Capital 40 by Capital

CAPITAL TA L E S O F T H E C I T Y

RISKY BUSINESS APRIL 2017

ISSUE 40

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MADE IN WELLINGTON

Oliver van Looy flips out, story on page 51. Photography by Anna Briggs Art Directed by Shalee Fitzsimmons Assisted by Rhett Goodley-Hornblow & Laura Pitcher

for adrenaline was the starting point for our planning for this issue. It has involved discussion and photography with many interesting locals, from around the region. We hope you enjoy the range of people we chose. We enjoyed putting this April issue together. Of course, we recognise there are many more examples of adrenaline filled people, occupations and activities, this is just an amuse-bouche. Our art director Shalee Fitzsimons kept her creative hat firmly on to ensure the men’s fashion-shoot combined edginess with style and wearability. In our regular features Roger Walker continues to tell of his lifelong love-affair with cars. Melody Thomas provides a frank discussion of after-baby sex and guest columnist Sara McBride reveals her own longstanding interest in geo-porn. Shark hunter and scientist Alison Ballance regales Sarah Lang about the highs of a life dedicated to wildlife, and Oscar winner John Gilbert chats about his winning night in Hollywood. And much much more. If it’s adrenaline you seek for autumn, go for it, and all the best; keep in mind that it’s good for brain and body.

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C O N TA C T U S Phone +64 4 385 1426 Email editor@capitalmag.co.nz Website www.capitalmag.co.nz Facebook facebook.com/CapitalMagazineWellington Twitter @CapitalMagWelly Instagram @capitalmag Post Box 9202, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 Deliveries 31–41 Pirie St, Mt Victoria, Wellington, 6011 ISSN 2324-4836 Produced by Capital Publishing Ltd

Alison Franks Editor editor@capitalmag.co.nz PRINTED IN WELLINGTON

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The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Although all material is checked for accuracy, no liability is assumed by the publisher for any losses due to the use of material in this magazine. Copyright ©. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of Capital Publishing Ltd.

CONTRIBUTORS

Staff Alison Franks Managing editor editor@capitalmag.co.nz Campaign coordinators Lyndsey O’Reilly lyndsey@capitalmag.co.nz Haleigh Trower haleigh@capitalmag.co.nz Fale Ahchong fale@capitalmag.co.nz Griff Bristed griff@capitalmag.co.nz Factotum John Briste d john@capitalmag.co.nz Craig Beardsworth

Factotum craig@capitalmag.co.nz

Art director Shalee Fitzsimmons shalee@capitalmag.co.nz Designer Rhett Goodley- design@capitalmag.co.nz Hornblow Editorial assistant Laura Pitcher laura@capitalmag.co.nz Accounts Tod Harfield accounts@capitalmag.co.nz Gus Bristed

G U S B R I ST E D D i stributi on

SARA MCBRIDE Gu e st c olum n i st

Gus runs the distribution side of Capital magazine. He ensures all subscribers receive their copies on time and attempts to make sure every possible place a magazine might look good has a copy. He also makes quite good coffee and is a rather good baker.

With 17 years specialising in communication, Sara worked during the Christchurch earthquake (2011), as a Public Information Manager for Civil Defence. Sara recently completed her Ph.D. at Massey University, on communication and the Canterbury earthquakes. She was also the Public Information Manager for GeoNet during the M7.8 Kaikoura earthquake.

M E L O DY T HOM A S Journ a li st

B I L L I E O SB O R N E I l lu str ator

Melody is a writer, columnist and producer for radio who uses her work to offset terrible FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out. Writing for Capital provides just the excuse she needs to pry, consider and explore the world vicariously, all from her little window desk in Island Bay. Catch up with Melody between Issues on Twitter @WriteByMelody.

Billie is a honours graduate from Massey University where she studied illustration and design. Billie is currently living in Newtown, building her career as a freelancer. She can be found feeding her coffee addiction, hijacking her friends' dogs for walks, or settling down with a g&t to Kath & Kim.

Distribution

Stockists Pick up your Capital in New World, Countdown and Pak’n’Save supermarkets, Moore Wilson's, Unity Books, Commonsense Organics, Magnetix, City Cards & Mags, Take Note, Whitcoulls, Wellington Airport, Interislander and other discerning region-wide outlets. Ask for Capital magazine by name. Distribution: john@capitalmag.co.nz.

Submissions We welcome freelance art, photo and story submissions. However we cannot reply personally to unsuccessful pitches.

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CONTENTS

12 LETTERS 14 CHATTER 16 NEWS BRIEFS

35 20

TALES OF THE CIT Y

RISKY BUSINESS Adrenalin gushes through the veins of three Wellingtonians – it's par for the course in their jobs

Aged 16 Payge Olds rescued a drowning man

23 CULTURE

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP Devin Abram's musical life began playing the black keys on his aunt's piano – now he's winning awards

MATCH POINT Matchbooks emblazoned with advertising slogans used to be everywhere – we hold a flame to eight vintage examples

THE perfectlY bAlAnced ipA BIrD

DOG

50 GRIND, DASH, TUMBLE A trio of young thrill-seekers get their kicks on the street, the track and the mat

CONTENTS

55 ON THE ED GE Men’s fashion for Autumn

C ONFESSIONS OF THE GEOPORNSISTERHO OD 63

FISHY BUSINESS

EDIBLES

Geohazards get Sara McBride and a cohort of female friends excited

A SHARK ALLIANCE

SHEARERS’ TABLE For a double hit to fend off the autumn chills – try coffee beans and chilli on ciabatta

Alison Ballance has swum with 11 types of shark including a great white and lived to write a book about it

TORQUE TALK The Toyota GT86 brings back the romance of driving for Roger Walker

84 88 90

WELLY ANGEL BABY, BABY CALENDAR

A WILD RIDE

72 74

LIQUID THOUGHTS BY THE BOOK

Caroline and Dave cycled 8,000km across four countries and explored another 12 on a two year sojourn

GROUPIES Getting nudie with a novel

BOUQUETS – WORKSHOPS – WEDDINGS www. j u l i e tte fl or i s t. c o. n z Te l - 0 4 -93 9 97 97

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-7

LETTERS

S I M P LY ST U N N I N G M E AT S

MAKARA IS GREAT I am a newcomer to Wellington and I loved your feature on Makara (#38 Summer). We might not have found our way there so soon without that. We like walking around the coast. It has become one of our favourite places to visit. For us it is very unusual to be able to live in a little city like Wellington and yet to have such a treasure so close to the city. We are not used to reaching such outdoor spaces so easily. G Gray, Miramar (by email)

TACO BELLE CONFRONTS Your profile of Marianne Elliott (#39 March, p32) was interesting. I had heard her spoken of, but had no idea of what exactly she had done. Now I feel alternately inspired and crestfallen at how little I have achieved in my life. S Bates, Auckland (by email) STONY FO OD I made the summer stone-fruit tarts shown in your last issue (#39 March, p#50) they were very good, reasonably simple to make, easy to transport as my “plate” and much enjoyed by all the guests. If the stonefruit season hadn’t been so short I would have made them again. P Smythe, Wairarapa NOT A BUM NOTE A friend was flicking through Capital’s summer magazine (issue # 38) and spotted The Mikado ad. I’m not a great fan of opera so it was with some trepidation that I agreed to accompany him to the show. To my utter surprise it was a superb night out; fantastic casting, great characters, beautiful staging and a wonderful orchestra. Thanks to Capital I’ve had my horizon broadened. Tamasin Waite, Kilbirnie

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PALMERSTON NORTH

PORIRUA 12

RD E R S E C TCI H OA N THT EE A

INK INC.

JURASSIC PERKS When it comes to Easter, fluffy chicks and bunnies spring to mind, but Wellington Botanic Gardens has opted to go prehistoric for the holiday weekend. Head along from 14 to 18 April to meet the dinosaurs (PG is recommended for young ones), dig for fossils and learn about the flora and fauna that lived on our ancient continent Gondwana.

JESSIE TERRY What led you to get a tattoo? I was a rebellious punky teenager and really wanted to be cool. It’s been 10 years since I got my tattoo and I still love it.

PETREL HEADS

How did you choose the design? It's really cheesy but at the time I had two really close friends who represented the two stars. Now I’m married to one of them and we have three beautiful children together.

If you’re as ornithologically inclined as we are, you’ll find a certain excitement in witnessing the homecoming of the welltravelled tāiko (Westland petrel) to Punakaiki. The NZ natives return to Aotearoa to breed in the foothills of the Paparoa mountains after off-season vacations as far afield as Peru and Chile. Join the welcoming party for a weekend of conservation and entertainment from 28 April.

Family – for it or against? My mum and dad were cool with it because it was small and easy to cover. Where is the tattoo & why? I chose the spot because it’s right above my heart.

C HAT T E R

WELLY WORDS COME AGAIN? Homegrown celebrated its 10th year bringing NZ sounds to Wellington waterfront in March. With 49 acts across six stages and a sellout audience it was always going to be loud but we at Wellyword HQ were amused to hear that among the many noise complaints from neighbouring Mount Victoria residents – one was dissenting. “I needed to turn my hearing aid up ‘cause I couldn’t hear the music from my house”. You’re never too old to enjoy a good tune.

RO CK MY SOUL An ample bosom is something some people wish to posses or get near to. A Wellyworder in possession of one recently complained about an escalation in drawbacks she’d encountered with the, er... catchment area. Crumbs in the cleavage was a common problem but the discovery of a dead spider hit a new low. She was chestfallen, um no – crestfallen.

TESTING TIMES University is back and “holiday brain” appears to be alive and kicking among the student populace. A Wellyworder who lectures handed back tests to her class. Later a student; in all confusion and sincerity, asked for the answer to a question he got wrong so he could study for future tests. Earnest, right? It was a true or false question.

IT'S COOL TO KORERO An active soul is a healthy soul. Mauri tū mauri ora.

GETTING CLUCKY If you feared for the fate of Easter chook Clucky when Kirkcaldie & Stains closed last year, you can breathe again. The mechanical chook – who ‘laid’ marshmallow eggs at Kirks for many a tiny chocoholic – found a new coop at Wellington Museum, and will be dispensing eggs from 12 to17 April (1pm and 3pm) for a gold-coin donation. If you prefer the thrill of the hunt, book into one of Nairn Street Cottage’s four Easter egg hunts on Easter Sunday.

ASTRONOMICA ANNIVERSARY We’re feeling a little starry-eyed at the thought of the Thomas Cooke telescope’s epic 150-year journey from York, England to Space Place at the Carter Observatory, Wellington. The historic piece of machinery has seen it all – from Halley’s Comet (twice) to a 1912 storm that tore the dome off the Napier observatory. Since settling in Wellington in 1923, the telescope has never looked back, and nor have its fans. “It gives our visitors a real thrill when they view space in a way that reveals so much more than the eye can see,” says Paul Thompson, Deputy Director of Museums Wellington.

NEWS BRIEFS

PAY I T F O R WA R D Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace has voiced support for the living wage and asked the chief executive to investigate paying it to council staff. “Hutt City Council has always had a good reputation as a good employer and staff are valued for the work they do for the city,” he says. However, under the Local Government Act, the council cannot pay staff the living wage unless it can prove it is the most costeffective way to operate. The increase would require an additional $570,000 in the budget annually.

DEMOLITION DECISION

FORWARD THINKING

WALL POWER

While Tory St residents returned home to maggot-infested food and bone-dry Little Gardens after months without access to their homes, staff at the earthquakedamaged Defence HQ on Aitken St will suffer no such fate. Deemed too expensive to repair, the building is to be demolished. While owner AMP Capital has offered to rebuild to Defence NZ’s specifications, decisions on the site’s future are still pending.

Improving the region’s ability to cope with natural disasters was at the forefront of councillors’ minds when they met to discuss the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Annual Plan for 2017/18. “We were already working on improving the region’s ability to respond to natural hazards,” says chairman Chris Laidlaw. But following the Kaikoura earthquake, “We are bringing some of that work forward, such as improving flood protection for the most at-risk communities.” Better public transport and keeping the region clean and green are also high on the to-do list.

Paekākāriki residents have been given a sneak peek at the design of their new seawall. A combination of concrete, timber and rock will make up the new structure, which includes a new footpath and cycleway, plus enhanced, regularly spaced access. The public will also have a say in the painting and planting of the new coastal structure. Once the design is signed off, construction will begin later this year with an end date mid-2019.

NEWS BRIEFS

HIGHER HOPES A report released on International Women’s Day revealed that, at 20%, the proportion of senior business roles held by females in NZ is up only 1% on the last two years and down 11% from 2004. Perhaps Wellington author Prue Hyman can shed some light. Her new book Hopes Dashed? The Economics of Gender Inequality asks, “Has progress, as exemplified by high-flying individuals, been mirrored across the social and ethnic spectrum?” We suspect the short answer is “no”.

BAT TERY PARKED

GREENER PASTURES

D OWN TO EARTH

Night riders, start your electric engines. In an effort to encourage the charging of electric vehicles outside congestion periods, Wellington Electricity has announced a special rate for powering up in the evening. Top up your eco automobile between 5 and 9pm weekdays to enjoy the benefits. But be sure to check with your individual power company to ensure that it is passing on the savings.

Federated Farmers has unveiled a new policy on climate change, which seeks to cultivate costeffective, eco-friendly practices that don’t compromise agricultural productivity. “Farmers are actively engaged in discussions on the structure of and the need for increased investment in agricultural science,” says Vice-President Anders Crofoot, who farms at Castlepoint, Wairarapa. Current action includes improving animal management and feeding to reduce greenhousegas emissions, and using more solar power and other fuel-efficient technologies, he says.

With eco-friendly funerals an increasingly viable option, Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel are taking their clever concept to the world. Capsula Mundi involves burial in an egg-shaped pod, which is planted beneath a young tree. If the groundbreaking idea takes, rows of concrete headstones could eventually be supplanted by flourishing forests. The Italian design duo recently unveiled their idea at Te Papa, where local weavers crafted a pod from native plants and materials.

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Wi l d t h i n g s 1. Cricket flour – $20 – Moore Wilson’s Fresh 2. Essenza Mini and Aeroccino 3 – $299 – Nespresso 3. Cooper Mod-Ern Girl jacket – $449 – Designer Clothing Gallery 4. Iris dome-shaped bamboo lampshade – $80 – Trade Aid 5. Down to the Woods grey elephant – $35 – Tea Pea 6. Seagrass belly basket – $39 – Let Liv 7. Botanical Mist – $35 – Wiki Skincare 8. Invigorate Body Oil – $60 – Wiki Skincare 9. Lager in fromage tort eyewear – $249 – Let Liv 10. Castle pillowcase fern – $85 – Small Acorns 11. Schoolbag – $54 – Pukeko Gift Gallery

CELEBRATING CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEERS

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Pure heroine WRITTEN BY ALEX SCOTT | PHOTOGRAPH BY SALLY YOUNG

MUSIC

The Kooks

FAVE SEASON Spring

AUTHOR

John Marsden

PET

Cat, Shadow

VIDEO GAME Sims

It’s been two years since teenager PAYGE OLDS dived into Wellington harbour to save a man she didn’t know.

ayge Olds has always been a thrill-seeker, thriving on those butterflies-in-your-stomach moments. But an additional quality caused Payge, then 16, to jump into Wellington Harbour one night in 2015 to rescue a stranger floating face-down in the water. “I’ve always been eager to help,” she explains. “All I could think was, ‘Someone is going to die unless I do something about it.’” With the aid of two passersby, Logan Mason and Jon Derrick, the man was pulled to shore and Payge’s cousin Kelly McKay performed CPR until emergency services arrived. The man died in hospital three days later. Now 18, Payge admits she still thinks about the incident “every single day”. Resting on her bedroom bookshelf, the silver medal she received in September is a constant reminder of her bravery. She considers the award a huge honour and was “insanely overwhelmed with emotions and so proud” to receive it. Two years on from the harbour rescue, the 18-year-old is making it her life’s work to help others, though in a very different setting. “I’m currently studying early childhood at Horowhenua Learning Centre,” she tells. “My mum works in early childhood and I think my grandma wanted to. I think it’s in my blood, in my genes.” Payge, who grew up mainly in Lower Hutt, currently lives in Levin with her grandmother Sandy, boyfriend Bailey (18) and cat Shadow. When she’s not wrangling under-fives or working on assignments, she loves to

read, write, paint, and play Sims. In her headphones, you’ll likely find early 2000s punk rock. A typical weekend involves watching Netflix and hanging out with friends. She also loves baking – carrot cake and chocolate chip biscuits are her specialities. Wellington’s colourful culture draws Payge into the CBD. “The people are so wacky and outgoing,” she says. One of her favourite haunts is the Embassy Theatre. “I went there recently to watch The Beatles – Eight Days a Week.” She’s got a taste for Cafe Pasha too: “It’s really well priced and has really good food.” The outdoors is where she feels truly at home. “I try to be outside as much as I can. I love hanging out by the harbour and taking photos of the ocean, especially around sunset.” When she can, she spends time in Taupo, swimming in the lake or at the hot pools. Besides building her own home, Payge dreams of travelling around Europe. She’s been eager to experience Greece since seeing photos from her granddad’s trip last year. “I haven’t really had much time to travel but I’d love to go to Greece,” she says. “The photos my granddad took were so stunning. I love how beautiful and warm it looks there.” Payge says the incident at Wellington Harbour hasn’t hugely changed her perspective on life. Her philosophy is straightforward.“Life’s too short,” she says, “so seize the moment because tomorrow you might be dead.”

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CULTURE

SOUNDS OF T H E FA L L E N Wellington blues band The Nudge was filmed performing in WWI bunkers for John Psathas’ (right) cinematic music experience No Man’s Land, a 2016 NZ Festival hit. The band talks about the experience and performs live at Wellington Museum before the film shows on a big screen (20 April). On 5 May, French cellist Sébastien Hurtaud performs the world premiere of composer Gareth Farr’s new concerto Chemin des Dames (the name of a ridge on the Western Front) in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s triple-bill concert Aotearoa Plus: Farr, Adams & Boulez.

A NEW LENS

QUITE THE MOUTHFUL

FOND FAREWELL

Leanne Pooley’s strikingly original animated documentary about Gallipoli, 25 April, was released a year ago in only a few boutique cinemas. Catch it during Nga Taonga’s ANZAC season (19–29 April) of four films about New Zealand and WWI. Using graphic-novel-style animation, the film documents Gallipoli through the eyes and experiences of six real people. Wellington’s David Long composed the score.

The comedy festival’s official name is “The New Zealand International Comedy Festival Powered by Flick Electric Co” (27 April to 21 May) thanks to its new sponsor, a growing Wellington start-up. The comedy gala on 29 April provides a taster from the 68 international, national and local shows in the festival. In March, festival organisers the NZ Comedy Trust, partnered with the Creative Capital Arts Trust (NZ Fringe Festival, CubaDupa) to help stage the festival in Wellington.

It’s your last chance to see the original New Zealand trio perform together, before violinist Justine Cormack (above) leaves after 15 years with the group. They perform in Chamber Music NZ’s Encompass Series (St. Andrew’s, 30 April) and at Upper Hutt’s Expressions Theatre (1 May). Cormack and husband Marc Taddei – globe-trotting conductor and Orchestra Wellington’s music director – are building a house in Central Otago. Pre-trio, Cormack lived in Wellington on and off for 10 years.

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CULTURE

BRASSED OFF You thought brass bands were a thing of the past? Think again. Twenty-nine of New Zealand’s 50-odd brass bands will converge on the capital for the town-hopping Brass Band Championships (19–23 April), held every April since 1880. More than 1,000 musicians will perform in solo and ensemble events which will be open to the public. The Wellington Brass Band is hoping to win a fifth consecutive national title as a parting gift to conductor David Bremner (left), also the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s principal trombonist. The bands march around the waterfront from 1.30–3pm on 21 April.

DRESSING D OWN

A NEW VIEW

HARPING ON

Last year, Vogeltown artist Shannon Te Ao won the Walters Prize. Now the City Gallery is folding a Te Ao work into its show On Going Out with the Tide (8 April to 30 July), about Colin McCahon’s representations of Māori culture. In a video performance piece, Untitled (McCahon House Studies), Te Ao performs repetitive actions (moving objects around, for example) in Auckland’s McCahon House Museum. “We filmed one weekday and two little old ladies sprung me rolling around the floor in a dressing gown!”

Soraya Rhofir, a French collage/installation artist, is living and working in a Clyde Quay Wharf apartment (on the site of the former Overseas Terminal adjacent to Waitangi Park) with panoramic harbour views. She’s here from January until June as the 2017 Te Whare Hēra French Artist-in-Residence (in collaboration between the Embassy of France, the Wellington City Council and Massey University). Rhofir, who’s investigating Kiwiana pop culture, will speak alongside German performance artist Janine Eisenächer at International Connections (12 April, City Gallery), the third annual forum on the impact of Wellington’s international-artist residencies.

Last year, Wellington-based harpists Michelle Velvin and Jennifer Newth sought entries for the inaugural New Zealand Harp Duo Composition Competition. They’ll perform the two winning works, Anri’s Lullaby by Adam Bow and Angelic Glow by Rakuto Kurano, on 22 April (at St Peters on Willis) and 30 April (at St James’ Church, Lower Hutt). They’ve performed together since childhood.

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CULTURE

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD By Sarah Lang You’ll recognise a few local spots in new feature film One Thousand Ropes, about a former Samoan boxer whose estranged daughter turns up pregnant. Bolton St cemetery, Lower Hutt’s Zany Zeus cheese shop and many a Newtown haunt feature, but the main location was the subsequently demolished Arlington council apartments on the corner of Taranaki and Hankey Streets. Well received at the Berlin Film Festival, the drama is now out on general release. The Wellington collaborators behind the film, director Tusi Tamasese and producer Catherine Fitzgerald, first talked about the idea some years ago while shooting Samoan-language tale The Orator. One Thousand Ropes’ characters speak in both English and Samoan (with subtitles). “People might think ‘Oh it’s a Samoan film,’” Fitzgerald says, “but it’s a very accessible, human film – and very Wellington, too. Tusi and I live here, so why wouldn’t we film here?” Fitzgerald, who runs production company Blueskin Films, produced Vincent Ward’s Rain of the Children and Taika Waititi’s Oscar-nominated short Two Cars, One Night, among others. The Mt Cook resident chairs the NZ Film Festival Trust and is a board member of screen-industry association SPADA and Playmarket. “I try to give back to the things I love.”

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HAMISH MCKEICH CONDUCTOR SÉBASTIEN HURTAUD CELLO BOULEZ MEMORIALE GARETH FARR CELLO CONCERTO CHEMIN DES DAMES (WORLD PREMIERE) JOHN ADAMS NAÏVE AND SENTIMENTAL MUSIC

MUSIC

Still wa te r s run deep WRITTEN BY MELODY THOMAS | PHOTOGRAPH BY LOU HATTON

As part of live drum and bass outfit Shapeshifter, Devin Abrams spent 15 years filling venues and bedrooms alike with electronic din. It took striking out on his own for the musician to discover the great things that happen in The Stillness.

he first time I saw Shapeshifter play was at a New Zealand music showcase at the Town Hall, where my friends and I were summoned from the surrounding corridors by a beat reverberating through the floors, up our legs and into the roots of our hair. The music was familiar – that same up-tempo, bass-heavy drive that fuelled so many all-nighters at venues like Studio and Sub9 – but instead of a solitary DJ, what greeted us on stage was a live band. It was a revelation, lending a whole new life and energy to a sound that we all loved, but that rarely surprised us. One of the musicians on that stage was saxophonist, synths and keys man and founding band member Devin Abrams. “As far as we knew we were the first fully live drum and bass band in the world. “Others around the late 90s were doing it partly live but they were using computers and samplers. We were off the grid. It was super-exciting… completely new and uncharted,” he says. Now living on Wellington’s south coast, Devin spent his formative years in Christchurch, where his American parents moved when he was four, convinced that New Zealand was the closest thing to a socialist paradise in which to raise their large, colourful future family. “I’m the oldest, followed by my sister Jessie, who is Korean, then my wonderfully gay brother Colin, followed by Brendan, who is Filipino, then my sister Shelley and lastly our baby sister Ariel, who is African American. It wasn’t until I was about 10 years old that I realised my adopted siblings were a different skin colour than me. I know now how powerful that is, and what a profound imprint it created on me,” says Devin.

The Abrams family were different for other reasons, too – with his mother working as a volunteer doctor all over the world, it was Dad who had his hands full at home. “I remember being at primary school in the 80s and being asked in class what our fathers did for a living. I was the only one that said he was a stay-at-home dad and looked after us kids. It was pretty unnerving as a child not knowing if Mum would make it back from some of her trips; she caught malaria in Afghanistan, fled from South Africa at gunpoint and just recently got evacuated out of Syria... Our father did an amazing job of not showing in any way his worry to us children,” he says. Music was always there in Devin’s life – when he was still in his mother’s womb his parents ensured everything they played was at a volume he could hear. In his first musical memory, Devin sits mesmerised at his aunt’s piano for hours, playing the black keys over and over with the sustain pedal down. “I hungered for more, starting with piano and recorder as most Kiwi kids did back then. The only way I enjoyed playing was by ear. I had zero interest in learning to read music,” he says. Like those of many who grow up to be musicians, Devin’s journey into his career can be traced back to a fateful meeting with a “teaching soul mate” – his third-form music teacher Stu Buchanan. “Stu quite literally threw the prescribed saxophone book out the window, telling me I wouldn’t be needing it. If only I could have framed the smile I had on my face that day. Stu taught me to play from the heart, and use the ears as your navigators,” he recalls.

MUSIC

Devin’s ears navigated him through 15 years with Shapeshifter, with six albums and several EPs, music awards as well as relentless touring here and overseas. It all helped to cement the group in New Zealand’s musical landscape. During this period Devin also released albums as Pacific Heights – a solo project which allowed him absolute creative freedom and served to balance the never-ending compromise of being in a band. As the Shapeshifter machine grew bigger and better-oiled, Devin felt the pull to move on. “It had become difficult to play every gig with the passion my bandmates and the audience deserved and it felt like the right thing to do to leave,” he says. Devin struggles to describe how difficult this all was – not only were his Shapeshifter band members like family, but his identity was built around membership of the group. He poured everything he was feeling into a new album, The Stillness, released last year on his own Pacific Heights label.

Listeners dug it too – in November The Stillness was awarded Best Electronic Album at the New Zealand Music Awards. “It was an incredible sense of achievement wrapped in one moment. I felt very lucky. With my 15 odd years of making music I know how rare those moments are,” he says. Projects for this year include work on new material, workshopping The Stillness songs with his band, and collaborations – including one with composer/ producer Rhian Sheehan. And he’s taken on his first “regular” job, lecturing in Massey University’s Bachelor of Commercial Music degree programme – a brand new course that he says feels like he’s “on the edge of something groundbreaking”, recalling those first years with Shapeshifter. Other than that, he says: “I’m not sure what the future holds, but I will most certainly be listening to the music.”

MEASURING THE EARTH: Classical calculations about world’s size and shape ► Starts 6pm-8pm Wednesday 3 May

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT DATA: Faulty data, fallacies and deceptions ► Starts 6pm-8pm Monday 8 May

THE TOMB BUILDERS OF THE PHARAOHS ► Starts 6.15am-8.15pm Thursday 11 May

For more information or to enrol www.victoria.ac.nz/conted

INTERESTED IN SCREENING GERMAN FILMS? Contact our ﬁlm archive arts@wellington.goethe.org 04 385 6924

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15 Garrett St (just off Cuba)

CULTURE

T H E B E AT GOES ON

C HAO S T H E O RY

By Sarah Lang

The Beat Girls are turning 21 but co-founder Andrea Sanders says “The time has flown.” Sanders is also the owner, choreographer and lead singer of the covers trio, with its feel-good songs, high-energy dance routines and comic banter. To celebrate, she’s devised musical retrospective The BeatGirls’ 21st: All Grown Up at Circa, in April. “It’s a tribute to all the memories, songs, artists, and places we’ve been.” A socialmedia shout-out invited fans to nominate songs for the show. “Someone messaged to say they got engaged at a gig!” This is no franchise. The core trio for the theatre shows and most gigs is Sanders, Carolyn McLaughlin (an original BeatGirl) and Kali Kopae. But when someone’s unavailable for a gig, one of four other BeatGirls subs in. They’ve performed everywhere from Wellington homes and corporate gigs to official Olympics parties at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Sanders, who has 30-plus stamps on her passport, runs the business with business-manager husband Billy Watkins (daughter Tara is 14). Sanders, from Pauatahanui, recently became a marriage celebrant, and conducted a wedding ceremony then performed at the reception. Will the beat go on for another 21 years? “We’ll see. I like never knowing what’s around the corner.”

Wellington film editor John Gilbert is still recovering from the Academy Awards. “It was a bit surreal.” For starters, he travelled in “a river of limos” along Hollywood Boulevard past both Trump supporters and protestors. Then he won the Best Film Editing Oscar for his work on Mel Gibson’s WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge. “Happily I didn’t trip up.” At the engraving station, he ran into Dan Lemmon, one of the Weta Digital team who accepted the Best Visual Effects Oscar. Afterwards, Gilbert, wife Karen Tonks, and three other family members headed to the Governor’s Ball to meet the Hacksaw team including Vince Vaughn. Next stop was the Vanity Fair afterparty. “It’s an A-list invite-only event, but an Oscar gets you in the door. We went to one more party, at a house made famous in The Big Lebowski, where we partied until 4 or 5am. Everyone wanted to be photographed with the Oscar.” Gilbert, who grew up in Pukerua Bay, has edited 17 feature films. He’s still based in Wellington with Karen, but nowadays is often away on editing jobs. This year he’s been in Los Angeles, editing The Professor and the Madman, also directed by Mel Gibson. “It’s a period picture around the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary. Mel plays the professor and Sean Penn the madman. So Gilbert was busy during all of the Oscar build-up, and it hasn't let up – “since then my life’s been chaos.”

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CULTUR AL DIRECTORY

AN EMERGING TALENT: EARLY WORKS BY FRANCES HODGKINS Opening 8 April at 5pm. The exhibition runs until 4 June. New SPACE 9 April–7 May Liminal: Lynda Mapplebeck 10 May–4 June Paintings: Lynette Rawlingson Free entry Tuesday–Saturday 10am–4pm Sunday 1–4pm 20 Mahara Place, Waikanae maharargallery.org.nz

JE T H RO TUL L He sold out his performance two years ago, and now Ian Anderson returns with his stellar band, and fresh interactive video backdrop, to play one final show. Featuring the many hits including Aqualung, Living in The Past, Locomotive Breath etc., you’d better hurry for the last remaining seats for JETHRO TULL in the St James on 20 April. St James Theatre 20 April 2017, 7.30pm Ticketek.co.nz 04 384 3840

THE DARKNESS & PUSH PUSH

FEATHERSTON BOOKTOWN

Flamboyant English rockers The Darkness and Kiwi legends Push Push join forces for an unmissable night at Victoria University’s Hunter Lounge. The Darkness hit Wellington for the first time with gems like I Believe in A Thing Called Love, Growing On Me, and Love Is Only A Feeling. Opening the show is Push Push (Tripping’, Song 27 & more!).

Featherston comes alive as book lovers, collectors and sellers gather for the annual Booktown Festival. Presentations by Lloyd Jones, Joy Cowley, Bee Dawson, Norman Meehan, Karl du Fresne amongst others will be complemented by workshops, literary treasure trails and a childrens’ fancy dress parade.

Friday 21 April, Hunter Lounge, Victoria University. Tickets: ticketek.co.nz justtheticketnz.com

STIMELA “THE GUMBOOT” MUSICAL Named after a brand of gumboot this is a terrific show, loosely linked by an old man’s reminiscences of his days in the mines, to which many men were drawn from the townships. The dance routines and the songs tell of the miners’ back-breaking work, their longing for home and the way in which their songs and those gumboot dances eased the pain. 23–31 May 2017, Hannah Playhouse 12 Cambridge Tce 04 801 7992 Tickets $30–35

For more information visit: booktown.org.nz

ANZAC Hall, 62 Bell Street

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IF YOU SAW THIS, WOULD YOU: IGNORE IT CALL FOR HELP INTERVENE WATCH IT FILM IT

Bullying takes many forms and occurs throughout life, from physical to psychological and from playground to workplace. Take the disturbing situation you see here. You may be surprised to learn that, while some people will step up and take action, the norm is not to do anything. This raises other questions: do we not see a child assaulting a child as serious as an adult assaulting an adult? Do we just dismiss this as a case of kids being kids? Unfortunately, most of us have witnessed bullying at some point, yet our response to it varies. Researchers at Victoria University of Wellington are taking a closer look at bullying, when and why it starts, its effects on both victim and bully and ways to beat it. An anti-bullying programme developed in Finland is proving successful there. Called KiVa, it takes a communitybased approach. Could KiVa help us take a stand against bullying in New Zealand?

For more about world-leading thinking and research at Victoria, go to victoria.ac.nz

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F E AT U R E

Risky business P H OTO G R A P H E D BY A N N A B R I G G S

What do an abseiler, firefighter, and the inventor of team role play games have in common? Adrenaline. The rush of blood, the excitement and the thrill of helping keep three locals focused on the job at hand. BETH ROSE considers their quest for kicks.

F E AT U R E

Clint McCormick

angling from ropes about as thick as a thumb against the side of a high-rise building is not most people’s idea of fun, but Clint McCormick is totally okay with it. Professional abseiling may seem like a niche career choice. But as a glazier wanting to move up in the world, McCormick saw it as the perfect graduation. Cleaning, testing and fixing things in tricky places is the theme of McCormick’s work for Abseil Access, and it was useful to bring to the job an existing set of trade skills, along with some physical strength and a head for heights. McCormick is not a hobby climber – he learnt to abseil specifically for work and had no experience with heights and risk-taking beyond a childhood of tree climbing and scrambling onto rooftops. Replacing or mending a window at altitude is one thing, but cleaning the moss, salt and mould off the radar dome above Red Rocks (by night) is something else. “They hardly ever switch the radar off, so when they do, all the maintenance has to happen at once and there’s only a short time to get it done,” says McCormick. He is preparing for the annual nocturnal cleaning task, which, he says might just be the quickest way to get microwaved should the radar installation be accidentally turned on. The radar provides Wellington’s airport with information on air traffic, so it’s important the equipment stays in good order. Abseil Access is a Wellington-based company which has had a branch in Christchurch since the earthquakes to help make bridges, buildings, cliffs and rock faces safe. More recently they’ve been working in the Kaikoura region. “We work with engineers and explosive experts,” says McCormick, who is keen to up-skill in some of these specialised areas. To become qualified to handle and detonate explosives, however, would take time and considerable training.

“I’d need to train under someone and build up many hours of experience. It’s a specialist skill and not frequently used. But it would be easier to have all the skills in one person rather than having to take an engineer or a technician who is inexperienced in abseiling across to a site. If something went wrong we’d both be in danger.” The likelihood of a dangerous situation arising, though, is small. “The gear we use is so safe. Abseiling bolts can take up to 12 tonnes – you could hang a car off them. And, the permanent bolts in buildings are tested every year to make sure they are still safe,” says McCormick. On one such routine job, however, he found himself dealing with as near a miss as he’s ever had. “It had started as a sunny day, but as is typical in Wellington, the wind picked up and my trailing ropes got wrapped around a flag pole. We always work in pairs, but I was determined to untangle myself. It took me about an hour.” On remote jobs, McCormick and his colleagues are often dropped by helicopter at locations where they might be drilling in anchors or stringing up suspension cables. The jobs are diverse and individually challenging. It is constructing bridges that McCormick says he most enjoys. The swing bridge at Makara Peak mountain bike park was installed with McCormick’s assistance. That he cites this job as his favourite may have something to do with his keenness for mountain biking, a pastime his job has served to directly benefit. After a tough day of up to 10 hours on the ropes, swinging from a precipice or being air-dropped from helicopters alongside explosives, McCormick relaxes in his spare time with off-road cycling, hurtling down Wellington’s rugged hillsides on his mountain bike.

F E AT U R E

Iza bella Venter

t’s second-hand adrenaline that Izabella Venter thrives on. The creative mind behind Escape Mate gets her excitement at work vicariously through the participants in her role-play team building games. Two rooms – a bank vault and a laboratory – set the scenes, and small teams must work together to solve a series of puzzles and ultimately escape from the rooms. Storylines are intense, and computer programmes and theatrical sets – including a real 1930s bank vault – are designed to immerse people in alternative realities. In each setting a scenario is applied. In the vault, Venter gives players an hour to thwart a secret society that is planning a war against humanity with an army of cyborgs, using brain-washing and mind control. The responses can be surprising. “It’s a cool story, inspired by video games and movies. There are bombs, time machines and creepy props. Teams have to decide whether to rescue hostages or not, and investigate army hideouts. People can get quite involved in the environment, sometimes screaming and jumping around,” says Venter. Venter, who has been running Escape Mate for two years, says it is quite a new concept for New Zealand and the game has grown to be very popular, particularly with corporate groups. Team managers take staff along to practise communication skills and cooperation in a fun way. Afterwards, feedback is given on strengths and areas for development. Venter says people from almost every government department have taken part, and she’s also hosted real estate agents, IT companies, accounting firms and banks, who tend to perform quite successfully. “People from banks have done well. I think this is because they have to focus on detail in their jobs and are used to checking information.” During the Escape Mate assignments, teams are in radio contact with their game manager who provides

clues and direction. Venter enjoys taking this role, and sometimes sits behind the scenes with the group’s team manager, who is also interested in seeing how his or her staff are performing. It’s a game, but with take-home implications for real life. Ventor works in consultation with a software engineer who programmes the games and tells her when an imaginative storyline will work, or not. “The creative side of the work is uplifting and I like how quickly we can measure success. I love dreaming up a situation, creating it, making it real and seeing how much people enjoy it.” Overall, she admits that groups of children excel. “Kids really listen to instructions on the radio, shushing each other so that they can hear us. They don’t have very long attention spans though, so instructions have to be short. They’re not held back by shyness and are happy bringing clues and information together from around the whole room, touching and opening things to look inside. Neither do they worry about making the wrong decision.” Poor cooperation in adults tends to manifest itself in frustration, embarrassment, blaming the radio operator or just not listening, which is something she’s witnessed when couples are taking part. A spectrum of human behaviours and emotions reveals itself, and this is part of the thrill for players, and for Venter as a voyeur. Her interaction with live games, however, is less now that she’s working seven days a week on business administration, marketing, social media and promotions. Escape Mate’s appeal Venter attributes to its accessibility. “Anyone can take part. No physical strength is required and it’s a quick and easy way to test team work and communication.” And of course there’s the adrenaline rush of a timed mission to save the world in the style of Tom Cruise on an otherwise uneventful Monday morning in Wellington.

F E AT U R E

Peter Grace

oughly one in a hundred people who apply to be fire-fighters in New Zealand make the cut, according to Peter Grace. He was one of two firefighters from Wellington and the Hutt Valley who went on to get jobs in the region from around 150 people in their recruitment round. It’s heartening to know that so many people want to protect people’s lives and property, at potentially great personal risk, and even more so to know that the public is being served by the best of the best. Grace has been a firefighter for three years. “It is an opportunity to help people out and to do something with a sense of purpose.” The rewards of the job, he says, far outweigh the gruelling training he went through. He describes the intense application process: “I was sent an enrolment pack and was then selected for a cognitive test, a physical test and a practical assessment where they run you ragged and put you under immense pressure.” These examinations are followed by police checks and then a medical test, so, having been pushed to your physical limits, a previously unknown health issue could still rule you out completely. Grace describes his success as “a big family effort”. It was a nine-month recruitment process from applying to completing his training, which takes place in Rotorua. “The training takes three months so I was making trips back to Wellington on the weekends every other week. My boys were aged two and five years old and we had lots of support from family nearby.” Grace is stationed in Newtown and is on the Green Watch with five other firefighters. In the time he has been with them, they have had only a handful of fires to

put out. Most of his on-the-job experience has involved attending road accidents. “My first call-out was a car crash and we were cutting people out of a vehicle. I was administering first aid before the ambulance arrived.” In this situation Grace says he immediately referred to his training to get him through. “We follow a set of procedures and that is all we can do. The training is so important and now I’ve been to so many call-outs it has become second nature.” It seems odd that when the alarm sounds at the fire stations, the likelihood of there being an actual fire to put out is relatively small. Grace’s Watch could be attending a chemical spill, a report of trapped animals, flood and other environmental emergency, or a suicide or suspicious death. The training must cover all eventualities. One of the hardest parts of the job, according to Grace, is seeing people on the worst day of their lives. But even then there’s a lot of difference to be made. “I remember talking to a son who had just lost his dad. He wanted to tell me about his dad’s life and what a great guy he’d been. I just needed to listen to him and was glad to help”. “We have someone in our crew who excels in these circumstances. He seems to know exactly what to say and it can be hard to assist the family when we’ve got to focus on a job that’s still going on.” Grace says he knew of the emotional challenges of the job before signing up and has no regrets, and feels honoured to be the one helping out. He agrees that the adrenaline is part of what gets him through it. “Adrenaline is a natural human reaction but it never feels out of control. I know I’m in a good team, that the person next to me has got my back and that is a calm feeling.”

F E AT U R E

Match point W R I T T E N BY L AU R A P I TC H E R P H OTO G R A P H Y BY A N N A H I G G I N S

Matchbooks and matchboxes were once a popular vehicle for advertising, bearing powerful messages that could fit in the palm of your hand. We hold a flame to eight vintage examples, some lighthearted, some inflammatory, in an attempt to illuminate the past.

1 Bee gone

2 Hope-less

What more fitting name for a Wellington matchbox than Beehive? The safety matches were originally made by UK company Bryant & May, which opened its Wellington factory in Newtown in 1894. The operation shifted to Tory St in the 1920s, when Wellington Hospital expanded. At the time, the new factory was the largest brick building in Wellington, part of the council's commercial plan for the area, which had around 150 residents evicted. Previously a residential slum, Tory St became an industrial precinct. The Bryant & May factory remained a central feature until production was moved to Upper Hutt in 1971.

For younger folks, the name Hope Bros would most likely bring back hazy memories of student Saturday nights out. The generation before, however, may remember Hope Bros as a menswear store owned by, you guessed it, the Hope brothers. The firm was the main ground-floor tenant of Cuba St’s first wooden two-storey building, which was demolished in the 1980s. The name lived on and, for another seven years, the address drew crowds of young people looking for a fun night out. More than two years ago, we waved goodbye to Hope Bros forever, but for many the meeting of Dixon and Cuba will forever be known as Hope Bros corner.

3 Red-handed

4 Solway Away

Given Australia is well known for its history as a penal colony, it won’t come as a shock to learn that Aussie brewing company Lion Ltd was the brainchild of a convicted criminal. Highway robber James Squire produced the first commercial ale in Australia, creating a legacy that lives on to this day. In 1923, Lion Brewery became one of 10 brewing companies that formed New Zealand Breweries Ltd. Kiwis have since accepted Lion Red and claimed it as their own. The name of the beverage was originally Lion Beer, but after hearing its customers calling it “Red Lion”, because of its red branding, the name was formally changed to Lion Red.

Copthorne Solway Park Hotel and Resort Wairarapa was built and originally operated by the Masterton Licensing Trust in 1972. At a time when conference facilities in Wellington central were limited, the concept was to provide a nearby facility to accommodate visitors for both business and leisure. What began with 40 rooms in the middle of a Masterton paddock has now grown into more than 100 rooms, with a pool, gym, squash court, and 10bay golf driving range.

5 Got milk?

6 Scrap it

The Wellington Milk Department was established in 1918 by the Wellington City Council in response to the selling of dirty or watered-down milk in the city. Its depot on Dixon St was initially established to oversee the collection and treatment of milk, but in 1922 the department gained complete control of the process, from farm to newly introduced bottles. At the time, it was common for dairies to undergo random hygiene inspections, and they were often prosecuted for selling low-fat milk. The Milk Department soon moved to Tory St where it continued to operate under the council until 1987. It then vacated Tory St and morphed into trading company Capital Dairy Products Ltd, which later became part of Fonterra.

During World War II, scrap metal became a hot topic. New Zealand was one of many countries to collect and sort its metal scraps for the war effort. Thus a need arose for companies to buy, sort and export scrap metal. Wellington Scrap Metals, a family owned company, was established in 1952 for this purpose. Still operating today, the company has branches in the Ngauranga Gorge and in Porirua, but with the price of scrap metal dropping on a global scale, it seems the once hot topic is in a cooling-off period.

7 Smoke & mirrors

8 Hard to swallow

The Marlboro Man advertising campaign is considered one of the most successful of all time – if you consider persuading large numbers of people to smoke a success. Tobacco first reached our shores in 1769 with Captain Cook, but it was almost two centuries before the Marlboro Man arrived, in the 1960s, spouting the slogan: “Come to where the flavour is.” Unfortunately, it seems, too many New Zealanders heeded his message. Today, we are desperately trying to rectify the damage tobacco has done, with plans to make NZ smoke-free by 2025. Ironically, a number of actors who portrayed the Marlboro Man over the years have since died from smoking-related diseases.

In 1961 the contraceptive pill arrived in New Zealand, offering women real control over their fertility and sparking a sexual revolution. Doctor and mother-of-two Dame Margaret Sparrow was one of the first to try it, at a time when there was still a strong backlash against the medication. Because of regulations, it was extremely difficult for unmarried women to gain access to the pill until the 1970s. Sparrow dedicated her professional career to the issues concerning women’s reproductive rights, fighting against the anti-contraceptive messages of the day, such as the one shown on this matchbook. On retirement, The Margaret Sparrow Family Planning Clinic in Wellington was established in her honour.

Easter Treats

BOOTCAMP COMING THIS APRIL

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OPEN TO E V E RY T H I N G W R I T T E N BY SA R A H L A N G | P H OTO G R A P H BY GA R E T H B R A D L E Y

Lucy Roche’s first solo comedy show Dollars and Sex (3–6 May, Ivy Bar) is about her experiences of being a hooker – and being proud of it. “It’ll cover how feminism does or doesn’t fit in with sex work, right through to the practical, mundane stuff like taxes,” says the part-time comic and part-time prostitute. For the NZ International Comedy Festival (27 April–21 May), she’ll also perform Dollars and Sex in Auckland. “I’ve mentioned what I do in gigs before, but seeing it advertised on posters is nerve-wracking.” However, she wants to help shed the stigma surrounding sex work. “It’s really rewarding. It’s hard to know what it’s like unless you’ve done it yourself.” The 22-year-old, who flats in Newtown, has been doing stand-up gigs mainly in Wellington, and a few in Auckland, since winning last year’s national RAW Comedy Quest for the country’s funniest new comedian. Roche will be applauding in the audience at this year’s Wellington Semi-Finals (13 and 20 April) and the Wellington Grand Final (27 April), all at San Fran. The top locals get a spot in the May grand final in Auckland, and the supreme winner gets $2,000, some professional gigs, and of course the glory. Wellington’s had eight national winners in 21 years. Roche first entered RAW in 2015, making it to the Wellington finals. “I was always going to try again.” Comedy has long been dominated by men, but women now appear in one in five festival shows. “Women are doing amazing things in New Zealand’s comedy scene. I’m not sure if comedy will be my career as such, but I’d like to keep writing and performing stand-up, and travel more widely.” A former creative-writing student, she’d also like to write for TV. “I’m open to anything.”

S E C TF IEOAN T UHREEA D E R

Grind, dash,tumble A gymnast, a runner, and a skateboarder walk into a... lot of success. We talk to three young men who are driven by passion and achieving plenty in their fields.

F l i ppi n g h ec k For Oliver van Looy’s parents, there’s no point posing that old rhetorical question: If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you? Because his answer would likely be yes. Cliff jumping (always into the water, of course) is one of the Tawa teen’s favourite pursuits. That and cheerleading. The two actually have a bit in common. You need agility, commitment and, Oliver adds, “It helps to have spatial awareness so I know where I am in the air.” The year 13 student recently competed at the NCA All-Star Nationals cheerleading competition in Dallas, Texas. His squad placed fourth in their category. “We were super stoked with that,” says Oliver, the only boy in the group. The atmosphere at big competitions is supercharged, he says, with everyone cheering everyone on. The social side is a big part of the buzz for the 17-year-old, who studies by correspondance.

Oliver took up gymnastics when he was eight, moving into trampolining and tumbling, before being “dragged into cheerleading” by a girlfriend at the time. As his tone suggests, he was sceptical. But three years on, he’s got big ambitions in the sport. “Next year, I want to join Team NZ in Auckland and go to worlds with them. And possibly join a USA team.” He’ll also look into USA university scholarships. So what’s the trickiest move he can pull off? “Probably front tuck walk-outs into double twist,” he says. Ha? “It’s a front flip into a round off, which is like a cartwheel but you put more power into it.” The move finishes with a double twist – a back flip in which the body stays straight while making two 360-degree rotations. For Oliver, the hard work of perfecting a move is more than worth it. “It takes a lot out of you physically and mentally. But once you get it, it feels so satisfying.”

Photograph by Anna Briggs Written by Alex Scott

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H it th e dec k “Nothing compares to the feeling of bombing a massive hill,” says street skater and city dweller Jack Fagan, 22. “It’s like surfing the biggest wave. Like a joy ride that never ends.” Jack first jumped on a board at around age 10 and it clicked instantly with his obsessive personality. “There was always something I had to be 100% into, like new toys or something cool that came out. Then I discovered skateboarding and it’s pretty much the ultimate thing. You can’t ever ‘clock it’ or ‘collect them all’. It’s limitless.” He’s been sponsored since he was 14, when he and a few friends sent some skating footage to a local skate shop. They kept taking photos and shooting videos and the sponsors racked up. He rattles off a raft of current brands: “Vans, Element, Spitfire, Independent, Fusion, Storm and Dickies.” But it’s not about being the best, he insists.

“You can be really good, but if you’ve got a really competitive attitude, that doesn’t translate well into street skateboarding. It’s more of an internal thing where you’re trying to prove something to yourself.” It’s the reason he gets up in the morning, and it sometimes keeps him awake at night. “I’ll be falling asleep and I’ll be thinking about it and I’ll just get all this adrenaline and be wide awake again. I’ll text the other photographer and tell him to meet me. And the text will be sent at like 3.30 in the morning.” The risk of injury doesn’t put him off at all. And it does happen. A few years ago, he witnessed his friend get hit by a car. His skull was fractured and now he also has a metal shin. “It’s just part of it,” Jack reasons. “It kind of adds to the danger. If nothing could go wrong, I don’t think it’d be as fun.”

Photograph by Mat Vickery Written by Alex Scott

XXX

Run n i n g fo r it If you turn your head for a fraction too long – say, 10.72 seconds – you might miss him. Seventeenyear-old Nick Smith is the fastest schoolboy in the country. He recently ran 100m in 10.71 seconds, shaving .13 off his personal best and winning the National Secondary Schools 100m title. He won the 200m, too, just for good measure. His speed is something his friends are happy to take advantage of when there’s an errand to run. “I always get told by my mates, ‘You’re the fastest. You go get it,’” laughs the Hutt Valley High student. Nick gets a thrill out of sports that require swift decision-making – rugby, basketball, mountain biking. But thinking on his feet doesn’t figure in sprinting success. “When I’m racing, I don’t think about what I’m doing. It’s 10–11 seconds of pure physical exertion. It’s 100% effort,” he says. “I don’t even know if I breathe.”

For Nick, it’s not just about the thrill of the chase. The wait for those telling digits to light up provides the real rush. “Winning is the major objective, but sometimes it’s more exciting to see your time,” he explains. This season, he’s chasing the NZ under-18s 100m record. He has until his birthday in September to run it in less than 10.56 seconds. There’ll be plenty of opportunity for that in California this month. Nick’s competing in a series of high-school meets where he’s hoping to capture the attention of coaches scouting for fresh talent. “There’ll be heaps of competition and lots of coaches from universities,” explains the teen, who’s got his heart set on a US athletics scholarship. Further down the track, the dream is to qualify for an Olympic Games. But to achieve it, he reckons he’d have to break the current NZ 100m record of 10.11 seconds. “I’d be pretty stoked if I could get that,” he says.

Photograph by Rhett Goodley-Hornblow Written by Alex Scott

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FISHY BUSINESS

Blue cod Name: Blue cod, also known as Boston blue cod, New Zealand cod and sand perch.

Feeds on: just about anything that comes their way (including smaller blue cod!), but mainly crustaceans, small fish, shellfish, worms and small octopuses.

Māori names: Rawaru, Pakirikiri

Catch: For conservation reasons it’s recommended that large hooks be used when fishing for blue cod. This is because when a blue cod swallows a hook, damage is often done to the gut or gills during unhooking, and returned fish will bleed to death within a few hours of release. Large hooks are not so easily swallowed and are less likely to hook undersized blue cod. If you happen to be catching lots of undersized blue cod in one spot, it can be best to try somewhere else – serial returns of smaller fish can cause a buildup of predators both above and below the water.

Scientific name: Parapercis colias Looks like: Despite their name blue cod are not true cod, but actually weevers, which are part of the sand perch family. They are also not always blue, with colour varying depending on the age and sex of the fish. Juveniles have a whitish body with two brown stripes, maturing fish darken and lose these stripes almost entirely and it’s not until the fish are fairly large (30cm and longer) that they change to green or blue, developing a green-blue head, wide stripes and a white belly.

Cook: Blue cod is great dusted in flour and simply pan-fried, or wrapped up in parchment paper or tin foil and baked with herbs and butter (try julienned celeriac, caramelised red onion and thyme, or lemon slices with thinly shaved raw fennel).

Habitat: Blue cod are endemic and found exclusively around New Zealand’s rocky coasts in shallow waters and to depths of 150m. They are most common south of Cook Strait. The fish are slow-moving, and while some may travel large distances they appear to be the exception, a fact which may contribute to localised vulnerability to over-fishing. Research from Victoria University of Wellington exploring the effect of the Taputeranga Marine Reserve on local blue cod populations concluded that blue cod respond quickly to protection. Researchers reported an increase in both the number of fish and their size inside the reserve.

Did you know? Like other weevers, blue cod can change sex from female to male. There is little known about what controls the process, but the presence of older females suggests not all blue cod undergo the change. If they were human they would be: Flexible in their gender expression and quite good-looking, but also pretty unhealthy given their propensity to eat anything they come across and their apparently sedentary lifestyles.

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EDIBLES

AU T U M N LANDS Brand new head Chef Tim Banks has launched his autumnal menu at the Portlander in Featherston St. Focusing on traditional autumn flavours with a contemporary twist, Banks wants to leave an impression on diners. Sustainable practices are high on the agenda, with the chef consciously sourcing local fresh meat and vegetables. The principle is “From paddock to plate”, meaning it is possible to know exactly which farm the produce you are eating came from. Incidentally, the Portlander also has the largest selection of whiskey in Wellington. Perfect for those chilly evenings on the way.

THE BIG CHEESE

GOLD RUM

SURF & TURF

It sounds unlikely but it’s reported to be delicious. It is called Blue Choco 21. Le Marche Français is importing Italian blue cheese, injected with chocolate. It is ripened for a month in cocoa liqueur, then dried, dusted in cocoa powder and covered in coarsely grated chocolate before being matured for five months. This intriguing product comes from a Melbourne dairy specialist called Curds & Whey. Is it a cheese or pudding, we wonder?

Peter Lowry of the Hawthorn Lounge has won the New Zealand qualifying round of the Diplomatico World Rum cocktail tournament. He will now head to Venezuela around Easter for the continental competition at the Diplomatico distillery situated at the foot of the Andes. If he wins, he’ll travel to London for the world finals and a chance at US $10,000. Peter’s cocktail was called the “New and Ancient,” and the cocktail he is taking to Venezuela is named “A Venezuelan Danger Daiquiri.” To taste his prowess, you’d better get to Hawthorn before he heads overseas.

Wellington Seamarket has opened a collaboration with Preston’s Master Butchers in Porirua. From 1 April, you’ll be able to buy your specialist cuts of meat along with fresh fish. It will be a full-service operation, with one of Wellington Seamarket’s most experienced staff, Dylan Bliss, heading to Porirua to guide shoppers in their choice of whole fish, fillets or shellfish. Both these businesses are family owned and operated and originated in Wellington.

EDIBLES

L A N E WAY RISING Wellington’s effervescent brewing scene will become even more vibrant in the coming weeks, with craft-beer veteran Shannon Thorpe opening a craft brewery, Fortune Favours, on Leeds St, right in the centre of town. The saying, “Fortune favours the brave,” inspired the former sales and marketing manager of Good George Brewing Co to do his own thing. November’s earthquake delayed the opening, but they plan to be serving by late April. The brewery will join an illustrious group on Leeds St, including Six Barrel Soda Co., the Wellington Chocolate Factory and the Leeds St Bakery.

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The Mediterranean Food Warehouse is the exclusive importer of Caputo flour to New Zealand. Caputo flour has been a favourite in Italy since its mill opened in 1924 in Naples and more recently in North America. Caputo create flours for various purposes. Many of them are defined by their superior elasticity, the most popular variety being “Tipo 1”. Mediterranean Foods use the “00” variety which is perfect for their pizza bases.

Community minister Bruce Hamill of the Island Bay community church has begun a fruit and vegetable co-operative to serve his local community. For $12 a week each member will receive two bags of fresh produce. It is a lucky dip as to what you will receive because the packages are seasonal. The venture has been underway for two months and has the capacity to cater for 200 orders per week.

Hawkes Bay company Three Wise Birds is revolutionising the cider industry one apple at a time. Young entrepreneurs Jack and Charley Crasborn use premium apples grown on their family orchard to make their cider. The traditional cider apple is small, hard, very fibrous and generally so sour it is inedible – even birds won’t touch them. Three Birds is unusual in using apples like braeburn and granny smith to produce their cider. Head sales person George Mackie describes Three Wise Birds as “crisp, refreshing and sessionable”.

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Coffee beans on toasted cia batta BY N I K K I & J O R DA N S H E A R E R

here are some days that we are in desperate need of an adrenaline boost that caffeine alone cannot give us. “Coffee beans” are a pure hit of coffee and chilli with the energy kick of cannellini beans. They are pretty much like a grown-up version of

INGREDIENTS 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 chorizo sausages, sliced 2 shallots, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, finely diced 1 red chilli, finely diced 1 can cannellini beans, drained 1 can crushed tomatoes Double shot espresso 1 Tbsp tomato paste 100g chipotle sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar salt and pepper 8 slices ciabatta olive oil Handful of fresh herbs – we like Italian parsley, thyme and chives 70g parmesan cheese, grated

good old baked beans on toast. If you want something a little more meaty, add beef mince to the mixture. Brown the mince off while you are cooking the chorizo. It is simple, but the flavours that it delivers are complex, rich and hearty.

METHOD 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Heat oven to 180°C. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil on a medium heat and cook chorizo for 2–3 mins. Add shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add garlic and chilli and cook for a further 30 seconds, being careful not to brown. Add cannellini beans, tomatoes, espresso, tomato paste, chipotle sauce and brown sugar, stirring well to mix. Simmer for 30 minutes on a low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Toast ciabatta in oven until golden and crispy. Drizzle with your choice of olive oil. Just before serving, mix through three quarters of your fresh herbs, reserving some for garnish. To serve, put a spoonful of the beans on top of the toasted ciabatta and garnish with herbs, grated parmesan and freshly cracked pepper.

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GUEST COLUMN

Confessions from the Geopornsisterhood SARA MCBRIDE exposes the inner workings of an underground group of natural-disaster fanatics.

hat if I told you there is a secret, select group of women in New Zealand who sit in cubicles and at desks, conversing with each other online, not about shoes, clothes, work, relationships or cute animals, but rather, about lava? Lots and lots of lava. Pyroclastic flows, too. You might think we’re earth scientists, but we aren’t (most of us, anyway). For me, it all started about 10 years ago, when I received an email with the title: “Welcome to the Geopornsisterhood!” It was from Jessica, a new friend from Wellington, so I was curious. Underneath a picture of the recently erupted volcano in Chile was a short message:

“The rules are simple. Share your favourite images with the email list. We are public servants (emergency managers, mostly), so please keep the group name in one word or the spam filter will eliminate this email. We all have a favourite geoporn type: volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunami, landslides, and we take all kinds.” I know, I get it. In a post-Christchurch/Kaikoura earthquake environment, this kind of email seems tasteless. We’ve seen a lot of suffering in our country recently from these disasters. But back in 2007, I found the group and its purpose enticing; thrilling.

GUEST COLUMN

I was working in civil defence in Canterbury and it was largely a man’s world. I can’t tell you the number of times I was the only woman in the room or the only person in heels. I had many wonderful, supportive male colleagues but I was often ignored, interrupted and isolated. I was the only person with an emergency management post-graduate degree, I’d worked some largish emergencies overseas, but I was relegated to writing press releases and arranging community meetings. With one email invitation, I felt like I had finally found my people. The proceeding months led to passionate online exchanges about tsunami-wave heights, earthquakes, sand storms, and wild weather. We also discussed the challenges of working in a complex and emerging field, as emergency management was trying to shake off the old labels of civil defence. Our exchanges grew into deep friendships. When I separated from my husband, I was bereft, but two Geopornsisterhood members stood beside me. In 2010, we travelled to Iceland to view Eyjafjallajökull from the road, to see the geysers and eat putrefied shark. Then, in a small hotel room in Reykjavik, we watched helplessly as the Darfield Earthquake woke New Zealand out of its quiescent slumber. I had quit my role in civil defence three weeks earlier. It had been my responsibility to help persuade Cantabrians to prepare for earthquakes. Clearly, I had failed. No one seemed to know that such a thing could even happen in Canterbury. As Helen rushed back to work, Jessica and I continued on our journey. From Edinburgh I moved to the Solomon Islands on a humanitarian mission, hoping I could do some good in the world. On one not particularly exciting day, I received the news: massive earthquake in Christchurch, causalities expected. I returned immediately to NZ and entered the chaos that was Christchurch’s emergency response.

And there my two Geopornsisters were, exhausted, upset, but still working. In the emergency operations centre in the Art Gallery, the three of us made quite the team. We were there for each other when the adrenaline kicked in and when the stress got too much. In Christchurch, we were faced with the painful reality of our geopornographic obsession. The loss to our city still strikes at the core of my being. After spending every waking moment thinking, living and breathing earthquakes, you do ridiculous things. We created our own traditions to get through. On Fancy Frock Friday, in a desperate effort to normalise the unfathomable, the three of us would wear our best dresses and shoes in the emergency operations centre. There were very dark times, but there were great ones too. Jessica met her husband in the operations centre. As the response wrapped up and recovery began, I returned to the Solomons and we in the sisterhood went our separate ways. Helen, after years of working in geology, found love, had a baby, and moved south. Jessica, our ringleader, stayed in Christchurch, working in civil defence. I finished my PhD on earthquake communication and got the dream job of any Geopornsisterhood alumni, working at GeoNet as information manager. And it is a dream, but with the occasional nightmare, like the M7.8 Kaikoura Earthquake that struck on 14 November. I was on call when the ground started shaking that dark morning, and it was Jessica who called in the middle of the chaos to support me through it. Our sisterhood love for geohazards and addiction to emergency response has now shifted. We no longer need the online reminders of what the earth is capable of. The Geopornsisterhood knows. We’ve seen it. We were there.

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LIQUID THOUGHTS

PINOT FILE New Zealand wine exports reached a new record high last month (March) of $1.61 billion, up 5% for the year. The new data comes from New Zealand Winegrowers, which monitors statistics and the industry. It shows New Zealand wine is now the seventh biggest export earner for the country. Pinot Noir accounts for 70% of this country’s red grapes and 7,960 hectares of the country’s total 36,192 hectares of producing vineyard land. It is eclipsed by Sauvignon Blanc, which accounts for more than 21,000 hectares and 84% of wine exports.

NEW BUBBLES

TOP OF THE HOPS

MORE COFFEE

Two hectares of Gewurztraminer destined for death (wine code for being replanted with Sauvignon Blanc) have been rescued by Wither Hills winemakers Matt Large and Sally Williams. They harvested the Gewurz’ grapes early to avoid OTT flavours, added a dash (2.5%) of Pinot Noir for its pretty pink colour, carbonated the wine and sealed it with a crown cap. And hey presto, they made Frivoli, a lowish 8% alcohol wine, which rocks an Italianesque Moscato d’Asti taste – light, fun and frivolous. It’s delicious. The 2016 Frivoli sells for $25 at the cellar door.

From 19 to 24 April Hopstock will be flavouring Wellington’s streets again. Hopstock is a celebration of New Zealand’s hop harvest, particularly the fresh hopped beers which can only be crafted immediately following the annual harvest. The celebration is a participatory activity – you can drink beers from local and nationwide brewers along a trail of outlets in Wellington, with stamp-able trail cards to record your progress. Bars taking part include Hashigozake, Southern Cross Black Dog Brewery.

The 25–35-year-old coffee drinking market wants modernity, convenience and immediacy, says Nespresso. They want the best coffee and will pay for it but want to pay less for their coffee machine. And, per person, they drink more coffee. Nespresso has taken this information to heart, or perhaps the mouth, and is launching the new Essenza Mini machine just for this group. And it’s in time for Mother’s Day.

SCIENCE

PETRA CORTRIGHT RUNNING NEO-GEO GAMES UNDER MAME 8 April – 13 August 2017

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BY THE BOOK

AIN’ T N O H OA X March was quite the month for Ashleigh Young, Capital’s first poetry selector. First a dubious-looking email from a Yale professor turned out to be real: Young had won a Windham-Campbell Literature Prize worth NZ$230,000, no strings attached, for her personal essay collection Can You Tolerate This? Then her book was shortlisted for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. An editor at Victoria University Press, Young’s off to Yale’s literary festival in September. “If I think about it all too much I’ll faint,” Young tells Capital, “but there will definitely be celebrations soon!”

LITERARY MYSTERY

CHEERS TO 50 YEARS

FINAL DEADLINE

Elspeth Sandys’ ninth novel Obsession (Upstart Press, $34.99), a literary mystery, has parallels with her life as wife to the late Maurice Shadbolt. It’s about a writer obsessed with her husband, the husband obsessed with writing about his country, and a male poet obsessed with the couple. “They are echoes, not retellings, of my life,” says Sandys, who lives in Wellington and often visits England, her home for 25 years.

The New Zealand School of Dance is blowing out 50 candles. To kick off a year of celebrations, it has published an illustrated history New Zealand School of Dance: 50 Years 1967–2017. Designed by artist Neil Pardington, the book has a reversible dust jacket with alternative covers. The author is New Zealand School of Dance alumna and Royal New Zealand Ballet tutor Turid Revfeim, who joined the ballet as a soloist and later became its ballet mistress.

Sir James McNeish, 85, handed in his last manuscript just days before he died on 11 November in Wellington, his home for 30-plus years. Out on 1 April, Breaking Ranks: Three Interrupted Lives (HarperCollins, $35) reads like fiction but is effectively three mini-biographies of New Zealand visionaries who defied authority and convention, and paid dearly for it: prisoner-of-war escapee Reginald Miles, pioneering mental-health doctor John Saxby, and Erebus-inquiry judge Peter Mahon.

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BY THE BOOK

A shark alliance P H OTO G R A P H BY A N N A B R I G G S

Wildlife author and broadcaster Alison Ballance has swum with 11 kinds of sharks. She tells SARAH LANG about finally meeting a great white.

Science is Revealing Their Secrets (Potton & Burton, $29.99), out in April. It’s dedicated to former NIWA marine biologist Michael Manning (1973–2009), who helped kickstart the project and died unexpectedly from a heart defect. The book, with its simple language, subheadings and plenty of photos, is pitched at intermediate-school-age children and young adults, but will fascinate anyone interested in sharks. Woven around the journeys of two teenage great whites, Pip and Nicholas Cage, the book opens a window into the world of a protected species about which we’ve known little until now. The project’s discoveries include busting the myth that great whites hang around cool coastal waters. “Actually they’re great ocean voyagers,” Ballance says. “They might swim to New Caledonia, spend a few months in the tropics then return, swimming mainly on the surface but diving as deep as 1200m.” A recreational diver herself, Ballance has swum with 11 kinds of sharks including a 4m-long tiger shark. “I’m perhaps not as scared of sharks as I should be.” But she’d never seen a great white until 2012, when she accompanied Francis and Duffy on a shark-tagging expedition in a boat off Stewart Island. Ballance was awestruck. “It was as long as the boat was wide, and the girth on these things!” The scientists sprang into action, scattering a trail of fish behind the boat. Duffy attached a tuna to a pole, threw it as far as possible, and pulled it back towards the boat. Then Francis attached a pop-up tracking tag to a pole, and stabbed its small needle into thick muscle by the shark’s dorsal fin. “It might think it’s an insect bite or might not notice,” Ballance says. “They

n one recent unusually hot Friday afternoon, pale-legged sun-seekers spotted something in Whairepo Lagoon by Frank Kitts Park, and crowded around to look. A funny-looking fish with a protruding head, pointy wings and a long tail swam by. “A stingray!” said a Swedish tourist. “It’s actually an eagle ray,” I replied, smugly well-informed only because I had a wildlife expert at hand. Alison Ballance crouched down to photograph the ray resting at the water’s edge. “Eagle rays flap like a bird, and Whai repo means eagle ray in Māori,” she said, looking around at the impromptu group. “I just love a good animal jam. A crowd forming to look at an animal. I’ve seen a few in my time.” Quick with the quips, Ballance is the presenter and producer of Radio New Zealand’s weekly scienceand-environment show Our Changing World. To take this job in 2008, she quit her 18-year career as a globe-trotting wildlife filmmaker for internationally renowned production company Natural History NZ (NHNZ). “It was time for a new challenge, and radio stories are simple, intelligent and immediate.” While making her last NHNZ film documentary, on a great white shark, she met a fisheries biologist from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). She’s been with Malcolm Francis for eight years. “You could say sharks brought us together.” And he’s brought her closer to sharks. From 2005 to 2015, Francis and the Department of Conservation’s Clinton Duffy led a joint NIWA/DOC project tagging and tracking the great white sharks that inhabit New Zealand waters. Ballance tells the story of the project in her book New Zealand’s Great White Sharks: How

BY THE BOOK

only tag six or seven sharks at a time because it’s so time-consuming.” Meanwhile filmmaker Kina Scollay (who’s been fascinated by great whites since surviving an attack by one) filmed the sharks for ID purposes. The smartphone-sized tags were programmed to come off six to nine months later, then float to the surface. “Malcolm would get an email and say ‘Nicholas Cage is reporting in! I wonder where he’s been? Oh, Great Barrier Reef!’” Data that arrives on light levels, time, depth and temperature allows the sharks’ routes to be mapped. A quarter of tags are returned to the sender after being washed up, and they record minute-by-minute information. The scientists sometimes opt for the trickier-to-use SPOT satellite tags, which report the shark’s location whenever it surfaces. “For years, I had to squeeze the groceries around the satellite tags stored in our fridge, so their batteries would last longer.” Naturally, she did a segment on great whites for Our Changing World, which she produces and presents solo. She enjoys her office days, and her walk to work around the waterfront from Hataitai. But she’s happiest in the field, recording audio for stories about everything from archaeological graveyard digs to Mena the penguin-detector dog. She blends in unobtrusively and gets on with anyone, and is happy to work her passage. For instance, in the Kermadec Islands, she dived as part of Auckland Museum’s fishcollecting team as well as recording and blogging for RNZ. Forty-hour working weeks are rare. “I’m so into my job that the spillover doesn’t matter, though it can make seeing friends tricky.” When RNZ was restructured last year, and word spread that Our Changing World would be axed, the outcry from scientists and listeners was so great that the show stayed. Now Ballance is also creating podcasts, including a four-part series Voice of the Iceberg, with audio of Antarctic icebergs fizzing, creaking and groaning.

Ballance, who has a Master’s in ecology, is usually working on a wildlife or natural-history book. Southern Alps was a finalist in the 2008 Montana Book Awards, and her last book Kakapo: Rescued from the Brink of Extinction won the 2011 Science Book Prize. Twenty of her 29 books are beginner-reader books (part of two series Habitats of the World and Animal Lifestyles) published through NHNZ. In her thirties and forties, Ballance wrote, directed and produced award-winning documentaries for NHNZ on everything from wild horses to marine iguanas, which screened on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic, among others. She has travelled to 30 countries from Russia’s icy wastelands to Ecuador. Once her van broke down in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. “There were eight litres of water for eight of us. The clever drivers moved parts between the jeep and the van.” Ballance, 56, has no children and no regrets. “I couldn’t have done everything I’ve done if I had kids, especially as a wildlife filmmaker.” If anyone asks what she does, she says she’s a storyteller with a passion for wildlife. “Everything I’ve done and do is about going behind the headlines and tapping into an appetite for science and natural-history stories.” She grew up in Auckland doing field trips and tramps with her geologist dad. “I’m blasé about sharks but I was terrified of insects!” At the age of 26, she made herself pick up a weta, and finally got over her insect phobia. Now she has “garden wetas,” and “house geckos” in a kitchen-wall cavity. “That’s why I no longer have a cat.” She and Francis are often away diving, sea kayaking and back-country skiing. “They’re ways to get to places I wouldn’t otherwise go to. But you don’t have to go far. I often walk in Zealandia, and recently we kayaked past little blue penguins in Wellington harbour. Getting into nature is what grounds me, enthuses me, gives my life balance.”

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ABROAD

A wild ride W R I TT E N BY M E LO DY T H O M A S

David McGurk and Caroline Chin have been together since 2010, when Caroline forgot to take her tent poles to a music festival and David gallantly offered to take her in. In 2014 the brass instrument repairer (David) and the NIWA technician (Caroline) booked a one-way ticket out of New Zealand, embarking on an adventure that would take them to 16 countries over two and a half years.

ne of the joys of travelling is the period before you’ve even left home, when the road ahead is wide open with possibilities, and health problems, budget constraints or losing your way are the farthest things from your mind. How long after departure reality up and hits you in the face depends on preparedness and luck. For Dave and Caroline it took about three weeks and took the form of dengue fever. Dave went down first, while they were couch surfing with a nurse in West Kalimantan. “She helped by checking my blood and taking me to the local hospital. There were a lot of stray cats there but I’m reasonably confident that it wasn’t a vet,” he laughs. Two weeks later the couple disappeared into the jungle for a five-day trek, and four days in Caroline succumbed. “We were on our descent back to the village where we had started. I had chills, high fever, severe headaches, vomiting, loss of appetite and I found it hard to breathe at times,” she says. Still recovering from a wasp attack a few days before, Caroline attributed the symptoms to the half-dozen punctures on her arms and neck, plus perhaps a cold from the severe storms they had trekked through.

“It probably helped not knowing it was dengue,” she reflects. “We trekked for two more days but getting back to Malaysia required a motorcycle taxi through muddy paths riddled with water channels from the monsoon rain, one day of speedboat, a five-hour 4-WD drive and two full-day bus rides. When we finally arrived, it was straight to the hospital for three days because my blood count was critically low and I had to be on a drip.” In similar circumstances, other travellers might have taken the next flight home. But the travel bug won out over the tropical one. “You can’t have one bad experience weigh down the rest of your journey or else what’s the point of travelling?” says Caroline. From there, the explorers travelled through Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam by bus, train, rental scooter and rides from friendly strangers. “In Myanmar we stayed with a group of monks and nuns at a Buddhist village. The day after we arrived they asked if we wanted to go with them on a bus tour to give Dhamma talks to the surroundings towns and villages. So we bumped through Myanmar’s back county through floodwaters with a busload of nuns, getting fed and housed by the villagers us,” recalls Dave.

ABROAD

After 18 months, they crossed into China and bought bicycles, thinking it would be easier than dealing with the bureaucracy involved in buying a motorbike there. “It gives you a lot a flexibility as a traveller. You slow down and take in your surroundings,” says Caroline, adding, “We had absolutely no idea how freaking hard it was going to be!” With previous cycling experience amounting to commuting in Wellington, they were unprepared in the extreme. “Day one was awful. It was an 80 km ride and there was nothing between the two towns so we had no choice but to do the 80. When we got to our destination we just checked into a cheap hotel, collapsed in bed and instantly fell asleep,” says Caroline. “I remember at some point Dave’s face went white, which was a bit worrying.” “I thought I was going to die,” says Dave. Using routes they had found mapped on cycling blogs to begin with, the couple slowly began to gain confidence and plan their own paths. A typical day involved getting up between 5 and 7am, searching out breakfast, hitting the road and cycling for 20km between 10-minute breaks. Reaching their next stop they would search out a bed and shower – or wait till after dark and sneakily pitch a tent. Then they’d eat dinner, Caroline would edit pictures while Dave updated his blog, and they would slather their buttocks in nappy rash cream. “The first few weeks were agonising. Nothing can prepare you for the nightmare that your arse turns into,” says Dave. Caroline stops him: “I don’t want to remember the pain.” She’s sure many touring cyclists will sympathise.

In the end Dave and Caroline cycled around 8,000km through China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan – a huge feat for inexperienced cyclists, though they’re quick to point out that some others they met on the road (including a Japanese cyclist who’d been at it for eight years through 47 countries) put them to shame. By this time it had started to snow in South Korea, and cycling through their next destinations, Russia and Siberia, was out of the question. So Dave and Caroline packed up their bikes to be shipped home to New Zealand and hopped a boat across the Sea of Japan. By now they were so used to Asian life that Eastern Russia felt “drastically different”, says Dave. “We had never seen so much ice and snow.” Walking around part of Lake Baikal that was completely frozen over, they were startled to see rusty Ladas and ancient Soviet Minsk motorbikes “casually” driving on the ice. It was almost time to go home – not for any deadline, but money was running out and the novelty of camping in soggy tents wearing off. Dave and Caroline took the Trans-Mongolian to Ulaanbaatar and one final train to Beijing, before flying home to Wellington via Malaysia. Now back in their previous jobs, (part time for Dave while he studies towards a Bachelor of Communication at Massey University), the couple have no intention of shelving travel to “settle down” just yet. Caroline says she’d love to cycle around Central Asia through Pakistan into India. “During our trip, I constantly joked with Dave about cycling a centurymile – about 160km – which we haven’t done yet, and I’d love to keep that in mind for the next journey.” David says wistfully, “The most we ever did was 144km in Japan. When we do another trip, may it be filled with downhills and tailwinds.”

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W E L LY A NG E L

Wh a t wo u l d D e i r d r e d o? FAULT FINDER

UNPAID TREASURES

My mother has never been satisfied with whatever I have done. She is a bit better with my brother but still very critical. She is an interesting person and seems to have friends. Do you think some mothers just don’t like their children? Weary, Churton Park

I am fairly sure our new flatmate is shoplifting stuff; clothes, sportsgoods and make-up are the items I have observed. What do I do? We don’t know the flatmate in any way. Anxious, Johnsonville

I don't know. My children are wonderful and my friends all have wonderful children. There have been moments, but I think mothers generally love their children. Maybe as they get older and independent there are more challenges, but.... look for the positives and don't compare yourself with anyone else. Self-esteem starts at home. Go for it and enjoy time with your mother. Make it happen.

This is a big call to be making and I assume it is based on “stuff ” appearing at the flat? Maybe just have a “gosh that’s lovely where did you get it?” chat and see what the reaction is? Shops have pretty sophisticated surveillance systems. Much better, if your suspicions prove to be true, that the matter is handled by the shops and police.

DEATH ETIQUET TE

NOT NANNY MCPHEE

How do you know whether you should attend funerals or not? What is the general rule? Unsophisticated, Carterton

My children are returning to New Zealand and to our town to live. They are assuming I will be their children’s carer during the week. How do I tell them I am delighted they will be nearby and am happy to babysit occasionally but not to take over? I know they will take it badly. Brown Owl, Upper Hutt

Funerals are a time to remember alongside others with the same or similar relationships to the deceased. It is personal, and no rule applies. Go if you want to, and go if it is the funeral of someone you knew well, or family. Take time for respect and memories.

Definitely get the –how-pleased-you-are message across; and then offer to help and give a list of times/ days etc that you are available. Do this now before there are any firm plans made, but keep the offer open, as once they arrive you will probably be besotted with the children and want to be available more. Grandchildren are very special and they grow up fast.

If you’ve got a burning question for Deirdre, email angel@capitalmag.co.nz with Capital Angel in the subject line.

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T O R Q U E TA L K

Licence to thrill W R I TT E N BY RO G E R WA L K E R | P H OTO G R A P H Y BY R H E T T G O O D L E Y - H O R N B LOW

s a child I fancied the British sports cars of the 60s. In those days, sadly, many of them were prone to sudden electrical failures, a reluctance to start after two weeks in the garage, and the easy dissolving of featured bodywork by rust. But my mother used to send me off to school wearing a sensible uniform, with sensible shoes, and a sensible lunch. So it is no wonder that when I was newly married, my first new car purchase was a Toyota Corolla. Over the next 100,000km, the only thing that went wrong with the car was that it knocked a traffic officer off his motorcycle, courtesy of a packet of hot fish and chips on the dash that caused the windscreen to fog up. The Toyota empire is big and strong and still making highly sensible vehicles. But less well known is the fact that in a smaller factory out the back, they also make wonderful sports cars which are just as reliable and affordable as their mainstream products. Toyota’s sporting intentions are serious, and only a minor technical problem robbed them of victory over Porsche and Audi at last year’s Le Mans. Tetsuya Tada, Toyota’s global chief engineer, famously said, “There is a passion within Toyota for cars that are fun to drive.” The first one out the door was the 1965 Sports 800, then the 2000GT (now surprisingly a collectors’ car; one sold recently in the US for around $1.3 million). It was followed by the 1600cc AE86 – much liked by boy racers, and mostly seen in New Zealand as used imports with names like the Sprinter, or the Levin (a surprising name shared with a large retirement village north of Wellington). Then came the Celica, which became the Supra, and the MR2. Successors are in the pipeline. Incidentally, their “fun to drive in crowded streets” three seater i-TRIL electric concept car is making its world debut at the Geneva motor show as I write. The new sports car in this Toyota bloodline is the bestselling GT86 – unpretentiously named for the 86 x 86mm bore and stroke of its screaming 152kw flat four engine (which it shares with Subaru) and its 86mm-diameter exhaust tips, while giving a nod to its predecessor.

This free-revving, rorty-sounding engine is mounted low in the front and delivers its 152kw through a delightful sixspeed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. The tachometer has a larger diameter than its speedo. That tells you something. The body design references the long bonnet, tucked-up rear and curvy lines of the 2000GT. It’s comfortable, light, low and ready to go. At $51,986 (a third the price of a Porsche Boxster S) the GT86 is a performance bargain. Its newly devised (race) Track setting for the DSC (dynamic stability control) switch allows “freer exploration of the handling limits”. It also has a biggish boot and two reasonably sized rear seats. It earned itself Top Gear magazine’s “Car of the Year”. Clarkson loved it, and it received similar accolades from European, Australian and New Zealand publications. Wellington’s kind Toyota dealers Rutherford and Bond let me borrow it for an event long on my bucket list. So I had a delightful bonding with the car on the way to and from the annual “Golden Shears” in Masterton. Unlike those earlier cars, it’s got power steering, air conditioning and way more power. Funny, I had always thought of the Rimutakas as hilly. This machine just chewed up the road and spat it out. Disappointingly, this year, a British GT86 commercial entitled The Real Deal, which depicted the vehicle as a movie-style getaway car, was banned for encouraging motorists to drive “irresponsibly”. What is irresponsible driving, I ask? Seated amongst the thousands at the Golden Shears it occurred to me that maybe one day robots will shear sheep, very boringly, ensuring that we will still enjoy watching humans doing it. Robots are also going to be driving our cars very soon. The politically correct programmers will of course determine that the robot drivers behave very conservatively. Which will be a pity. Because as long as it is safe, driven safely and doesn’t kill the polar bears, a driver-oriented sportscar like the Toyota GT86 with its terrific balance, rear wheel drive, manual gearbox, lovely steering and superb brakes will live on for as long as we humans embrace the thrill and the romance of driving.

B A B Y, B A B Y

Beating round the bush BY M E LO DY T H O M A S

f the many lines aimed at making mums feel like they’re not doing enough, one of my most hated is the one that warns of the importance of rekindling your sex life as soon after the birth of your baby as possible. Of course they don’t mean right away – most allow for at least a four-to-six-week window for your vagina to turn outside-in again and some will even give you a few months to get back “in the mood”. But even the most frank and modern discussion of sex after babies will eventually come back to that same point – don’t let your relationship start to feel like that of “roommates.” Disconnection leads to resentment, make a sex date stat and fill ‘er up. The picture these stories paint is of the preoccupied mother too busy staring at the new object of her affection to notice her poor lover panting and pining in the corner. But the results of the very scientific study I conducted among my own friends are different – for most of them sex was the farthest thing from both of their minds in those first few months. For those who had found sex during pregnancy uncomfortable or awkward it was partly down to the nerves of navigating afresh something once so familiar. For the partners who had been in the room during childbirth there was some latent trauma associated with seeing the person they love in so much pain, and additional fear should they be the cause of more pain by trying for intimacy before their partner was physically ready. There are also body anxieties, contraception concerns, hormone changes, logistical issues, and the feeling of being “touched out” from having a small person attached to you all day, and because my friends are great people who at the very least strive to share the weight of parenting equally, they all had one other important factor in common – they were just too bloody tired. I recently came across an article citing some actual scientific research reported in the New York Times that found, lo and behold, men’s sex drives often take a dip after children arrive too, and the testosterone levels responsible can drop further if the man spends more than three hours a day caring for the children. “Biology is super weird, right?” commented the writer – and while she is right about that, biology can probably be let off the hook in this specific

situation. It’s really not that difficult to understand – taking care of children is exhausting, often tedious and challenging work. When parenting is shared equally it can be difficult to see your partner as anything other than temporary relief from servitude. It’s not sexy, but then equality shouldn’t need to be. Here’s what I think those well-meaning articles should say. Sex should feel good and you should only ever do it because you really, really want to. Pressure to perform before you’re ready will almost never lead to enjoyment for all involved, so take it easy and trust that your desire for each other will return eventually – or that you will face it together if it doesn’t. It’s also good to know that for many couples, the things that turn each of them on can actually change after a baby arrives. That can probably seem a bit scary – especially if you didn’t expect it – but if you’re both trying your best to be open and understanding it could also be viewed as a chance to explore exciting new things alongside someone you trust. It’s easy for me to say all of this now because, 10 months after the birth of our second, things are feeling pretty good again. But as my husband likes to remind me it was only a month or two ago that I burst into tears after we kissed, claiming through my sobs that, we were “broken” because I “didn’t feel anything”. What was needed for us was a holiday – a sun-soaked break in the routine and a bit of that classic Kiwi aphrodisiac, alcohol. When I asked my very patient friends what it took for them the answers were everything from waiting out the breastfeeding and bed-sharing phase to going out dancing like they used to and taking up couples’ massage. One more thing. If it’s early days, or for whatever other reason the idea of getting it on is just too intimidating to face, don’t forget that sex is something one can do solo. In that first year of motherhood when it feels like everything you do is for the benefit of somebody else, polishing the pearl (unbuttoning the fur coat, airing the orchid, buffin’ your muffin) is a quick, easy thing you can do just for yourself, with roll-on effects that benefit everyone. When you look at it that way, it would be rather selfish of you not to. 88