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life+style The Weekend Sun °
Aspire Health and Sports, a world-class facility Page 2
THE WEEKEND
Food for families
Underwater beauty
Community hub
Kiwi Can
Downtown Tauranga
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life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°27 ˜˛°˝ ˜˛°ˆ ˜˙August, September, 2019
Something for everyone Aspire is here to help, no matter your age or fitness level
Whether you’re wanting to get ready for summer or just set yourself new health and fitness goals, now is the time to start and Aspire Health and Sports is here to help. To get you started, they’re currently offering 50 per cent off the joining fee plus a complementary personalised fitness programme. And aside from the world-class facilities, Aspire Health and Sports is a warm, welcoming place where people of all skill levels can train. “It’s a modern, purpose-built and fully air conditioned health and fitness club with spacious indoor and outdoor training spaces, with a strong focus on health and wellness for all ages and abilities,” says Aspire’s Ali Rudd. “Aspire has something for everyone – we have the largest number and variety of group fitness classes in the Bay, there’s weights areas, a cardio room, our high performance centre, a pool, sauna, and hot and cold spas. We also have our Quench Sports Café, the About You Medi-Spa, Sports Med upstairs and we’re the home of NZ Body Scans.” In the gym area there is an extensive weight training floor, coupled with a functional training area for all your strength and toning needs, a separate cardio room where you can work out with a view and a huge group fitness room where a range of Les Mills and freelance classes are free for the members. “We also have a Sports Bay of Plenty approved strength and balance programme called The Senior Circuit with our instructor Nicole,” says Ali. There’s a separate spin studio as well as hydrotherapy facilities that include an indoor, 25m, heated swimming pool, sauna, spa and cold plunge pool.
Aspire has a personal trainer that works with the Avalon group, a support service that works alongside people with a disability or health condition to get them involved in health and fitness. If that’s not enough, Aspire also has a sports med’ department with physiotherapy, podiatry, sports massage and sports physician Dr Deb Robinson, all in one place.
You can see what you are made of with NZ Body Scans on-site to help you set and track your goals. As well as a team of fantastic professional personal trainers specialising in a range of areas, from muay thai and martial arts, rehabilitation, training for the New Zealand Army, rugby and rugby league, motocross, triathlon, strength and conditioning and weight management just to name a few. There is sure to be a trainer for you, whether you are new to a gym or you’re just looking for something different. And now’s the time to join. Aspire Health and Sports is offering 50 per cent off their joining fee, which includes a personalised programme when you join up. “Summer is coming and we’re here to help,” says Ali. If you’re thinking about signing up to Aspire Health and Sports to take advantage of the fantastic summer special, or want to see this amazing facility for yourself, come in and talk to their friendly sales team. The facility tour alone may be enough to convince you. They’re located at 253a State Highway 2, Bethlehem, behind the Z Station.
˜˙ September, ˜˛°ˆ
life+style The Weekend Sun ˇ
Heart of Maketu Food for families I discovered this week that not only is Maketu the home of Maketu Pies and Masterchef winners Karena and Kasey Bird, but it’s also home to a vibrant community hub with a huge heart. Maketu Health and Social Services or Maketu Hauora has a dream building. This building is making many healthy and positive community experiences possible. I called in one Thursday to see CEO Shontell Peawini about booking one of the rooms to hold a meeting. While we were talking, Jacky Butcher and other volunteers started bringing in boxes and boxes of food. They were coming from a van outside, up the sloping access into a large meeting room, with the long tables quickly filling up. Corrine Paul, who it turns out is an auntie to Karena and Kasey was directing this colossal food arrival. “This is for food rescue,” says Corrine. “We help about 10 to 12 families per week. And our families consist of around ten in a family.” The families are either referred to the Hauora through budgeting services, or other kaimahi that work here have identified local families that are in need of food. “This happens every Thursday. Good Neighbours who we get it from - they collect around about eight and a half tonnes of expired food a week that would normally be binned,” says Corrine. “There’s about 50 organisations that Good Neighbours distribute to and then we pass it on within our respective communities.” The Hauora is into its third year distributing food supplied by the Good Neighbour’s Food Rescue programme. “We’re lucky to be recipients of Good Neighbours. We work alongside these families. The budgeting service
identifies that there’s a need and works through a budget with the family. In the meantime they need help with this, in order to pay their debts off.” The Hauora building was only built about three years ago in 2016. The large room at one end of the building is ideal for sorting and packing the food into individual family lots, which are quickly sent out again brimming with fresh fruit and veges along with staples. “We started off really small, and we’ve got great volunteers. Stephen Lawrence has been helping us out for three years. Also Winsome Harvey, she comes in as a volunteer and helps with food rescue. “At Christmas time when the emergency services do the drive for cans and non-perishable food, we are the recipients of that too and so we provide food for about 80 families in the week before Christmas.” Rosalie Liddle Crawford
Stephen Lawrence and Meteria Walters
Jack Butcher, Corrine Paul, Stephen Lawrence, Carol Butcher and Winsome Harvey
Phone Carlene: 07 281 1519 or 0800 00 58 43 www.southerncrosspartners.co.nz
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˜˙August, September, 2019 life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°27 ˜˛°˝ ˜˛°ˆ
Underwater beauty Little Fish Underwater Photography His photos are beautiful, ethereal and captivating – and he started by shooting marine life and the Rena wreck. And now Bay of Plenty photographer Dale Hobson is passionate about taking other-worldly photos of models underwater. It’s the type of photography that people stop and stare at. “I’ve been doing scuba diving since 1984 so it was kind of a natural progression from that. “Going into marine environments you sort of see how that gets degraded over time, so I really wanted to capture that marine environment before it’s too late. “I’ve been doing that in the Bay of Plenty for the past eight years, trying to get as much footage as I could of different areas, including things like the Rena wreck. “Then I got a period where there was just such bad weather that I never had an opportunity to get out, so I thought it would be cool to jump in the pool and do something with the photography.” He roped in a marine studies student, went to a pool and the rest, as they say, is history. “The first time I did it I got hooked and thought ‘wow this is cool, I love doing this’.” But it’s not just stunning underwater photos that Dale does. He’s also running a charity project on the side, called Beauty Below the Surface. He started out buying dresses and clothing from local op shops for his shoots and decided to try and make something more meaningful from them. “When I started, I would go to local charity op shops
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because I didn’t want to buy brand new clothes and that got me thinking: ‘this has got a bit of value as far as those charity op shops’. “Now, when I do the photo shoots, I have a side project called ‘Beauty Below the Surface’ where I take photographs of the op shop clothing with the end goal of doing a charity photo exhibition where I can present those images and showcase what those clothes look like. “They are literally throw-away items, but they can be showcased in an ethereal way under the water and showcase what the charity op shops do and what is available. “At the end of that, I’ll give some of these charity op shops some of these photos so they can have them framed and can showcase [the range of possibilities] of the actual clothes that they sell.” It’s a win-win-win for everyone, says Dale. “The models generally come along and do photos that they can put in their portfolio. I have some photos that I can put in this charity project and then hopefully I get some photos that I can use for gallery prints, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. I’ve been very fortunate to have Noeline White from Glamour and Gold Hair and Makeup coming along to the photo-shoots to apply makeup suitable for underwater application when available.” But underwater photography isn’t a cheap gig – not when you’ve got as much specialised equipment as Dale. “I’ve probably got $20,000 in specialised underwater gear,” he says.
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˜˙ September, 27 2019 ˜˛°ˆ ˜° August, ˜˛°˝
life+style The Weekend Sun ˝
“It’s the type of photography that people stop and stare at”
He has got his normal digital SLR and various lenses. On top of that, he has specialised equipment to allow the gear to be used underwater. “Then there’s different internal zoom gear to fit whatever lens that you’re using, so I’ve got like $20,000 in specialised underwater gear. “Then you’ve got specialised underwater strobes, custom-made connections which means when I fire the flash off it’ll connect with the underwater strobes and the topside strobes. “Then most pools have a tile background, I have a specific backdrop that I put behind the models so I don’t get that horrible distracting lined reflection.” For safety reasons, Dale can’t shoot at your local public pool – there are cords and cables connected to expensive equipment that people could trip over, as well as privacy and confidence for the models to think about. Thankfully, Dale uses the local dive shop, Tauranga Dive Zone, meaning he can run his shoots in relative safety and privacy. “With the local dive shop it’s a completely covered pool and it’s semi-heated. The challenge is to get the model to a point where they’re relaxed enough, not doing what I call the ‘chipmunk face’ and coming up with poses that are natural, within the time frame of before their energy gets sapped. “Generally, models in a pool - even if they’re quite fit, water-confident models - after an hour and a half they’ve had it, it’s quite tiring, hard work.” As well as being a tiring shoot, Dale says the models he works with have to have some level of
water confidence. “The biggest thing is just to be water confident. I have done callouts for models in the past and then I’ve had models turn up and they couldn’t even put their head under the water because they’d had some sort of trauma in the past. “That is the bare minimum requirement; you do need to be semi water confident.” And yes, Dale does do private shoots if you are interested. “What you could expect at a paid, private shoot is a relaxed environment because I want to make them as relaxed as possible because that’s when the magic is going to happen. “It’s a really relaxed, stress-free environment where I will just work with them on a one-on-one basis for about half an hour, then I’ll find that the photos come naturally after that point where they become relaxed in the water. “Over a period of about an hour and a half you end up with about 250-300 photos which we can go through and select the best ones for me to edit to get a great end result.” So what are you waiting for? For more information, visit: www.littlefishunderwaterpictures.com
Dale Hobson with his son Lucas
Cayla-Fay Euinton
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˜˙ September, 2019 life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°27 August, ˜˛°˝ ˜˛°ˆ
Bethlehem’s community hub For years I cycled past a paddock down from our orchard in Moffat Rd.
Annette Jeffares, Coralee Buckland and Ian Pittendreigh in the community garden
Sometimes it had a horse grazing but mostly I remember that it lay fallow. These days it’s home to not just the Bethlehem Community Church and a community garden, but is a vibrant hub of activity with many groups using the facilities day-to-day. On September 28 the doors will be thrown open even wider to welcome everyone to come in and see the new auditorium, canopy and family centre. I thought I’d head along and check it out. “It was always in the plan to build a decent meeting space for worship,” says minister Rev Ian Pittendreigh. “But we first built offices, the foyer, the lounge, toilets and kitchen - over 11 years ago. The intention at the time was to build a multi-
The new auditorium, canopy and family centre
purpose hall.” The building is now home to a Chinese culture group, and a counsellor who rent an office each. There’s one other office available to rent. There’s also a Justice of the Peace who the church hosts as a service back to the surrounding community. Other available spaces in the building are ideal for children’s parties or meetings. “We also have Defensive Driving classes, Probus use it, and there are two choirs that come in as well. “Enliven is on four days a week, Tuesday to Friday, involving up to 20 people from across the city.” Enliven is a service for older people and people living with disability provided by seven NZ Presbyterian Support organisations. Day programmes using locations like the Bethlehem Community Church provide an opportunity for social clubs and activities. “And Mainly Music. And a gardening group,” says Ian as he nearly finishes the list of groups. Mainly Music is a fun music group for parents or primary care givers to enjoy together with their young child. Throughout sessions, children develop gross and fine motor skills, language, imagination, mathematical and pre-reading skills as well as socialise with others. Ian pauses and we reflects on what else is happening within the four walls. Annette Jeffares walks into his office at that moment. “Do you need me?” she asks us. I remember that she organises a weekly community meal. “It’s not strictly a community meal,” says Annette. “It’s called The Hub. We wanted an informal place where people could come and eat together. Often
˜˙ September, 27 2019 ˜˛°ˆ ˜° August, ˜˛°˝
life+style The Weekend Sun ˙
Instilling love, hope and faith churches have events and groups for singles, marrieds, families and children – so this was set up so anyone can come. It was just a way to build community, grow a sense of family and belonging together.” The meal at The Hub is a big attraction, only $5 a person or $10 for a family. I’ve been to a few and there’s also different interesting activities to engage in while sitting and chatting with locals. “People bring friends, neighbours and relatives, and if they have visitors they bring them along,” says Ian. Annette says The Hub, which starts at 6.15pm on a Friday, averages about 40 people each time. The community garden on the southern side is a collaboration with Good Neighbour. “They’ve got a manager who oversees four or five community gardens around the city,” says Ian. Outside the garden a coffee cart operates adding to the friendly vibe. Coralee Buckland is the children’s ministry leader. “We do a Sunday school program on Sunday mornings but we also run children’s events as well,” says Coralee. “The holiday programmes which we open up to the community usually go for three days with four hours each day.” The holiday programmes involved plenty of fun games, crafts and plenty of baking in the church kitchen, with big lunches provided. I go with Ian over to the opportunity shop located at the far end of the building. My mother has helped out here often, and it’s an open airy place with plenty of things to buy; as well as
scones and tea and a table to sit and chat at. “This Op Shop is run as a partnership between the Omokoroa Community Church and Bethlehem Community Church,” says Ian as he introduces me to Kevin and Loys Godderd, and Coco who is also helping out that day. There’s a lot of cooperation and collaboration here, and a comfortable sense of being able to walk into this building and its spaces without feeling like I’m going to be preached at. I’m loving the friendly atmosphere and Ian’s soft chuckles. I think it’s probably easy to feel connected, be involved and develop a sense of belonging. The new extensions include a multi-purpose auditorium and attached canopy that can seat 250 people and can be used for family and social events, sports activities, choral and dance performances and Sunday worship. The multi-purpose space called the Family Building opens out onto the canopy, grass and eventually a playground area for children. There’s a café area and spaces for groups to use for seminars, social events and breakout areas for children’s programmes both on Sunday and during the week. We stop next to the front door and I look up at the cross and the words ‘faith, hope, love’. I remember the verse that says ‘and the greatest of these is love’. So true. The opening of the new buildings will be at 2pm on Saturday September 28. If attending please RSVP to office@bcchurch.co.nz
Chinese Cultural group
Ian Pittendreigh talking with Coco Wade in the opportunity shop
Rosalie Liddle Crawford
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˜˙August, 27 September, 2019 life+style The Weekend Sun ˜° ˜˛°˝ ˜˛°ˆ
Kiwi Can Overcoming obstacles with Dan As I sat in the hall at Otumoetai College, I couldn’t help but remember back to my first year there as a 13-year-old, sitting in assembly. A quiet introvert, involved in hockey, netball, and music, I had barely developed an opinion of my own, and what opinion I had, I was reticent to express for fear of ridicule. I didn’t know the word ‘self-efficacy’, I didn’t even really know myself. Thankfully teachers like Bob Addison, Stu Henderson and Kate Macgregor fanned the shadow, I found my feet and eventually found myself. Dan Allen-Gordon from the Graeme Dingle Foundation had invited me along to witness 12 students returning from their Project K wilderness experience. On stage, they shared confidently, some hesitantly, about their nearly three-week experience learning to overcome obstacles, both internal and physical, while surviving out in the middle of nature. Well on the way to learning what’s inside of them is greater than any obstacle, I knew their lives had forever changed because of this challenge. I asked Dan how he’d become involved. “I saw a programme about Kiwi Can on 20/20 in 1999,” says Dan. “I’d done youth work in Auckland, and when I saw Kiwi Can, I thought it was really interesting. “It’s about instilling values long term. Basically
what everyone says we parents need to do all the time.” While Project K targets college-age students, Kiwi Can is the programme operating in primary and intermediate schools across NZ, with over 270,000 Kiwi kids reached so far through both programmes. Dan has seen the results, with unhealthy cycles children find themselves caught in being broken. “We’re reaching whole school communities, through our leaders teaching the kids every week.” Not only this but the stats are out - New Zealand benefits to the tune of nearly $8 for every $1 invested in the Graeme Dingle Foundation, in the form of reduced crime, young people getting better jobs and fewer young people becoming dependent on benefits. That is the finding of economic consultancy Infometrics, in a new study to calculate the contribution of the foundation’s work to the NZ economy. I asked Mount Maunganui Intermediate principal Lisa Morresey about the benefits to her school, which has 713 students on the roll. There, the Kiwi Can programme runs four days a week across the classes, led by Lena Pfitzner and Manny Werahiko. “Kiwi Can is a values-based programme,” says Lisa. “What we like about it is it’s taught by young people. We’re putting positive role models in front of kids. It’s quite a break from the usual day because it’s a really hands-on, dynamic, activity-based programme.” “Each term has a new theme,” says Dan. “Term
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˜˙ September, ˜˛°ˆ ˜° August, ˜˛°˝
life+style The Weekend Sun ˆ
“In the Kiwi Can schools that we’re in, we’re reaching every single child. That means every child is building relationships and it crosses all racial and social boundaries”
one is about positive relationships. It’s very interactive with role play, discussions, and games that link in to the value or life skill that they’re learning that particular week. They learn about positive communication, cooperation and friendship.” The remaining school terms focus on integrity, resilience, and respect. Each session starts with the Kiwi Can chant: “We’re positive communicators, ain’t no haters, we’re team players and co-operators, we’re the best friends we can be, positive relationships is what you’ll see, KIWI, Can, KIWI, Can, KIWI, KIWI, KIWI, Can, Can, Can.” The Graeme Dingle Foundation is the official charity of New Zealand Rugby, and rugby star Sarah Hirini and her Black Ferns team mates Toka Natua and Stacey Waaka have been in to help with Kiwi Can at Mount Intermediate. “It’s amazing to come see how it’s all run and how much they’re doing for these kids week in and week out,” says Sarah. Dan currently has 11 schools in the Western Bay from Katikati to Te Puke, with 3500 Kiwi kids involved in Kiwi Can every week of the school year. Other schools are eager to begin the Kiwi Can programme, but he’s faced with the mammoth obstacle of lack of funding. “There’s such a demand for what we do and fundraising is becoming harder all the time,” says Dan. “It’s putting us at risk of not even
reaching those that need it. “In the Kiwi Can schools that we’re in, we’re reaching every single child. That means every child is building relationships and it crosses all racial and social boundaries. There’s no ‘us’ and ‘them’, they’re all kiwi kids, and they all respect and get on.” One of the noted side-effects of the programme has been the significant drop in bullying in participating schools. “We’ve got a new school this year. Within two terms they were saying they’re seeing this change happening across the whole school. It was really cool. Dan founded Kiwi Can in Tauranga back in 2004, with others joining him to help get it started. This well-proven programme is transforming whole school communities. “The problem is though, we can’t raise the money to go into more new schools. It’s hard enough to raise the funds to deliver what we do now and if we project it out, we probably need another $80,000.” In 2009, Dan found half the money needed for the trust to launch Project K. A decade on, he needs to once again find people and businesses who will invest their dollars into lives of today’s youth. “It will help us transform hundreds more young peoples’ lives. It would only take 800 people to donate $100 each to make a huge difference.” Rosalie Liddle Crawford
Dan Allen-Gordon with students from Brookfield School
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˜˙August, September, 2019 life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°27 ˜˛°˝ ˜˛°ˆ
Beautiful and unique It’s lovely to feel the temperatures climbing and seeing a little more sunshine. Christmas and the festive season are just around the corner
so its an ideal time to freshen up your appearance and attend to some of the less positive effects of ageing and sun damage to your facial skin. It seems only yesterday that dermal fillers and facial muscle relaxants came onto the market and after more than 25 years, they’re here to stay. I am pleased to report that the quality and effectiveness of the products, are better and more popular than ever. With an experienced cosmetic medicine injector, it is possible for your facial appearance to appear more youthful and retain some of those particular facial characteristics that make you beautiful and unique. The most popular treatments includes facial muscle relaxants to smoothen over a furrowed or ‘grumpy’ looking frown. Laughter lines are lovely, however if those lines are still firmly etched into your skin without you smiling, a little Botox may be of benefit. Ageing changes facial fat, muscle, skin and even bone. Lips that have lost their fullness and edges can appear thin with age. Lines above and below the lips and sad looking, down turned corners of the mouth, can be improved immediately with dermal fillers. Replacing volume to the sides of the face and cheeks can restore a more youthful face shape and reduce sagging, heavy jowls. Hundreds of brands and products are available for appearance medicine so its important that your cosmetic specialist is up to date with the latest and greatest techniques and products, ensuring that you have just the result that you are looking for. When dermal fillers were first introduced into the market, they barely lasted three months, now some of them can last up to a few years.
Discuss with your specialist which products will best suit you. Realistic expectations is what it’s all about. No one wants to look like they’ve had ‘work done’. Improvements with cosmetic medicine treatments need to look natural and be age appropriate. We aim to refresh and enhance your appearance without changing those special features make up you. It is essential to be clear about what can and can’t be done, what outcome you are looking for and what you don’t want. Don’t forget your hands. A dead give away of age, sun damaged, aged hands with thin, wrinkled skin and prominent veins are not an ideal platform to show off those lovely nails and jewellery. Give them a break, they work hard and skin boosting dermal fillers will redensify the skin so that appear more youthful, almost immediately. Prices for treatments should be competitive. Good treatments require quality, well known brands and products. They should be used by a qualified, specially trained injector who has heaps of experience with how to use them and can predict how your face will look afterwards. Some of the products can last up to a few years on your face, so it’s worth seeking someone with experience, than otherwise. When enquiring about costs, remember to compare “apples with apples”. Light weight fillers are usually more affordable but do not generally last as long. They will not do the same job as heavier dermal fillers which are used for contouring cheeks, increasing facial volume, reshaping jaw lines and refreshening lips. Treatments should be enjoyed, not endured. Discuss a long term plan with your specialist. You don’t have to have treatments all done at once. Its very satisfying to see a steady, gradual improvement in your facial appearance and it’s confidence building when treatments go according to plan. By Sharon Melrose from Rejuvenation Cosmetic medicine
˜˙ September, ˜° August,˜˛°ˆ ˜˛°˝
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life+style The Weekend Sun °°
D O W N T O W N TA U R A N G A
Falafel, gifts and treats Rhian like thousands of others spends a lot of time working in our beautiful city centre. She lives in Papamoa with her young family and travels into the CBD daily for work. Rhian told me how much she loves the walk to and from the o˜ ce from Dive Crescent, “It’s such a stunning start to the day, walking along the waterfront preparing my mind for the day, and transitioning out of work while admiring the sunset across the harbour on the way home, it’s so calming”. In the weekends she sometimes takes the kids for a walk across the Matapihi rail bridge often seeing seals ducking and diving under the water. ° ey then head to Starbucks for mini mu˜ ns for the kids as a small treat on the way to the park and Hairy MacLary statues on the waterfront. I wanted to know more about what Rhian
loves about the city centre, so I joined her on her lunch break. First stop Falafel Metro, somewhere she had heard people boast about but had yet to try. In the funky falafel café in the alleyway o˛ Grey Street we found Mali and Ariel – otherwise known as “the Falafel King”, who were so hospitable, they greeted us like we had been friends for years. We chose the Jerusalem, mild spice, and waited while at least 20 other people lined up for their own falafel meal. I had to ask Mali, “how many falafel pitas would you sell at lunch time?” she replied, “well over 100 per day, between 11am – 1pm”. ° ey are a very popular lunch choice for people working in the city and Mali says she loves being able to cater to people all year round, it’s one of the many reasons she loves doing business here. After a ÿ lling and delicious lunch, which Rhian said exceeded all expectations, we went to get some gifts for Rhian’s children,
and some other shopping. When I asked her where she mostly shops, she said, “I love that there are so many boutique stores where you can ÿ nd unique gifts and clothing”. We headed to Little Trooper ÿ rst for boys hats which were beautifully gift wrapped, then to Kilt to admire a pair of Rollie shoes which Rhian has had her eye on, Tres Chic next for a gift for her mum for her birthday, Life Pharmacy for kids vitamins, NOOD to look at homewares and Kathmandu for a very colourful drink bottle. “It had to be yellow for Murphey and I am so happy that Kathmandu had one!” An hour later Rhian was back in her o˜ ce
having walked her way across the city picking up everything she needed. It makes you realise how much you can do in a lunch break! Millie Newitt, Mainstreet Tauranga Coordinator
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life+style The Weekend Sun ˜° August, ˜˛°˝