ Rowing keeps you sharp, it keeps you fit, and it gives you something to aim for.”

This year, the AA is celebrating 120 years of serving our Members so the timing felt right to honour New Zealand’s past, with stories acknowledging the effort put into keeping our heritage safe. We talk to a healer who uses traditional Māori methods, a professional historian and writer, a team looking after the country’s precious archives, a carpenter who has renovated a city bar with exact old worlde detail, a photographer relying on 19th century techniques and a maker of replica 1931 Alpha Romeo Monza racing cars.

FROM THE PAST THE OLD

the maramataka (lunar calendar) and her own mood when harvesting plants.

“Karakia (prayer), for me, doesn’t have to be something where you bow your head and close your eyes. It’s the intent, your thoughts. I think about all those rituals before I even touch a plant or start to make my oils.”

JOYANN ONEKAWA is harnessing generations of wisdom to tackle contemporary ailments.

The ex-florist has a balm, spray, cream or tincture to help everything from a painful new tattoo to arthritic aches, stress, trouble sleeping, or a sore throat courtesy of the latest virus.

Many of her remedies utilise foliage gathered from the bush that surrounds her solar-powered home and small workroom, in the Waiotahe Valley southwest of Ōpōtiki. She creates and packages the products herself, then sells them online via Instagram, Facebook and a website she developed. Otherwise, she swallows her anxiety and drives for hours to pitch a gazebo and display her wares at markets in Taupō or Tauranga.

Joyann, who is Tūhoe and was raised by her maternal grandparents, credits her forbears with imbuing the deeper knowledge behind her Soul Time rongoā (Māori medicine) business.

“I was 39 when my grandmother died, so I had a 39-year apprenticeship,” she says. “I lived with my koro and nan in a tin hut in the bush till I was five. No power, no running water. Koro would bring different pieces of rākau (tree) and plants home and tell me what they were used for, whether it was medicinal, used to trap birds, whether it was kai.”

Her green-fingered nan and great-nan taught her to grow flowers and herbs and would occasionally dab her with homemade salves. They also instilled respect for tradition and ritual, so Joyann is mindful of

These lessons were absorbed on the same land where she resides today, with husband Barlow and their three children. Daughter Waipiro, 15, has developed a range of bath salts, lip balms and her own Stay Glossy branding and website alongside her mother. Sons Pohatu, 22, and Barlow, 12, often venture into the bush to harvest kawakawa leaves, tūpākihi twigs and bark from the manono tree.

“Manono is amazing, it helps the body regenerate skin really quickly. I’ve seen it work within 24 hours on a huge graze on my son’s knee. It’s also really good for pain; Tūhoe have always used it for broken bones.”

Other rongoā experts have been generous with their information. Years of trawling library shelves, used bookstores and the internet have helped the former Ōpōtiki College head girl collect knowledge and plants from other cultures, too. So kānuka is combined with eucalyptus to create a chest rub for

Sue Hoffart finds a healer keeping her family’s precious traditions alive.

winter ailments. Koromiko is mixed with calendula to prevent and treat nappy rash or eczema.

“I’ve been drawn to plants all my life. A lot of what I do is intuition first, then research to make sure it’s safe.”

Joyann began selling rongoā while still operating her florist shop. However, it was her own health issues that drove the launch of Soul Time.

In the wake of several personal tragedies, including the stillbirth of baby son Tata Iraia, the anxiety that had been plaguing her ramped up several notches. Her mental health dove to the point she was near suicidal and became briefly addicted to the pills that were supposed to help.

In response, she quit the shop and began trading from home.

The whenua soothes her – “I just know where I belong, like an umbilical cord” – and so does being in the bush, stirring a pot, pressing oil. It holds some healing options, too. Tātarāmoa (bush lawyer) plant helps with both anxiety and sleep. Kawakawa tea helps lower her blood pressure during times of stress.

The place, the plants and some extra help from an acupuncturist, counsellor and mirimiri (massage) therapist combine to keep her well. “Now I can turn my mind, that chatter, off.”

Trade is brisk and her balms have found their way into health packs for the local iwi authority and north to the public health agency in Auckland. One week, she filled 2,500 jars.

A new, larger earth-walled studio is under construction, with space for the workshops she plans to host. Joyann already runs workshops off site and hopes to create a rongoā Māori programme for schools.

“My passion is helping people, really. But a huge part of why I do what I do is to honour my grandparents and my great grandparents. Not just their teaching about rongoā, but also their way of being and their care of the land.

“My grandmother lived in the house we’re in now. I was her world and she was my heart. It makes me feel close to her, doing what I’m doing.”

www.soultime.co.nz

www.stayglossy.nz

Joyann Onekawa makes remedies from foliage gathered in the bush that surrounds her solar-powered home and small workroom, in the Waiotahe Valley southwest of Ōpōtiki.

Adrian Cook produces dreamy, otherworldly images from his caravan in the rural Waikato town of Te Aroha using a technique known as wet plate collodion.

FROM ANOTHER

photographers, but he knows of less than a dozen in New Zealand.

“Of those, I’m probably the most commercial and I think I’m the only one with a portrait studio. I run workshops teaching people how to do it, but not many go on to pursue it because it’s harder than you’d think – plus you’ve got to source the chemicals and set up the darkroom. It’s actually a lot of work!”

But the stunning results make it well worth the effort.

AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER

Adrian Cook knows a thing or two about living the high life: he’s photographed some of the biggest names on the planet, in the world’s most exotic and Instaworthy locations.

But ask him where his happy place is and it’s not New York, London or Paris. It’s a 1950s Bondwood caravan in the rural Waikato town of Te Aroha. More science lab than mobile home, this is alchemy HQ, and home base for Adrian’s wet plate portrait studio, Tintype Central. A mobile darkroom of the most magical kind, it’s here that Adrian creates dreamy, otherworldly images using techniques from another time.

If you haven’t heard of wet plate collodion, you’re not alone. Invented in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer, it was the dominant photographic process of the mid-nineteenth century, until gelatin silver bumped it off its perch. Now though, it’s having a renaissance, and here in New Zealand Adrian is leading the charge.

“Digital photography is still my bread and butter, but it’s not what gets me out of bed in the morning,” says Adrian, who has worked with the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and U2, and has picked up awards at Cannes and D&AD.

“I started my career back in the 1980s when everything was shot on film. Then digital came along which was great, but now I find there are no surprises. Digital has devalued photography because now everyone’s a photographer. If an image isn’t right you can just manipulate it on the computer.”

Looking for a hobby to reignite his passion, Adrian began exploring wet plate eight years ago and quickly became hooked.

“I like being in the darkroom and working slowly like you do with film.

Instead of shooting 400 images as you would with digital, I shoot just one or two. Plus you get time to talk to the people you’re photographing.”

A portrait session takes about an hour, but much of that includes setting up the shot – when you’re only taking one frame it’s important to get the composition right. Adrian uses the exact same process photographers did 150 years ago, right down to an original 1850s camera lens. After coating the tin or glass plate with collodion, he immerses it in silver nitrate for three minutes and it becomes light sensitive. From there it’s a highspeed dash to the camera to put the plate in the film holder, shoot the image and get back to the darkroom to develop, rinse, fix, wash, dry and varnish it. Time is of the essence.

“It’s called wet plate for a reason – the whole process has to be done while it’s wet, so you’ve got 10 or 15 minutes, less on a hot day. That’s why you need a mobile darkroom.”

Adrian estimates that globally there are around 10,000 wet plate

“The problem with photos today is that no one ever gets anything printed, it’s all on your phone. But with tin type, it’s a oneoff artwork that lasts for generations, like a painting. It’s about having something real in your hand, not on a screen.”

Since shifting back to New Zealand from Australia last year, the wet plate side of Adrian’s work has been gaining traction.

“When I first got back I did 50 portraits for the Auckland Writers Festival and it’s grown from there.”

Now he divides his time between Auckland and Te Aroha and regularly hits the road – old Bondwood in tow – to conduct wet plate portrait sessions at some of the country’s most-loved institutions, from Sarjeant Gallery and Te Ahu Museum to Howick Historical Village, The Pah Homestead and Pioneer Village Kaikohe.

“I do lots of portraits for special occasions like Mother’s Day, 21st birthdays, Valentine’s Day and even staff Christmas parties. There’s a big resurgence in handmade stuff – people are over throwaway and want something that lasts. With wet plate it’s like an heirloom. You know it’s going to be around for the next generation.” www.tintypecentral.com

Vanessa Trethewey meets a photographer making magic with vintage techniques.

PERFECT

And then there is the tiny, almost indecipherable logo, embossed in the base of the steel disc. True to the original. When the conjuring is complete, some 4,500 components and 14 months later, the result is a hand-crafted 1931 Alfa Romeo Monza replica – an aficionado's dream racing car. With its eight-cylinder engine clipped to a lightweight chassis, Italian engineer Vittorio Jano's creation became a racing legend in the early 1930s. Only 188 were ever made.

IN A BARN-LIKE WORKSHOP on the fringe of Auckland, Colin Howard and assistant Gavin Tindell are conjuring up a 90 yearold vehicle.

The workshop contains a concentrated air of ingenuity, perseverance and achievement. It arises from decades of investigation – and a commitment to an unwavering passion: to create a replica so exact as to be indistinguishable from the original. The vehicle that emerges is built to original standards and blueprints, using authentic manufacturing techniques.

Tacked to the back of the workshop's roller doors are large prints of the original drawings. A partially composed skeleton raised by jacks crouches on the pale concrete floor. Attached to its battleship grey frame are four glossy black spoke wheels. At the front is a brass radiator with a small disc mounted vertically on top – on one side, an emblem of a man carrying a child – St Christopher – and on the other, a curious looking ‘scientific instrument’ that reveals itself to be a thermometer.

“Building replica vehicles has become widely accepted,” Colin says. Today, replicas, when commissioned by Jaguar or Aston Martin, are referred to as ‘Continuation Cars.’ In recent years, original, historically important cars have skyrocketed in price. One Alfa Romeo Monza recently sold for $12 million.

Colin did an apprenticeship as a mechanic with a Ford dealer in West Auckland. But it was while working with McLaren Cars that he got a buzz for restoration.

Chris van Ryn witnesses the continuation of a classic.

Colin Howard (left) and assistant Gavin Tindell hand-craft a complete replica of a classic Alfa Romeo from their workshop on the fringe of Auckland.

“I went to the UK, and found a job with a guy who restored Alfa Romeos. I went for a drive in a 1931 Monza one cold winter's morning and we did 120 miles per hour (190km) up the bypass. I was hooked.”

Colin's plan was audacious, to say the least. He flew to America, where a car had been completely disassembled, took photos and drew and measured each component before heading home and transferring the sketches to the drawing board. Later, he attended design school, where he learnt the power of CAD (computer aided design) and 3D modelling.

Twelve years ago, Colin assembled his first Monza. Since then, his workshop has produced six Monzas and three Corto Spiders. Once the coachwork is

complete, the vehicle is shipped offshore, where the customer procures and installs the engine. Colin's clients reside mostly in the UK and commissions are through word of mouth.

What makes a continuation car indistinguishable from an original? Much of it is in the ‘hidden’ detail: the precise placement of a rivet in the chassis, the burr and grooves on an axle from a casting, a small embedded logo in a discrete location.

“See this.” Colin leans over, and, with reverence, places a shackle pin on an anvil as if it were an altar. The shackle pin is made from alloy and has intertwining helix groves running along its shaft and a brass grease nipple.

“Beautiful, isn't it? The way the helix allows oil to travel down the grooves.”

Many of the components are handmade, turned, cast or beaten with a hammer. There are parallels with sculpture: an understanding of metallurgy, hand-shaping, forging and casting.

“Apart from a few minor details – the steering wheel is made of urethane and not Bakelite, for example,” Colin says, “it’s exactly the way they made these vehicles back in the day.”

It's this love of detail and process which infuses an Alfa Romeo Monza continuation car by Colin Howard with its own narrative. Everything has to be just right: the artistry, the engineering, the harmony of form. The end result retains the authentic ‘voice’ of the original Monza but also bears the subtle fingerprint of its maker. And in this way, a Colin Howard replica establishes a provenance of its own.

A handmade Colin Howard Monza is a sought-after vehicle that has mana in its own right.

I went to the UK, and found a job with a guy who restored Alfa Romeos. I went for a drive in a 1931 Monza one cold winter's morning and we did 120 miles per hour (190km) up the bypass. I was hooked. COLIN HOWARD

SHARING OUR

IT IS SURELY ONE of the most intriguing job titles around: freelance professional historian. And if anyone is qualified to call themselves one, it’s Jock Phillips, former Chief Historian, scholar, editor of Te Ara online encyclopaedia, conceptual leader for Te Papa Tongarewa’s inaugural history exhibitions and writer of many books on New Zealand history.

The ‘freelance’ bit of his job title is because, in theory, he’s retired. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t reading and thinking about history – that’s what keeps me alive. I’ve always got something on the boil. I am a hired hand if anyone wants my expertise in history.”

For 14 years Jock was New Zealand’s Chief Historian, working for the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to oversee official history projects and support community-based heritage projects. While in that role, the idea of Te Ara evolved. The timing was perfect, as the worldwide web was taking hold. “I realised the advantage of an encyclopaedia on the web; it would be so much more accessible, and you could update it as things change. It’s alive and always will be.”

Making history, specifically New Zealand history, accessible to more people has long been one of Jock’s priorities. As many people will relate, when Jock was at school students were taught only British history. He recognised the importance of New Zealanders understanding the distinctive and wonderfully rich history of this country and set his career on making that history accessible. “I am very keen for history to be available to ordinary New Zealanders and that New Zealanders will be excited by their history.”

He believes that understanding history helps society understand and identify itself. “That’s one of the jobs of an historian, contributing to New

Zealanders’ understanding of their own society.” While the work of historians might not be overtly political, there can be political implications. “If you read, for example, about the Māori land loss and the confiscation of Māori land in the 19th Century, it helps you to understand the situation for the Māori community today.”

As well as teaching, curating and editing, Jock is also a prolific writer, with his name on 15 history titles. The latest has been the wildly popular A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects.

“I was interested in doing a general history and this seemed a great way of doing it because it allowed me to tell some good stories and at the same time provide people with the main developments in New Zealand history.”

First, he divided the country’s timeline into nine periods: one covering up to the arrival of Europeans (in 1759), one covering from then up to 1840 and, from that date, periods representing every 20 years. He then looked around for 10 or so objects for each, thinking about the important

things that happened historically, then choosing objects with good stories attached to them which would throw light on the developments of that period.

The search for the 100 featured objects involved travelling to museums all around New Zealand, talking to curators.

“I decided that they would all be in New Zealand and in public collections. So, I went around the museums and asked, ‘what are the jewels in your collection?’ I did about seven or eight road trips. It was hard work but fun and really valuable. The Government gives

money to Te Papa because it looks after the national collection but my thinking is that the national collection is all over the country; the things that are important to the nation can be found in Murchison or Hokitika or Gisborne or Arrowtown.”

The oldest item in the book is an 80-million-year-old crocodile jaw; the newest from 2020. He tried to give fair representation of the geography of the country and not be weighted too much in favour of the 20th century.

“I tried to include stories about popular culture, about war, about family life –

I am very keen for history to be available to ordinary New Zealanders and that New Zealanders will be excited by their history. JOCK PHILLIPS

Kathryn Webster meets a storytelling historian on a mission to keep it real.

Jock Phillips has dedicated his career to ensuring history, in particular New Zealand history, is widely available and understandable.

I had to make sure that women were well represented and different ethnic groups – Irish, Scots, Māori, obviously – so I included as many different contributors to the New Zealand experience as possible.”

He approached this project as a storyteller: “Where possible, I tried to have the object attached to an individual, someone like Winston Reynolds who made the first television set in New Zealand – and a great story about a fellow who was pulled out of the rubble of Napier Tech in the Napier earthquake…”

He agrees that another historian would probably choose completely different objects. “This is my walk through New Zealand history,” he says. “I’ve written a few books and I’ve never had so many warm responses as this one. They get the point, which delights me.”

Get the book

Win a copy of Jock Phillips' latest book – A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects (Penguin; RRP $55.00)

The sewing kete of an unknown 18th-century Māori woman; the Endeavour cannons that fired on waka in 1769; the Biko shields used to protect protesters during the Springbok tour in 1981; the soccer ball that was a tribute to a victim of the Christchurch Mosque shootings. These and 96 more items carry stories that represent the history of New Zealand.

We have five copies of A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects to give away. To be in to win, send your name and address to "History of NZ", AA Directions, PO Box 5, Auckland 1140 or enter online at aadirections.co.nz by 31 May, 2023.

Nick Inkster used his carpentry background to transform a corner of the Old Government Building in Christchurch into OGB Bar, an authentic take on old-school hospitality.

IF THE WALLS of the ornate, heritage-listed 1913 Old Government Building could talk, they’d sure have some stories to tell.

The grand old building, designed in 1909 by Joseph Maddison in the Italian Renaissance Palazzo style, was originally the base for Government departments. It fell into disrepair in the 1980s before being rescued and transformed into the Heritage Christchurch hotel.

Having been re-strengthened in the process of that restoration, the building came through the earthquakes of 2011 and 2012 well. It was, in fact, the only heritage building left fully intact in the CBD.

This was when local carpenter Nick Inkster entered the scene, having seen the potential of a vacant space in the building.

“Christchurch lost so much heritage in the earthquake. My vision was to

A TOAST TO

complement the traditional building and bring it back to life,” he says.

Nick used his carpentry background to transform a corner of the building into OGB Bar. “I started with a clean canvas, stripping it right back, but with respect to its heritage status,” he says.

He spent hours researching the fittings, hardware and mouldings of buildings in the same era and poring through every antique shop in Christchurch to find the right decor to style the bar. “The brass cash till, the original phonographs and gramophones are all in working order; nothing is just a prop,” Nick says.

The result: an authentic take on old Christchurch combined with old-school hospitality. Stepping inside OGB Bar is like stepping back in time to an era when gentlemen enjoyed a Cuban cigar with their whisky and women sipped cocktails in their own, discreet lounge.

“It starts the very minute guests step through the door. Bar staff wear newsboy flat caps and bowler hats, suspenders and matching striped collarless shirts in keeping with authentic 1900s Christchurch,” Nick says.

A secret door that Nick built behind a bookcase leads from OGB Bar through to Parlour, an intimate cocktail lounge with opulent chandeliers and mirrors, low-seated booths and a mahogany and marble bar where “the ladies can go to talk about the gentlemen,” Nick says.

Always in search of ways to repurpose, Nick salvaged rimu timber from both his first home and his parent’s property that had been damaged in the earthquakes to make a servery to the outdoor courtyard.

Original features include the four big windows, architraves and sills, and internal doors, some complete with period timber moulding.

It would seem Nick’s venture not only pays tribute to Christchurch’s past, but a vision held by his late father, Robin.

Growing up, he was told by his father how he could see him building his own bar one day because of how much he loved playing host. Robin bought Nick a photograph of Cathedral Square before he passed away and pictured at the bottom of the frame is the Old Government Building.

“It was like he was guiding me towards the place that would one day become my dream bar,” Nick says.

Monica Tischler finds a Christchurch bar honouring the history of the city.

ACCESSING THE

FOR MORE THAN 20 years the team at Archives New Zealand has been working to bring a vast collection of historical records and cultural taonga online through the process of digitisation.

“Our institutions hold a wealth of knowledge that traditionally has only been available to those who visit in person,” Digitisation Manager at Archives New Zealand, Rebekah Rogers, says.

“If you can imagine a shelf that is filled with every format imaginable – it could be a bound volume, it could be loose sheet, it could be a small ticket from a raffle, all the way through to large maps and plans that are over five metres wide; there are slides, negatives – you name it, we’ve got it!”

With more than seven million items in their holdings, Archives New Zealand is slowly but surely creating digital access by capturing the collection for now and into the future.

Digitisation on demand, a userpays model where people can request the digitisation of an item from the archives, has been operating since 2017. However, the last three years have seen an unprecedented increase in demand. “When Covid-19 hit, Archives New Zealand, like the rest of the country, shut down,” Rebekah says. “Being unable to come into our reading rooms boosted public interest in digitisation. Our requests doubled after lockdown –from 942 in 2019-2020 to over 2,100 in 2020-2021 – and it hasn’t slowed down since. It was a real shift in how people access material.”

Archives New Zealand operates under the Public Records Act, which means

everything in the open access collection can be made available, regardless of its format. “If you want to see the physical record, you can often still come into our offices to see that, even if it has been digitised,” Rebekah explains. “Some people want to see the provenance for themselves; they want to see their taonga. What we’re really creating is an access surrogate of the physical record. The original record is our preservation master.

“Most of the material we hold is from the 1840s onwards and the bulk of digitisation work is for material from before the 1920s, which was when open access started. For

by what’s stored at the National Library and within the Alexander Turnbull collection, including anything from sound recordings to objects, manuscripts, photographs, maps and paintings.

With such a wide range of heritage collections, proper preservation is critical. Within the purpose-built National Library building there are different collections stores. “We have a 2ºC freezer where film negatives are stored and a 13ºC one set at 34% humidity for glass plate negatives,” Senior Imaging Technician, Claire Viskovic, explains. “We have racks for framed artworks and caravan drawers for larger scale items – things that are really huge or need to be rolled. There’s every possible format you could think of, really! It’s all carefully controlled to keep the collections safe.

“At the moment there’s a real push to digitise the collections of sound recordings that are on magnetic tape,” Claire continues. “They’re extremely vulnerable and as they degrade they can’t be used. If we don’t digitise them now we’ll have missed an opportunity and they’ll be gone.

anything newer than that we start hitting restrictions around copyright or privacy. We digitise very little from after WWII. But because the records are so old, our work requires a lot of care – we can’t just feed material into machines!”

While Archives New Zealand has official records from Government agencies, its holdings are complemented

“Originally, when we began digitising over 20 years ago, a lot of it was about providing access to people who wanted a copy of a picture for a publication or for their family history. But as technology has become more reliable and we can achieve a better quality result, digitisation is now also about keeping a digital copy in perpetuity in addition to the physical material.”

Also at the National Library, Digitisation Advisor Melanie LovellSmith works with the mind-boggling

If you want to see the physical record, you can often still come into our offices to see that, even if it has been digitised. Some people want to see the provenance for themselves; they want to see their taonga. REBEKAH ROGERS

Jo Percival meets the team keeping the country’s records safe.

volume of newspapers that have been published in New Zealand since 1839. This content has gradually been made available online since 2001 via the Papers Past website. “We’ve got over eight million pages on Papers Past, but that’s only a tiny percentage of what has been published,” Melanie says.

“We digitise from microfilm, which was the standard way of preserving newspapers for decades. Initially the website only provided pictures of the old newspaper pages, which weren’t searchable but at least people could look at them. As technology evolved the site gained text search capability.

“Today we use optical character recognition (OCR) for the text. You get an image of the page, and the text is converted into data, so if you do a word

search on Papers Past the search term will be highlighted.”

Today’s digital collections are not just created from electronic versions of physical historic records – there is now ‘born digital’ material to consider, too.

“One of our other digital collections teams works on harvesting websites and social media for content that would otherwise just be lost over time,” Claire explains. “They look for stuff that really exemplifies the Kiwi lifestyle and provides a snapshot of social history; things that are important to New Zealanders and that people may want to research in the future.”

But even accessing born digital material poses challenges. “The team has a lot of vintage technology to make sure they can access collections, as

things might be stored on someone’s old computer or a floppy disk.”

It takes a team to preserve history. While digitisation involves a lot of work in itself, there is much that goes on behind the scenes to catalogue and safeguard the physical records first. “We stand on the shoulders of the people who’ve done a whole lot of work in collecting and preserving the physical items,” Melanie says. “We couldn’t digitise things if that hadn’t happened.”

“A big push for us is taking archives to the people, and digitisation is the key factor to make that possible,” Rebekah adds. “We’re essentially democratising access. No matter where you are or who you are, you can access your records –because these belong to New Zealanders. We’re just the keepers.”

Melanie Lovell-Smith (left), Rebekah Rogers and Claire Viskovic are working to bring a vast collection of historical records and cultural taonga online through the process of digitisation.

True Blue

Jeanette Baylis and son Philip and their 1971 Ford Falcon that has been in their family for two generations.

ORIGINALLY OUR BELOVED Falcon was used as a family vehicle and we took many school holiday trips to stay with relatives in Rotorua. One memorable trip saw us towing our little cabin cruiser so we could explore some of the lakes, but terrible weather kept us off the water for the whole seven days and we ended up using the boat to bring a couch home to Wellington!

My late husband and I did our longest North Island drive in the Falcon, retracing our honeymoon road trip to Cape Rēinga. The car also spent some time in Picton, where it was "borrowed" by an employee to travel round the South Island. We learnt about that when the unpaid bills arrived!

Today the car has done just over 92,000 miles and is in my son Philip's care. He takes to the road once or twice a year to blow away the cobwebs.

THIS ISSUE IN MOTORING 34

Off roads

Why is New Zealand's roading network in such a state of disrepair?

38

Fur baby on board

We share our top tips for driving safely with dogs in tow.

42

The future is here

We take a look at the transport solutions that could soon be our reality.

New Zealand’s roads have taken a hammering this summer following heavy rain from successive cyclones but even before the devasting floods, slips and washouts, the country’s roads were struggling to hold themselves together. Matthew Tso reports on the poor state of our highways.

Last year delivered Aotearoa’s wettest ever winter and was followed by a summer of catastrophic storms and flooding.

The impact on our roads was huge and increased the need to have a roading network that is more resilient and more able to handle the demands of traffic volume as well as weather extremes.

AA Directions’ deadline meant the bulk of this article was written before the summer storms; its focus is on the road maintenance issues that the AA has been concerned about for years. Those issues have been exacerbated by the destructive weather events – but the challenge is the same: to get our roads repaired and strengthened to the standard they should be.

Even before the storms, many AA Members felt the condition of roads were the worst they’ve ever been. Pothole commentary has become something of a national pastime with internet memes, social media groups and the traditional media all featuring more and more pothole stories through 2022.

The problems culminated in what was billed as Waka Kotahi’s largest ever road renewal programme. The summer of roadworks for 2022/2023 aimed to reseal or rebuild 2,400 lane-kilometres of state highway, over 10% of the national network between Cape Rēinga and Bluff.

It was a welcome initiative, but many stakeholders say the roads should never have reached such a poor state of repair. Questions were also asked over how much of the planned summer of roadworks would be completed following the hammering to the North Island by the rain event that bought widespread flooding to Auckland and cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.

Waka Kotahi’s maintenance and operations national manager Neil Walker says the programme was on track

at the end of December with contractors having finished 35% of the scheduled works, however the situation in the northern regions following summer’s downpours could lead to funding and resources being reprioritised, possible delays or cancelled works.

“The damage to the state highway network caused by those weather events may have an impact on our ability to reach 100% of our planned renewals.”

If emergency works exceeded available funding in the transport budget, money could be reallocated from other road maintenance projects or other National Land Transport Programme activities, Neil says. In February the Government committed an initial $250m for emergency road repairs from the cyclone.

What about the potholes?

Waka Kotahi says potholes most commonly form in older pavements when a crack opens and lets water into the road surface, eventually ponding. The hydraulic pressure of vehicles driving over the top forces water deeper into the cracks, loosening parts of the road around the affected area that eventually break away.

The impact on road users varies from an annoyance to a serious safety threat. Potholes can cause damage to tyres and rims, suspension, wheel alignment, and windscreens if loose bits of road break away. Vehicles, particularly motorcycles and cyclists, risk losing control if they hit a pothole, and people swerving or braking to avoid them can also create a dangerous situation. But the road maintenance issue goes beyond just potholes in terms of road safety. The quality of the road surface is about providing good grip and traction to reduce the risks of a vehicle losing control and skidding, as well as better stopping ability.

In October last year it was reported that a pothole on State Highway 29 through the Kaimāī Ranges in the Bay of Plenty punctured the tyres of up to 30 vehicles in the space of a few hours, resulting in a queue of stricken vehicles on the side of the road.

Crash investigators are also looking into the causes of a fatal accident on SH29 the same month, where the family of a driver who died believe a pothole was a factor in a vehicle crossing the centreline and crashing headfirst into an on-coming car. The crash left the other driver with serious injuries.

Nick Leggett is the chief executive of Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand, which represents the road freight

industry. He says damage to vehicles and lost time from potholes is as big a burden on truck drivers as it is on any road user. The problem is nation-wide.

“The cost from damage and accelerated wear caused by roads where maintenance has fallen behind is significant. Also, it costs when drivers have to sit in traffic slowed by roadworks.”

How did we get here?

Stacy Goldsworthy is the technical manager at Civil Contractors NZ, an industry body that represents many of the firms that construct the country’s roads. He says potholes are an inevitability, but the rain accelerates the deterioration of roads which are already in a poor state.

Nick and Stacy point to the flatlining of government spending on maintenance in the mid-2010s as having set the wheels in motion for roads to deteriorate. Subsequent budgets, they say, have resulted in Waka Kotahi and road contractors fighting losing battles of catch-up in the years since.

“It started with the National Party’s prioritisation of Roads of National Significance. We were supportive of those projects, but you shouldn’t be robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Nick says.

New Zealand had fallen into a cycle of reactive work to patch its damaged roads using short-term fixes that often have to be repeated. This system is more expensive in the long run than scheduled preventative maintenance and upgrades.

“The current model leads to cheaper fixes and more maintenance,” Stacy Goldsworthy says.

Both Nick and Stacy agree that Waka Kotahi did its best given its limited pool of funding.

Stacy says it has become common for bread-and-butter maintenance to be the poor cousin of new infrastructure projects.

The increasing frequency and intensity of significant weather events mean we must think differently about how we deal with these risks in the land transport system. We are increasingly building climate change adaptation into our infrastructure planning. NEIL WALKER, WAKA KOTAHI

“There’s no ribbon cutting for maintenance; it doesn’t get in the newspaper. Capital projects are good –they improve journey times and access – but you’ve got to look after what you already have.”

Neil Walker from Waka Kotahi says the volume of state highway renewal work has indeed been impacted by funding stagnation in the mid-2010s, but other issues are also at play.

“The flatlining of funding is not the sole cause for condition issues across the network. Over the past decade a number of factors have contributed, including increasing traffic volumes and climate change.”

As funding plateaued, Stacy Goldsworthy says, the then National-led Government allowed heavier 50MAX trucks (up to 53 tonnes) to operate on the roads – the previous limit was 44 tonnes – which put more stress on the roads and hastened deterioration, a claim also made on Twitter by Minister of Transport, Michael Wood.

Nick Leggett disagrees, saying axle configurations spread the weight and payload of a 50MAX truck, causing no more damage than any other truck.

He adds that the trucking industry more than pays its own way though road user charges, which in some cases run into tens of thousands of dollars a year to keep a single vehicle on the road. However, not enough of this money is making it into roading.

So, where to now?

Michael Wood, in previous discussions with the AA, has said the Government was committed to improving roads, pointing to the extra $500m allocated to repairs across the latest three-year funding cycle.

On social media he has pointed out that expenditure on State Highway maintenance has increased significantly under Labour following ‘historic underinvestment’ by National.

But Nick Leggett says blaming the previous Government doesn’t wash.

“It’s true the budget issues didn’t start under this Government but they’ve since had half a decade [in power].”

The maintenance budget needs to keep up with inflation, he says. The upkeep costs for roads is up to 50% more per kilometre than a decade ago. Waka Kotahi has also experienced high staff turnover over the last several

years and has lost a lot of valuable technical expertise.

Nick suggests now is an appropriate time for a review of the agency’s processes, including its use of materials, approach to work and how maintenance is carried out.

Civil Contractors’ Stacy Goldsworthy says better-lasting treatments on hightraffic roads would go a long way to shoring up the network. Chipseal is the material of choice for most of New Zealand’s sealed roads; it is relatively cheap and suitable for most roads. More expensive structural asphalt offers more durability and smoothness, which is better suited to high-use network areas.

Government budget constraints aside, Waka Kotahi has got on with planning

and designing more resilient roads as extreme weather becomes more prolific.

Neil says higher standards of weather mitigation are being built into new roads and retrofitted to existing ones.

“We anticipate seeing a lot more weather events creating network disruption. The readiness and response of Waka Kotahi to these events has always been ‘business as usual’ – but it is a growing stress on our capacity and funding.

“The increasing frequency and intensity of significant weather events mean we must think differently about how we deal with these risks in the land transport system. We are increasingly building climate change adaptation into our infrastructure planning.”

Where does the AA stand?

Road maintenance has been on the AA’s radar for a long time. It topped our 2020 Election Calls for urgent action. Three years on, the situation needs more attention than ever.

Ahead of the last three-year funding cycle, the AA estimated that our roads needed an additional $300m per year to catch up on the backlog. The $500m in total announced by the Government was a marked improvement, but $400m short of returning the roads to what the AA believes is needed.

A recent survey of our 10,000-person AA Members Panel put fixing road surfaces at top of the list of potential transport improvements they supported; 83% want more done than the Government's current work.

The AA’s road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen says putting off maintenance work has the effect of

creating a bigger and more expensive future problem for the Government.

The cost to individuals is also mounting.

“Repair shops in places such as Northland and Taranaki have reported big increases of people coming in for tyre and rim repairs, or suspension and alignment fixes – all costs that households wouldn’t have faced if the potholes weren’t there,” Dylan says.

The road network is one of New Zealand’s biggest assets – roads are like a ‘shop window’ for regions. It is hard for people to feel good about their area and how they are being served by authorities when they are driving on neglected roads.

Motorists pay more than $4 billion a year in fuel taxes and Road User Charges. Safe, well-maintained and resilient roads is what people expect in return, Dylan says.

Many dog owners take their fur friends pretty much everywhere the family goes, including on car trips. But while there is legislation around dogs not being left in vehicles and how dogs are to be transported on open decks and trailers, there are no hard and fast rules around how to travel with dogs in cars.

So, how do you ensure you and your pooch enjoy the ride? Dr Alison Vaughan, Scientific Officer from SPCA, says there are a few things to consider. Firstly, she suggests introducing a dog to the concept of car travel.

“For some dogs, being in the confined space of a moving car may feel very strange at first, especially if they’ve never been in a car before. Just being around the car and even giving the pup its meals in the car, when stationary, is a good way to acclimatise your pet,” Alison says.

She also recommends investing in an approved and tested dog harness or crate. “The crate should fit the dog snuggly but be big enough for them to turn around in. As a general rule of

thumb, it needs to be longer than the dog’s body length. And it needs to be safely secured to the vehicle.”

And always keep your dog in the back of the car when travelling. “There’s research that says dogs (or any pet) in the front seats can cause an accident or be a distraction,” Alison says. “Dogs will often see something outside the vehicle, and their excitement and movement can present a real risk to the driver.”

It’s much the same advice as with young children not sitting in front seats, as the airbags could seriously injure them if deployed. “Dogs act as a projectile in a front-impact crash and could injure you or themselves while being thrown forwards in the vehicle.”

Because there is a lot for their senses to take in, your four-legged friend will need to gradually get used to the sound and movement of the car.

Kathy Catton looks at how best to travel with dogs.

You’ll also need to get the dog familiar with entering and exiting the car by giving plenty of praise and treats as you train them. This will help them associate the car with positive experiences.

Once they are comfortable getting in and out, you can progress to short trips. Because there is a lot for their senses to take in, your four-legged friend will need to gradually get used to the sound and movement of the car.

“If you’re planning on taking a long trip, it’s worth starting with short trips to ensure everything goes smoothly,” Alison says.

Consider how you drive with your dog in the car. Attempt to keep things as smooth as possible. Allow extra time for braking and avoid aggressive cornering.

The SPCA also advises never to force your pet to travel. This will only make them feel worried, trapped and panicked. If you must travel and your dog isn’t ready, find someone to stay with them, or make alternative travel plans if possible. “If your dog is very anxious or experiences motion sickness in the car,

Cars for canines

With around a third of New Zealand households owning a dog, there’s a significant demand for dog-carrying car options. Size, safety and ventilation are all factors that car manufacturers have considered.

While SUVs typically come with a decent-sized boot, station wagons are often better for dogs. Jumping in and out of a high SUV boot could be difficult, especially for older, larger dogs. Yes, you can lift Rover in and out, but will you want to after a muddy walk?

Synonymous with outdoor adventures, Subaru has a range of accessories for dogs, including a cargo tray and hard-wearing boot protectors, while the Nissan X-Trail has a boot lip protector, cargo barrier and a rear protection tray. Volvo, as you’d expect from a company known for its car safety, has some excellent dog-friendly options. The entire Volvo station wagon, hatchback, and SUV line-up is available with a flip-up dog guard located behind the rear seats. If you want to go even further, Volvo allows you to upgrade to a boot divider to prevent luggage from falling on your dog. And, as the ultimate go-anywhere brand, Land Rover has possibly the widest range of official dog-friendly options and accessories of any car maker.

In addition to the usual boot divider, you can also buy a branded portable shower system, fold-flat pet carrier, pet access ramp (for all shapes and sizes) and a spill-resistant water bowl.

Other models to look out for are the Skoda Wagon, Tesla Model Y (with a Dog Mode to keep temperatures comfortable, even when the car is parked) and Ford Focus Wagon.

we recommend discussing with your veterinarian as there are medications that can help,” Alison says.

If you are involved in a traffic accident, and your dog is with you, be prepared for your dog to be scared and potentially run away. “You could keep a muzzle in the car,” Alison says. “You’d want to do some muzzle training ahead of time, but if dogs are scared after an accident, the muzzle could prove invaluable.”

TOP TO TAIL TIPS

Carry water, a leash, waste scoop and a dog first aid kit in your car. A list of items to include in a pet first aid kit can be found at mpi.govt.nz

AA Roadservice prioritises the rescue of pets in locked cars. Call 0800 500 222 or *222 from a mobile for help. See aa.co.nz/insurance for information on pet insurance.

Edmund and Huxley take in the view while their owner readies their walking kit.

Ben Whittacker-Cook looks at green options for around $20K.

With our appetite for the internal combustion engine running out of gas, the hybrid car market in good health, and electric vehicles (EVs) all the rage, is hybrid or EV going to be your next purchase?

What’s not to like about EVs? They emit 80% less CO2 than the petrol equivalent for a cleaner and greener drive, they’re zippy, look good, are fun to drive, and New Zealand boasts a rapidly increasing network of strategicallypositioned public charging stations (around 282 at the beginning of 2023).

However, they are relatively expensive. The price of a brand-new EV is out of reach for most Kiwis, particularly in these challenging times. This brings hybrid cars into the picture if you want to be more environmentally friendly while on a budget.

The used-car market is a great place to begin assessing your options. With a budget of around $20,000, for example, what are your green choices?

Firstly, EVs. Check out the usual usedcar outlets such as local dealerships and Trade Me; you’ll find a vast catalogue of Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 Edrive and Nissan e-NV200 (van) options. If you’ve got a little more to spend, you may like to consider a fully electric Hyundai Ioniq EV at around the $30k mark.

Options are a little broader if you’re considering a hybrid or plug-in hybrid. Predictably, the 2012 Toyota Prius hybrid dominates the range, but look out, too, for the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or a BMW 330E, which are both plug-in hybrids.

The terminology can be baffling at first: BEVs, PHEVs and MHEVs and so on, so take your time getting to know the differences, visit the local dealerships, go online, ask questions and more questions and take test drives.

If you’ve set your heart on an EV, ask yourself: will this be your primary vehicle? Who will be using the car most and for what type of journeys (frequency and length)? EVs come with different ranges,

so will you be using it for the daily commute or for infrequent touring? Or both?

Buying an EV will be more expensive than a hybrid initially, but that outlay can be offset by significantly lower running costs over time. EVs also hold their re-sale value over ICE (internal combustion engine) and hybrid vehicles when it’s time to upgrade.

Still not sure? Why not hire an EV or a hybrid vehicle for the day or for a road trip and see how you get on.

The advantage of this is that it gives you a chance to check out performance, handling and whether a certain type of vehicle

is better suited to your driving style. Many drivers new to EVs are surprised at how quickly it can take off; as the energy is stored in the battery it’s ready to go in an instant.

And EVs are fun. They’re nippy, economical and increasingly practical with the plethora of public and private charging options available (82% of EV owners do their charging at home, according to Genless). It’s said that once you’ve driven your first EV, you never look back.

Generally, hybrid cars are slower off the mark than ICE cars because their primary purpose is to improve fuel efficiency and

lower carbon omissions. As a result, eco-friendly driving is prioritised over power. However, hybrids operate efficiently under 80kmph, with the battery doing the initial hard work before petrol takes over. On average, drivers who switch to hybrid vehicles from petrol vehicles save up to 50% on fuel on a per-kilometre basis (Inghamdriven.nz). Optional power settings, with switching and combining of engine and battery sources depending on the driving scenario, makes for the most efficient performance.

“Hybrids have done a phenomenal job in reducing emissions for New Zealand,” says Anthony MacLean, Principal at Boost Auto, the automotive consultants. “Hybrid drivers are reducing CO2 emissions by 50%. The volume is there and that means more affordable vehicles for drivers who want something greener but can’t reach an EV level.”

In short, if you’re in the market for a new car, the range of EVs now available is exceptional. If you can’t quite get there yet, check out the used car options. Look hard because there are EV bargains out there and your $20,000 might take you further than you think. And don’t rule out a hybrid, as it is an important steppingstone to cleaner car technology.

Consider buying second-hand through the AA Motoring Preferred Dealer Network for peace of mind.

What’s that?

ICE

A conventional vehicle powered solely by an internal combustion engine.

PEV

The blanket term for any plug-in electric vehicle, including fully electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

BEV

A battery electric vehicle (or fully/ all-electric vehicle) powered entirely by a rechargeable battery.

PHEV

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle has a rechargeable battery to power the electric motor and uses fuel to power the ICE. Usually the ICE takes over when the battery is depleted.

FHEV/HEV

A full hybrid electric vehicle, or hybrid, combines a hybrid battery and a conventional ICE to boost power and improve efficiency. With no plug, the battery is charged through regenerative braking.

MHEV

A mild hybrid electric vehicle (generally) features a small electric motor to assist the ICE in efficiency and performance, working together and never separately.

Matthew Tso reports on local, sustaintable transport innovations.

Companies in Aotearoa have joined a global movement to decarbonise and diversify how we get around.

Flying boats

Ocean Flyer is a travel venture that signed a $700m deal last April to bring 25 sea gliders to New Zealand.

Taking elements from aeroplanes, boats and hydrofoils, the largest of these future craft will carry up to 100 passengers at 540km/h, 10 metres above the sea. Set to compete against airlines in the inter-regional travel market, tickets on the electric gliders could cost as little as $30 for travel between Whangārei and Auckland or $60 from Christchurch to Wellington.

Ocean Flyer, which is backed by former Air Napier CEO Shah Aslam and former Air Force chief John Hamilton, is confident in the viability of the craft following trials by United States-based start-up Regent. Online footage shows the propellor-driven craft rising onto its foils before lifting out of the water and flying low over the surface.

The first sea gliders expected to hit the New Zealand scene by 2025 are the 12-seater Viceroy, with larger models to follow in 2028.

Electric buses

It’s been decades since car makers closed mass-assembly vehicle factories on our shores so it may be a surprise to hear that local vehicle manufacturing still exists –and with a green twist.

Rolleston-based manufacturer Global Bus Ventures (GBV) builds buses from scratch. Along with building electric

buses, the company is responsible for the country’s first zero-emission hydrogen bus which is now in service with Auckland Transport.

With the Government planning on decarbonising the public transport bus fleet by 2035, this could be GBV’s opportunity to expand and become a significant supplier for the New Zealand market.

Air Taxis

Billed as the ‘world’s first self-flying all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft’, a big chunk of the development of the four-seat Wisk Aero was done in Canterbury.

Flight testing was split between the Mackenzie Country and the company’s base in California, with a view to creating an air taxi that could transport people for as little at $3 per kilometre.

Wisk’s sixth-generation model cruises at around 222km/h and has a range of 144km, with reserves. It’ll fly at an altitude of 2,500 to 4,000 feet (762 to 1,219 metres). Testing in New Zealand has been completed and the focus is now on getting the pilotless Aero ready to operate in busy aerospace zones.

Air New Zealand has lent its support to Wisk, joining an impressive list of partners including Boeing and NASA.

High-speed railcars

Another Canterbury-based firm is developing high-speed, battery-powered railcars, which it says could eventually travel up to 300km/h and run between Christchurch and Auckland in seven hours.

Miro Rail is billing its railcars as clean, quiet and low cost; it aims to have a prototype up and running within two years.

Making use of the existing rail network, top speeds wouldn’t be achievable straight away, however the company says 110km/h

is not out of the question, and the network could be upgraded over time to allow higher speeds. Miro hopes to produce its railcars in Canterbury. It is now seeking seed funding.

Future steam

While not strictly working on transport solutions, AgLoco couldn’t go without a mention in this article. The Christchurch company is developing steam engines they say can compete with diesel-powered tractors and haulers used on farms. Looking like the locomotives of a century ago, the engines developed by AgLoco founder Sam Mackwell can reportedly match the power-to-weight performance of equivalent

conventional tractors. The engine can run on woodchips and takes less than 10 minutes to reach operating pressure.

Wood fuel is considered a carbon neutral sustainable energy source; the carbon released in the combustion process is, in theory, reabsorbed by living trees.

The technology has been developed to prevent wood sparks that could cause a fire in arid conditions, and Sam’s designs also eliminate smoke and utilise a low-volume boiler that minimises the risk of explosions.

The romance of steam is not lost on AgLoco with Sam saying a whistle will be “a mandatory component” on the company’s engines.

NEW TO MARKET

MG ZS EV

Yes, you can buy a new EV for under $50k. The fully electric MG ZS Excite is priced at $49,990 and with the Clean Car Discount applied is under $42,000. The higher spec’d Essence is $53,990, pre-rebate. Both stylish models come in a range of five colours, with front grilles colour-matched to the body. The ZS has a spacious interior for a compact SUV, with friendly and comfortable design, and has a range of 320km. It’s powered by a 50.3kWh, liquidcooled, lithium-ion battery, delivers 280Nm of instant torque, 130kW of power and can go from 0-100 in 8.2 seconds. It can also tow up to 500kg.

BMW IX M60

This is BMW’s second electric vehicle and is a masterpiece of aerodynamics and luxury accents. Performance is on another level, with power and torque up to 455kW and a massive 1,100Nm, thanks to the two electric motors making it an AWD. The iX M60 has a range of up to 566km. Superior suspension incorporates electronic dampers along with air suspension to absorb bumps and disguise its significant weight. Despite its length, parking is a breeze, as the iX M60 comes with active steering which also sharpens turns while driving, using rear wheel steer. Priced from $238,900, the BMW iX M60 has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

HYUNDAI KONA 2.0 ELITE SERIES II

The Kona hybrid’s powertrain switches easily between the petrol and electric motors and can also access both at the same time. The front wheel drive delivers a combined output of 104kW of power and 265Nm of maximum torque. And while the Hyundai Kona hybrid is not a powerhouse – think smooth rather than sporty – its sleek exterior and comfortable, wellconsidered interior add to its considerable charm. Plus it comes with a 5-Star ANCAP safety rating and features including Rear Cross-traffic Assist, Collision Avoidance Assist, Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Smart Cruise Control and a reversing camera. Priced from $51,990 + ORC; it has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

SUBARU WRX

The new Subaru WRX features a completely revised, powerful and responsive 2.4-litre turbocharged, horizontally opposed boxer engine delivering 202kW of power and 350Nm of torque. There are two body styles available: a wide-bodied sedan and a wagon. The WRX sedan comes with the choice of close-ratio 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic, which is standard for the wagon model. While youthful with its pointy grille and narrow headlights, it also looks modern with its chiselled fenders and creased taillights. Both models feature machinefinished 18-inch alloy wheels, self-levelling LED headlights, Steering Responsive Headlights and LED front fog lights. Priced from $59,990 to $64,990.

SUZUKI SWIFT GL AUTO

The Suzuki Swift GL auto is just $23,990 + ORC and with the Clean Car discount of $2,335.60 it is even more affordable. The other thing the Swift GL has going for it is fuel economy, at just 4.8L/100km. Its zippy four cylinder 1.2-litre engine produces 66kW of power and 120Nm of torque. While not a hot hatch, its power-to-weight ratio enables it to deliver well for getting around town. The interior is understated, a little plastic and bland, but it feels solid and would be hard-wearing. Visibility is great thanks to a tall windscreen. The Suzuki Swift has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

MAZDA CX-5 TAKAMI

With a price tag of $64,290 + ORC, the Mazda CX-5 Takami is in the premium SUV category. It has AWD technology and a 2.5-litre petrol 170kW/420Nm turbo engine, giving it an extra 30kW over its sibling, the Mazda Activ. Appearance-wise, the Takami is distinctive with a unified, one-colour exterior. The interior features soft leather seats, woodgrain and dual zone climate control. The Takami seats five people comfortably. The 40/20/40 split fold-down rear seat provides flexibility and when all the rear seats are flat, there is 1,340L of cargo room. Its hands-free power tailgate operates by sensor. It has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

For full reviews of these models, see aa.co.nz/cars

www.ancap.com.au

BUYING A NEW CAR? Get advice from the experts. 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.

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

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Top Spot

With a career in theatre, film and television spanning four decades, actor and director Jennifer Ward-Lealand has appeared in more than 120 performances, so it’s understandable the Māori language advocate and 2020 New Zealander of the Year craves the serenity of a secluded bay.

“OUR PILGRIMAGE to Waiheke Island begins just after Christmas every year. We’ve had our place in Enclosure Bay for 25 years. It’s a simple little 1950s bach with a 1970s addon. The garden was a jungle when we first bought it and we’ve worked away at it over the years. It has a beautiful old plum tree and the best lemon tree. My favourite thing to do there is very little – reading, resting, swimming… Michael (husband and fellow actor Michael Hurst) rides to the shops on his electric bike so I don’t need to go out anywhere. The bay is very tidal; few people bring their boats in. It’s where we taught our sons Jack and Cameron to kayak, and I enjoy snorkelling around the rocks. Our cat Ruby has been coming on holiday with us since she was a kitten. She’s good on the ferry and loves exploring; she’ll come for walks with me off-lead and she fears birds which is a bonus!”

THIS ISSUE IN TRAVELLER

48

Ride around Sally

Driving

54 The middle ground

63

Jennifer stars in Auckland Theatre Company’s King Lear, opening June 13. See p.16 for details.

from Christchurch to Dunedin in a Mustang.

Two families converge on Lake Taupō for a long weekend.

Jewel in the crown

Exploring the attractions of Singapore's Changi Airport.

THE

ROUTE

We meet Sally at Christchurch Airport. There is nothing subtle about her. Brash and vivacious, she’s also ‘lookat-me’, fire engine red.

A rented Mustang, we’ve got ‘Sally’ for our road trip to Dunedin and neither Gus, my 13-year-old, nor I can contain our giggles. I start her up with a throaty purr.

We assuage our gas-guzzling guilt with an ecofriendly activity to begin our adventure. A salty breeze rolls in from New Brighton beach, the perfect conditions for sailing. However, rather than ocean we’re on concrete, helming blokarts.

I slide into my tiny three-wheel Velocity Kart nervously. There’s nothing between my elbows and the rough tarmac. But, after a safety briefing – ‘if in

doubt, let go of the rope!’ – and a few tentative loops, soon we’re sailing. Gus laps me, grinning and zipping around the circuit, occasionally on two wheels.

The new and hyper-colourful mini golf bar Holey Moley in central Christchurch is a teenager’s dream. With 18 indoor holes themed around retro pop culture – from Connect Four to The Simpsons and E.T. – it’s as photogenic as it is fun. Each hole is like a miniature movie set and the staff are dressed as caddies in lurid plaid. We putt through wind tunnels amidst whirling dollar bills, past hobbit holes and beside giant teddy bears.

The next morning, Sally gobbles up the long straight stretch of highway between Christchurch and Geraldine. Flat and agricultural, we fang past stock

Jo Percival takes a colour-filled South Island road trip with a teenager in tow.

trucks and bread trucks and utes, thrust back into the dense leather seats with each burst of acceleration. Gus practices his maniacal villain laugh.

Barker’s Food Store is the flagship shopfront for Barker’s of Geraldine – the stalwart producer of jams, chutneys, sauces and syrups. We sample the wares in the café and carry a clinking bag of glass jars and bottles back to the Mustang to stock the pantry at home.

In an industrial area on the outskirts of Tīmaru I get the opportunity to confront my ornithophobia. Never a fan of birds, getting up close to native raptors is a daunting prospect. Gus, however, is frothing with excitement. The New Zealand Raptor Trust was established in 2016 by avid wildlife

photographer Ron Lindsay to help rehabilitate injured birds of prey. We learn about the different types of native raptors, including harrier hawks and little owls, as well as the endemic kārearea, New Zealand’s critically endangered falcon.

“Would you like to meet Tom?” Ron asks. I gulp. Gus nods vigorously. From a small box, Ron lifts Tom, a female harrier hawk, blinking in the fluorescent lights. She gazes haughtily at us, one eyebrow lifted above her piercing yellow eyes. We mustn’t touch her, she’s too much of a diva, Ron explains, but she will happily climb onto a gloved arm. Tom flutters and unfurls her wings, but rather than alarming, I find that it’s quite a privilege to be in proximity to such a wild and beautiful creature.

Clockwise from left: Beside the vibrant canola fields of South Canterbury; the New Zealand Raptor Experience in Tīmaru; pop culture immersion at Holey Moley; double rainbows at Dunedin's St Clair Beach.

Driving south, the sea is a strip of teal against a steel horizon, but all around is yellow – fields of canary-coloured canola, blooming gorse bushes and the occasional blaze of kōwhai.

Detouring off SH1, we head to the small town of Waimate to meet marsupials. Bennett’s wallabies were introduced to the region back in 1874 when someone thought it would be a good idea to start a fur trade. The population inevitably exploded and today wallabies cause significant damage to the native environment.

But not at EnkleDooVery Korna Wallaby Park. For 46 years Gwen Dempster-Schouten has been hand-rearing orphaned joeys and offers self-guided tours of her wallaby enclosures. Before entering, Gwen advises us to wash our hands – wallabies don’t like the taste of hand sanitiser – and gives us the rundown on wallaby etiquette.

“Get low when you approach the wallaby so you’re not intimidating,” Gwen says. “Then offer them some food pellets and ask ‘would you like something to eat?’

“If you want to pat them, move behind and scratch near the base of their tail, not on their chest or head.”

Which is how Gus and I find ourselves squatting in a paddock having a chat with a pair of happily masticating marsupials. They are gentle, big-eyed creatures, well-accustomed to human company, and so well-fed that many simply sniff our offerings and bound off across the paddock on their enormous hind legs.

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Is there a town in New Zealand that embraces its heritage more than Ōamaru? With its elegant stone architecture, Victorian vibes and lashings of Steampunk subculture, Ōamaru is a portal to the past. The epicentre of time travel is Whitestone City, an interactive museum with a penny farthing carousel, a Victorian dress up wardrobe and a miniature main street with replica shops. We learn about the history of Ōamaru, through its cycles of boom during the gold rush followed by tumbleweeds brought on by the temperance movement of the early 1900s. As the most debt-ridden town in New Zealand with no meaningful use for the grand grain store buildings, Ōamaru became frozen in time for the next 50 years. Which was, of course, the saving grace that preserved its heritage and character.

Nearby, Steampunk HQ explores the folklore of a crazy science fiction world. Robots sit alongside gnarly taxidermy; a window in the floor reveals a mad scientist’s dungeon. The claustrophobia and creepiness ramps up as we squeeze through a dark tunnel of black rubber flaps to emerge, hearts racing, in the yard. Here, the rusting wreckage of train carriages and decomposing diggers have been re-purposed with a Steampunk twist to become interactive art.

Continuing south we trace the edge of another disarmingly beautiful canola field, vibrant against an early morning blue sky. We pass a farmer who gives us a bemused wave and swivels a full 180º to watch Sally’s fiery flanks pass by. We are not in incognito mode.

We arrive at Orokonui Ecosanctuary north of Port Chalmers just in time to watch the birds having breakfast. A 308-hectare predator-proof sanctuary, Orokonui is home to over 250 species of native flora and fauna. We follow winding tracks through the

A word of thanks

Ōamaru

Thanks to Hertz for supplying the Ford Mustang for this road trip. Mustangs are available to rent from the Hertz Adrenaline Collection.

bush to sit quietly beside feeding stations and watch the frenzy of birdlife jostle for sweet nectar.

The road to Port Chalmers coils over the shoulders of the hills. We take a stroll around the seaside town, pretending we’re Victorian sailors freshly stepped ashore.

Skirting the edge of Otago Harbour, we skip through the city to the southern seaside suburb of St Clair. Waves slosh hypnotically at the waterfront promenade and the air is thick with salty haze. Offshore, surfers bob like flotsam, and dog walkers run the gauntlet of high tide spray. Just before the sun sets, a glorious double rainbow emerges over the horizon – more vivid yellows, pinks and reds to bookend our colourful journey.

Clockwise from left: Hand-feeding wallabies at EnkleDooVery Korna Wallaby Park; inside the surreal Steampunk portal; Mustang Sally time travels in Ōamaru.

New Brighton CHRISTCHURCH

Geraldine

Timaru

Waimate

Orokonui Ecosanctuary

Port Chalmers Saint Clair

Kathryn Webster lives the dream, temporarily, on Waiheke island.

If you can’t live in a home with wide views over the sea and a track to a beach, the next best thing is to rent one for a few days. This is what we did, on Waiheke Island. We transported ourselves from Auckland life to island life with a 40-minute ferry ride, a short drive, a quick unpack into a glorious house high above Onetangi and voila, new life. Temporary but transformative.

Architecturally designed, The Pah is one of those homes that instantly welcomes, with every element considered and views, light and privacy at maximum advantage. We could have spent the entire holiday there, pretending it was ours, but there were places to be, and things to see and do.

A 4WD rental came with the house, making getting around super easy. As we’d had restaurant Three Seven Two on Onetangi Beach recommended, we made our way there and settled at a table out of the wind to linger in a tropical garden and enjoy fresh, delicious, interesting food. It was a scene of local buzz, too, and gave us some insight into the social life enjoyed here. We’d stopped between the ferry and ‘home’ at the community art gallery at Oneroa and that, too, provided a measure of the island’s residents. An eclectic collection of works was vying for an award in a show of local creative talent. The neighbouring shop was also worth a slow browse, loaded as it was with intriguing original items. Surely anyone looking for a special something to remember their time on Waiheke would find it in the gallery or the gallery shop. Another obvious souvenir would be a bottle of local wine.

Yes, Waiheke produces some very fine wine. But we knew that. We wanted to know what else it did well. To get a good

look at this place, we decided to look over it, under it, around it.

First, over it. Waiheke Wings is based at the small aerodrome in the middle of the island. A grass strip, a shed, a bit of a fence. Climbing into the back of a Cessna was reminiscent of the clamber into the back of a Morris Minor or oldschool Mini – the tight, cosy space just big enough for two. The plane swooped so we could look down into pockets of bush and surprisingly empty areas over ‘the bottom end’, the pilot pointing out various bays, beaches and wharves below. The bottom end was once the busy, thriving part of the island in the early days of European presence. Crops were grown here, supplying Auckland and the busy Thames hub at the height of gold extraction on the Coromandel Peninsula.

There are many pā sites on Waiheke and a history mostly lost under the business of farming, development and high-end lifestyles. Among the lines of grape vines are signs of sensitive replanting and care, with patches of protected bush and evidence of replenishing.

We flew over parts of the island that can’t be seen from the road or from the sea, then along the coast looking into bays with huge houses and wharves like fingers pointing at shiny moored boats. As we soared up the northern coast with its stretches of white beaches, we spotted ‘our’ house.

Before heading back to the air strip we spied weird concrete circles marking the Fort Stony Batter Heritage Park which we were visiting next.

Above ground, Stony Batter is a 50-acre patch of land with mysterious concrete plates, pads and blocks amongst a scatter of volcanic rocks. A few sheep meander nonchalantly; visiting humans photograph the expansive views out to sea.

Below ground is another world. In a network of tunnels and chambers, a heritage project has preserved an extraordinary mission dating back to WWII. A defence system of observation posts was developed in key spots around the Hauraki Gulf, and Stony Batter was at its centre, with gun emplacements, radar technology and communication systems built in high-security, top-secret mode.

We were shown around by archeologist Tim Moon who has been entrusted by Ngāti Paoa as kaitiaki of Stony Batter. Determined to bring fresh energy to the site, he encourages engagement alongside preservation and restoration. Tim runs heritage tours but also art tours, as some of the underground chambers host exhibitions, events and concerts. At the entrance to a large, lowceilinged hall glowing in golden light, we stopped to listen as vocalists readied themselves for recording.

Visitors can take torches down steep, cold staircases into concrete corridors up to half a kilometre long, into chambers up to seven storeys deep. We followed Tim down steps lit with multi-coloured bulbs to the control centre where historic photos, maps and samples of military calculations

Group Tours

fed our imaginations. Army personnel would have worked and worried in secret and silence down here, watching for the enemy and preparing for trouble.

Tim showed us out of the tunnels and blinking in the sunlight we wandered back to the car, past the massive circular gun emplacements, no longer so mysterious. The sheep seemed oblivious.

From there we drove the long way, heading down to Man o’ War Bay and to Orapiu, clocking the circle, having seen it from above.

Our evening meal was at Mudbrick, where all eyes were on the sunset glowing over the distant city. Auckland’s lights came on and sparkled cheerfully from afar, like a party boat, multi-coloured fairy lights tossed across the view.

We’d been over and under and along its various roads; we were now keen to see Waiheke from the water so accepted an invitation to board Oi, a small, fast and sturdy boat owned by local operator, By Sea.

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From Matiatia’s old wharf we zipped up the northern coastline with our captain, Grant, telling us about local conservation projects, identifying various seabirds, pointing out nests of rare shags. His mission is to increase awareness of the precious but fragile ocean environment. The Hauraki Gulf is an internationally significant breeding ground for around 40 seabird species, he told us.

Grant’s love and respect for the island was inspiring and echoed a sentiment we’d felt everywhere we’d been on Waiheke.

We pondered this as we rode the Fullers360 ferry back to Auckland, back to reality, watching the island’s edges shimmer and fade as we went.

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From left: Aerial views of the island from a Cessna; concrete circles marking the Fort Stony Batter Heritage Park; exploring the underground tunnels at Stony Batter; fresh cuisine at Three Seven Two restaurant; holiday home, The Pah; a sea excursion on board 'Oi'.

The first thing we do on arriving in Taupō is throw our teenage son off a cliff.

A small platform stands high above the turquoise currents of the Waikato River. Soaring cliffs frame the river and provide a scenic backdrop for adrenaline. And there’s plenty of adrenaline to be had. Gus, our 13-year-old, was cocky and cavalier about the idea of leaping of the 47-metrehigh Taupō Bungy platform – the tallest clifftop bungy in New Zealand – until he saw it. Then the nerves kicked in.

Aggravated by screams from people being launched across the valley in the vertiginous swing, Gus turns pale. He shuffles into the safety harness and makes his way to the edge of the platform. Enthusiastic dreadlocked staff give him the pep talk – “jump before your brain catches up,” – and he takes their advice:

leaping Superman-style into the abyss. Fear is replaced by exhilaration and we watch his lanky frame bouncing in loops over the whirlpools and eddies, whooping.

We are in Taupō for a long weekend –the midway point in the North Island for two families converging from different compass points. That evening we reconnect with glasses of wine sipped by the fire in an ex-show home AirBnb on the outskirts of town. Gus and his mate George chatter in the hot tub, turning pink and pruny.

An early morning start sees us sinking into a mingled cloud of mist and steam at Ōrakei Kōrako. This is a pocket of geothermal history; a landscape preserved exactly as it would have been thousands of years ago on the banks of the Lake Ohakuri (which is actually a dammed section of the Waikato River).

Jo Percival enjoys a two-family weekend in Taupō

Lurching, boiling water belches out of holes in the ground. The subterranean rumbling illustrates just how volatile this environment is. We linger on wooden boardwalks admiring multi-coloured swirls of mineral deposits and enjoying the steamy warmth on a chilly morning. Silky mud blurb-burbles, rich in eggy smells. “Who farted?” the boys cackle.

We continue, following tracks through the misty bush surrounded by ferns hung with dewy cobwebs sparkling like Christmas decorations.

After lunch the sun has scrubbed away all trace of morning cloud and we take to the trails. We ride in pedal-powered convoy alongside the Waikato River from the foaming Huka Falls. Boosted by e-bikes hired from FourB we swish through the bush and splash through mud puddles. Gus and George, our teenage racehorses, charge ahead, mud-splattered backsides disappearing into the forest.

The trail from Huka Falls to Aratiaia Rapids is Grade 2 so there is nothing too technical and, with multiple modes on our e-bikes, the hills are a breeze. We ride alongside the tangle of massive shiny pipes pumping geothermal energy out of Wairākei and cross the Aratiatia Dam; unfortunately we haven’t timed our ride for the dramatic daily release of water.

On an adults-only evening out we discover Embra. The restaurant is named as an abbreviation of Edinburgh, the city where owners Phill and Nora Blackburne met while working at the acclaimed Castle Terrace Restaurant.

The pandemic saw them return to Taupō, Phill’s hometown, in 2020 and in January last year Embra opened. Here, a feast of flavour is delivered over five courses showcasing local produce and fine wine.

Once solely a water taxi service, Taxicat Adventures made pandemic pivot to offer small-group tours of the Western Bays of Lake Taupō. We set off from Kinloch Marina on a gleaming morning showcasing all the hues of blue. The small boat skims over the mirrored lake towards sheer cliffs, where the teal water looks more like Abel Tasman than the North Island.

Next to the layer cake of granite the water is so clear we can see the patterns of pumice and sand many metres below. Inland, the bush is woven through with cycle trails and nothing else. There is no road access to this part of the lake, so exploration is solely by water.

Ian, our skipper noses the boat into narrow ravines where waterfalls cascade into the lake. Otupoto Falls is the

largest, plummeting over the soaring cliff and misting us in spray dancing with rainbows. At Kotukutuku Bay we disembark for a short bush walk to find another waterfall – ‘honking’ as Ian says, from the recent rainfall.

Our last stop is at another beach bathed in warm sunshine. We sip coffee and the boys are treated to hot chocolate with lashings of whipped cream as they chuck chunks of pumice into the gleaming, glassy lake.

We head back to base, replete with sunshine and fresh air, hugging goodbye and promising to meet in the middle again soon.

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Lurching, boiling water belches out of holes in the ground. The subterranean rumbling illustrates just how volatile this environment is.

‘Ding, ding’. The old tram’s bell echoes in my hotel room. Gazing down through ornate windows to the street below, the tram’s vintage burgundy carriage rounds a corner and disappears out of sight. People saunter along the cobbled pavement. I spy men clad in caps and wearing braces, serving patrons in an olde-worlde-style bar. I haven’t yet visited London but I imagine this is what it might feel like, especially as I’m staying in the Heritage Christchurch hotel in the Old Government Building in Cathedral Square. Authentic, charming and right in the action; the city feels alive.

Perhaps there’s no comparing Ōtautahi Christchurch to other places, though. It’s a city with a very specific and unique history.

On board one of the famous trams – as part of a narrated, hop-on, hop-off city tour – passengers see and hear first-hand about some of the city’s past and glimpse a little of its promising future.

Of course, among the most significant moments: the 2011 earthquake that took the lives of 185 people, injured many more and literally changed the face of the city. There are reminders of this tragedy everywhere, in poignant and beautifully heartfelt ways.

Beneath new apartment complexes and office blocks are pockets of tranquil memorial gardens that pay tribute to workers killed when entire buildings crumbled to the ground.

Messages, flowers and other offerings to loved ones lost lie beneath the pearly stone wall of the Oi

Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial along the gentle curve of the Ōtākaro Avon River.

The tram passes the heritage-listed cathedral, a wise soul standing tall at almost 160 years old. Work has been ongoing to stabilise damaged stonework on the building, with jarring cranes, scaffolding and workers in fluorescent vests in juxtaposition to its gothic masonry.

More than half of all buildings in the central city had to be demolished when the earthquakes struck. New builds now have a 25-metre height limit and some structures descend 30 metres underground in what’s known as an ‘iceberg effect’ to ensure they can withstand any movement under 8.5 magnatudes. That’s significant, considering the deadly tremor in 2011 measured 6.3 on the Richter scale.

Some tram passengers disembark at The Crossing, a shopping precinct and home to Ballantynes. That

Monica Tischler finds Christchurch paying tribute to its past while paving the way for an exciting future.

department store is also burdened with sadness; in 1947, New Zealand’s worst fire claimed the lives of 41 workers there. Post-earthquake, this area housed temporary shops in shipping containers. Now the precinct is made up of a network of laneways where “you never know what you may discover”, the tram driver tells his passengers. “Just last Friday, my wife stumbled upon a very expensive leather handbag shop,” he says, shaking his head.

Stepping off the tram, I visit C1 Espresso café inside the old Post and Telegraph Office and marvel as servings of French fries and desserts are delivered from the kitchen to patrons at tables through a network of overhead Perspex tubes.

Inside The Tannery, on the Heathcote River in the southeast suburb of Woolston, I finish a southern cheese roll then set off to explore the strip of boutique eateries, clothing, homeware and book stores in an industrial brick building dating back to the 19th century.

I write with light along the Avon River, holding my camera up to capture scenes of blotted light streaming through old oak trees and paradise ducks preening themselves on the mossy banks. People stroll or sit on garden benches reading and eating lunch. Children dressed in a way that identifies them as members of the Gloriavale Christian Community feed chunks of

bread to fat, boisterous eels on what I assume is a day trip to the city from the isolated West Coast commune. River punting provides a true sense of the Garden City, of how Hagley Park and Christchurch Botanic Gardens are treasured. With every swift sweep of the oar, the punter guides the boat downstream, sharing stories of the city’s flora and fauna.

Trees within the park were donated from all over the world. The lush willows overhanging the water’s edge have grown from cuttings from France; the sequoia redwoods came from America, and one very special Royal Oak tree was a gift to the city from Queen Victoria. Generous gifts indeed, as their everchanging beauty with each passing season lives on for future generations to enjoy.

A word of thanks

The writer stayed in award-winning Heritage Christchurch courtesy of Heritage Hotels. The self-contained, one- and two-bedroom suites include a full kitchen and laundry facilities. On site is a well-equipped gym, lap pool and sauna. See p.29 for more on the OGB Bar, situated within the hotel.

Save on your next trip with great Member benefits on accomodation, rental cars, campervan hire and more. See aatraveller.co.nz

MONICA TISCHLER

Clockwise from left:

Punting along the Avon River; the glass exterior of the Christchurch Art Gallery; boutique shops and eateries inside The Tannery; a tram chugs down New Regent Street.

A TALE OF

TRAILS

Kathryn Webster joins a cycling tour of spectacular Central Otago gorges.

The lake surprised me. It was longer than I’d imagined and shone with a surreal quality in the morning sun, its glossy surface mirror-like; the background mountains, scraped by the weather, seemed to hover.

This new perspective of Lake Wānaka was due to my transport mode. I was cycling its shoreline, taking my time and being given, in return, a rewarding reveal.

The day before, the first of the five-day tour, was our warmup. We’d found trails on the outskirts of Queenstown to get used to

the e-bikes with their pedal-assist batteries, their gears and their boost functions. Then our guides had driven us and our bikes over the Crown Range, through empty, golden hills spotted with tussocky grass, to lunch at the famous Cardrona Hotel.

By late afternoon we were in Wānaka, in a suite overlooking the lake, happy to relax for a while in the resort’s spa before ambling into town for dinner with the crew.

The group of a dozen cyclists, mostly Kiwis, one Australian couple, were friendly people, and laughter around the table boded well for the rest of the tour. Our guides, too, were good company; a young geologist quite recently arrived in New Zealand and a more seasoned guide with an endless supply of terrible jokes.

The next morning we rode out along the lake edge, along the Outlet Track boardwalks and smooth paths, past where the grebe/pūteketeke nest, toward Albert Town.

It was that end of Lake Wānaka I’d found particularly tantalising. The glassy, shining water was hypnotising. I wanted

to sit and stay, to witness the spectacle of clouds and mountain flanks reflected almost perfectly in the lake’s surface.

But it was only mid-morning and there were many more kilometres to ride. From Albert Town we segued to the Hāwea River Track, another very scenic and easy stretch. The perfumes of wild thyme, lupins and flowering cabbage trees/rakau kāpeti were interrupted now and then by strong whiffs of rabbit.

To get to the start of the Lake Dunstan Trail we drove a short way from our Hāwea lunch stop, then jumped back in the saddle to ride a lake-edge path made extra pretty with lavender, lupins, bright orange and yellow poppies and dark pink and crimson wildflowers we couldn’t agree on the name of.

At its far end, the shore of Lake Dunstan is dotted with homes taking advantage of small human-made bays with willows and grassy banks, the cycle path winding around them, between the lawns and the lake. It was heartening to encounter local cyclists and walkers on the trail and to see

families at the lake edge with kayaks and picnics. There was a healthy, content vibe of people enjoying life.

At Cromwell’s heritage precinct we wandered through enticing art galleries and boutiques before riding to a motel for the night, past gardens bursting with roses and peonies.

Re-joining the path in the morning we cycled under wide, muted skies surrounded by vibrant bird song. The reflections in the lake were magical, like projected replicas of the surroundings but with a painterly skin.

The path – comfortable, crunchy under our tyres – meandered and eventually wound tighter up to Bannockburn Inlet, an elbow in the lake. There was simple joy in riding, gliding fast, then climbing for big, glorious views back toward Cromwell.

Left: Looking back on the Hawea River Track.

Above: Cantilevered sections feature on the Lake Dunstan Trail. Below: The writer poses with her sister, Robyn (left), who cycled with her.

The section between there and Clyde was the trickiest but the most spectacular, too. Parts of the path are cantilevered over the lake, hanging on to the sheer cliff edge as if by magic (but, in reality, thanks to some impressive engineering). Zig-zagging switchbacks lead uphill and downhill; particularly steep bits, referred to as ‘ladders’, included some hairy terrain. In some places the skinny path dropped away, steep rock rose on the other side and there was pressure to always keep left but, fortunately, there was little oncoming traffic.

Ultimately this section was challenging, not scary. And as well as demanding, it was delighful. We felt transported into Central Otago, delivered to landscapes you might drive through and, looking from a distance, wonder about. We were in it.

At Clyde we had a hearty lunch before following the delightfully playful path downriver to Alexandra – an adventurous track which encouraged real riding, over humps and hollows, past pretty willows dipping their fingertips into the fastmoving Clutha Mata-Au River.

We rode back to Clyde via a stretch of the Otago Rail Trail to end a long, varied and satisfying day. The historic Clyde Lodge provided our beds that night, crashed into with relief after a wine tasting at Clyde Village Winery and dinner in town.

The next leg saw us tackle the Clutha Gold Trail from Lawrence, ending at Pinder’s Pond near Roxburgh with the intention of finishing the last of it the following day. Through Glink’s Gully we ventured onto a straight ex-railway path that soon swerved into more picturesque trail riding under corridors of trees on riverbank paths dappled with morning sun.

We’d been through a long tunnel, through Big Hill, and more hills followed but they were all quite manageable. Through gullies, past farms, along riverside paths we rode, mesmerised by the rushing, wide blue-green current, energised by the constant turmoil under the river’s skin.

On a river flat, where the trail met the road, we met the support bus with its cargo of morning tea just in time for the only rain of the tour; half an hour of cold, sharp, stinging drops. It was comforting

to know we had the option of putting our bikes on the trailer and seeking shelter in the bus if the rain had persisted.

After a night in Roxburgh we were dropped back at Pinder’s Pond for the last day of the tour. The riverbank trail had a thin line of pale earth through reddish pine needles made by many bikes which had recently ridden along it. That day though, it was just our crew on the path and maybe half a dozen cyclists coming the other way. Having scattered along the trail, we gathered again at the base of Roxburgh dam before cycling uphill to cross the dam to a path beyond. All the way

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along and down, with several assertive downhill switchbacks which we were all used to tackling by now, we had constant dramatic views of Roxburgh Gorge.

We spread out for the next ten kilometres, enjoying the isolated landscape on our own, absorbed in the thrill of riding fast. Then we reached a jetty and a waiting boat. Dave revved his jets and zoomed upriver to deliver us to Doctor’s Point 15km away, effectively linking a cycle path which might one day be completed but meanwhile, who cares? The boat ride was fun.

Captain Dave gave us insight into the history of the land as we passed by, including the remains of several Chinese gold miners’ huts made from stacked stones, tucked under overhangs, hanging on barren rocky flanks sloping down to the river. They’re still standing, 150 years on, impressive testaments to very harsh times in this extreme place.

We rode the last bit into Alexandra, had lunch in the shade then drove back to Queenstown, happily exhausted, pointing out the window at paths we’d ridden over the past few days, waving at other cyclists in the midst of their own journeys

Clockwise from left: A forest trail on day one; pausing on the Lake Dunstan Trail; a Chinese goldminer’s hut in the Roxburgh Gorge; wildflowers add to the prettiness of the trail.

Graham Reid is impressed by super city-state Singapore’s airport.

Anyone who has spent time there will confirm that when Singapore decides to build something, it is done with speed, efficiency and sometimes a real flair for design.

From the huge Tampines Mall – a spacious suburban shopping centre with a library overlooking the football stadium, a free cinema, supermarket, dozens of hawker food stalls and service stores, to the towering buildings along Orchard Road, Singapore delivers jawdropping architecture and thoughtful design.

Nowhere more so than the spectacular

Marina Bay Sands, the three-pillared hotel and dining complex with bars, the ArtScience Museum, shopping and an infinity pool on the top floor where you can take in the sunset with a cocktail, 55 floors above the world.

And at night in the nearby Gardens by the Bay the free Son et Lumière show attracts locals and visitors alike for the

colourful lights running up and down the futuristic tree-like structures.

It's like being in Avatar

Even those who simply pass through Singapore's Changi Airport will often speak in glowing terms of terminals with wide passageways between excellent shops and eateries, roof gardens, a butterfly garden and entertainment areas. Singapore even manages to make airports interesting.

“But you wouldn't have seen Jewel,” said my sister who has lived in the city-state for years.

It was the morning after we'd had evening drinks at Marina Bay Sands, danced

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GRAHAM REID & SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

at the Garden's light show and enjoyed cold beer and excellent cheap eats at the nearby hawkers’ market.

She'd been right about all those places, a harbourside lunch at Sentosa and on a previous trip she had pointed me to the beautiful Atlas Bar – voted one of the 50 best bars in the world – in the Parkview building, which itself looks beamed in from Batman's Gotham.

“When you get home people will ask if you've seen Jewel,” she said. “We have to go there.”

And so we went to Jewel with just the barest description of a mall and garden area at Changi Airport. It didn't sound like my thing but...

The latest addition to this busy airport is breathtaking and one not many tourists will have experienced because the spectacular, 10-storey Jewel Changi complex only opened in 2019.

With people getting on aircraft again and many going to or through Singapore, the Jewel is a must-see, if only for the spectacular Rain Vortex indoor waterfall which, surrounded by gardens and bathed in light by day, is the largest indoor waterfall in the world. It is 40

Previous page: Futuristic tree-like structures at the Son et Lumière show at Gardens by the Bay attracts locals and visitors alike.

Above and right: The Rain Vortex within Changi Airport's 10-storey Jewel complex is the largest indoor waterfall in the world; the airport's allure makes Singapore an ideal stopover.

metres high and like liquid architecture falling in a natural extension from the curve of the roof.

Jewel is a destination in itself with floors of retail outlets – over 300 in total – but also a restful garden walk beneath the geometric glass panels on the roof. This is Canopy Park, with a whimsical topiary garden which will delight children – a colourful alligator, elephant, gorillas, an owl and a spectacular peacock made of flowers and greenery

– as well as suspended nets to climb on, mazes and slides.

And, of course, there are restaurants up here for those tired from their journey or simply wanting to take in the ambience.

Jewel boasts one of the region's largest indoor gardens and, because it is part of the airport, there are links to the three terminals with early check-in lounges for more than two dozen carriers.

Although much of Jewel is open to the public free of charge, there's a S$5 charge

(less than NZ$6) for Canopy Park's slides, topiary walk, the Foggy Bowl where children play in the cool mist and the Petal Garden. There are additional charges for the Hedge and Mirrors Mazes and the Sky Nets, but also cheaper family passes.

Even in the endless parade of Singapore's extraordinary buildings and civic design, Jewel is something to see and experience.

Airports are usually places people pass through with varying degrees of frustration, irritation and haste. Jewel Changi Airport has changed that; it makes you want to linger.

In fact, we stood almost speechless for 15 minutes just looking at that astonishing Rain Vortex, thinking how Singapore does these things with real flair.

To sort travel insurance before heading overseas see aa.co.nz/insurance

Above and left: The airport's Canopy Park is complete with a whimsical topiary garden beneath suspended nets to climb on, as well as model gorillas which will delight children.

AA trusted tradespeople

Home & Living

MODERN. HIGH-TECH. CUTTING EDGE. These are not adjectives you’d expect to use when describing a house that’s nearly 120 years old. But Olveston, the historic home that sits on Dunedin’s leafy Royal Terrace, boasts breathtakingly advanced features that would put some of today’s contemporary houses to shame. It is a testament to what a progressive vision and, helpfully, a tonne of money can achieve.

Olveston was built between 1904-1906 for the wealthy Theomin family – David, his wife Marie and their two children, Edward and Dorothy. An importer specialising in pianos, David Theomin’s industry was as important and lucrative as IT is today: in the early 1900s every home needed a piano.

For the Theomins money was no object, so they set about creating their dream home.

The construction of Olveston was overseen by Mason and Wales, New Zealand’s first architectural practice. The firm was founded in 1863 by William Mason, the first architect to live and work in New Zealand and the first mayor of Dunedin. Like Olveston, Mason and Wales has stood the test of time and is still operating today, designing high-end properties in the South Island.

When the Theomins arrived in Dunedin in 1881, they bought several of the old villas on the site where Olveston was to be built. The grounds, today recognised as a Garden of National Significance, were planted with what are now soaring specimen trees including maples and elms. In spring, rhododendrons froth. In autumn the grounds are a fiery riot of colour.

Luxurious heritage homes are not what you’d normally associate with prefabricated construction, but Olveston is essentially an early kit-set home. All of the interior oak panelling was made in London. The soaring multi-storey windows were shipped from London, too, and the enormous staircase in the Great Hall was prefabricated, with no screws or nails used in its ornate construction.

While beautifully constructed in stunning detail, it is the lifestyle-enhancing features of Olveston that are arguably the most impressive. In 1906 the home had a generator for electricity, even though it had yet to arrive in Dunedin, and the house

Jo Percival visits the remarkable Olveston historic home in Dunedin.

was centrally heated. There were six in-house telephones, only just invented in the early 1900s, allowing the family to call between rooms. And even the main bathroom was super modern, with London-made glass tiles in a Persian pattern, a hot shower and a heated towel rail – features that were otherwise unheard of in that era.

The most glamorous showpiece of Olveston is the billiard room. A competition-sized billiard table – 12ft 6in by 6ft 3in – weighing a staggering two tonnes, sits at the top of the house. Knowing it was coming, the floor was reinforced with steel girders in preparation. Above the table, glass skylights flood the room with natural light, and an ingenious pulley system allowed the panels to slide back when the room got too smokey.

But clever features designed to make life more comfortable were not restricted to the Theomin family. Olveston would have been a great place to work for the resident staff, including several maids

The most glamorous showpiece of Olveston is the billiard room. A competition-sized billiard table – 12ft 6in by 6ft 3in – weighing a staggering two tonnes, sits at the top of the house.

and a butler. Labour-saving additions included a service lift, operating on a pulley system between the floors of the house. The kitchen had reticulated gas piped in, and a huge coal- and wood-fired range had a built-in thermometer in the glass door so kitchen staff could measure what was cooking.

A separate pantry where the butler would care for the valuable silverware and crockery had a sink fitted with a water filter that had only just been invented.

While Olveston is technically Edwardian, its interiors display the Theomin’s Victorian-era passion for collecting and eclecticism. German, American and Japanese furniture sits shoulder to shoulder, but it doesn’t look like a jumble. The family simply collected items that they liked rather than following any specific trends. There are also over 240 beautifully-preserved and historically significant artworks on display, with many more on loan to the Dunedin Art Gallery.

The story of the Theomin family was sadly curtailed. Edward Theomin married but had no children and died aged 43, leaving the estate to Dorothy. But as Dorothy never married, the family

realised there would be no grandchildren to pass Olveston down to. Instead, they had the foresight to preserve the house with the intention of eventually gifting it to the city of Dunedin.

For over 30 years Dorothy lived alone in the enormous 35-room home. In 1967, a year after her death, the doors opened to the public and have been open ever since.

What is so unique about Olveston today, and what is incredibly rare to find well over a century after its construction, is a complete, original house: not just the architecture, but everything within it – from wallpaper to artworks, furniture and ornaments – a perfectly preserved snapshot of social history.

Clockwise from left: The grand exterior of Olveston, leadlight windows were shipped from London; a snug sitting room with views over the garden; the grand piano imported by David Theomin; the dining room set for a lavish dinner; the staircase in the Great Hall was constructed without screws or nails; the glamorous and functional billiard room.

Vanessa Trethewey delves into online scams and finds that even the wary can be duped.

FROM PARCEL DELIVERY and online shopping scams to fake holiday accommodation listings and bogus investment schemes, you can rest assured that cyber scammers the world over will continue concocting ingenious new ways to part us from our personal information and hard-earned cash.

Once the domain of Nigerian swindlers and romance racketeers, the online world is now a jostling marketplace for all manner of fraudsters, and as their ruses becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, so too does the need to sharpen our defences.

“Absolutely anybody at the right time, in the right place and under the right stress conditions can be vulnerable to a scam,” Netsafe chief online safety officer Sean Lyons says. “There are so many varieties of scams, and despite the best efforts of numerous agencies and organisations, cyber fraud is on the rise. There’s a scam to fit everybody.”

Netsafe’s annual report released last December makes for grim reading. The 2021/2022 financial year broke records with just over 15,000 scam reports and more than $35 million lost.

“And that’s just what was reported to us –scams are also reported to CERT NZ, banks, Police and other Government agencies.”

Mind you, that timeframe included one of the biggest scams New Zealand has ever seen. The global Flubot parcel delivery text scam reared its ugly head in 2021 and we’re still seeing its tail.

“We’ve thought for years that many of these scams were not devised by individuals but rather organised crime rings, with huge call centres and

hundreds of people working around the clock in shifts. They’re big business.”

And they’re rapidly evolving.

“Take romance scams for example. A few years ago, we’d be talking about meeting someone online, getting into a relationship, and then at some point a ‘disaster’ occurs and the scammer would ask for money. More commonly now, they’re using romance to build trust to get people onboard with investment scams. Like ‘hey, we’ve been in a relationship for nine months, let’s buy some cryptocurrency together’.”

Sean says this trust is the common thread that runs through all scams, whether they’re from a supposed romantic flame, a telco company, major bank, or even someone pretending to be your child.

“Trust is what scammers play on and try to exploit. They rely on us not doing the checks we should because we trust them.”

So how do we keep ourselves safe? Listening to our intuition is a great place to start.

“First, stop and breathe. Scammers will apply pressure for you to make a decision or do a deal. That’s when alarm bells should ring. Taking the time to say ‘it doesn’t feel right, I need to do some due diligence’ is the only real defence mechanism we have from being suckered in. Talk it through with someone you trust or find a way to verify the information yourself by contacting the company independently. Can’t get the answers you need? That’s a massive red flag.”

Staying in places where you’re familiar and protected is also vital. If you started communicating with someone on Trade Me,

don’t let them shift you onto a different platform or payment method.

“Often scammers try and move you out of places that give you protection and onto less traceable platforms. They might say something like ‘the banks in my country are terrible, please wire the money instead’. If you’re being shifted, ask yourself why.”

Asking to be paid for goods with gift cards is another alarm bell.

“If you’re buying a car and they want you to pay in iTunes vouchers obviously that would put you on high alert, but it can be on a much smaller scale that actually seems quite reasonable.”

For those of us who aren’t digital natives it can be scary – but there’s plenty of support on hand from organisations like Netsafe, and we’d be crazy not to take advantage of it.

“Sometimes there can be a shame associated with falling for scams, but there shouldn’t be – they can happen to anyone. Before you hit the pay button, remember we have a contact centre full of people who are here to help, not judge.”

At the end of the day though it comes down to trusting your gut.

“If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not.”

SAFETY TIPS

• Use unique, long passwords and change these regularly.

• Never give your passwords or PIN to anyone.

• If in doubt, check with your bank before giving personal details or making a payment.

Money matters

She’s used to asking important questions about the Government’s finances. Now, journalist and host of her eponymous breakfast show on Today FM, Tova O’Brien shines a light on her own money matters.

What’s your relationship like with money? Are you a spender or a saver?

I wish it was better but it’s notoriously tragic, which probably answers the second part of the question. My first boss in journalism and mentor, Gordon McBride, was horrified when he hired me at TV3 in 2007 and learnt that I had no savings. He gave me a stern talking to and I started tucking some away, but the only way I could properly save back then was to send a small monthly sum to my dad to hide from me.

What’s the best financial advice you’ve received?

Make sure you have financial independence. That was from my brilliant executive producer at Today FM Carol Hirschfeld. It affirmed something I think I’ve intrinsically understood since my first payday from my paper stand on Wellington’s Lambton Quay as a kid: financial independence equals real life independence. Back then, it was the independence to buy Coco Pops growing up in a sugar-free house, but the principle remains.

Any financial regrets?

I have a weakness for old cars which has cost me. I’m currently trying to get a 1974 Mercedes back on the road, which is proving far more difficult and expensive than first thought. If I can afford to finish the work, I’m hoping regret turns to rejoice.

What was your last big splurge?

See above! In a moment of madness when I moved to Auckland and needed a car, I rinsed my savings to get the rust repairs done. Everything feels very expensive right now though, so there’s been nothing too extravagant for a while.

What are you saving for?

Just to have savings again. Having depleted them, I’m very mindful of the need to have a buffer just in case. Gordon McBride’s warning still echoes! I’ve also been with Kiwisaver since it started, which was the only way – based on my savings track record – I was able to buy a house. I still contribute as much as I can via Generate Kiwisaver, so I’m also saving for retirement.

Has your job as a political reporter influenced your views on money?

The most important thing for us on Budget Day was finding and speaking to people the Government’s budget directly impacted – either helping or failing to help. That’s the most important thing about almost all political reporting, taking it back to the people at the heart of the policy or story. You need to be able to talk to and represent people from all financial backgrounds. The same applies to hosting a radio show on Today FM; it’s one of the most rewarding things about journalism, the people you meet and the different perspectives they give you.

You’ve previously worked in Melbourne and London’s hospitality scenes. Did you learn any valuable money lessons there?

I think those stints overseas were probably when I undid most of the valuable money lessons I’d learnt! I was young, travelling and having a good time, but I did work hard. People in hospo are extremely hard-working so I like to think my work ethic comes from my hospitality background.

Tova O’Brien hosts Tova weekdays alongside journalist Carly Flynn on Today FM from 6:30am to 9am.

After more than 40 years, a Waiuku-based knife-making business has become a family affair. Jo Percival reports.

THE SVÖRD STORY began with a redundancy, a fish and chip shop contract and a Czechoslovakian cutler. Having dabbled in knife-making as a teenager, Bryan Baker took the leap into a career as a cutler when he was just 19.

“I made my first knife in a metalwork class at high school, but just after I’d finished it got stolen,” Bryan says. “I had really enjoyed the process, so I took a course at knife school to learn a bit more, and started making knives as a hobby.

“At the time, my uncle was selling paper to fish and chip shops. He came to me with my first job – an order for 40 or 50 large knives for the fishmongers. Not long after that, the place I’d been working made me redundant, so I decided to have a go at making knives full-time, and I’ve been doing it ever since – for 42 years!

“About four years in, an elderly man, Bohumil Nebesky, down in Hamilton got in touch with me. He’d come from Czechoslovakia after WWII and had a business making knives, which he’d just shut down. I started spending a lot of time with him as he shared his knowledge, so that’s where I learnt my trade.”

Today, Svörd produces more than 100 types of knives, primarily focused on the hunting and fishing market in New Zealand, and also exporting to the US, Canada and Australia.

But Bryan no longer runs the business alone. “My daughters are now both

involved. Kelsey, 23, is working here in the factory and Madison, 26, has developed her own knife brand, Nuz (pronounced ‘nouge’) which is a range of eco-friendly chef’s knives.”

“The idea for Nuz came about during lockdown 2020,” Madison Baker explains. “Dad and I started talking about the future and creating knives that were more suited for everyday use. While hunting and fishing is huge in New Zealand, not everyone has a need for a hunting knife.

“I studied mechanical engineering and I always thought my passion was in aviation, so to end up coming back to working with knives is not something either Kelsey or I expected to do, but we love it!”

Kelsey Baker has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a cutler, working on both the Svörd and Nuz brands. “I’ve learnt knife-making from Dad,” she explains. “I did a bit of woodworking in school, but mostly I’ve learned from being in the workshop with Dad during school holidays and making little projects for myself. Dad was more than happy to give me a job; he’s a good boss!”

So, what makes a good knife? “There are a lot of knives out there that I think are quite ugly,” Bryan says. “I’ve designed thousands of knives over the years and I don’t really have a formula for it, but a knife should be well-balanced and have curves so it looks good.”

“For Nuz knives we make handles from ash or mahogany from a FSC certified

forest, which means it’s a renewable resource.” Madison says. “And we use good quality carbon steel.”

“When I started 42 years ago I’d say 99% of the knives in New Zealand were made from stainless steel,” Bryan adds. “Carbon steel had been lost over the years and it was cheaper to mass-produce knives out of stainless. We brought back carbon steel for about 90% of our range.

Carbon steel stays sharp longer and it’s easier to sharpen. A lot of stainless knives on the market are not very good quality. It’s a hard material to get right, even for the steel mills that make it.”

Svörd and Nuz knives are built to last, Bryan says. “We offer a lifetime warranty against breakage under normal use. We’ll

always stick to that ethos. We’re making a product that’s not the cheapest in the market, but it’s well made and when you offer people that service for repair or refurbishment decades later, the knife becomes a family heirloom.”

AA Directions has a set of three knives to give away:

a Nuz No. 6 Traveller knife, a 3” Svörd Peasant Knife and a 9” Svörd 950B Fish Fillet knife, valued at $560. To be in to win, send your name and phone number to "Knives Prize", AA Directions, PO Box 5, Auckland 1140 or enter at our website – aadirections.co.nz – by 31 May, 2023.

Svörd and Nuz: Kelsey, Bryan and Madison Baker.

THE aftermath

When the heavens opened above the land of the long white cloud earlier this year, it devastated thousands of lives.

THE NORTH ISLAND FLOODS of late January and early February and the damaging Cyclone Gabrielle just days later not only had New Zealanders filing tens of thousands of insurance claims, but reframed how the country deals with natural disasters.

The Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the establishment of a New Zealand Claims Resolution Service, saying it will augment a first-line response to natural disasters and help homeowners through increasingly frequent extreme weather events and extreme weatherdriven insurance claims.

ICNZ Chief Executive Tim Grafton says the service provides free and independent insurance-related advice to people at what is a very stressful time.

When making a claim, individual insurers are still the first point of contact and even after major events most claims are settled smoothly, Tim says. But the claims resolution service can be used when there is a more complex claim, to help prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary delays in settling claims.

AA Insurance knows from experience that the most important thing insurers can do when disaster strikes is be there for customers when they need them. Like most Kiwis, the company’s claims teams were watching the weather forecasts closely in the lead-up to these events –and the call was put out early to rally all hands on deck to help thousands of customers lodge insurance claims over the phone or online.

AA Insurance Chief Executive Michelle James says the company received close to 3,000 claims in the first two days of Auckland Anniversary

weekend after the major flooding, with claim numbers continuing to rise over the following weeks. For comparison, claim volumes for an average weekend in January typically total 520 nationwide.

“In this first phase of every major event response, our priority is to ensure customers can contact us quickly for advice and support in what can be a very stressful and confusing time. This guidance is especially important for customers who have flood damage in their home and need to sort out emergency accommodation or cash to cover necessities. It is also critical for health and safety, as our teams often help customers with advice around removing contaminated belongings from their homes – the types of things that can be easily forgotten when you’re running on adrenaline,” she says.

After the Auckland Anniversary floods, AA Insurance’s motor team moved quickly to help the many hundreds of customers whose vehicles were damaged.

Michelle says, “We know that losing a vehicle can impact heavily on our customers’ lives – disrupting their ability to get to work, drop kids off at school or childcare, and other family commitments. We also know that once water reaches a certain level, a car’s electronics could stop working at any time and the last thing anyone needs is for their car to break down when they are halfway down the motorway. That is why we moved quickly to write off flood damaged vehicles and get money into our customers’ hands.”

Within two weeks of the Auckland Anniversary floods, around 75% of AA Insurance’s motor customers had their motor claim sorted.

AA Insurance has also scaled-up its claims management capability in its home insurance team to assess damage to property and support customers to rebuild damaged homes as quickly as possible. It has also supported property owners whose tenants have needed to find alternative accommodation due to the flooding, through the loss of rent cover in their landlord policy. Michelle stresses the importance of contents insurance for tenants as it can be surprising how quickly the value of your belongings can add up. Needing to replace them suddenly and all at once can set people back if they don’t have the safety net of contents cover.

With billions of dollars’ worth of assets lost in the latest weather events, and billions more to be spent in the ensuing clean up and rebuild, some insurance experts are calling for New Zealand insurers to take floods as seriously as they do earthquakes.

In an Insurance Business NZ article, Finity consultant and actuary Emma Vitz said that while New Zealand has become expert at managing earthquake risk, there hasn’t been a similar focus on flooding and other climate change-related catastrophes.

“It’s time to take flooding as seriously as some of the other perils we have a lot of experience with in New Zealand,” she says.

Does every cloud – even those created amid the most devastating of storms –really have a silver lining? Emma thinks so, with the opportunity to rebuild houses and infrastructure smarter and stronger.

“In that way, we can move towards a situation where people are safe – which is obviously the most important thing – but they’re also able to purchase insurance and keep that cover,” she says.

AA Driving School is expanding its network of driving instructors from the tip of the North Island to the bottom of the south, united in a mission to help Kiwis obtain their licence.

JACKY DOBSON knows her work has been worthwhile when her students drive away with huge smiles on their faces, having passed their driving test.

The Christchurch-based AA Driving School Driving Instructor and Regional Coordinator of the lower South Island says it’s fulfilling to play such an integral role in building the confidence of New Zealand drivers and equipping them with the skills needed to drive competently.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of a student's journey from having no driving experience, right through to them passing their test, while also enabling them to be a safe driver – that’s the bottom line for me.”

Originally from the United Kingdom, the mother of two has worked as a franchisee Driving Instructor with AA Driving School for three years; the perfect transition from her ‘I’ endorsed background working in health and safety for the trucking and rental car industries.

Jacky is one of several AA Driving Instructors who have a dual controlled manual car. Her days are filled with teaching a variety of students, from under 20 year-olds beginning their driving journey to over 74 year-olds enrolled in the free senior driver sessions available to AA Members.

“I meet so many wonderful people with interesting stories to tell,” she says.

There are close to a hundred driving instructors like Jacky who work across New Zealand to support AA Driving School’s core element of driver training: helping Kiwis obtain their licence.

In recent years, there has been a shift in gear from not just learning to drive, but learning ‘driving life skills’:

valuable practices that drivers will use throughout their lives. The right techniques, the right habits, the right way to do things, from the very start of the driving journey.

AA Driving School is looking for ‘I’ endorsed New Zealanders to continue the vital work of road safety education by becoming a franchisee driving instructor with one of the most trusted brands in the country. Contact AA Driving School Resourcing Specialist Alan Pearce on 027 836 2504 or apearce@aa.co.nz for more information.

E-scooters now covered by AA Roadservice

Electric scooters have become an increasingly common sight on our roads and a popular choice to commute to and from school, work and anywhere in between!

WITH THIS RISE in popularity, AA Roadservice now offers support to AA Members should their e-scooter run out of charge or face other technical difficulties while out on a ride, by covering the cost of an Uber or taxi to return them and their scooter home or to a place of repair or charge.

industry is, however it’s not hard to notice the growing numbers of people zipping about town on them, particularly in city centres. Regular riders choose the mode of transport because it is enjoyable, cost effective, easy to use compared to other options and, of course, has environmental benefits.

AA Driver’s Seat

A new AA Driving School online booking system is making it easier for drivers and instructors alike to book and manage their driving lessons. AA Driver’s Seat/AA Te Kaiurungi enables drivers to easily book and pay for driving lessons online and to track their progress with AA Driving Instructors. They will be able to see which instructors offer lessons in their area, what lesson times are available each day, what their instructor looks like, what vehicle they teach in, their bio and history. The booking system allows instructors to better manage their timetables, availability, and create a schedule that achieves the right balance.

AA Members receive discounted driving lessons and packages when booking. The five-lesson package ($375) is discounted to $250 and the standard one-hour driver training session ($75) is discounted to $60. Discounts extend to 10 lessons for AA Members. See aa.co.nz/drivers/ for more.

AA Product Manager Nalini Dutt says that as with e-bikes, e-scooters are an efficient and sustainable form of transport which has seen increasing uptake over the years, including the introduction of specific e-scooter parking spaces.

“Whatever our Members drive –be it four wheels or two – we want to support them on their journeys, so it’s great to see e-scooters covered along with cars, e-bikes and most recently bicycles,” she says.

As e-scooters are not registered in New Zealand, it’s difficult to know exactly how big the

The e-scooter service will be provided at no additional cost as part of both the standard and AA Plus Memberships, for both primary and associate Members. It will only cover personally owned e-scooters, not rentals such as Beam or Jump.

For roadside assistance phone 0800 500 222 or request help via the AA Roadservice app.

AA ANNUAL REPORT

AN UPDATE on the achievements of the AA, along with a report on its financial performance and position at the end of the 2021-2022 financial year, is now available. For a copy of the latest Annual Report, go to aa.co.nz and search ‛Annual Report’ to download a PDF.

Members can also visit their nearest AA Centre to read an in-store copy.

It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of a student’s journey from having no driving experience, right through to them passing their test, while also enabling them to be a safe driver –that’s the bottom line for me.

No tow truck required!

An innovative roadside assistance vehicle that eliminates the need for a tow truck is now available to Members in Hawke's Bay and Queenstown.

AA Roadside Solutions General Manager Bashir Khan says as vehicle models become more complex with new technologies, it can be more of a challenge to get Members’ vehicles mobilised on the roadside despite AA Service Officers’ decades of experience.

“Our technicians will first attempt to mobilise the vehicle with the usual tools they carry, however if this is not possible, that’s where the RRV comes in handy,” he says.

“The technician can simply deploy the RRV’s trailer and tow the vehicle, eliminating the need to call out a separate tow truck and saving motorists time in a breakdown.”

THE RAPID RECOVERY Vehicle (RRV) is capable of an ‘All-WheelsUp’ recovery by deploying a trailer and lifting all four wheels of a broken-down vehicle weighing up to 2.4 tonnes (most personal vehicles) in about 15 minutes. This enables the technician to tow the broken-down vehicle to the driver’s home or place of repair, without getting a separate tow truck involved.

Launching in Queenstown means the AA now has RRVs in the North and South islands.

An inaugural RRV was piloted in Auckland in 2021 and following a successful trial, plans were made to expand to more corners of the country where RRVs could work alongside existing towing partners. So far, the RRVs have completed over a thousand tow jobs.

The Hawke’s Bay and Queenstown RRVs are available daily from 7am to 8pm. See aa.co.nz/membership for more.

For roadside assistance phone 0800 500 222 or request help via the AA Roadservice app.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEX WALLACE

Focusing on eye health

An eye-test at Specsavers gave 44 year-old mother of two Pamela an early presentation of the eye condition glaucoma, often coined the ‘sneak thief’ of sight because initial stages have no symptoms.

PAMELA* thought her eyes were “fine”, but after failing routine eye screening when renewing her driver’s licence, the AA Member booked in for her free eye test at Specsavers in Auckland’s Westfield St Lukes Shopping Centre.

“I always thought I had great vision and didn’t need glasses,” she says.

But in order to reobtain her driver’s licence, she needed to visit an optometrist.

When Sima Lal tested Pamela’s eyes, she knew there was a problem straight away.

“A check of her eye health showed a microscopic bleed at the optic disk, an area less than 2mm in size,” the optometrist says. Further testing revealed the irreversible condition that affects about 2% of New Zealanders over the age of 40. In the past year, almost one in 100 of the 82,000 AA Members who have received free eye tests at Specsavers were referred to a specialist with suspected glaucoma.

March is Glaucoma Awareness Month but prioritising eye health with routine checks should be a regular diary appointment, says Opthalmologist and Chair of patient advocacy organisation Glaucoma NZ, Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer.

“We recommend that everyone over the age of 40 has an eye test at least once every two years, and if you experience

any changes or concerns with your vision or glasses, get it checked right away,” she says. “Optometrists can detect early signs of eye conditions and then diagnose and prescribe treatment so that vision is protected as much as possible.”

Glaucoma is hereditary. In the weeks following her own diagnosis, Pamela urged her entire family to have an eye test. Both her brother and father were diagnosed with low pressure glaucoma and the trio are now undergoing treatment together.

“I’m really thankful that I had an eye test when I did, and that I got my family along too,” Pamela says. “Our futures may have looked a lot different.”

Glaucoma New Zealand aims to improve the understanding and treatment options available, while connecting New Zealanders with support groups and resources to help reduce the fears and concerns that can accompany a glaucoma diagnosis. See glaucoma.org.nz for more.

*Not her real name.

AA Members receive a free eye test at Specsavers (valued at $60) every two years. See aa.co.nz/specsavers for more information.

Underwater wonders

Past the animated king and gentoo penguins and through the sunken tunnels, home to magnificent sand tiger sharks, stingrays and other intriguing marine life, is the latest addition to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s.

SEA CAVE ADVENTURE opened this year and marks the iconic Auckland attraction’s first major upgrade since 2017.

The $1.6 million world-class immersive experience is supported by the Department of Conservation (DOC) to inspire guests to appreciate the inhabitants of the Hauraki Gulf, as well as the threats to the environment’s future and how to help protect it.

SEA LIFE General Manager Dan Henderson says Sea Cave Adventure aims to enlighten guests about the wonders of the Gulf through hidden discoveries, surprises and digital activities.

These include a hands-on rockpool experience where visitors will delight in touching sea stars, shells, sea urchins and more while learning about their different environments.

Guests can also encounter native octopus, eel, starfish and crab species, and discover crayfish that are now functionally extinct in the Hauraki Gulf. Other drawcards for children include digital games, virtual DOC Rangers, an augmented reality photo opportunity, a crawl-through tunnel and slide.

The new zone continues the legacy of the attraction’s founder – globally renowned adventurer Kelly Tarlton – whose passion for the underwater world inspired him to create the world’s first ocean tunnel to share the wonders of the sea and its inhabitants.

SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s is also home to rescued sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation, New Zealand’s only colony of subAntarctic penguins, hundreds of different fish species, and many more marine creatures.

AA Members receive 30% off entry to the aquarium. See aa.co.nz/kelly-tarltons for more details.

aa.co.nz/drivers

More for all

Upper Hutt locals can now access driver testing and other vehicle licensing requirements with the opening of a new AA Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

SERVICES INCLUDE theory tests for learners, licence renewals and International Driving Permits (IDPs), RealMe and IRD applications, AA Membership sign-ups and renewals, and the re-introduction of practical driver testing with VTNZ. Waka Kotahi Senior Manager Vehicle and Driver Licensing, Sue Hardiman, says it is important to make driver licensing easily accessible to everyone who wants or needs a licence.

“We’ve heard the message from a range of community groups and leaders that driver licensing is an important service and we’re very pleased to provide Upper Hutt with a local service through our VTNZ and AA partners.”

AA National Manager Government Contracts Sheelah Ranson is excited to see the Agency open for business. “Upper Hutt locals can be assured they will be met with the professional and friendly service the AA prides itself on. The Agency is run by a fantastic team of people who are looking forward to serving their community for all their licensing needs and more.”

The Agency is located at Cannon Point Motors, 68 Montgomery Crescent, Upper Hutt.

Fun & games

Parents will know that road tripping with children requires patience, precision planning and plenty of distraction.

AA SHOP has you covered with a range of delightful products to entertain, engage, and keep your journey running smoothly.

Designed and tested by Kiwi kids, for Kiwi kids, the Kiwi Car Pairs Game is perfect to play on long trips. Look out the window for a matching image to three of the cards drawn. There’s lots to spy including road cones and roadworks signs, bridges, buses and native birds. Also available is the kids travel bag which clips onto the headrest of the seat in front and unzips to a flip out desk tray with space for pens, drink bottles and other treasures. All creations and activities can be zipped away into the carry case complete with handles and a shoulder strap at the end of the journey.

AA Shop stocks a range of products to streamline your travel, including a combined car boot organiser and cooler, picnic rugs, portable speakers and more.

AA Members receive 10% off most products. See shop.aa.co.nz

ALL CHARGED UP

Christchurch EV owners can stress less about running out of juice thanks to the launch of a new mobile EV charging breakdown van.

THE VAN MARKS the fourth of the AA’s mobile EV charging vans to hit New Zealand roads – with one already in Wellington and two in Auckland.

It’s fitted with a lightweight EV charger which provides enough charge in 20 minutes to drive up to 10km, enabling AA Members to get home or to a nearby charging station.

AA Battery Service General Manager Mandy Mellar hopes the van will give EV owners and potential buyers peace of mind that the AA is here to help.

“We are pleased to expand our Roadservice offering to cater for our Members and their vehicles as EV uptake increases throughout the country,” she says.

“Range anxiety may be a deterrent for some potential buyers, so we also hope the availability of the van may be a swing factor for Christchurch citizens in the market for an EV, who were perhaps hesitant about making the switch.”

As of November 2022, New Zealand had over 50,000 EVs registered, with numbers rising. The AA was encouraged to expand its fleet of mobile charging vans after such a positive response to the existing vehicles.

The van is available to AA Members from 7am to 11pm, 365 days of the year at no additional cost. When not responding to EVs, it will attend battery-related breakdowns of internal combustion engine vehicles. If an AA Member’s EV breaks down outside of the cities where the van is available, the AA will arrange the vehicle to be towed to safety.

The AA also provides AA EV Charge Finder in collaboration with Waka Kotahi and other industry partners, which collects live information from safe and monitored charge points across the country to help drivers plan their journeys. Go to aa.co.nz and search ‘Electric vehicles’ for more information.

For roadside assistance phone 0800 500 222 or request help via the AA Roadservice app.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEX WALLACE