BUMPER PUZZLE SECTION

Finding joy in everyday life

Made in Aotearoa New Zealand

Niki
Nadia
Bezzant
Biohacking
Lim A ROAD TO
your health WELLBEING
TAKING CHARGE
APPS THAT CAN BY LETTING GO
CHANGE YOUR LIFE

IMPROVING
WELLNESS
flotation
tanks to
forest
bathing
AUTUMN
SUSTAINABLE RECIPES
STAYS IN FIJI FROM GOOD
+ WĀNAKA GRAINS TO
CHEESY TREATS

HOW TO KEEP YOUR

FUR BABY OUT OF
THE DOLDRUMS
 contents
14 Now that’s going solo!
with Nadia Lim. 32

Pooch Patrol
Keep your fur baby happy
when you’re not home.

WELLBEING

22 Monitoring Your Health

Niki Bezzant investigates the
validity of health trackers.
27 Hacks and Facts
Quick ways to inject better health
into your day.
28 Make Me Zen
Try these methods to find inner
sanctity and elevate your being.
32 Consider Your Best Friend
Tips to keep your dog content.
36 Make Better Health Decisions
Five ways with Dr Alice Boyes.
38 Life in Balance
How Sam Bluemel took strength
from grief and forged ahead with a
new fitness studio.

2
 BEAUTY

42 Considering Collagen
Is it really the elixir for youthful skin
that it’s made out to be?
44 Beauty Buzz
A round-up of some of our favourite
skincare products and why we’re
loving them.

HOME

46 Call It Home
The beautiful interior style of
Amber Lewis.
54 Macramé Craft
Channel the 70s baby and make
these plant holders.
58 Delicious Chocolate Bark
Great for gifting.
60 DIY with Resene
Transform a table from old to new. 54
GARDEN 72 Macramé
Discover the art of
Grain Wave making things at home.
64 Microgreens Don’t tell them
Easy to grow yourself. it’s healthy.
70 Pest Plants
Identify and eradicate these plants.

FOOD

72 Power of the Grain

Delicious recipes using a variety of
grains and greens.
78 Cheese Please
Mouthwatering options starring
varieties of cheese.
85 Chillable Reds
Joelle Thomson investigates.

TRAVEL

86 Sustainable Fiji
Insight into environmental efforts
in Fiji.
90 The Bounty of Wānaka
There’s more than mountains and
lakes in this beautiful region.
94 Wonderful Walks
Rocky Mountain and Diamond Lake
in Otago. Is it really worth
tracking health? 22
3
 Penny & Sam
@knife.and.ember
@forest.finders

Editor Carolyn Enting

Art director Sally Huang
Designer Alisha Kumar, Catherine Luong
Deputy editor Tamsin Morgan
Writer & content producer Jessica Weale
Digital producer Emma Napper
Amber
Contributors
Garth Badger, Kahu de Beer, Niki Bezzant, Dr Alice Boyes,
Kirsten Bradley, Andrew Coffey, Shade Degges, Carolyn
Angela Enting, Penny Kingan, Alisha Kumar, Tamsin Morgan, Sarah
Heeringa, Dr Bo Hendgen, Sally Huang, Angela Jamieson,
Amber Lewis, Catherine Luong, Emma Napper, Amanda
Reelick, Sam Shelley, Sam Stewart, Ellie Studd, Sam Studd,
@angie_alice_design
Joelle Thomson, Sarah Tuck and Jessica Weale.

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS

Contact Katie Gibbons +64 28 469 4285
@amberinteriors
katie.gibbons@scg.net.nz

Contributors SUBSCRIPTIONS
Phone 0800 782 347
International calls +64 9 361 2834
Penny Kingan and Sam Stewart
Online goodmagazine.co.nz/subs
Living in Arrowtown, husband and wife Sam and Penny spend
Email support@scgmedia.co.nz
their days creating. Sam taking photos, building and
Contact us 20 Vestey Drive, Mt Wellington,
knifemaking and Penny taking photos, gardening and painting.
Auckland 1060, New Zealand
The connecting thread through all of their creations is their
PO Box 62192 Sylvia Park, Auckland 1644
love and use of natural materials.
Telephone +64 9 360 5700
Email info@goodmagazine.co.nz
Angela Jamieson
Website goodmagazine.co.nz
Angie is an all-round creative Kiwi who works in the design
Facebook facebook.com/goodmag
industry out of Wānaka. Sustainable living, connectivity and
Instagram instagram.com/goodmagazinenz
timeless design are her thing. When she’s not hiking up hills to
take photographs, you’ll find her trying her hand in the garden, Good is bi-monthly and published by SCG Media
finding treasures at the Recycling Centre or pottering away in
her lady cave upcycling old furniture.

Amber Lewis
Amber is an interior designer based in California and the
bestselling author of Made for Living. Her latest book Call It
Home: The Details That Matter walks you through eight new
homes including her own, which you can get a peek at on
pages 46 to 51. She is the principal and founder of Amber
Interiors and has 1.9 million followers on Instagram.
Editorial director Sarah Tuck
Publisher services manager Monique Bulman
Distribution Are Direct NZ
Good is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in
any form without the written permission of the publishers. All material sent to Good
(including emails) will be assumed to be publishable unless marked ‘not for publication’.
The opinions represented in the magazine are not necessarily those of SCG Media.

PROUDLY MADE IN NEW ZEALAND

Where’s Whisky? SCG David Atkins +64 21 781 002
Whisky is hiding somewhere in
WIN! this issue. Find him and
go in the draw to win a Holski
Collagen Activation Hydrator,
Refill and Collagen Beauty
Builder starter kit valued from
$114. Available in three
By buying this magazine you help take care of the world’s forests
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age-specific formulas.
holski.com Good is printed on FSC®-certified MIX paper from well-managed forests and other
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4
Times are changing. Shot on location at
City slickers can be outdoor adventurers. Mount White Station,
Bush whackers can be office workers. Southern Alps.
You can wear sherpa jackets as streetwear.
You can wear bushshirts to brunch.

The once clear line between between natural and urban

environments is no more. And we reckon it’s great.

In fact, this autumn season, we’re embracing it, with a range of gear
inspired by both natural and urban environments – and designed to
handle both.
EDITORIAL

ON THE COVER
Nadia Lim photographed for
Good by Sam Stewart and
Penny Kingan.

WHEN REST
IS BEST

I
f you’re anything like me, you may find the advice to “rest and
recuperate” rather difficult to follow.
I’m an active relaxer and energiser bunny with a busy work
and social schedule. I’m mostly on the move and like it that
way. For the past six or so months, however, I’ve been forced
to slow down.
The catalyst was a car accident. Watching the driver coming
towards us and knowing that he was going to hit us, that there
was nothing we could do except brace for impact, was almost
an out of body experience.
I now really get why “speed kills”. We were stationary on impact;
the other car was travelling at approximately 45kmph yet we
were shunted 2 metres, airbags activated and both vehicles
write-offs. We all walked away “injury-free”, or so I thought until
I was diagnosed with concussion resulting from whiplash.
STAY IN
TOUCH
goodmagazine.co.nz
@goodmagazinenz
goodmag
Nadia Lim, who we are delighted to
have on this issue’s cover of Good, has
been on a health journey too, following
a skiing accident which fractured her spine.
Today she is a walking example of how you can recover well,
and relatively quickly, if you take time to repair, rather than
push your limits too soon after surgery. She shares her story
and health tips on pages 14-21.
When I caught up with Nadia at Royalburn Station I marvelled
at her impressive wild garden that had self-seeded during her
recovery. It was heaving with produce.

It’s been a slow process of recovery that in the beginning We also discussed striving for balance, and she got me
required reduced work hours, and I still need to take “brain thinking about that differently, too.
breaks” to reduce the cognitive load. It’s been frustrating but “Nothing’s ever 50-50, it’s always changing so I think you just
has also reframed my thinking in more ways than one! have to integrate things and go with the flow,” she says.
For example, I’ve learned about managing mental fatigue by I think that’s great advice and more achievable to take micro
listening to my symptoms and resting. And, that exercise isn’t just moments, rather than setting ourselves up to fail.
good for heart health and keeping fit, it helps keep your brain in
That includes our obsession with gadgets and health trackers.
tip-top shape, too.
Do we really need them? See Niki Bezzant’s feature on pages
Due to its high metabolic demand, the brain demands good 22-26.
circulation, and exercise aids it. Exercise induces good blood flow
With all this in mind we’ve filled this issue with helpful health
to deliver all the nutrients required to carry out the brain’s job,
advice and tips, some of which you may find easy to
while it also increases production molecules important to brain
incorporate into your lifestyle, like my now daily mind-altering
function, including memory.
30-minute morning walks.
I’m loving the habit I’ve formed of a minimum 30-minute brisk
Here’s to good health!
walk each morning, with a couple of hills thrown into the mix, as
I really do notice the difference cognitively.
The concussion experts at Axis Sports Medicine Specialists
Carolyn Enting, editor
and NeuroConnect have been helping me on my journey and
carolyn@good.net.nz
it’s good to follow their advice.

6
 YOUR
feedback
Adele Bean
What do you do when you are having a
bad day? Buy a magazine of course!
Last week when I was having a bad day,
while I was in the supermarket, I decided
to put a copy of the latest Good
magazine in my trolley. I am so pleased
that I did.
When I got home, I made myself a cup of
tea and settled down to flick through
Good. Very quickly I felt like I was having
a good day (pun intended) as I found so
many interesting and informative
articles to read. Well done to everyone
in the team that put together this
wonderful magazine. This February /
March edition is jam packed with so
much reading that has really inspired
me. I have tried some new recipes, got
some ideas for my garden and best of
all, I have been encouraged to get back
to journaling that I have neglected in
8
& WIN
recent months. I love
learning more about Peta
Mathias as I have always
admired her. Still plenty
more for me to discover too
– this magazine is not one
of those five minute
wonders, it is a full on
provider of information,
education and
entertainment. Thank you
for helping your readers find
joy in everyday life. Heather
Sorensen
I am loving the latest issue,
91. As always, Good mag
has me hooked. This issue
struck a personal chord with
me, having had my 33 year
marriage end this year. I
wish I had read “Sex and
menopause” years ago after
breast cancer treatment
plunged me into early
menopause. It might have
gone some way to saving
my marriage. I took note of
“Getting down to business”.
2024 will be a better year
and it’s time I actually
bought a subscription to
this lovely magazine. Bravo Good for
addressing sensitive issues. I’m looking
forward to more great reads. Astrid
Rudd
How great to see Petra Bagust on the
front of Good magazine this December!
I’m a big fan of her podcast Grey Areas
and everything that she is doing to
support women and their menopause
journey. She is so real in her approach to
ageing that frankly getting old doesn’t
scare me as much as it used to! Great
magazine; loads to inspire and ponder!
Kim
I so look forward to buying and reading
my GOOD magazine. Have found a lot of
your articles very helpful and
informative. The ‘Healing Power of the
Pen’ article was great and helpful as I
WRITE
Write to us and be in to win a Weleda Firming
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weleda.co.nz
Head to WIN online at goodmagazine.co.nz;
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goodmag @goodmagazinenz
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have just started putting pen to paper
and this has given me some inspiration
to continue doing so. Thank you. Adele
I thoroughly enjoyed the Feb/Mar issue
of Good. I used to be an avid reader, but
hadn’t bought an issue in quite some
time – really happy that I chose to treat
myself to this issue! You always include
such a wide range of topics, and your
health advice in particular is practical
and positive, which I really appreciate.
My favourite feature in this issue was
“50 tips for the year ahead” – such
simple and accessible ideas that I can’t
wait to give a go. Thank you again for
the “good” content, looking forward to
more wonderful issues to add to my
collection :) Sharna Beach
Good magazine is one of the few I take
the time to read from cover to cover.
There is so much in-depth reading to be
had. Product to learn about and
possibly purchase. Keep doing what you
do, it works. Suzanne Ward
Loved your summer issue, read cover to
cover with morning coffee overlooking
the river on a camping holiday… I
particularly enjoyed Wendyl’s piece and
how she’s embracing silver hair, silver
wisdom and make-up. I’d love to see
how Wendyl is rocking her renewed
style :)
LOVE the Peta cover and piece, too!
What an inspiration that woman is.
Charlotte
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes
& competitions! Those are my favorite
parts of the magazine. Elizabeth Todd
 YOUR DAILY DOSE OF

ONLINE
Catch up on the latest wellbeing and sustainability
news, plus recipes and giveaways.

goodmag
@goodmagazinenz
goodmagazine.co.nz
pinterest.nz/goodmag
 kowtowclothing.com

KOWTOW DID IT!

Trailblazing fashion label Kowtow has achieved its goal of its
Fairtrade Organic garments being 100 per cent plastic-free!
Up until now Kowtow garments were 99 per cent there, aside
from the trims – thread used to sew garments and elastic on
cuffs (to keep them from going baggy).
They’ve replaced the elastic with a natural latex rubber elastic,
which had to be especially created for Kowtow and tested and
trialled over the past 12 months.
Kowtow are also now using cotton thread for sewing together
garments. (Did you know that designers can currently label
a garment 100 per cent cotton, excluding the trims?) That
isn’t acceptable to Kowtow who believe in being completely

STUFF
transparent.
It’s meant Kowtow has had to return to pre-plastic revolution
techniques. “What the sewers have to do is stitch slower as
cotton breaks quicker in the machines,” Kowtow founder Gosia
Patek explains.
People, happenings and Kowtow has also released an open-source handbook for
things, locally and abroad, plastic-free clothing, containing 17 years of R&D component
sourcing information – from buttons to elastic, thread to fabric
that we applaud. – with the intent to help speed up positive change in the
fashion industry.
Gosia says she “wants to be a solutions provider in the
industry, not just creating more stuff”.

10
 CLEVER CLOGS
We’re big fans of Melbourne’s Merry People waterproof boots so
the introduction of the Billie clog has us excited!
This comfortable and waterproof slip-on is perfect for wearing
around the home and garden.
The sole has enhanced traction for slippery surfaces and
neoprene lining for comfort. Like their boots, they’re 100 per
merrypeople.com cent waterproof – unless of course you step into a deep
puddle!

BLUNT X FOREST & BIRD

For birds, feathers naturally do the job of a quality umbrella
when it rains so it makes sense that they adorn the latest
BLUNT collab with Forest & Bird with not one, but two new
winged designs.
A bird-inspired watercolour masterpiece by artist
Rachel Walker (pictured right), which captures
the vibrant essence of native parrots – the
kea and kākā – in flight.
And a forest-inspired canopy, that pays
homage to the rich biodiversity found in
Aotearoa’s ngahere (forest), featuring
tauhou (silvereye), kahukura (red admiral
butterfly) and puriri moth in a stunning
creation by artist and illustrator Erin
Forsyth. bluntumbrellas.co.nz

PROGRESS REPORT
Ahead of Icebreaker’s autumn/winter 2024 launch, the merino
brand has released their latest Transparency Report outlining their
progress towards being 100 per cent plastic-free.
Since Icebreaker’s commitment to being “plastic-free by 23”, it has
acknowledged it hasn’t achieved that goal but is celebrating
reaching 96.14 per cent, and is exploring bio-based alternatives to
synthetics. icebreaker.com

11
 TINY HOME
INSPO
Celebrating innovation in the
tiny home space, these award
winning homes from TinyHouse.
com’s inaugural Tiny Home
Awards caught our attention!
Best Eco-friendly home (pictured
above) situated at TreeBones Resort,
California, is a collaboration between
Azure Printed Homes and the resort. It’s
made from recycled materials and powered by
solar energy and offers a smart solution for eco-
friendly living without compromising on luxury. It has a queen
bed, functional kitchenette, and bathroom with a walk-in
shower, providing all the comforts of home in a compact space.
The winner of the Best Modern Design (left) – Delfin by
EcoVillages – represents a thoughtful balance between indoor
luxury and outdoor connectivity. Its hybrid solar system allows
residents to enjoy lower electricity bills with the added benefit
of grid power for uninterrupted energy. The home’s grey water
recycling feature is a nod to environmental sustainability,
significantly reducing water usage by repurposing it to irrigate
the garden.
The kitchen stands out with its large pass-through window,
designed to merge indoor comfort with the outdoor
environment. This feature enhances the home’s appeal by
facilitating a seamless transition between cooking spaces and
the natural world outside.
Merging music and tiny living in a unique way, Seymour
Duncan by Tru Form Tiny, takes the award for Most Innovative
Design (bottom left). A home on wheels, it was designed for
showcasing musical products at trade shows, and features a
layout that includes an event stage, a hangout space, and an
area for product displays, alongside a practical addition of a
beer fridge. The event stage folds down for performances and
integrates seamlessly for travel. tinyhouse.com

12
 THE MADNESS IS FINALLY OVER
New Zealand Blood Service has finally lifted vCJD “mad
cow’”restriction for people who lived in the United Kingdom,
France or Republic of Ireland between 1980 and 1996 for six
months or more during the “mad cow disease” outbreak.
If that’s you, it means you can finally roll up your sleeves
and donate blood or plasma in New Zealand!
The restriction, which was implemented in 2000, was a
precautionary measure in response to the outbreak of
“mad cow” disease and concerns about the risk of
acquiring human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
(vCJD) via blood or plasma transfusions.
The recommendation from NZBS to lift the restriction
was approved by Medsafe following a review and
detailed risk assessment. nzblood.co.nz

G O O D TI M E S
Celebrating 25
years with

25% off
site wide
Wild Dunedin, NZ Glass Blowing
Festival of Nature Workshops use code Good25
19-28 April, Dunedin 27 April, May 4 and 18, Monmouth
Themed around huarere (weather). Studio, Auckland at checkout
Events include Wild Night at Larnach A 2-hour cup making experience guided
Castle – a themed masquerade gala that by an experienced glass blower. You’ll goodbye.co.nz
will raise money for wildlife charities, and learn the basic glass blowing techniques Valid until 31st May 2024
a Wild Evening with Fleur Sullivan dinner and put them to practice by making
at Glenfalloch Garden. your own cup to take home.
wilddunedin.nz monmouthglassstudio.com

certified natural
water-free
NZ made
NZ International iD Fashion Festival
Comedy Festival 4-7 April, Dunedin
3-25 May, Auckland and Wellington The first iD Dunedin Fashion Festival
The NZ International Comedy Festival is kicks off with free pop-up catwalk
back for a month of laughs with the very shows, exhibitions and installations,
best comedians from Aotearoa and movie screenings, hands-on
around the world in over 140 shows workshops, talks and a young designer
including Melanie Bracewell. fashion show.
comedyfestival.co.nz idfashion.co.nz
 LETTING GO AND
Nadia Lim is in charge of the farm on
her own, dancing in the kitchen and
going with the flow.
WORDS CAROLYN ENTING. PHOTOGRAPHY PENNY KINGAN AND SAM STEWART
A
llowing others to follow their
dreams is one of the greatest
gifts you can give someone
including your life partner,
which is why Nadia Lim is currently
flying solo while her hubby and wingman
Carlos Bagrie is off on an educational
adventure of a lifetime.
In March, Carlos left on a jet plane to
South America leaving Nadia in charge
of the couple’s 1200-acre Royalburn
Station – best known to television
viewers as Nadia’s Farm – near
Arrowtown and she’s fully supportive.
Having been awarded a Nuffield Farming
Scholarship Carlos is travelling the world
for six months to investigate and learn as
much as he can about regenerative
farming practices and circular farming
solutions to bring back home.
“When I won MasterChef he gave up his
job to help me try and achieve my
dream so my thought process is I owe
him the same back,” she says. “It’s an
incredible opportunity and they don’t
come along like this very often so when
one does, it’s good to take it.”
Though she acknowledges things will
be more hectic on the home front,
particularly with three boys under seven
and a working farm to attend to, she is
14
pragmatic about it and knows from
recent experience that sometimes if you
let something go, it will flourish.
That’s what happened in her formerly
well-tended vegetable garden and
greenhouse when a spinal injury from a
You can’t have freak skiing accident as well as a new
baby forced her to up tools and rest.
perfection. The garden beds self-seeded, blooming
There’s no into a beautiful tangle of edible plants
and vegetables with enough produce to
such thing. feed the family with lots to spare.
If you strive At the outset of what would turn out to
be a gorgeous garden experiment, she
for perfection, was on doctor’s orders not to do any
you’ll fail lifting or anything that would slow her
healing.
mentally and “I’d just had a baby, then fractured my
physically.” spine and I didn’t have the capacity or
resource to have a perfect garden or
control what I was going to grow. I
decided to just let it go and see what
came out of it,” she explains. “Aside from
some pumpkin seedlings which I
transplanted from the compost, planting
a few courgette and brassica seedlings
and sowing beetroot and carrot seed,
it’s come up by itself. It’s all wild and
tangly and everything’s integrated with
each other, it’s just so beautiful.”
 WELLBEING

Nadia amongst the flowers of Royalburn

Station’s annual sunflower field.

15
Nadia and the family dog Winston in
her wild vegetable garden.

Health first
Nadia’s skiing accident happened six
months after giving birth to her third
child, Arlo, 12 months, and she’s grateful
it wasn’t worse. During recovery all she
could do was walk slowly, and rest, and
she didn’t fight it.
“I acknowledged that my body needed
to rest and that was the most important
thing, not to push it. It really pays
dividends if you don’t push it past its
limits,” she says.
“I’ve always been good at monitoring
what my body needs and looked at it as
a best mate. Even when I was really
young, I always tried to be very grateful
to my body and treat it well.”
During her recovery while she was
having osteo and acupuncture
treatments the feedback from all was
that her body recovers incredibly well,
an affirmation that she is doing
something right.

Getting back to basics

Her formula for good health is what she
calls the “boring basics” – good sleep,
good food, strong connections with
family and friends, spending time
outside, not taking yourself too seriously
and dancing. As she reels off the list, she
dances around the room with baby Arlo
in her arms.
“Music is such an incredible tool to be
able to express at the time what your
feelings are and if it gets you dancing,
then great. You can be dancing by
yourself in the kitchen while you’re
making a meal,” she laughs. “I think the
boring basics are the key to health and
happiness. Don’t overcomplicate things.
So many things in life these days are
way too over complicated.”
She questions our obsession with
finding balance because what does that
mean? 50-50? “Nothing’s ever 50-50,
it’s always changing so I think you just
have to integrate things and go with
the flow.”
Nadia integrates mindful micro
moments and subconscious rituals into
her day rather than aiming to take 20
minutes to meditate and then failing.
“If you can incorporate moments into
everyday life then it becomes so much
more sustainable, manageable,
accessible and practical and that’s what
people need,” she says.

16

When she wakes, she lies in bed and
listens to the birds, the wind and sounds
of the farm, which is a form of
meditation – unless Arlo is screaming to
get up of course!
“There’s no way I could find time to
meditate for a solid 20 minutes, but I
actually achieve that by having micro
moments throughout the day,” she
explains. “Starting with a few minutes in
the morning lying in bed, having really
nice breaths and just being very
conscious and listening.”
Other micro moments might be 10
minutes to herself in the bathroom or
having a cup of tea. She also doesn’t
follow a regular exercise regime because
that doesn’t work for her.
“I think rest is really important for your
body and not putting it under too much
stress or strain. It seems to be to a lot of
people that extreme exercise is healthy.
Maybe some people’s bodies respond
well to it but mine doesn’t,” she says.
“I’m not a gym person but I do see the
value of going for a nice walk and I try to
incorporate that into my lifestyle. To me
that is good because it’s not just
physical exercise, it’s also getting
vitamin D, and breathing fresh mountain
air. It’s good for the senses and if I’m
going for a walk with Carlos we get to
catch up. All those things added up are
great for your mental health.”
Nadia is also a huge fan of belly
breathing, a skill she learned early on in
her youth when she was a competitive
swimmer. Since then, breathwork is
something she has been very conscious
of and it has become a health-giving
micro moment tool where she just
pauses to take a few big deep breaths.
“Your breath and how you breathe is
everything because it communicates to
the rest of your body what state you are
in. If you’re stressed breathwork can
convince your body and therefore your
mind, that you are calm and that is
going to cause a ripple effect.”
New perspectives
One realisation that she relishes since
she and Carlos’ big move south from
Auckland to Central Otago four and a
half years ago is that being a mum and
life on a farm has changed her
perspective of success.
“A common measure of success is how
well you are doing financially or how
much you are achieving but that’s not
the best measure of success really.
“A much better measure of success is
health, happiness and your time. Am I
still ambitious? I still have big goals and
want to do a lot of things but I value my
time more,” she explains.
“Also, when you move from somewhere
like the city to here on the farm your
perspective on things also changes a
bit. When you’re in amongst these
majestic mountains you feel small and
somewhat insignificant, which I think is
good. You realise you’re really just a tiny,
tiny part of this Earth. If you place too
much importance or significance on
yourself, life seems overwhelming. And
that’s a really healthy perspective in
I think the boring basics are
the key to health and happiness.
Don’t overcomplicate things.
So many things in life these days
are way too over complicated.”
terms of life and death and that you’re
just quite insignificant on this Earth, and
that there are a lot of things you can’t
control. That’s probably the number one
lesson in farming and living off the land.
Don’t even try to control everything. You
have to be comfortable with it, and I’ve
learned there’s real beauty in that.
“It’s always different every season. You
can have all these perfect plans and
expect them to go according to that
plan, but it never does. I think that’s
actually really nice and maybe in a
mental health sense that’s an important
life lesson. Nowadays the modern world
is a very controlled environment. People
expect that and think that that’s how
things work, but they don’t in the natural
world.”
A large maple tree in the backyard is
home to a fabulous treehouse for the
boys Bodhi, seven, and River, five, and is
also a clock that helps them tell the
seasons.
“The kids have grown up knowing when
their birthday month is by looking at
that tree,” Nadia explains.
WELLBEING
“Bodhi was born around the autumn
equinox when the leaves are red, brown
and orange. River is the spring equinox
when the buds on the tree are tiny.
Carlos is the winter solstice when the
tree is completely bare and there’s snow
on the ground. I’m the summer solstice
when the leaves are bright green, and
Arlo’s birthday is just after Valentine’s
Day when it’s in full flower.”
Regenerative approach
The health of everything on the farm
– soil, crops, chickens, animals,
environment and people – is also of
upmost priority for Nadia and Carlos,
who have come to realise that one
doesn’t thrive without assistance from
the other.
Since taking on the former conventional
sheep and barley farm in 2017 they have
saved 1200 acres of fertile land from
being turned into a subdivision, which is
what it was earmarked for when they
bought it.
Surrounded by mountains with a distant
view of Lake Wakatipu and Russell
Coutt’s golf course as a neighbouring
property, you can see the appeal.
Instead, Royalburn is now probably one
of New Zealand’s most diverse farms
that is focused on regenerative farming
while producing roughly enough food to
feed 20,000 people. The Royalburn farm
shop in Arrowtown supplies fresh
free-range eggs, vegetables and
sunflower oil from the farm, as well as
the farm’s award-winning lamb. The
couple grow oats for Otis Oat Milk,
wheat for milling, clover and peas for
seed and barley for their own beer. They
also have beehives, and approximately
6000 free-ranging chickens who must
be the happiest chickens in Aotearoa.
Wool grown on the farm is woven into
beautiful blankets and strong wool used
17
 for eco-friendly planters that are kind to
both plant and soil.
The couple have also just opened up
Royalburn for weddings and events, and
Carlos has been brewing beer with farm
produce sales manager OIi Boyes which
has resulted in a collaboration with
leading Wellington craft beer producers
Garage Project to produce “Swifty”, a
great tasting session beer named after
the Swiftburn River which runs through
the station and has a play on the phrase
“have a swifty”.
Gut health connection
Early on Nadia, whose science
background is in nutrition and dietetics,
drew parallels between human gut
health and soil health on the farm.
She shared her insights with Carlos, who
knew the practical side of farming
having grown up on a farm. Together
they make a great team figuring out the
best ways to look after the soil and
nutrient exchange required between
plants and soil microbes.
“If you look after the soil and the
microbiology within the soil just like you
look after your gut microbiome, that’s
how the human body can flourish and
that’s how the land can flourish,”
explains Nadia. “And then it rolls over
into the stock as well because it’s all
about how your nutrients are absorbed
and exchanged and that’s what happens
underneath all those networks in the
soil. They live in harmony and symbiosis.
18
If you don’t have the microbiology, your
plants aren’t going to thrive because
they’re not going to get all the nutrient
exchange that they require, the help
from the microbes. It’s the same as in
your gut. They help break everything
down and allow you to absorb the
nutrients. So that to me is what a big
part of regenerative farming is about.”
Carlos is big on crop rotation and once
food for animals or humans is planted in
the ground, it’s spray-free. Every year
Carlos plants sunflowers on a different
part of the farm. If they happen to be in
a roadside paddock the flowers will
attract daily visitors in the form of
tourists climbing over the fence and
more often than you’d think stripping off
their clothes to have photos amongst
the flowers!
Nude escapades aside, sunflowers are
fabulous for soil health. Whilst the seeds
are being harvested with the combine
harvester, the heads and stalks are
being chopped up and left on the
ground as a carbon-rich mulch which
protects and feeds the soil and
microbes. The long taproots also help
break up compacted ground.
Nadia’s Farm
With a new season of Nadia’s Farm set
to air on THREE in April expect to see
sunflowers and more life on the farm.
The couple agreed to do a second
season after the first was well received
and people genuinely found it
interesting, useful and educational
which was always their goal. They want
to show the real ins and outs of farming
and not to sugar-coat it in any way in
the hope that it clears up some of the
misinformation and misunderstanding
between rural and urban audiences.
When we first moved here you
could get a rabbit really easily.
Carlos just had to point his gun out
of the dining room window and
that was dinner. It was way quicker
than going to the supermarket or
even our own farm butchery.”
“It can be very frustrating, the
misconceptions involved when a lot of
farmers get the finger pointed at them
when they are genuinely doing good
work,” says Nadia.
Happy place
Harvesting herbs and vegetables from
her garden and greenhouse is her
happy place. It’s a favourite time of day
when she gets to have some alone time.
During our catch-up courgettes were in
abundance though annoyingly the boys
are not fans. Nadia was sneaking
courgette into their smoothies but they
caught on fast, though she still grates it
and other nutritious veggies into some
of their favourite dishes like lasagne.
Butter rabbit is another family favourite
though Carlos has done such a good job
of irradicating rabbits on the farm and
Winston, their black lab also loves
chasing them, so they haven’t had it
much of late.
“When we first moved here you could
get a rabbit really easily. Carlos just had
to point his gun out of the dining room
window and that was dinner. It was way
quicker than going to the supermarket
or even our own farm butchery.”
Retrospection
Does she wonder what she would be
doing now if she hadn’t won MasterChef
13 years ago? She was a dietitian at the
time, but she doesn’t think she would
have continued down that path.
“I know I would have done something
entrepreneurial because I always knew
what I wanted to do from when I was 12.
My dream was always to be like Jamie
Oliver, to write cookbooks and have a
cooking show on TV so I think I would
have always kind of worked towards
Nadia with some of the farm’s
6,000 odd free-range chickens.

WELLBEING

19

that, but I have no idea what pathway I
would have taken to get there, but I
feel like maybe I would have gotten
there some other way.”
Since that time she has appeared on
countless magazine covers, including
her own journal, starting with Remix
magazine after winning MasterChef
and wearing a sparkly sequin dress.
These days she’s more likely to be
pictured holding a chicken.
She has also learned to be more
resilient. Back during the MasterChef
days online trolls, and particularly one
troll could make her cry. Years later this
person, who had changed her name
when she married, applied for a job at
My Food Bag three times and after
repeatedly rejecting her CV Nadia
decided everyone deserves a second
20
chance and hired her. It turned out the
person was passionate about cooking,
ended up being an excellent employee
and stayed with the company for four
years.
Nadia counts herself lucky to have had
a mostly positive experience with fans
though she doesn’t think of herself as a
celebrity. “I love having chats with
people and I don’t feel like a celebrity. I
don’t think people think of me that way
as I’m not a glamouraous actress or
anything.”
Going solo
For the next six months Nadia is
looking forward to spending more time
with her mum and sister, who are
moving permanently into the area. “It
will be awesome having family down
here. We haven’t had that the whole
Nadia in her self-seeded vegetable garden
gone wild with a bounty of produce.
time and it has been hard. I take my hat
off to parents who don’t have any
family close by.”
And while she does plan to ski again,
she is going to skip this season, and
instead use the time the boys are up
the mountain for some peace and quiet
time at home.
She is also relishing being able to
spend time in the garden again and
feels grateful that she has the
opportunity to grow her own food. In
her ideal world everyone could grow
and raise their own food but she
realises that is not practical.
“I’m an old soul. I should have been
born 100 years ago. I would absolutely
love to return back to those days, but I
know that it’s not going to happen
unless we form a commune!” g
PARSNIP, PEAR, GINGER AND

WELLBEING
WALNUT CAKE WITH CARAMEL
CREAM CHEESE ICING
Serves 10 / Prep time: 35 mins / Cook time: 40-45 mins
If you like carrot cake, then you’ll love this, however I reckon
it’s even better than carrot cake as parsnips have this slight
creaminess to them – just be sure to avoid grating too much
of the tough inner core and use the surrounding creamy
white flesh instead. It’s a good cake to make in autumn and
winter when parsnips are young and tender with creamy
flesh, and pears are in season too. Feel free to swap out the
pear for apple, and the parsnip for carrot.
1 large or 2 medium ripe 1 cup golden syrup
pears, peeled zest of 1 lemon or orange + 2
1 large or 2 medium parsnips, tablespoons juice
peeled 1 tablespoon finely grated
225 grams wholemeal flour fresh ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder ¾ cup chopped walnuts
1½ teaspoons baking soda Icing
1½ teaspoons ground 50g unsalted butter,
cinnamon softened
1 teaspoon ground ginger 125g softened cream cheese
½ teaspoon salt 2-3 tablespoons golden
¾ cup desiccated coconut or syrup
ground almonds 1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 large free-range eggs* ½ teaspoon vanilla bean
1 cup neutral-flavoured oil paste or extract
(e.g. grapeseed)
Preheat oven to 180ºC regular bake. Grease and line a 23cm
round spring-form cake tin with baking paper.
Grate pears and parsnips, directly onto a clean tea towel,
until you have approximately 1½ cups of each. Wring tea
towel gently to squeeze out excess moisture.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt into a
large bowl. Stir in coconut or ground almonds.
In a separate large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, golden syrup,
orange/lemon zest and juice and fresh ginger together. Stir
in grated pear and parsnip and walnuts. Make a well in the
flour and pour in wet mixture. Fold together with a large
metal spoon until just combined (do not overmix), then pour
into prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the
cake springs back when lightly pressed in the centre.
Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing
to a wire rack to cool. Ice once cooled.
Icing Beat all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until
smooth, thick and creamy. Spread cream cheese icing all
over the cake. Garnish with candied walnuts (see below, if
desired).
Candied maple walnuts Toast a handful of walnuts in a dry COOK’S NOTE:
(no oil) fry pan on low to medium heat for a few minutes,
then pour in 3 tablespoons maple syrup. Let it bubble, then *To make vegan/egg-free, use
turn off the heat and toss the walnuts in the maple glaze. flax eggs in place of eggs (mix
Leave to cool completely (and go crunchy) before using. 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
with 2 ½ tablespoons water for
every flax egg).

21
 HEALTH TRACKERS
tools and
time wasters
Do they help save your life or is it just
money down the drain?
WORDS NIKI BEZZANT
I
f you’re at all interested in wellbeing and health, you’ve
probably been exposed to social media influencers
promoting various ways you can track aspects of your health.
Whether it’s an app to track your sleep; a ring or watch to
track your heart rate, temperature, movement and more; a diet
diary or a fitness tracker, we live in an information age when it
comes to health.
So-called ‘biohackers’ are measuring every possible aspect of
their bodies with the aim of cheating death (or at least gaining a
few more years). And there’s a ton of marketers with products to
sell, all aimed at helping us monitor and track our health. So,
what’s worth monitoring and what’s too much information? Are
there trackers that are health-enhancing tools? And what
aspects of our health should we be keeping an eye on?
Why track?
“Some people are fascinated by data,” says dietitian Kate Ellison,
who’s aware some of us are glued to our health tracking devices.
“They absolutely love to know what’s going on 24-7.”
22
The question she and other health experts ask is how we’re
interpreting all that data.
“I think probably in some cases it feels a little bit arbitrary,” Kate
notes. “I think whatever you’re monitoring does need to be
meaningful, because it does take time and energy to do it.”
For some, monitoring might be useful to keep an eye on a
health condition. “Of course things like blood pressure are
important for some people to monitor,” Kate says. “And things
like sleep apnoea – if you’ve got breathing difficulties when you
sleep, you might be looking at oxygen levels or using CPAP
machines or monitors that are telling you how sleep is going.
Some people might benefit from measuring their heart rate, if
they have certain conditions that may give them an irregular
heart rate. And probably monitoring steps and physical activity
is a good thing to do, because that could be
motivating to exercise.”
Let’s take a look at some
common health monitoring
practices and tools.
23
WELLBEING

Diet trackers
There are lots of apps available for tracking our food intake. They
can be useful – say if we’re looking to increase things like protein
and fibre, or keep an eye on our sugar or salt. There are some
traps to look out for, though.
“It’s very hard to get an accurate picture with these apps,” says
Kate. “I think it’s often quite inaccurate, because it’s only as good
as what the person’s entering. If you get the portion size a little
bit wrong or if the food that you’re eating is actually not in the
app database, so you pick something else that you think is
similar… I mean, I’ve certainly seen men who perhaps would like
to lose weight… come to me and say: ‘the app says I’ve been
eating 1500 calories a day, how come I’m not losing weight?’ And
I just have to question and say, ‘well, I think it’s just that the data
is not accurate’. So, I think there’s lots of fishhooks.”
The other issue that can crop up with diet diaries is that they
can be a gateway to disordered eating.
“One of the questions you have to ask is: do you think this is
going to help you feel better? Will it help you make better
decisions, or is this going to increase your anxiety and potentially
make you more restrictive with your eating?”
Kate says she has some patients for whom this is a real issue.
“They will say, honestly… I don’t find it helpful. It makes me
obsessed, and I start to really obsess about my food intake and it
starts to dominate my life. It’s not worth it for me. So, it’s
important to understand that this kind of intense monitoring
does not work for everybody. And particularly if somebody is a
bit more prone to having body image issues or issues around
their relationship with food, it might not be the thing to do.”
24
WHAT DOES WORK?
Kate encourages people to track not what they’re eating,
but how.
“I do encourage apps for monitoring things like emotional eating.
What triggers might be happening in their day that leads them to
make certain choices… like stress or anxiety. It can be useful to
start to identify patterns.” Some other apps – like alcohol intake
monitors or even mindfulness apps – could be better for your
overall health than tracking your food.
Step counters
Smart watches routinely track our steps these days and
commend us for hitting our targets. But did you know that
10,000 steps as a daily target has no basis in science? The idea
of 10,000 steps a day was actually invented by a Japanese
manufacturer of pedometers – manual step trackers that were
popular in a pre-smartphone era. The 10,000 number came
about simply because it looked and sounded good in advertising
for the devices. There’s no evidence of this level of activity being
particularly beneficial, especially not as a one-size-fits-all
benchmark.
WHAT DOES WORK?
That said, tracking our physical movement – of all kinds – can
be useful, and there’s evidence to show a level of 8,000 steps a
day can lead to improvements in health and lower risk of death,
likely because we know cardio exercise is beneficial for the
heart. Being inactive is not good – taking fewer than 4,000
steps a day is linked to poorer health outcomes – so tracking
all of our movement can be a good reminder and motivator to
get more activity in, no matter what type of movement it is.

CGM
(continuous
glucose
monitors)
These are popping up in
wellness social media and have
become quite a trend overseas. A
CGM is a device used by people with
diabetes – more commonly type 1 – to track their
blood glucose levels in real time. It’s hugely useful
for these people, as it lets them monitor their blood
and adjust their insulin doses accordingly. The
trend now is for people without diabetes to use
these devices. They’re marketed as a way of
‘learning your body’s unique needs’ and are
usually connected to a smartphone app.
WELLBEING
While these apps are useful as a guide, they have their
limitations. They’re only as good as the data going in, and
research suggests they’re not always super accurate; one study
found different apps gave conflicting information on period
dates, ovulation day and fertile window. Right now, there are no
NZ-specific period tracking apps, so they tend to use generic or
American information. If you’re perimenopausal, or have issues
such as endometriosis or PCOS, you might not find the data or
predictions useful.
TIPS FOR USING TRACKERS:
If you’re trying to get pregnant, use another method –
such as an ovulation test or temperature – to
confirm your fertile window. If you’re in
perimenopause, you might find a menopause-
specific tracker more useful as a symptom
tracker. And in all cases, don’t rely on a period
tracker app as a form of contraception.

Kate – whose work is with diabetes patients – says the

problem here is that there’s really no reason for healthy Sleep monitors
people who do not have diabetes to track their blood glucose Sleep – its quality and quantity – is
this closely. And how the data is interpreted can be misleading such an important pillar of health.
or even dangerous. We know it can have an effect on
everything from our risk of
When people without diabetes eat carbohydrates, their blood
glucose level will rise; the pancreas will release insulin, and
then gradually blood glucose will go back down to baseline
levels. This fluctuation is all completely normal.
“There’s a normal range of blood glucose that most people fall
into,” she explains. “And it’s very tightly regulated by the body.
“So, when people are aware of that rise on a CGM, then how are
they interpreting it? Because effectively it means nothing. It
means you are normal, you’ve got a normal blood sugar.”
She says no real metrics that have been agreed by experts or
informed by evidence around what levels in healthy people
should be, and obsessively tracking blood glucose could lead to
misinterpretation of normal data – and lead people to restrict
healthy foods as a result.
“If I imagine that having a flat glucose line is what I should be
having, then that means people might cut out a lot of very
normal and very healthy foods,” she says.

WHAT DOES WORK?

If you are concerned about blood sugar levels, a good test to
have is an HbA1c test, via your GP. It measures blood glucose
levels at a bigger-picture level, over the previous several months,
and can give you a more accurate picture of your metabolic
health and if there’s anything that needs addressing. It’s a good
test to have annually, especially as we hit perimenopause and
beyond because as we get older and go through menopause,
the incidence of insulin resistance goes up; this leads to
prediabetes.

Period trackers
Once upon a time we might have marked on our calendars when
our period was due. Now, we can choose from a myriad of apps
to track everything about our cycles, including pain, bleeding,
mood, and other symptoms. Most will give information about
your ‘fertile window’ – the time in the cycle most likely to lead
to pregnancy.

25
 disease to how long we might live. So, it’s no surprise there are
lots of different ways to monitor sleep. Different people need
different amounts of sleep, but sleep experts say most of us
need between seven and nine hours of sleep in order to rest and
repair the different systems in the body. Some devices claim to
monitor not only how long we sleep for, but our sleep cycles, so
we can see how our phases of sleep are going. It’s worth
knowing, though, that sleep trackers aren’t actually measuring
sleep directly. They’re actually using inactivity as a marker for
sleep. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, ‘for exact data
about your sleep habits, you’d have to do a medical sleep study,
which monitors brain waves to analyse the stages of sleep you
If you find monitoring
really interesting and if it
does help you make
behaviour change in a
positive way, that’s great.
But make sure it isn’t just
an expensive way to make
yourself anxious.”
26
cycle through during the night’. It advises that while tracking
devices can definitely be useful for helping you recognise
patterns in your sleep habits, it’s worth taking the data with a
grain of salt.
WHAT DOES WORK?
Using a sleep tracker is not a guarantee of a good sleep, though
it might be motivating to help you stick to a consistent sleep
routine. Other basics of ‘sleep hygiene’: turning off devices at
night at least half an hour before bed; keeping the bedroom cool
and as dark as possible; not drinking alcohol or eating too late at
night; exercising regularly and especially outside in the morning.
Health tracking:
the bottom line
Don’t think you’re missing out on optimal health if you’re not
tracking your every health stat. Focus instead on healthy
behaviours, and how you feel in your body.
Kate has some useful advice: “If you’ve got the disposable income;
if you find monitoring really interesting and if it does help you
make behaviour change in a positive way, that’s great. But make
sure it isn’t just a really expensive way to make yourself anxious.”
Health tracking
everyone should do
BLOOD PRESSURE
An important indicator of heart health. Have it
checked a couple of times a year at your doctor or
health clinic.
HBA1C
A measure of blood glucose over time, via a blood
test. Get it checked annually and discuss the results
with your doctor.
CHOLESTEROL
Another heart health blood test. An annual check is
a good idea. Discuss any concerns with your doctor.
GENERAL BLOODS
There are some general blood tests your GP will
want to keep an eye on, depending on your age
and stage. They’ll raise any red flags with you.

Life hacks
Daily habits and
remedies that will
improve your health
with ease.
Prioritise
physical activity
Physical movement not only
enhances fitness but
improves mood and cognitive
function. Prioritise physical
activity in your daily routine,
whether it’s a brisk walk,
yoga, or a gym session.
medium.com
REMOVE BAD MOJO
The experiences you’ve had in your life
could very well be hanging on your
walls, sitting on your shelves or stuffed
under your bed collecting dust. When
negative memories are associated with
things you keep in your home, the
reminders will be draining without you
even being aware of it. Consciously
find and remove any items in your
home that are associated with
undesirable feelings. Removing this
bad mojo will put you one step closer
to enjoying a serene space.
simplehomesimplelife.com
Organise a catch-up with
your mates
Sometimes just having someone to listen to you
or have a laugh with can be the best medicine.
Matilda Green
WELLBEING
FACTS
DITCH
DESSERTS AFTER
MEALS
Indulging in desserts is a delightful
experience, but consuming them immediately
after meals can contribute to unnecessary calorie
intake. Once the body receives sufficient calories from
main meals, any dessert afterward contributes to an
excess stored as fat. To mitigate this, consider enjoying
desserts as standalone snacks between breakfast
and lunch or lunch and dinner. This simple
adjustment can help prevent weight gain, high
triglycerides, and elevated LDL cholesterol,
promoting better overall health.
fitcareblog.com
Avoid eating late
Finish eating at least three hours
before bed to avoid going to bed with
a full stomach. Eating too late in an
evening is also associated with
disruptions to the gut microbiome as
it operates on the same circadian
rhythm as we do.
gutsi.co.nz
END OF WEEK SOUP
Take everything left in your veggie
drawer, stems included. Chop everything
and sauté with some garlic and olive oil
on a medium heat in a large pot for
about three minutes. Add two kettles of
boiled water and around 6 chicken stock
cubes. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Roast or fry your old bread crusts for
croutons and top with pesto and
Parmesan, if you have any. This makes a
dinner for a family of six in 30 minutes.
Ruth, Cambridge for
lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz
27
 Reinvigorate yourself in the pure crystal waters of Lake
Hāwea during a wood-fired sauna session at The Secret
Sauna, The Camp, Lake Hāwea. Discover more about The
Secret Sauna on page 90. Photography Victoria Sheridan

28
 WELLBEING
INSTANT ELIXIRS FOR
Inner Harmony
5 ways to feel zen instantaneously.
WORDS JESSICA WEALE

I
magine floating effortlessly in a giant, heavenly bath, or
indulging in a symphony of therapeutic sound.
Finding a moment of zen can often feel like a mission
amidst our busy lives, but there are so many ways you can
explore the realms of self-discovery and relaxation – some
you may not have even heard of!
We’ve gone on a journey of unconventional self-centring
methods, that go beyond traditional meditation, to help you
turn the sometimes mundane or difficult pursuit of balance
into a playful adventure. You might even like to explore these
for yourself. If you’re on a saving buzz, we have also come up
with some home hacks so you can try some of these methods
in the comfort of your own abode.

FLOATATION TANKS
What: Floatation tanks, also known as sensory deprivation
tanks, are lightless, soundproof pods filled with saltwater,
allowing you to float effortlessly. The experience provides
sensory isolation, encouraging relaxation and introspection.
The water and room are heated to skin temperature, so you
feel as though you are floating in space, allowing you to have
time to yourself in a tranquil setting.
How: You have the room to yourself, so you can shower and
take your time getting ready. The meditation music will help
you to relax into the experience as you step into the tank, lie
back and effortlessly float on the dense saltwater. You can
close the lid and turn off the light, or choose to keep it on
depending on what you are comfortable with.
Why: Floatation tanks offer a unique environment for
meditation and self-reflection, reducing external stimuli to
foster a deep sense of relaxation. The buoyancy of the water
alleviates pressure on joints, promoting physical relaxation
and mental wellbeing.
Home hack: Create a makeshift floatation experience at
home by drawing a warm bath, adding Epsom salts for
buoyancy, and turning off the lights and sound or play your
favourite meditation track. While not a perfect substitute, this
DIY version can provide a calming experience in the comfort
of your own bathroom.

29

OUR TOP PLACES TO TRY:
• Infinity Float infinityfloat.co.nz
• Slöwe Studio slowestudio.co.nz
• Chill Wellness chillwellness.co.nz
• Hana hana.nz
• Sala Studio sala.studio
• The Secret Sauna thesecretsauna.nz
30
ICE BATHS
What: Ice baths involve immersing your body in icy water – yes
we know, it sounds… unpleasant? We can confidently say, you
will feel like a new born baby when you emerge from this,
especially on a wintery morning – you’ll be ready to face
anything that the day throws at you.
How: Submerge yourself in the icy bath for 10-15 minutes,
focusing on controlled breathing and gradual adaptation to
the cold.
Why: Ice baths are believed to enhance recovery, decrease
muscle soreness and boost circulation. The shock of the cold
water can stimulate the release of endorphins, promoting a
sense of wellbeing, and can also promote vasoconstriction,
reducing inflammation and speeding up muscle recovery.
Home hack: If you’re feeling adventurous, try a cold shower or
a cool bath as a milder alternative. While not as intense as a full
ice bath, it can still provide some of the benefits without the
need for excessive ice.
INFRARED SAUNA
What: Infrared saunas use infrared heaters to emit radiant
heat, which is absorbed directly by the body. This type of
sauna produces a gentler and more tolerable heat compared to
traditional saunas.
How: You sit or lie in the sauna, allowing the radiant heat to
penetrate your skin. The lights and warmth will allow you to
relax and have some much-needed alone time. Sessions
typically last around 20-30 minutes, and the lower temperature
makes it more accessible if you find traditional saunas too hot
and steamy. But if you like steam, traditional is the way to go!
Why: Infrared saunas are thought to offer various health
benefits, including improved circulation, relaxation and
detoxification. The heat promotes sweating, which can aid in
the removal of toxins from the body.
 WELLBEING
Home hack: If an infrared sauna is out of reach, try creating a
DIY heat therapy space at home by using a space heater and
blankets. While not as targeted as an infrared sauna, it can still
offer a warm and cosy environment for relaxation.

SOUND BATHS
What: You’ll immerse yourself in therapeutic sounds, often
produced by instruments like singing bowls, gongs and tuning
forks. Lie down and allow the vibrations to wash over you in waves.
How: You can attend a sound bath session where a facilitator
plays various instruments. Lie down in a comfortable position,
close your eyes, and let the harmonious sounds envelop you.
Why: Sound baths are believed to reduce stress, promote
relaxation and stimulate a meditative state. The vibrations from
the instruments can have a profound impact on the nervous
system, fostering a sense of inner peace.
Home hack: Explore guided sound bath meditations available
online. With headphones or a good speaker, you can recreate
the immersive experience at home, using recorded
soundscapes and guided meditation.

FOREST BATHING
What: Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is a Japanese practice
that involves immersing oneself in the natural environment,
often a forest. The focus is on mindfully connecting with nature
through all of your senses.
How: Take a slow and contemplative walk in a natural setting,
paying close attention to the sights, sounds, smells and
sensations around you. Engage with nature with a sense of
presence and mindfulness.
Why: Forest bathing has been associated with reduced stress,
improved mood and enhanced wellbeing. The practice
encourages a deep connection with nature, providing a respite
from the demands of modern life.
Home hack: If visiting a forest is not feasible, create a nature
corner at home. Decorate a space with potted plants, natural
materials and calming elements. Spend time mindfully
observing and appreciating your indoor nature sanctuary. g

31
 KEEPING YOUR
Furry friend
entertained
at home
L
ife is always better with a
Top tips to wagging tail by your side.
put the pep in However, keeping your dog
entertained and fulfilled can
your pooch. sometimes be a challenge, especially if
you have a busy schedule and can’t
always show them the attention they
WORDS JESSICA WEALE
need and demand.
Did you know that licking and chewing
releases endorphins?* And that sniffing
activates the part of the brain responsible
for releasing dopamine? These are all
feel-good brain chemicals for dogs!
The more we learn about our canine
companions, the better we understand
how crucial it is to provide them with
enrichment opportunities says Lisa
Sturm from Kiwi Canine and Sit Happens.
The good news is it’s easy, fun and
doesn’t have to be time consuming
or expensive!
“We can allow our dogs to have good
positive cognitive enrichment by giving
them the opportunity to work for their
food through puzzle toys. Other positive
experiences that even increase our bond
and relationship with our best friends as
32
a side effect come from reward-based
training, from playing with us and of
course from going for walks together,”
says Lisa.
“Dogs, like humans, need mental and
physical stimulation to thrive, and when
they lack adequate enrichment, they may
exhibit behaviours indicating boredom or
loneliness. The increased stress levels
associated with this can cause
destructive behaviours like chewing,
digging, excessive barking, restlessness
or pacing, whining, pawing or nudging or
if left alone, attempts to escape. In some
cases you may even see symptoms
resembling depression, such as lethargy,
withdrawal, changes in sleeping patterns
or decreased appetite.”
Being scavengers by nature, dogs are
wired to search for food. By providing
engaging opportunities, you can cater to
their instinctual needs, promoting
wellbeing, confidence and optimism, all
while reducing unwanted behaviours.
Try rotating some of the following ideas
to regularly keep your dog interested and
prevent boredom:
 WELLBEING
“Dogs, like humans, need mental
and physical stimulation to thrive.”

33

TAIL-WAGGING IDEAS:
DIY SOCK SNAKE:
Transform old socks into a snakelike toy
by stuffing them with squeakers or
crinkly materials. Tie a few together to
create a wiggly, interactive plaything.
FROZEN TREATS:
Freeze a mixture of water, dog-friendly
broth and a few treats in a container. Your
pup will have a blast licking and chewing
their way to the hidden goodies as the
ice melts. This is also a great idea for
summer to cool your pooch down on
those extra hot days.
BOBBING FOR GOODIES:
Fill a container with water and add small
pieces of dog-safe fruit and/or
vegetables.
TREAT-DISPENSING TOYS:
Engage your dog’s mind and tastebuds
with treat-dispensing toys. Stuff a Kong
with peanut butter or their favourite
treats, and watch as they roll, bounce and
nibble to release the tasty treasures. To
make your own Kong, you could try using
34
an old tennis ball or cored apple – get PUZZLE FEEDERS:
creative but whatever you use always Keep your pup mentally sharp by using
check for sharp edges or small pieces puzzle feeders. These interactive toys
they might choke on. challenge them to figure out how to
access the hidden treats, providing
DIG FOR GOLD: mental stimulation. Visit your local pet
Set up a sandbox or ball pit for your dog store to see what’s on offer.
to dig in. This is great for co-ordination
and brain function, and they will have so *Excessive licking and chewing can also
much fun. be a sign of other things including
anxiety, boredom, allergies, hormone
MIND-STIMULATING imbalance, parasites or fleas, or
compulsive behaviour from the
ACTIVITIES: endorphin rush. If you are concerned
DIY SNUFFLE MAT: about your dog’s licking habits a trip to
Make the most of meal time by using an the vet is in order.
old towel, sprinkle kibble or treats on top
and slowly roll it up. Let your dog use
their nose and paws to unravel the towel
and forage for goodies.
SCENT GAMES:
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell,
so engage their noses by playing scent
games. Hide treats around the house
or create a homemade scent trail for
them to follow – a bit like hide and seek
for dogs!
 WELLBEING
BREED-SPECIFIC FUN:
HERDING BREEDS:
For those with herding breeds like Border
Collies or Australian Shepherds, create a
DIY agility course using household items.
Guide them through tunnels made from
chairs or over makeshift jumps. Investing
in a good frisbee or ball thrower is also a
great way to play with these breeds and
burn some energy!

RETRIEVERS AND WATER-LOVING

DOGS:
If you have a water-loving pup like a
Labrador or Retriever, set up a kiddie
pool in the backyard. Toss in some
floating toys or broth ice cubes for an
entertaining splash fest.

TERRIER TUNNELS:
Terriers, known for their love of digging,
will appreciate a DIY digging box. Fill a
large container with soil or sand and hide
toys or treats for them to discover.
Remember to always supervise your dog
during activities, especially if they involve
small objects or potential hazards. Keep
in mind your dog’s style, individual
preferences and physical abilities.
Lisa also notes that some behaviours can
be indicative of other issues, such as
separation anxiety or medical problems.
If you notice any concerning changes in
your dog’s behaviour, it’s best to visit a
veterinarian or a force free certified
behaviour consultant to rule out any
underlying issues and develop a plan to
help address these concerns. Find force
free trainers, behaviour consultants and
vet behaviourists on the APDTNZ and
CANZ directories.
For some quick and easy Boredom
Buster videos, check out
Mindfulness4dogs on YouTube by Darran
Rowe, President of APDTNZ (Association
of Professional Dog Trainers New
Zealand).
Happy tail-wagging!

35
 TIPS FOR BETTER

Health
Decisions
WITH DR ALICE BOYES

36

Standard Operating Procedures
help overcome overwhelm and
decision errors at critical points...
You can create simple SOPs for
managing your health.”
H
uman decision-making is
fraught with errors and
biases, like our tendency to
see only what we expect.
Given how important managing our
health well is, we need strategies that
mitigate our natural behaviours.
CREATE SOPS.
Standard Operating Procedures help
overcome overwhelm and decision
errors at critical points. They’ve been
proven to reduce harm, for instance,
they’re a major reason why flying on
commercial airlines is so safe. You can
create simple SOPs for managing your
health. For example, when you notice a
non-specific symptom, such as an eye
twitch or constipation, note the date on
your calendar. This will prevent
misremembering when it started.
Another basic SOP: the night before any
doctor’s appointment, you write down
everything to mention.
Incorporate redundancy. When I take a
daily medication, I look at the label on
the bottle and visually look at the pill
before taking it. I also have a rule of
never taking medication in the dark.
Applying SOPs in standard conditions
(e.g., when taking a familiar medication)
builds habits for non-standard
conditions (such as when taking a less
familiar medication, or when you’re not
at home).
CONSIDER SCENARIOS.
In the workplace, new SOPs are often
created after “near misses”. Do the same
when it comes to your health. If a health
situation occurs and you wish you
handled it better, create a SOP to make
sure you do. Pay particular attention to
avoiding accidents. If you fall off an
unstable ladder, what procedures do
you need so you don’t injure yourself
working on your home?
Beyond near misses, think through and
plan for scenarios that could happen. If
you notice a funny-looking spot on your
skin, what would you do that day? The
next day? After a week? What practical
or mental hurdles could occur? By
imagining how you’ll need to react in
specific scenarios, you’ll better prepare
for messy realities. For instance, you
think two weeks after a minor, non-
specific symptom occurs is when you
should get it checked out, but then
realise that getting an appointment
would take two more weeks. Good
procedures often need to start earlier
than we anticipate. A habit of wearing
sunblock needs to incorporate putting it
on your shopping list when your existing
bottle is running out. The habit doesn’t
start when you’re out in the sun.
IDENTIFY
HAZARDOUS ATTITUDES.
We’re all prone to the most common
hazardous attitudes at least
occasionally. Even people who are
naturally cautious or anxious sometimes
think “It won’t happen to me” or “Just
this once, I’ll do this unsafe thing.
It’ll be fine”.
Our prior experiences feed into our
attitudes. If you’ve had unhelpful
experiences with health service
providers, you might have a sense of
resignation, such as a belief seeking
help won’t actually help you. Another
potentially hazardous attitude is an
anti-authority stance (“Don’t tell me
what to do”).
WELLBEING
Dr Alice Boyes is the
author of several books,
including The Anxiety
Toolkit (2015) and Stress-
Free Productivity (2022).
aliceboyes.com
Consider your blind spots, like if you
tend to worry about breast cancer
because of family history, but not skin
cancer.
ACCOUNTABILITY.
When you create SOPs for yourself, a
dilemma is how to get yourself to
comply with them. In employment
situations, employers make sure we
comply with SOPs, but what about when
it’s just you? One solution, where
applicable, is to use flows that become
reflexive and automatic, like my example
of checking I’m taking the correct
medication.
To increase accountability, at minimum
write down your SOPs and give a copy
of your written SOPs to someone else.
Consider what accountability
mechanisms help you in other domains,
and apply those ideas to this area.
DEVELOP A CONTINUING
COMPETENCE PROGRAMME.
Many of us have continuing education
or recurrent training requirements in our
jobs. Take the same approach to your
health and wellness. For instance, how
can you ensure everyone in your
household is comfortable doing CPR?
New health research is emerging all the
time. How can you identify what’s most
important for you to know?
Use these tips in combination to improve
how you manage your health and
wellbeing. For example, a combination of
Standard Operating Procedures and
scenario-based thinking will be more
effective than either alone. We often
have effective tools and skills in our
arsenal that we don’t think of applying to
manage our health.
37
 BALANCE
Mode Studio founder Sam Bluemel has always
been good at putting her health first, including
making the decision to have a double mastectomy
because she carries the BRCA gene.
WORDS CAROLYN ENTING. PHOTOGRAPHY GARTH BADGER
A
t an early age Sam Bluemel discovered she loved
exercise. It’s her personal kryptonite and throughout
her working life she has always prioritised it, marking
out time in her diary each day for a workout and
making a rule to never cancel those meetings on herself
because she knows that it will make her feel great and give her
more energy to face the day.
It’s not surprising she became a personal trainer, though the
former model has also enjoyed a successful career in sales,
most recently at Good magazine, a role she resigned from to
care for her mum Michelle O’Neill who had terminal cancer.
“Mum was sick for two and a half years before she passed away
and she fought like hell which was pretty incredible to see but
also really hard. There’s not really any words for the experience
of going through it with your loved one and being there by
their side throughout it all,” she says.
Resigning from her job to take care of her mum was the best
decision she made. Looking back they shared so many
amazing moments and made magical memories despite it
being super tough.
Before her mum’s illness Sam, 33, knew she had the BRCA
gene. Her mum had it, and her grandmother Anne-Marie died
of cancer age 52 so likely had it, too.
“The advice was always to have a double mastectomy before
the age of 30 because your risk of getting breast cancer
increases exponentially compared to a woman who doesn’t
carry that gene mutation,” Sam says.
She’d begun to set things up with general surgery at North
Shore Hospital but as she was caring for her mum when she
turned 30 the surgery had to wait.
Shortly after her mum passed away age 54, Sam had the
surgery as quickly as possible which she now admits was
38
probably not the best timing. “When you are grieving your
body isn’t necessarily as robust or resilient, not to mention
your mind, to go through something like that,” she says. “I think
that might have contributed to the fact I ended up getting an
infection. Thankfully a couple of nights in hospital on IV
antibiotics sorted the problem out. I’m very glad I did it and had
the surgery. I felt a huge sense of relief afterwards because
I felt like this big horrible black cloud that had been following
me around had finally gone and I’m really proud for doing that
for myself and my future. I have no regrets.”
Her experience gave her time to rethink her future and about
what she is most passionate in life, which is fitness. It has seen
her swivel to her roots as a personal trainer but with a whole new
toolkit and approach. Her gym Mode Studio, which opens its
doors at 202 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland on April 2, is different from
other gyms in that it offers restorative facilities for the mind and
body, and a focus on recovery as well as workouts.
“The idea of Mode came from a very stressful time in my life
and I learned that exercise alone wasn’t quite enough to keep
me balanced and sane, and keep my mind and body feeling
okay as much as I could during that time. I realised when I
reflected back that I hadn’t made any time for my mental
health,” she says.
Because she finds meditation quite difficult Sam sought out
physical practices that allowed her to access that mindful side
of wellbeing and for her that was contrast therapy.
That’s why Mode Studio has three purpose-built contrast
therapy suites each with a sauna and ice bath, dark tiles, low
lighting, luxury Sans [ceuticals] products and waterfall showers.
“I’ve always found mindful practices quite challenging without
having some kind of physical access point,” she explains. “So
for me the sensation of heat, the quiet and solitude in a
beautiful room puts me in a state of mind in which I can be
mindful and present. It’s the same with the ice bath. It’s a real
 WELLBEING
I’m proud of myself for doing
that for myself and my future
and I have no regrets.”

mental challenge to stay in it for longer than a few seconds.

When you allow yourself to breathe and push through the
experience and allow your body to relax, you feel very present
in your skin and there’s not much else you can think about. It
quietens your mind and allows it to let go of all those racing
thoughts because you just have to sit there and breathe. I find
it a really strong way to access that kind of mindfulness.”
From the age of five Sam was always active and growing up
played every sport imaginable.
“I was really fortunate that Mum would drive me to all of my
practices and make time for that,” Sam says. “I love exercising.
When I’m running it’s the best feeling in the world and I feel
really privileged that I’m able to do that, that my body’s healthy
enough to do it. I enjoy the feeling of it being hard, my muscles
hurting and that feeling in your chest, your breath going in and
out as it does when you work out.”
She knows that not everyone shares that point of view and many
struggle with exercise – the doing, or even wanting to do it.
“The mission of Mode Studio is to help people find that joy in
exercise and to help them understand that it’s such a powerful
tool for your physical and mental health. That it can be fun and
it can be joyous and it really works for you – your body and
mind, it doesn’t have to be a chore, and that might not be
Mode Studio and that’s totally fine. It’s about trialling different
modalities and different ways you can move your body to find
the thing that works for you.”
At Mode Studio the idea is that we all have different modes in
terms of the way we move and express our own wellbeing.
“My favourite mode is workout mode and I’m still learning
about restorative self-care, so that’s my restore mode,” Sam
explains. “So, the tagline for the business is “workout restore”.
Mode will also offer New Zealand’s first treadmill studio as far
as Sam is aware. The class will be split between treadmills and
strength benches so that you work on your strength as well as
Words Carolyn Enting. Photography Garth Badger.

cardio. “It’s going to be the best workout ever,” she laughs.

Recovery classes will comprise of stretching, foam rolling and
mobility work, which is great for people who are not into yoga.
And by her side will be her border collie Theo, seven months. “I
can’t run with him yet as you have to wait until they are one
before they can run but I’m very excited that he is going to be
my running buddy,” she says.
As a working dog Theo is also Mode Studio’s mascot whose
job it will be to greet everyone and guard the studio in a
friendly way. g

39
 YOUTHFUL SKIN WITH

organic
skincare
AT ANY AGE
Dr Bo Hendgen’s slogan
regarding skincare is
“Keep it simple, affordable,
and 100 per cent natural”.

O
w ne of the first things that
strikes you when you meet
Dr Bo Hendgen, 62,
face-to-face is her great
skin. She’s her best advertisement
for her certified organic and vegan
skincare range by Absolute
Essential.
For 25 years, Bo has used natural
skincare formulas with
therapeutic grade essential oils
(created in her laboratory at
Absolute Essential HQ in Muriwai,
Auckland) as part of her skincare
routine and enjoyed the
therapeutic benefits.
Absolute Essential Rejuvenating
Face Serum is an old favourite for
many customers, followed by the
Untouched Range for bespoke
skincare. Most recently Absolute
Essential released a Rose & Frankincense
Skincare System to coincide with the
company’s 35th birthday.
“Therapeutic Essential oils help carry skin
quenching carrier oils into the deeper
layer of the epidermis,” Bo explains. “An
essential oil, even though it is called oil,
is not actually oily. Essential oils are a
collection of volatile molecules. When
using high-quality essential oils
extracted with a lower (heat) and
slower (time) extraction method, the

40

molecules are finer and much more accessible to our
bodies. They will penetrate through all the epidermis
layers deep into the skin and bloodstream if not mixed
with a carrier oil.
“The carrier oil is food for the skin, just like eating for
good nutrition. It supplies the nourishment
to your skin to stay supple and look youthful beyond your
years. For example, Jojoba Oil is rich in antioxidants,
omegas, and vitamins A, D, K and E.”
What therapeutic essential oils also bring to the party is
their smell and effect on the mind. That is why Bo created
an Absolute Essential Rose & Frankincense range that
soothes the mind and skin while nourishing it. The range
is suitable for all skin types, including skin troubled with
eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea.
It’s a combination she’s designed for herself as her skin
matures, and she has recommended it to her customers
for many years. Until recently, these essential oils had to
be individually added, drop-by-drop, to the Absolute
Essential Untouched range of lotions, serums, and creams.
However, demand for the Rose and Frankincense
combination has been so high Bo decided to make it
easier by producing a pre-blended Absolute Essential
Rose & Frankincense range – Toner, Intensive Serum, and
Night Cream – which effectively reduces the visible signs
of ageing while harnessing their calming benefits for the
mind. absoluteessential.com
BO’S DAILY/WEEKLY SKINCARE
ROUTINES AND HER SECRETS!
• Fresh water with a gentle plant-based soap is
sufficient for cleansing, especially if you live in the
country. Once a week Bo also washes her face with an
organic deep cleansing carrier oil like organic golden
Jojoba or Castor oil.
• Bo spritzes Rose Hydrosol (natural floral waters)
– best for mature skin – all over her face and neck to
cleanse further and hydrate her skin.
• Without drying, she applies her now favourite new
Rose & Frankincense Intensive Serum at night for
extra nourishment. The subtle scent of this serum not
only assists with transporting nourishment into the
Questions published in print will receive an Absolute Essential product up to
epidermis but also has a calming and soothing effect
on the mind readying her for a restorative rest.
the value of $35 chosen for you by Dr Bo. Photography Andrew Coffey
• In the morning (after cleansing), she applies either
Absolute Essential Untouched Face Cream or Rose &
Frankincense Face Cream for a richer feel.
• When make-up is necessary, she applies a tinted
moisturiser over the
top, which also has a
valuable sunscreen
component to protect
against the elements.
Her routine may be simple,
but it is effective due to
the quality natural
ingredients used in all
Absolute Essential
products.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL
Ask Dr Bo
Dr Bo is an Edmund Hillary Fellow,
member of the Climate Restoration
Group, Registered Medical Council,
Osteopath, Naturopathic Physician and
an Aromatic Medicine Practitioner.
Q: I have very dry skin so would very much like
to know the best oil to use on my face. Sandra
A: I highly recommend using Absolute Essential’s new
Untouched Intensive Serum, it is nourishing and formulated
especially for dry skin, leaving it soft and nourished. It’s readily
absorbed and reduces the appearance of fine lines while
restoring elasticity. The skin becomes visibly brighter, firmer
and hydrated. Apply this after cleansing 1-2 times per day and
watch for the results.
If you prefer something utilising essential oils have a look at
these two fabulous formulations: Rose & Frankincense
Intensive serum and Rose & Frankincense Night Cream. The
base for the Rose & Frankincense serum is very rich and
deeply nourishing and the cream focuses on improving the
texture of dry and mature skin.
Q: Does Castor oil really work for wrinkles? Elisabeth
A: Some people swear by Castor oil for all sorts of health
benefits and I must say I used it for a few different purposes
(not wrinkles) and have been impressed myself.
Firstly, however, you need to make sure that you find the right
Castor oil. There are a lot of cheap varieties on the market
and those will not help you much, in fact it could have the
opposite effect.
Absolute Essential Castor oil is certified organic and extracted
via cold pressing maintaining all the goodness inside the oil. It
is of course hexane-free. It is really emollient (thick) and a little
goes a long way. Try to use it as an oil after cleansing in the
evening and see what happens, all skin types are different and
some respond really well to it.
Once a week you could also apply it with the “oil cleansing
method” which is a deep cleanse with just using Castor oil.
Q: I am 77 years old and have been having my hair dyed at a
hairdresser's since I was 17. That makes 60 years of a ''product''
being put on my head. It's a long time for something unnatural.
Should I cease the dyeing and go my own grey colour, for my
health's sake now? Andrea
A: Wow, that is a very long time of hair dye and I agree with
you that it might be time for a change. I appreciate initially grey
hair is something to get used to but it can look very beautiful
and elegant. Regardless of colour or grey hair you could
consider using Absolute Essential Hair Restorer, an optimum
impact formula to improve scalp condition, readily absorbed
deep into the cells for effective repair and rejuvenation.
ASK DR BO
Do you have any questions about essential oils and
natural healthcare for you or your family?
Email your questions to: letters@good.net.nz and be in to
win an Absolute Essential product if published.*
All questions get answered and a reply will be emailed to
you in due course by Dr Bo.
41
 SKIN SAVIOUR
The key to
healthy skin.
Collagen is
lauded for its
skin plumping
properties but
can what you
drink really
change your
appearance?
WORDS TAMSIN MORGAN

42
T
he beauty industry loves a
trend and something to put
under its microscope as the
latest must-have saviour. For
the past few years, it’s been collagen
with many brands launching their
must-have powders to mix with water,
juice, coffee or even add to smoothies
every morning with the promise of
healthier hair, nails and skin. So what is it
and is it really worth it?
Collagen is the body’s scaffolding to
provide strength and structure. It is the
most abundant protein in the human
body, mostly found in bones, muscles,
skin and tendons. Starting in our 20s we
lose 1% of collagen per year, so by the
time we are in our 40s and beyond we
have lost enough for it to become
visible. In fact the pace of loss ramps up
around menopause. Skin starts to lose
firmness and elasticity, can become
saggy and wrinkles are formed more
easily. It’s no wonder it becomes top of
mind for so many of us.
The promise of rebuilding lost collagen
through taking a powder each morning is
alluring. But can the body really absorb it
and send it out to where it matters?
“There is mixed research on how well
collagen powders and pills are absorbed
and whether the collagen peptides make
positive changes to our skin and other
organs,” says naturopath Erin O’Hara.
“Collagen in its natural form is difficult to
digest because it has tightly packed, long
fibres in a unique triple helix structure. To
manufacture collagen powders, making
collagen easier to absorb and
bioavailable to the target organs,
chemicals or high heat is applied to
collagen to break it down into smaller
molecules to produce collagen peptides.”
This is called hydrolyzed and is often
seen on the ingredients list of popular
collagen powders like BePure, The
Beauty Chef, Jeunora, Holski, Two
Islands and many more. It’s a good thing
but is it enough? The jury is out.
“Collagen is an interesting story,” says
Dr Ellen Selkon from Clinic42. “Lots of
smaller studies have been done looking
at collagen supplements and ageing and
while there is some evidence that oral
collagen helps with elasticity, skin
roughness and improves hydration of
skin, it is not compelling evidence.”
Erin agrees and adds that what the
research shows is that there is not
enough high-quality evidence and
clinical studies on whether or not
BEAUTY
collagen powders are effective or
how long collagen takes to see
positive changes. Even though
the research shows promise,
many of the studies come
from collagen supplement
manufacturers.
Which begs the question
of how genuine those
studies really are. Still,
there are plenty of
customers who say that
taking their daily dose has
shown improvements and
they’re happy to keep taking
them. Reading customers
reviews across brands sites is
interesting. Many say they’ve only
just started taking it so they haven’t
seen huge changes yet but will keep
persevering. Some say it’s helped with
everything from recovering from Covid
to menopausal symptoms. Many claim
organs like the heart, brain or lungs so
they notice a difference in their skin and
we need to fuel our body with at least
nails when they stop taking it and
0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of
quickly restart.
body weight.
“We do have collagen supplements at
While there is no conclusive scientific
Clinic 42 that some of our doctors are
evidence to prove that taking collagen
adamant work and have some evidence
supplements will help prevent wrinkles,
behind, but for me, the evidence is not
there is also no harm in taking them.
yet where I want it to be to recommend
Especially if they are from a reputed
oral collagen supplements to my
brand. And for those who insist that
patients. I don’t have a problem if they
they see a difference, then that’s great
take a decent brand that is made in New and they should do what makes them
Zealand or Australia as it can’t harm feel happy and good about themselves.
them,” says Ellen who adds that it really
There are two products we can use, that
comes down to personal choice.
have got strong data to prove their
The human body has at least 28 types of efficiency, to help improve our skin:
collagen that are crucial in providing sunscreen and retinoids. Keeping out of
mechanical stability, elasticity and the sun is so important, not just for skin
strength to tissues and organs. The cancer prevention but also because one
number type of collagen is what’s most of the biggest contributors to collagen
often referred to; type 1 is especially loss is UV radiation. And there is a lot of
good for improving the appearance of research to prove that Vitamin A creams
skin, hair and nails and is mostly found in are effective. It’s just about finding the
marine collagen. Bovine collagen has right formulation and strength for your
amino acids and collagen type 2 which is skin and that is often prescribed by a
great for athletes looking to repair specialist rather than over the counter.
muscles and joints. Bovine collagen also
has glycine which helps with strength. If “I prefer injectable hydration in the form
you want to take collagen purely for skin, of Profhilo which is made up of 2
nails and hair then marine is the best. different types of hyaluronic acid and
has good evidence behind it to show
Since collagen is a protein, keeping a improvements in hydration and
diet high in protein also helps. When we elasticity or topical creams such as
consume protein through food, our body vitamin A (Retinol) which has lots of
breaks it down into amino acids, which good evidence behind it,” says Ellen who
can be reused to make the proteins a has seen huge improvements in her
body needs. Our body will prioritise patients using these methods. g
43
 BEAUTY
BEAUTY

BUZZ
IT’S IN THE NAME
A newcomer from across the ditch,
SheaMoisture haircare is now
available from Farmers. As a curly
top, I tried the Coconut & Hibiscus
Curl & Shine Shampoo and
Conditioner, $34 each. Like all
SheaMoisture products it’s
formulated using ethically-sourced
shea butter and helps to rehydrate
and repair stressed tresses. It also
tames frizz and defines natural curls.
Just wash, comb and let your hair
dry naturally to see the results.
farmers.co.nz

The Good Oil

Kate Sylvester x Aleph
Following their collab at New Zealand Fashion
Week Kahuria, fashion label Kate Sylvester and
Aleph Beauty have created the Gloria Cheek/Lip
Tint so that you can also get your hands on it. It’s the
perfect red with an unexpected pop of orange – a
strong and energetic colour that works with and
brightens every skin tone.
katesylvester.com
alephbeauty.com
Despite what you’re thinking re the name, this has nothing
to do with Good magazine though I wish we had some
claim in its creation. The Good Oil Face Oil, $59.95, from
the The Organic Skin Co is a best seller for a reason. I’ve
always used oils and this one is a goodie, excuse the pun.
My skin greedily soaks up this divine blend scented with
honeysuckle. And you plant a tree with every purchase!
theorganicskinco.com

EYE DEW
Been trying out Weleda’s
New & Improved Firming
Face Care Range. The whole
range is a superstar
including the Firming Eye
Cream, $46.90. It’s easy to
apply, feels gorgeous on the
Tried and true fave skin, lasts for ages, tube is
Trilogy’s Vitamin C Booster Treatment, great for travel and most
$49, is a freshly activated 2-week intense importantly contains an
brightening serum treatment for the skin. innovative blend of organic
After two weeks we can concur that it pomegranate seed oil and
Words Carolyn Enting

really does improve skin radiance, making peptides from organic maca
it our go-to and the perfect booster for root. The latter helps
skin in the lead-up to big events when contribute to skin firmness
you want to look your best. and elasticity. Yes please!
trilogyproducts.co.nz weleda.co.nz

44
 BEAUTY

Aqua Gel Mask

Deeply hydrate, plump and replenish skin with the power
of Marine Kelp, Harakeke and Hyaluronic acid.
All of our certified natural skincare is developed, formulated, tested, packed and delivered from
our purpose built facility in Kerikeri in the pristine Bay of Islands and has been since 1987. livingnature.com
 LOOK BEYOND
Interior designer Amber Lewis found her own
home build was more of a challenge than she
possibly could have imagined.
This is an edited extract from Call It Home
by Amber Lewis, published by Hardie
Grant, $65. Photography by Shade Degges.
46
D
esigning a home for yourself and your family is one of those special
milestones in life. It’s also one of the hardest and most stressful tasks to take
on. But once it’s done and you see your vision come to life, it can produce
the most rewarding feeling. Still, I never felt more tested than when it was
time for me to choose the design elements for my own home. At so many points, I
thought I would succumb to design decision fatigue. How on earth would I, someone
exposed to so many design options every day, be able to choose elements I would like
(and could live with) for a long while? Impossible!
I’m a pretty decisive person in general, but when it came to making decisions for my
own home...well, the client name ‘Me, Myself, and I Can’t Make Up My Mind’ says it all.
I wanted this house to encapsulate so much, yet I didn’t want much at all. Aside from
the aesthetics, so much of this project was about creating a feeling.
Here, I break down the details of how I managed to design and create my very own
home, despite having an over-abundance of choices at my disposal.
For my own home, I wanted to feel like I was approaching a ranch nestled somewhere
between the Belgian countryside and the California coast.
CLIENT:
ME, MYSELF, AND I CAN’T MAKE UP MY MIND
In the earliest stages of designing my home, I felt it important to create something like
an oasis from the hustle and bustle of a jam-packed life. I wanted a space my family
and I would cherish always and in which we could grow; a place in which to unwind or
be my most creative; where we could all feel grounded, safe, and secure as we started
and ended our days. But when we decided to build this home, I didn’t know just how
important and life-altering this home-building journey would be. In the two years it
took to build our home – and for two years after we moved in – just like the house, we
experienced a major evolution, morphing in ways we could never have imagined and
enduring enormous challenges. And we would come out of this tumultuous time with
a radically different perspective on the process.
As I know well – and especially when it comes to home building – the best-laid plans
can often get turned upside down. When it came to my own house, I had every
intention of keeping the project on track and staying on budget. Yet, as most projects
Kitchen: “The focal point of the kitchen is the island, which I had initially envisioned
sourcing as a vintage piece, but I couldn’t find something large enough. So I ended
up working with one of my tried-and-true vendors, Mathew Cox, from the UK to
create this big beauty.”

47
 Above: For my own home, I wanted to feel like I was approaching a ranch nestled
somewhere between the Belgian countryside and the California coast. I love the
sound of walking on pea gravel, so I chose that for most of the front yard. The home
exterior itself is made of stone from Horizon Stone in the colour Hermitage and
vertical plank siding in black.
Right: . The cabinets in the kitchen were designed to reach to the ceiling and to
house all the appliances behind sliding doors. The main living area was an
open-concept plan with one big chill zone for friends and family. The windows and
doors were designed to be large allowing lots of light to flood in.

do, this one took a little longer than expected and cost a little
bit more than anticipated. But as I have mentioned before,
you’ve gotta expect this with home building. There are just
too many factors at play and way too many elements out of
your control.
So, instead of the Christmas 2019 date we had hoped for, we
ended up moving into the house in early March 2020. Yes, the
same March we all now know so well – the month that changed
us, the country, and the world forever. In an additional crazy
twist of fate, I had also been dealt a hand in a game I was
unaccustomed to playing, one that would alter my definition of
‘home’ and force me to focus on the importance of my
surroundings in a way I never thought possible.
On March 8, 2020, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
(MS). After a hellish few days of my being in and out of the
hospital, scared stiff about what this meant for my future, the
unthinkable happened: The world shut down for the Covid-19
pandemic. Suddenly, not only did my own world as I knew it
look dramatically different, but also all of us were forced to shift
our perspectives on the meaning of ‘home’.
The timing was uncanny. I remember those first two weeks of
March 2020 so vividly. The highs of finally moving into our
finished house, a place we had spent years designing and
building, were suddenly being overshadowed by a crippling
fear and uncertainty over my diagnosis and the terrifying
global pandemic.
I had known while I was designing this space that I wanted it to
feel safe, but I never thought we would end up needing our
home in the way we did. In one fell swoop, it became a place
where we would not only eat and sleep but also where we
would wake up daily to a precarious world.
We would not leave the house for months and months, and I
would need to find solace in sitting as still as possible with my
new reality, learning to lean into this new normal.
Now that you have some context for how the home came to be,
and the significance this period will always have in my heart, I
can finally jump into the details I have been asked about for
years. In the interest of transparency, I’ll confess: It was quite
the experience to be at once client and designer.
When it came to following my own rules and selecting my
team, I decided to keep it literally in the family and hired my
dad as our builder. I felt so blessed with him on board and
knew we would be in the best hands. Still, regardless of how

48

secure I felt in my experience with building homes, nothing
could have prepared me for creating my own. It was, without
doubt, one of the most stressful experiences of my life.
BUT FIRST, LET’S BACKTRACK A BIT.
We bought the property, a flat one-acre parcel of land, in 2016,
and continued to live in our small ranch-style home for a
couple years while we saved money and dreamt up the new
house. Our part of California is known for its single-story
ranch-style homes, so it was important to me that we not stray
too far from this type of house. We had to work with the home’s
existing foundation, adding to the original building by creating
hallways to extra rooms, opening up ceilings, and widening
doorways and windows to let the natural light flood in. By
creating an almost L-shaped building, we were able to better
separate the bedrooms from the living spaces and build a
small, private family room where we could cosy up and watch
TV away from the kitchen and main living room. We wanted the
house to feel like a part of the landscape, a retreat nestled
HOME
within nature rather than a structure sitting apart from it. For
this reason, we figured out ways to build right up to and around
some big, beautiful existing trees. Now every window and door
in the house looks out onto the massive yard and mature trees.
Because we were going for cosy and safe, I didn’t want
anything to feel overly grand so, no enormous great room just
for the sake of it. Ours was an incredibly intentional build-out,
one that suited the specific needs of our smaller family. I paid
close attention to ensuring that each space in the home
honoured function as well as form. I wanted it to be the perfect
home for me and my family, designed so that everything had a
place and so that it reflected how we live and entertain.
Nothing too fancy, just well-thought-out rooms with a focus on
simple but impactful materials and a connection to the
outdoors.
Selecting the materials and architectural details was very
challenging for me. How would I choose things I would like
forever? How would I continue, years later, to love what I’d
49
 selected for my own home when what I did for a living was look
at option after option for other people? In the end, I decided to
design something that felt timeless enough to withstand years
HOME
of trends by not being trendy. ‘Simple but special’ was the
name of the game. I opted to pick only a few types of materials,
and when push came to shove, I went with gorgeous neutral
and natural items that felt textural and interesting.
Think white oak floors, tongue-and-groove beam ceilings, and
taupe Zellige tiles on the shower walls. In the kitchen, we went
with a combination of painted and white oak cabinetry
throughout, some interesting reclaimed white oak ceilings, and
bright but veiny marble on the countertops. Add some
gorgeous lighting and plaster on the walls for a touch of
texture, and we achieved a winning mix. It was a combination
I had used for clients time and time again, and even after
numerous years of installing it, I still loved it.
SO THAT WE START AT THE BEGINNING, LET’S DISCUSS
THE FRONT ENTRANCE AND WORK OUR WAY AROUND,
SHALL WE?
They say you never get a second chance to make a good first
impression, so I designed our entryway to be a welcoming
place for us and our friends and family. I have always loved
brick, so I chose reclaimed brick for the floors there and laid it
in a herringbone pattern with a soldered border to create some
visual interest. As in quite a few spaces around the home, we
added vertical tongue-and-groove panelling on the walls and
reclaimed white oak beams and panelling on the ceilings. We
repeated this combo throughout the home, creating, in the
process, a formula for when and where this detail would be
applied: If the ceilings were vaulted, I applied paint-grade
beams and panelling. If the ceilings were flat, I applied
reclaimed oak beams and panelling. Of course, the budget
would not allow me to do this everywhere, so I chose only the
most impactful rooms for this approach – such as my daughter
Gwyneth’s bedroom, the main hallways, the kitchen, the
primary suite, and the main living spaces.
I went with an open-concept plan for the main area of the
home so we could have one big chill zone for friends and
family. (You’ll see in the rest of the layout that I used lots of
nooks to separate the kitchen and dining area from the living
area.) The space opens up onto the big backyard and is
flooded with natural light – one of the design attributes we
most wanted to highlight here. I designed the windows and
doors to be as large as we could go, keeping in mind that the
scale needed to match the overall vibe of this charming ranch
house. The original home did not have a fireplace, so we added
one to the main living room. To bring wood tones into the
space, I opted not to do any traditional built-in cabinetry, but
instead to design freestanding pieces flanking the fireplace to
house all my books and collectibles. We are a family that loves
games and music, so the pieces had to include storage and
places to hide record player wires. For these, I went with a
combination of open and closed white oak shelving with a
cerused finish.
We vacillated over adding more square footage so we could
include a formal dining room, but in the end, we decided that
just wasn’t our vibe. We’re lucky enough to live in Los Angeles,
where the weather is perfect nearly 365 days a year, so we
focused instead on building a large outdoor dining area to seat
my massive extended family. I mentioned earlier that the
50
existing foundation compelled us to keep some of the house’s
funkier layout issues. Specifically, the original kitchen was
located in an odd spot and had very low windows. We decided
to use the quirky height of the windows to our advantage and
designed a seating area here to house a large dining table and
a massive custom built-in wicker banquette. Because this
space was right off the new, relocated kitchen and in the same
open layout as the living room, it felt like the perfect nook to
tuck in a table for hanging out and eating or watching a game
while continuing, at any given moment, to engage with
whatever was happening in the kitchen.
For the new kitchen, we wanted a beautiful space that would
serve as both the focal point for the adjacent open area and a
gorgeous backdrop for the main living room. For this reason,
I had to ensure there was zero visual clutter and direct the eye
to all the texture and materials in the kitchen. This was one of
those instances when I thought long and hard about what
elements to incorporate that would make the kitchen feel
interesting and unique but not look tired in a matter of months.
With long lead times, I had to make my selections early on in
the building process; I knew if I didn’t pull the trigger, I would
be forever indecisive. So, I worked my way down a checklist,
selecting those items that would become the centrepieces
for the kitchen.
No matter what, I knew the kitchen island had to be the
centrepiece of the room. Originally, I hunted for a massive
vintage piece I could retrofit to accommodate my sink,
dishwasher, trash can, and so on – but this was not as easy as I
had hoped it would be. When I realised I might have to give up
my search, I started reaching out to my tried-and-true vendors.
I had ordered from and been a fan of the work of UK antiques
dealer Matthew Cox. I was perusing his site one day when I saw
the most covetable piece of furniture, something I just had to
have. I contacted him immediately and asked if he would
partner with me to design the perfect custom-built island
based on that piece. He let me know he had done it before and
agreed. It took a while, and shipping cost a pretty penny, but it
was worth it to obtain such a stunning addition to the space.
When it came to selecting the cabinetry style, I knew I wanted
simple. I love to collect things but did not want the visual
clutter a collection can bring, so I designed a shelving unit with
sliding doors; the rippled-glass panels made the items stacked
behind them essentially disappear. You will notice that I
created counter-to-ceiling cabinets – called appliance garages
– which hide all the small appliances and knick- knacks that
tend to clutter counters. (Anytime you can use this style of
cabinet, I say go for it!) And when it came to choosing a colour,
I went with a neutral greige! g
Opposite top left: I carried the same beams from the kitchen into this hallway, to
keep in theme and follow my formula for flat ceilings. I also added three vintage
pendants I had been dying to install in my own home for years. These substantial
pieces really steal the show in this hallway, which is exactly what I wanted them
to do.
Opposite top right: My daughter Gwenyth chose the materials for her bathroom
featuring a Zellige shower tile in a fun herringbone pattern, in Weathered White, and
a coordinator herringone pattern for the brick floor.
Opposite bottom left: This bathroom is all about the classic materials: Calacatta
marble, reclaimed white oak, brass plumbing and limestone floors.
Opposite bottom right: Covering the hood and backsplash with tiles was a way to
do something different, to introduce texture to the space. Zellige tiles in weathered
white were chosen to jibe perfectly with the greige-coloured cabinetry and
gorgeous, warm-veined marble chosen for the countertops and partial backsplash.
51
 SUSTAINABLE LIVING SERIES

Upcycling!
MAKE WHAT’S OLD NEW AGAIN.

T
hey say one person’s trash is
another person’s treasure, but
what if that old adage isn’t
about different people, but
different mindsets? Broken things can
be fixed. Tired items can be refreshed.
Objects that are no longer fit-for-
purpose can be transformed.
Upcycling isn’t exactly a new trend, but
it’s an enduring one. With a little bit of
imagination, a few DIY or craft supplies,
and just one enthusiastic participant,
you can breathe new life into all sorts of
household bits and pieces. Upcycling
keeps potentially useful things out of
landfill, saves you money on buying
replacement items, and lets you hone
your DIY skills. Who knows, maybe you’ll
even learn a thing or two.

Bring your old furniture

back to life
Restoring or updating old furniture is one
of the most popular upcycling projects
around. We’ve all got those pieces of
once-beautiful furniture that have lost
their lustre or found a bit of a wobble.

52

Refinishing an old piece is a matter of
cleaning it top to bottom, sanding it
back to remove original paint (be sure to
sand in the same direction as the wood
grain), and then applying your new
finish. Whether it’s a classic stain to
restore the original look, or a fanciful
colour or design all your own, you can
get the perfect look to match your home
and your tastes.
Designing and building furniture is an
artform that takes years to perfect, but
there’s plenty of DIY fixes that can help
a piece of furniture fulfil its purpose. A
lot of common problems with furniture
legs can be solved fairly simply. Hinges,
handles and drawer runners can be
replaced with a quick trip down to your
local hardware store.
Literally any container can be turned
into a plant pot, all you need is a little bit
of paint to make it your own. Plastic
bottles are great for this, as they can be
easily cut into fun shapes. Old gumboots
and tyres can also become quirky
planters for the garden.
Glass jars are perfect for making
terrariums or, when filled with string
lights, make cute, rustic lanterns or
night lights.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY MITRE 10
With a bit of creative flair, old toilet rolls
can become bird feeders, pen holders or
even finger puppets.
When it comes to upcycled crafts, you’re
limited only by your imagination. Once
you start thinking about how X could be
turned into Y, the sky’s the limit.
For project inspiration and how-to
guides, go to www.mitre10.co.nz/
inspiration or speak to us in-store.

Give shipping pallets a

new job
While most of us don’t have a stack of
pallets at home, they are pretty easy to
come by. Pallet planters are another
enduring, ingenious upcycling project.
These vertical gardens are a great way
to bring a bit of flora to more compact
spaces as they have a small footprint
while still providing plenty of planting
space.
On the underside of a pallet you’ll find
three supports. Lean the flat side
against a wall, and these three supports
will become your garden beds. You’ll
need three pieces of timber as long as
the pallet is wide – these will be the
bottoms of your garden beds. Attach
them with galvanised screws (to prevent
rust), line the beds with weed mat, and
then add your soil.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to use the
right season plants with short root
systems. For flowers, marigolds and
lobelia are perfect. Salad greens and
herbs will also grow well here, but make
sure your pallet is made of untreated
timber before using it to grow food.
Position somewhere sunny to help your
plants thrive.

Turn mundane objects

into craft materials
There are plenty of household objects
that go straight to the recycling bin
once they’re clean and empty. Plastic
bottles, glass jars, and cardboard toilet
roll tubes – these are all things that can
be utilised in craft projects the whole
family can get involved in.

53
 TIED UP
IN KNOTS
Discover the simple pleasures of
macramé with this easy hanger.
CRAFT AND PHOTOGRAPHY SARAH HEERINGA

54

M YOU NEED
acramé is an ancient craft
dating from Babylonian
times. At its most basic
twine or string is cut into
lengths and retied using a series of
knots. But macramé can also be very
ornate, involving hundreds of tiny twists,
a variety of knots and incorporating
beads, shells and other embellishments.
It was used by 13th-century Arabian
weavers and was popular in Victorian
England as a means of making intricate
lace for curtains, tablecloths,
bedspreads, doilies and coasters. Sailors
of old used macramé to weave ship
ropes and hammocks. On trend hippies
in the 1970s hung decorative macramé
on their walls, carried knotted and
tasseled string bags and wore macramé
belts, tops, necklaces, bracelets and
sandals.
For an easy macramé project that takes
about 15 minutes, try this simple pot
hanger. Make a number to fill with small
plants in jars for a space-saving hanging
garden.
FOR THE MACRAMÉ HANGER
• twine or other thick string
• scissors
• tape measure (optional)
FOR THE PLANTS
• succulent or small herb plant
• small pebbles
• coir or (sustainably harvested)
sphagnum moss
• potting mix
• glass jar, with labels soaked off
STEP 1: CUTTING
Cut 12 pieces of twine into
approximately 1 metre lengths. Cut
another two lengths to 90cm each.
Gather the 12 long pieces together and
fold them evenly in the middle to form a
thick cord with a loop at one end and
the loose ends at the other.
STEP 2: WRAPPED KNOT
Lay the looped cord down on a flat
surface and use one end of a 90cm
length to tie a firm knot approximately
CRAFT
5cm from the top of the loop. Tuck in
the loose end of this twine and firmly
wind the remaining long end several
times around the gathered cord to
create the wrapped knot. Leave just
enough twine to tie a tight double knot
at the bottom and use the point of your
scissors to poke the loose end neatly up
inside the centre of the cord.
STEP 3: FIRST OVERHAND KNOT
Spread out the strings and group the 12
lengths of twine into 6 pairs. Tie each
pair of strings with an overhand knot,
approximately two thirds of the way
down the length of the two strings. (An
overhand is the basic knot that most of
us use as the first half of tying up our
sneakers.) Adjust the knots so that
when you gather the lengths together
they are all roughly the same position
along the strings.
STEP 4: SECOND OVERHAND KNOT
Spread out the strings again and, taking
one string from a pair and matching it
with one string from an adjacent pair, tie
a second knot approximately 10cm
55
 `
Ready for more macramé? Once you’ve
made a basic hanger, try something a little
fancier by switching the wrapped knot with a
vertical half hitch. The half hitch knot ties two
CRAFT

strands of thread together and is used in

macramé to create horizontal, diagonal and
curved lines across a pattern. If you tie a
series of half hitches over a central thread
they will naturally start to form a spiral.

along the string. Repeat this until every

string is knotted together with an
adjacent piece of twine. As with Step 3,
adjust the knots so they are all at the
same position along the strings.

STEP 5: THIRD OVERHAND KNOT

Repeat as above, taking care to select
an adjacent piece of twine, and tying the
knots at the same position along the
strings.

STEP 6: FINAL OVERHAND AND

WRAPPED KNOT
Gather all the loose strings evenly
together and tie them into a tight
overhand knot. Use the remaining 90cm
length to tie a firm knot above the
overhand knot and continue as with
Step 2 to create a wrapped knot over
the top.
STEP 7: TRIM THE ENDS AND
INSERT JAR
Pot your jar by layering small pebbles,
coir or sustainably harvested sphagnum
moss and potting mix. Put in the plant
and fill around the edges with extra soil.
`
Other basic knots to try include the
lark’s head, the square knot and the
basket stitch. The lark’s head knot is
often used to start a project. You
make it by folding a strand of twine or
yarn in half to form a loop, bringing the
ends up and around a ring or another
thread and through the loop, pulling
them to tighten the knot. A square
knot is formed with four strands of
twine. The two outer threads cross
under and over the inner threads to
create a ladder effect. The basket
stitch uses four strands of thread to
create a flat row of knots. It is formed
by making half-hitches over two
central strands, alternating the two
outside working threads.

56
 100% certified organic cotton.
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Because you deserve it. We’ve gone the extra mile, partnering with
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 Handmade
with love
C
hocolate bark is delicious and
An indulgent, simple to make. Pop it in a
healthy and handmade box for a perfect
Mother’s Day gift. Use Fairtrade
fairtrade gift ingredients to support mothers around the
world – creating opportunities and hope as
to make. better wages and working rights
provides mothers with the chance
CRAFT BY SARAH HEERINGA to invest in their children’s
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMANDA REELICK future.

58
 FOR THE BOX:
• 2 sheets of stiff paper, white and coloured

CRAFT
• Ruler, pen and sharp pointed scissors
• Double-sided tape

Step 1:
Use ruler, pen and scissors to cut out 2 x
octagons (8-sided shape).

Step 2:
Use ruler and scissor-point to score parallel lines
between points; turn 90 degrees, score two more
parallel lines, creating a central square; then score
a short line in centre of each edge.

Step 3:
Cut a square of coloured card; tape it to centre.

Step 4:
Write a Mother’s Day message.

Step 5:
Tape the two octagons together (for thickness);
fold along the scored edges.

Step 6:
Press corners together and secure with tape.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE BARK:

• 1 cup Fairtrade chocolate drops
• ½ cup chopped almonds, roasted
• ¼ cup Fairtrade dried mango
• ¼ cup Fairtrade papaya
• Freshly ground sea salt (optional)

Step 1:
Measure out all ingredients. Slice the dried fruit
and roughly chop the nuts.

Step 2:
Melt the drops on a low heat, using a metal bowl
over a pot of water.

Step 3:
Once melted, whisk the chocolate to a smooth
paste.

Step 4:
Line a tray with baking paper. Spread the chocolate
evenly, sprinkle with nuts and fruit, gently pressing
them flat.

Step 5:
Chill in fridge until firm. Sprinkle with salt (optional).
Break into even chunks.

Step 6:
Stack the bark in upright layers in the box.

59
 Sarah is a contributing editor
for Good and author of two
books. Her latest title is
Upcycling With Style.

sarahheeringa.com

Turning
the tables
A classic piece is restored
for the next decade.
WORDS BY SARAH HEERINGA. PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMANDA REELICK

For more paint, colour ideas and

inspiration, visit your Resene
Resene ColorShop or resene.co.nz.
Colorwood Teak

60

T YOU NEED:
his mid-century modern
coffee table has enduring
style, but the varnish is
showing signs of wear and
tear. With a little effort, old varnish can
be removed and scuffed wooden
furniture can be restored to its former
glory.
Resene Colorwood natural wood stain
has a see-through look that enhances
the natural grain of timbers. The final
wood colour depends on the timber
being stained, so check the full Resene
range of stains and tints for a shade that
best matches. We used Resene
Colorwood Teak.
DIY WITH RESENE
• Resene Strip-Off and paintbrush
• Resene Colorwood Natural Wood TOP TIP
Stain, and for finish Resene If you prefer to avoid the
Aquaclear waterborne urethane or stripping varnish step, you can
Resene Qristal Clear apply Resene Colorwood
• Speed brush and tray Whitewash. Greywash or a
• Drop cloth or cardboard beachwash finish over the top
for a stain wash effect, or you
• Protective clothing, gloves and can use Resene Waterborne
goggles Sureseal and then apply
• Metal bowl, stainless steel scourers, topcoats in your chosen Resene
eco detergent colour for a painted finish.
• Optional: small sander and range of
sandpapers

STEP 1:
Examine your item of furniture to
determine which parts need to be
refurbished. It may be that you don’t
need to strip or stain all surfaces.
Resene Strip-Off is a powerful solvent
that is effective at removing enamels
and varnishes from household furniture.
STEP 2:
Lay out drop cloths or layers of
absorbent cardboard. Wear protective
clothing such as an apron, goggles and
solvent-resistant gloves. Brush on
1 4
Resene Strip-Off. Thoroughly wet the
surfaces to be stripped and leave the
product on for at least 30 minutes
before testing.

STEP 4.
Strip surfaces using a paint scraper or
by scrubbing with a metal pot scourer.
Always work in the direction of the wood
grain. After stripping all surfaces, scrub
them clean using warm water and eco
detergent.

STEP 5.
Allow all surfaces to dry for 24 hours
and lightly sand where necessary. 2 5
Always work in the direction of the wood
grain. Thoroughly wipe all surfaces to
remove any remaining dust.

STEP 6.
Use a speed brush and a shallow tray
to apply an even coat of Resene
Colorwood Natural Wood Stain.
Allow to dry. Apply Resene Aquaclear
satin or gloss or Resene Qristal Clear
polyurethane to help protect your
wooden furniture and your stained
finish.

3 6

61
 SERENE

HOME
green
Imbue peace into your home with soothing sage.

01 02

07 03

04

06

05

01 Samsung bespoke dishwasher and French door fridge in Resene Green Spring,
samsung.com, resene.co.nz 02 H&M plates, $15 each, hm.com/nz 03 Eva Solo green tool /
peeler julienne, $29, fatherrabbit.com 04 Green Pond teapot and cup, $50, tradeaid.org.nz
05 Wallace Cotton ‘Dreamscape’ linen teatowel, $24.90, wallacecotton.com 06 Citta
‘Spearmint’ linen robe, $189, cittadesign.com 07 Living & Co ‘West Coast’ mug, $5,
thewarehouse.co.nz

63
 Grow
sprouts +
microgreens
Save your dollars and fast-
track good health by
growing microgreens.
These leafy gems are super
easy to grow and pack a
punch of healing
antioxidants.

This is an edited extract from The

Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook
by Kirsten Bradley, photography by Sam
Shelley, Murdoch Books, $45.

64
 GARDEN
G
rowing even just a little bit of your own food is a
powerfully positive habit to cultivate, because every
chunk of resilience we can cram into our household
and community counts – including knowing how to
grow your own food at home, if and when you need it.
Growing food helps build a connection with our ecosystem: it
connects us with our soil, plants, other animals, insects and
water. It allows us to eat more locally, avoid buying from giant
multinational companies just a little bit more often, and it gives
us access to food grown without plastics and chemicals. It’s
good for you, and everything around you.
If you don’t have the time or space to launch full steam into a
veggie patch just yet, no worries at all. You can grow your own
nutritious sprouts and microgreens on your kitchen bench or
windowsill – no garden required. All you need is a few jars, a
few seeds and a bit of basic knowhow. The results you’ll get are
fast, cheap and delicious: nutritious fresh food, grown right in
your kitchen where you need it most.
Sprouts and microgreens are essentially baby plants –
vegetable and herb seedlings – that you eat when they’re just
a few days or weeks old. At this point, they’re still in the ‘leafy
greens’ stage, which is excellent, because leafy greens are just
about the most expensive vegetable you can buy. Plus, greens
spoil rapidly after being picked. So fresh is definitely best, and
microgreens are incredibly quick to grow in small spaces,
without needing a heap of sunlight. You can do this year-round
in your kitchen, regardless of where you live or what’s
happening outside.

How to grow sprouts in a jar

Sprouts are plant seeds that have germinated successfully;
they have literally sprouted for you, entirely within a jar. No soil
required! You can sprout almost any seed that produces edible
adult plants. The result is crunchy homegrown veg that’s
packed full of nutrients, all grown in a space that’s not much
bigger than your hand.

YOU WILL NEED

• Sprouting seeds, organic if possible (you might find these
in the drygoods section of your local store); 2 tablespoons
small seeds, such as mustard or alfalfa OR ½ cup big seeds,
such as adzuki beans, chickpeas or whole lentils
• A clean jar, around 1 litre (4 cups) capacity, but use
whatever you have
• Netting or tulle fabric, or even an old handkerchief will do
• Elastic band or hair tie
• A small bowl

65
 YOU WILL NEED
• Seed-raising medium, such as coir fibre
• Seed-raising trays (clean)
• Suitable seeds (organic if possible)
• Water spray bottle or hose
• Hessian or other coarse cloth
1. Spread seed-raising medium in the tray to a depth of 2.5
cm (1 inch) and level it out gently. Scatter seeds over the
surface. For larger seeds, place them 1 cm (½ inch) apart.
2. Gently mist with water until soaked through (when the shiny
wet look takes longer than 10 seconds to fade away).
3. Cover the tray with hessian or cloth, or stack trays on top
of each other: this keeps the moisture in and improves
germination.
4. Each day, uncover the trays, water and check for
germination. If nothing’s popped up, cover them over again.
5. When leaves first form, move the trays into a spot that gets
indirect sunlight, and continue to water daily.
6. Your microgreens will likely be ready for harvest in 1 to 3
weeks. Harvest only what you need to eat right now, by
cutting close to the base. Keep watering what’s left and
harvest as needed.
7. Once all is eaten, you can restart the tray by loosening the
growing medium, topping up with a little fresh medium and
scattering with new seeds.

Using sprouts and microgreens

1. Put the seeds in the jar and fill with cool, clean water. Microgreens and sprouts are supremely versatile and can be
2. Cover the jar with netting and secure it with the elastic added to almost anything. We put them in salads, sandwiches,
band. soups, stir-fries and pasta sauces, and we can often get several
meals from one small tray. Happily, their mild flavour goes
3. Let the seeds soak for 4–8 hours or overnight. (This down well with the whole family, picky eaters included. Here
ensures you get good germination.) are some ways we use them:
4. Drain the water off the seeds then give them a rinse in cool • Sprouts on top of peanut-butter toast
water. To fully drain the seeds, upend the jar at an angle in • Sprouts sprinkled into carrot and cumin soup
a bowl so all the water drains out.
• Sprouts in a halloumi burger
5. Place the jar, still upside-down in its bowl, on a windowsill • Microgreens as a salad with tomato and mozzarella, or
or on the kitchen bench, out of direct sunlight. roast pumpkin and quinoa
6. Every 12 hours or so (at least once a day), fill the jar with • Microgreens on pizzas
cool, clean water, then rinse, drain, and put the jar back in • Microgreens in omelettes
the bowl on its tilt.
• Sprouts or microgreens stirred through a stir-fry just
7. In 3 or 4 days (or sooner) enjoy your fresh young sprouts! before serving.
Delicious.
OUR FAVOURITE SEEDS TO GROW FOR MICROGREENS
How to grow microgreens • Lettuce and rocket
Microgreens are seeds sown in trays with growing medium and • Herbs such as coriander and basil
grown for a week or two until their ‘true’ leaves appear. (A • Buckwheat
seedling’s first set of leaves are ‘cotyledons’, or seed leaves,
• Amaranth
which look similar in many plants. You’re waiting for what
appears next: the first set of ‘true’ leaves.) Cut the shoots close • Beetroot
to the base with scissors and eat! • Broccoli
The real trick to growing great microgreens is to make a habit • Spinach
of it. If you plant a tray every week, you will constantly have • Sunflower
new greens coming on. So find a windowsill, and let’s get • Daikon radish
growing. • Mustard greens

66
67
GARDEN
 WHAT TO

Autumn is about preparation, getting soil

health optimum for winter crops.
WORDS TAMSIN MORGAN

68
 GARDEN
APRIL
As you harvest the final summer crops it’s time to prepare the
patch with winter staples including kale, spring onion, spinach,
blueberry, citrus, cauliflower, parsley, beetroot, broccoli,
cabbage, celery and silverbeet.
• It’s time to turn the soil and prepare for the cooler months.
Dig in compost and sheep pellets before planting to
replenish nutrients used by previous crops. Compost is
also excellent at drawing and retaining moisture.
• If your beans are floppy, tie them and keep them well
watered, and they should keep producing for another
month or so.
• Stake taller brussels sprouts plants to prevent them from
falling over.
• Once sweetcorn has finished pull them out and add stems
to the compost heap.
• In cooler climates pull out tomato plants and leave any
green fruits on a windowsill to ripen in the sun (this may
take a few weeks).
• Feed established plants with nutrients to keep them going
as the seasonal weather changes.
• Control slugs and snails with products or cracked egg
shells or beer traps. If you can give up a small amount of
your favourite ale, leave a wide jar in the garden that will
attract slugs and snails that will crawl in and drown.
• Add a layer of mulch around the base of fruit trees to keep
the soil warmer over the winter months and keep the area
weed-free.

MAY
Autumn’s last hurrah, days are shortening and nights are
getting cooler. There’s lots to enjoy in the garden this month
and it’s the last chance to get those bulbs in the ground before
it gets too cold.
• Prep your soil. If you were still harvesting in April now is the
time to dig in compost and sheep pellets before planting to
replenish nutrients used by previous crops.
• In warmer climates plant beetroot, bok choi, broccoli,
cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, coriander, garlic, kale,
lettuce, mesculun, onion, parsnip, parsley, peas, radish,
rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, and spinach.
• In colder, frostier climates plant brussel sprouts, cabbage,
garlic, kale, lettuce, onions, peas, radish and spinach.
• Add thick layers of mulch or straw to garden beds and pots
to conserve water, reduce weeds and add valuable
nutrients back.
• Protect tender herbs like basil from the cold to prolong the
harvest – cover with frost cloth or something similar in the
evenings.

69
 SPACE
INVADERS
They’ll smother, strangle and choke native
plants and insects. Pest plants must go.
WORDS KAHU DE BEER
A
t the house where I grew up,
we had Japanese honeysuckle
growing wild all around. My
brother and I loved it and
would pull the flowers off and suck out
the sweet nectar. The flowers have a
lovely scent and we’d often pick
handfuls and put them in vases inside.
Only later as it took over more and more
of the garden, did we realise it was an
invasive weed.
New Zealand is known around the world
for its breathtaking landscapes and
70
unique biodiversity. You only have to
take a walk through our native bush to
appreciate how special it is. There are a
number of threats to our beautiful
environment here though, including the
invasion of pest plants – most of them
originating from overseas. Often these
pest plants can be found in our own
backyards and gardens as well. Using
natural eradication methods, such as
pulling by hand, pruning, mulching, and
introducing natural predators, we can
play a crucial role in protecting our
native flora and fauna.
HERE’S A LIST OF COMMON PEST PLANTS IN NEW ZEALAND AND HOW BEST TO ERADICATE THEM NATURALLY:
CLIMBING ASPARAGUS
(ASPARAGUS SCANDENS)
Originally introduced as an ornamental
plant, climbing asparagus (also known
as asparagus fern) has become a
prevalent invader in New Zealand’s
forests and gardens. Recognised by its
feathery foliage, this plant is a climber
and strangles native saplings.
NATURAL ERADICATION METHOD
Pulling out by hand – Regularly inspect
your garden and manually remove
climbing asparagus shoots, making sure
to dig out the entire root system. Don’t
dispose of in compost as this sneaky
plant will take root. Dispose of roots and
stems in the rubbish or burn.
Mulching – Suppress the growth of
climbing asparagus by applying a thick
layer of organic mulch around affected
areas. This not only hinders its growth
but also improves overall soil health.
OLD MAN’S BEARD
(CLEMATIS VITALBA)
Old man’s beard is a rampant climber
with distinctive white, fluffy seeds. It
poses a threat to native trees and
shrubs by smothering them.
NATURAL ERADICATION METHODS
Cut and Remove – Prune old man’s
beard during the winter months when it
is less active. Cut the vines close to the
ground and remove the plant material to
prevent re-establishment.
Vinegar Solution – Apply a solution of
vinegar and water to the cut stumps to
inhibit regrowth.
WOOLLY NIGHTSHADE
(SOLANUM MAURITIANUM)
Native to South America, woolly
nightshade is characterised by its
distinctive woolly leaves and purple
flowers. This pest plant poses a threat
to native vegetation and competes for
essential resources.
NATURAL ERADICATION METHOD
Pruning – Regularly prune woolly
nightshade to limit its growth and
prevent the production of seeds. Pull
out by the roots if you can. Dispose of
pruned material responsibly to avoid
accidental spread. Use gloves
when handling.
Companion Planting – Introduce
companion plants like yarrow or tansy,
which can act as natural repellents for
woolly nightshade, discouraging
its growth.
JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE
(LONICERA JAPONICA)
With its fragrant white and yellow
flowers, it is a fast-spreading invasive
plant that outcompetes native
vegetation for sunlight and nutrients.
NATURAL ERADICATION METHODS
Smothering – Cover the affected area
with a thick layer of mulch or cardboard
to smother it, depriving it of sunlight and
preventing regrowth.
Manual Removal – Dig out small sites
(all year round). Dispose of roots and
stems in the rubbish or burn.
GARDEN
MOTH PLANT
(ARAUJIA HORTORUM)
Also known as “cruel plant,” moth plant
is a vigorous climber with heart-shaped
leaves and distinctive pods. Originally
introduced as an ornamental plant, it
has invaded native ecosystems,
smothering and preventing the
establishment of native plants.
Butterflies feeding on moth plants can
die from starvation due to their feeding
parts becoming gummed up. The sap
is also poisonous and can be a
skin irritant.
NATURAL ERADICATION METHODS
Manual Removal – Remove moth plants
manually, but wear gloves to protect
yourself from the toxic sap. Dispose of
the plants carefully to prevent the
spread of seeds.
WILD GINGER
(HEDYCHIUM GARDNERIANUM)
Prized for its aromatic roots, wild ginger
forms dense thickets that inhibit the
growth of native plants.
NATURAL ERADICATION METHODS:
Digging and Removal – Dig up wild
ginger rhizomes, ensuring that you
remove the entire root system. Regular
monitoring and removal are crucial to
prevent regrowth.
Natural Herbicides – Utilise natural
herbicides like vinegar or boiling water
to control wild ginger. These alternatives
are less harmful to the environment
compared to synthetic chemicals.
71
 Going with the

KŪMARA AND QUINOA BURGERS WITH AVOCADO,

Fresh greens HERB SALAD AND HARISSA YOGHURT MAYO
and earthy
Serves 4-6 (Depending on size of patties and buns. I made 4 large burgers.)
grains elevate Surprisingly hearty and flavour-packed thanks to the addition of the harissa
these dishes in yoghurt mayo, these burgers are a new favourite.
taste and health. 750 grams kūmara, unpeeled (1 large or olive oil spray
two smaller) to serve
RECIPES, PHOTOGRAPHY 1 teaspoon ground coriander 3 cups mixed salad greens
AND STYLING BY SARAH TUCK sea salt and freshly ground 1 cup soft herbs, e.g. coriander and
black pepper parsley plus pea shoots or spare herbs
1½ teaspoons ground cumin to garnish
½ teaspoon chilli flakes 1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon sweet 1 tablespoon apple
smoked paprika cider vinegar
1 large egg, lightly beaten ⅔ cup thick Greek yoghurt
2 cups cooked quinoa ¼ cup good quality egg mayonnaise
(¾ cup raw quinoa) 3 tablespoons harissa
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs 4 brioche or wholewheat burger buns
1 teaspoon black chia seeds 2 small avocados, sliced
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
BURGERS: Use the tip of a sharp knife to pierce the kūmara
in several places and bake for 50-60 minutes until easily cut with a knife. Cool for
10 minutes then peel off the skin and put into a large bowl. Refrigerate to cool
completely. If any liquid appears in the bottom of the bowl, drain this off as you
want the kūmara to be as dry as possible. Season well with salt and pepper, add
remaining spices then mash until smoothish. Stir in egg and quinoa, refrigerate for
15 minutes then form into 4-6 burger-sized patties. Mix the breadcrumbs and chia
seeds together. Dip the patties into the crumb mix, re-shape and chill for a further
15 minutes. The patties are soft, so work gently and pat them back into shape if
they misbehave.
Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 210°C.
Spray the baking paper lightly with oil, put the patties on the paper and spray
lightly with oil. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and heated through. Turn once
after 20 minutes.
TO SERVE: Mix the salad greens and herbs with olive oil and vinegar and toss to
combine. Whisk the yoghurt and mayonnaise together and stir through the harissa.
Heat the buns and layer with salad, kūmara and quinoa patties, harissa yoghurt
mayo, avocado and reserved herbs or pea shoots.

72
73
FOOD
 QUICK BROWN RICE SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS, FETA,
SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES AND CRISPY PROSCIUTTO (GF)
Serves 6 Preheat the oven to 150°C.
I love the nubbly texture of the brown rice here paired with Whisk the oil, vinegar, sugar and sea salt together in a large
crispy beans, salty feta, prosciutto and sweet tomatoes. bowl and toss tomatoes through. Put tomatoes cut side up
on one of the lined trays and bake for 1 hour or until slightly
1 punnet cherry or salad greens
shrivelled and intensely flavoured.
tomatoes, halved 1 cup basil pesto
1 tablespoon olive oil Increase the oven temperature to 200°C.
3 tablespoons lightly toasted
2 teaspoons balsamic sunflower seeds Cook the rice according to packet instructions. While it is
vinegar 3 tablespoons lightly toasted cooking bring a medium pot of water to boil and drop in the
1 teaspoon caster sugar pumpkin seeds beans. Cook for 3 minutes then drain and refresh under cold
running water.
sea salt and freshly ground BASIL PESTO
black pepper ⅓ cup pine nuts Once the rice has cooked, drain well and cool for 10 minutes.
1½ cups brown rice ⅓ cup grated Parmesan While the rice is cooling, lay the prosciutto slices on the
second prepared baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes until
80 grams prosciutto 1 large clove garlic
crispy. Divide the rice between serving plates and top with
400 grams green beans, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil green beans, crumbled feta, cress, prosciutto, tomatoes,
ends trimmed 2½ cups basil leaves pesto and toasted seeds.
200 grams feta sea salt and freshly ground PESTO: Put all of the ingredients in a small food processor
4 cups cress leaves black pepper and whizz to combine. Store in a covered container in the
Line two oven trays with baking paper. fridge for up to 2 days. If you are wanting to maximise the
bright green freshness, make just before serving.

74
GREEN HERB MILLET AND FETA
FRITTERS WITH GARLIC HUMMUS,
ROASTED ALMONDS

FOOD
AND PEA SHOOTS (GF)
Makes 14-16
These pretty green fritters are both healthy and delicious,
and a wonderful way to enjoy the quick (and addictive)
hummus!
FRITTERS QUICK GARLIC HUMMUS
½ cup uncooked millet 400-gram tin
½ head broccoli, chickpeas, drained
roughly chopped 2 tablespoons tahini
1 cup roughly chopped soft ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
herb leaves (I used coriander, 2 cloves garlic, crushed
mint and basil)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
black pepper
2-3 teaspoons freshly
½ teaspoon chilli flakes squeezed lemon juice
2 large eggs 1 tablespoon lemon oil
¼ cup cornflour TO SERVE
100 grams feta, crumbled roasted almonds, chopped
¼ cup rice bran or coconut ½ cup pea shoots or
oil fresh coriander

FRITTERS: Heat a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add

the millet and stir for 1 minute then add 1 cup of water and
bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer
for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Set aside,
covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the grains with a fork, transfer to
a large bowl and allow to cool.
Put the roughly chopped broccoli in a food processor with
the herbs and lemon zest and whizz until the broccoli is
finely chopped.
Tip the broccoli into the cooked millet, season well with salt
and pepper and add the chilli flakes. In a separate jug whisk
the eggs and cornflour together until smooth. Crumble in the
feta and stir to combine. Stir the egg mixture through the
millet and broccoli and leave to sit for 15 minutes. Heat half
the oil in a large frying pan (add more as you need it) and
cook the fritters in batches for 2-3 minutes each side until
cooked through. Drain well and serve topped with garlic
hummus, roasted almonds, and pea shoots or coriander.
GARLIC HUMMUS: Put the chickpeas in a food processor
with the tahini, olive oil, garlic and cumin. Whizz to form a
thick paste. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste, and
lemon juice, and pulse to combine. If you prefer a thinner
texture you can add 1 tablespoon water at this point. Store
in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Remove
from the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Drizzle with lemon
oil to serve.

75

SPRING BUCKWHEAT RISOTTO WITH
ZUCCHINI AND BABY PEAS TOPPED
WITH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA AND
LEMON OIL (GF)
Serves 6-8
Buckwheat’s earthy, nutty flavour responds well to the
brightness of spring greens, a hit of lemon and the minty
pistachio pesto.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
76
finely grated zest 1 lemon 2 tablespoons lemon oil
1 cup baby peas ¼ cup basil leaves, to garnish
2 zucchini, trimmed and PISTACHIO PESTO
grated ⅓ cup pistachios
18 broccolini or asparagus ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup grated Parmesan 1 large clove garlic
sea salt and freshly ground ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
black pepper 2 cups basil leaves
250 grams buffalo mozzarella ½ cup mint leaves
or burrata, drained and torn
finely grated zest 1 lemon
into large chunks
Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot and add the
onion. Cook over a gentle heat for 8 minutes, add the garlic
and cook a further 2 minutes. Add the buckwheat and cook,
stirring for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook 2 minutes or
until most of the wine is absorbed. Add half the stock and
the zest, cook stirring until most of the stock is absorbed
then add the remainder and cook again until there’s about
half a cup of stock remaining in the buckwheat. Add the
peas, zucchini and broccolini and cook a further 4-5 minutes
until just cooked through. Stir through the Parmesan and top
with buffalo mozzarella, pesto, lemon oil and basil leaves.
PISTACHIO PESTO: Put all the ingredients in a small food
processor and whizz to combine. Store in a covered
container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
GRAINY BREAD TOASTS WITH
RICOTTA FETA WHIP, SMOKED
SALMON, QUICK PICKLED RED ONION
AND CAPERS
Makes 8
These are simplicity itself yet look so pretty and taste
fabulous.
200 grams ricotta 8 thick slices extra grainy
250 grams feta, chopped bread
finely grated zest of a lemon 300 grams sliced smoked
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
salmon
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons capers,
drained
½ teaspoon sea salt
8-10 caperberries (optional)
1 small red onion, finely
½ cup dill sprigs
sliced
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Put the cheeses and zest in a food processor and whizz until
smooth. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5
days. Whisk the vinegar, sugar and salt together in a
2 cups raw buckwheat non-reactive bowl. Add the onion and stir to combine. Leave
⅓ cup white wine to soak for 30 minutes. Toast the bread, top with ricotta feta
whip, salmon and drained red onion. Garnish with capers,
4½ cups vegetable stock
caperberries, dill and poppy seeds to serve.
77
FOOD
This is an edited extract from The Best
Things in Life are Cheese by Ellie and
Sam Studd, published by Macmillan
Books, $50.

78
 THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE

FOOD
PERFECT CROQUE MONSIEUR
Serves 2
This may be the most ballsed-up dish in café culture. In
theory, it’s good. It doesn’t seem like something you can
truly make a mess of, but often in restaurants the execution
is robustly disappointing. You may just have to take matters
into your own hands. Thankfully, our version won’t leave you
with the sour taste of a second-rate sanga.
25 grams unsalted butter 220 grams Gruyère or
25 grams plain flour Comté, finely grated
175ml full-cream milk 4 slices of sourdough
sea salt flakes and freshly 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
ground black pepper 180 grams sliced honey-
generous grating of nutmeg roasted ham
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan-forced.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Gently
stir for 2–3 minutes, until it smells biscuity and resembles
wet sand. Gradually add the milk, one ladleful at a time and
whisking constantly to avoid lumps, then bring to a simmer
and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove the pan
from the heat and season the béchamel with salt, pepper
and the nutmeg. Stir in 50 grams of the grated Gruyère or
Comté until melted and set aside. Gruyère or Comté. Top with the remaining sourdough,
toasted-side up.
Preheat grill to high. Place the sourdough on a large baking
tray and lightly toast one side under the grill. Spread the top of each sandwich with a large spoonful of the
béchamel and sprinkle over the remaining Gruyère or Comté.
Spread the untoasted side of two slices with the mustard, Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes, then finish under the grill
then add the ham and three-quarters of the remaining for 2–3 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.

79
 SAMMY’S HALLOUMI BURGERS WITH SPECIAL SAUCE
Makes 4 SPECIAL SAUCE
2 dill pickles, drained, finely 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
This is Sammy’s signature dish; he takes great pride in
chopped ½ teaspoon garlic powder
having nailed Maccy D’s ‘special sauce’. Who said meat-free
Mondays need to take salad form? This is anything but 2 tablespoons tomato sauce ¾ teaspoon onion powder
boring. 60 grams (¼ cup) whole-egg sea salt flakes and freshly
mayonnaise ground black pepper
60ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin ¼ iceberg or butter lettuce,
olive oil trimmed and leaves To make the special sauce, place all the ingredients in a
2 x 250 grams packets of separated small bowl, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Cypriot sheep and goat 2 small vine-ripened Set aside.
halloumi, drained and patted tomatoes, sliced
Preheat the oven grill to high.
dry, halved horizontally 1 small white onion, finely
4 brioche buns, cut in half sliced into rings Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan or chargrill pan over
medium-high heat. Cook the halloumi, in batches if
80 grams unsalted butter, at
necessary, for 2 minutes, turning once, until golden. Transfer
room temperature
to paper towel to drain, then set aside and keep warm.
Place the buns, cut-side up, under the grill for 30–60
seconds, until golden and toasted. Spread each cut side with
the butter, then generously spread the special sauce on top.
Layer the base of each bun with the lettuce, tomato, halloumi
and onion. Finish with the bun tops and serve immediately.

80
81
FOOD
 HALLOUMI SCHNITZELS WITH ONE-PAN CHEESY NEW POTATOES
POTATO SALAD & SAUERKRAUT WITH BACON & GALOTYRI
Serves 4 Serves 4-6 as a side
One of the many things we have learnt about halloumi from Galotyri is our favourite alternative to sour cream due to its
the Cypriots is to “think chicken” when it comes to recipes. savoury tang and complexity, but if you can’t find it, sour
You won’t miss the meat here, because this faux chicken cream or crème fraîche will also satisfy. This is a good F-off
schnitty tastes just like it! dish if you ever get assigned a side for pot luck.
500 grams small Agria 2 x 250 grams packets of 1 kg baby potatoes 200 grams Gruyère or other
potatoes, peeled Cypriot sheep and goat 50 grams unsalted cultured Alpine cheese, grated
2 tablespoons extra-virgin halloumi, drained and patted butter, chopped 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves
olive oil dry picked and chopped
1 garlic bulb, top trimmed to
2 teaspoons wholegrain 35 grams (¼ cup) plain flour expose the cloves 100 grams Galotyri or crème
mustard 2 eggs, lightly beaten sea salt flakes and freshly fraîche
60ml (¼ cup) apple cider 120 grams (2 cups) panko ground black pepper ½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley,
vinegar breadcrumbs 180 grams streaky bacon leaves picked and chopped
1 spring onion, finely sliced 1 teaspoon caraway seeds rashers
¼ cup dill fronds, finely vegetable or sunflower oil, Preheat the oven to 220°C fan-forced.
chopped, plus extra to serve for shallow frying
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold salted water
sea salt and freshly ground sauerkraut, to serve
and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the
black pepper
heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes for 12 minutes or
Place the potatoes in a saucepan of cold, salted water and until just tender. Drain and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer
Place the potatoes in a baking dish with the butter and
and cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain
garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to the oven
and set aside to cool slightly, then slice into 1 cm thick discs.
and cook, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes or until the
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, potatoes start to colour. Reduce the temperature to 180°C,
spring onion and dill. Season with salt and pepper, add the then carefully weave the streaky bacon through the potatoes
potato and carefully toss to coat in the dressing. Set aside. and cook for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are
golden and the bacon is crispy. Sprinkle the Gruyère over
If you’re using Aphrodite Halloumi, cut the cheese in half
the top and cook for a final 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is
horizontally so you have four flat pieces. If you’re using
melted and golden.
blocks of halloumi, cut the cheese into thick slices.
Remove the dish from the oven, dollop with the Galotyri or
Place the flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and
crème fraîche and scatter the herbs over. Serve immediately.
pepper, then place the egg in a second bowl and the panko
If you like, you can fish out the roasted garlic and squeeze
breadcrumbs and caraway seeds in a third shallow bowl.
the cloves over the potatoes.
Coat the halloumi schnitzels in the flour, followed by the egg
and the breadcrumbs, then re-dunk in the egg and finish
with a second crumb of panko. Place the halloumi schnitzels
on a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Heat enough vegetable or sunflower oil to generously cover
the base of a large, deep frying pan. Place over medium heat
until the oil reaches about 180°C (the oil is ready when you
add a halloumi schnitzel and it bubbles immediately).
Working in batches if necessary, add the halloumi schnitzels
and shallow fry, turning occasionally, for 1-2 minutes each
side, until golden brown. Remove the schnitzels using a
slotted spoon and place on a wire rack over a baking tray
(don’t drain on paper towel or they risk turning soggy).
Serve the halloumi schnitzels hot and crisp, alongside the
potato salad and sauerkraut, with a little extra dill sprinkled
over the potato salad.

82
83
FOOD
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84

Chillable
Reds
Say what? A red that’s best
served cool? We find out more
about this exciting new trend.
The first chillable red wine came from a
tricky vintage in north east Italy in a
little enclave called Mezzolambardo, a
town in Trentino and home to
winemaker Elisabetta Foradori. She is
nothing, if not a maverick. When her red
grapes were not up to scratch during a
difficult vintage, she decided to make a
2023 BIG SKY NOUVEAU, $35
Fresh with approachable red fruit
flavours and a savoury, toasty
taste on the finish; tastes great in
a large glass, lightly chilled on a
warm evening.
2022 CAMBRIDGE ROAD
ROSSO, $35
A savoury, refreshing and lighter
bodied take on syrah; excellent
partner for good salami, cheese,
great company and a sunny day.
WINE NOTES
light bodied red from them and hey Another chillable red comes from
presto, meet Lezer; a runaway success Cambridge Road Winery in
that has inadvertently started a global Martinborough where winemaker Lance
movement of chillable red wines. Redgwell makes Rosso. The grapes are
100 per cent syrah and were purchased
There are others who also began this
from growers in Hawke’s Bay to make a
movement and of course, Beaujolais
cool, refreshingly fruity and savoury
Nouveau was the most famous, but it
wine with a medium body. It’s incredibly
was also incredibly undrinkable most of
the time, so it hardly counts when refreshing, as is a new gamay from
discussing new wave chillable red wines Hawke’s Bay winemaker Amy
made to a very high standard. Farnsworth, whose brand is called
Amoise. And Big Sky winemakers
Unsurprisingly, New Zealand is seeing a
Jeremy Corban and Katherine Jacobs
rise in the number of chillable red wines
made Novello from the 2023 vintage,
being released this year. We have just
had two challenging vintages on the launching it this year. The wine is 100
East Coast of the North Island where per cent pinot noir, all organically grown
rain made grape ripening difficult for from the Big Sky Te Muna vineyard.
many and tricky, at best. Early tastings Chilled reds are a great way to introduce
of wines from top producers reveal very people to red wine and also to the
good wines, but 2022 and 2023 also concept of serving reds at a
presented an opportunity to make temperature that
lighter bodied reds that suit being flatters them. Warm
served lightly chilled.
red wine is never a
Huntress winemaker and founder good look and it
Jannine Rickards launched her second doesn’t taste as it is
chillable red wine this year; inspired intended to, so even
after tasting Foradori’s Lezer several Joelle Thomson is a
if you are drinking a writer and author of
years ago. light bodied red, it 15 books about wine.
may be surprising Read more modern
“I made Kuratea (chillable red) because I matches and wine
made one in 2021 and really enjoy the to find that 20 lovers’ bargain buys
style. It’s rosé with more colour, less minutes in the at all prices on her
fridge makes a website.
acid, more juicy fruit and a hint of
savouryness in taste. I wanted to keep it positive world of
light and approachable; a versatile wine difference to the
for various kai combinations.” wine. g joellethomson.com
85
 PRESERVING
PARADISE IN
Good Travel with Marriott
Bonvoy. WORDS JESSICA WEALE
F
iji is not just a tropical holiday
destination, it’s a call to embrace
a vibrant community and leave a
positive impact. While you’re
soaking up the sun in style, you’ll also be
supporting eco-friendly initiatives that
help to preserve the pristine beauty of
this island paradise.
The people are the heart and soul of
this tropical oasis and they are
genuinely hospitable. Their warm
welcome makes you feel like you’ve
found a second home. From the moment
you arrive, the sense of community and
friendliness creates an instant
connection with the local culture.
Plus, it’s just so pretty. The vibrant
green landscape and azure blue of the
Pacific Ocean takes centre stage,
setting you up for an unforgettable
journey. There’s a sense of ease, it’s like
86
stepping into a world where time slows
down. No wonder they call it ‘Fiji time’
which all of the locals seem to live a
relaxed life on – I think we need to adopt
this in New Zealand!
As I embarked on my adventure with
Marriott Bonvoy’s Good Travel
programme, the promise of meaningful
experiences and sustainable travel
unfolded before me.
SHERATON FIJI GOLF & BEACH
RESORT – A BEACHFRONT
PARADISE WITH PURPOSE
My first stop on this island odyssey was
the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort, a
slice of heaven conveniently located in
Denarau, just 20 minutes from Nadi
Airport. The resort’s recent renovation
brought new life to the property,
creating spaces that encourage
connection and camaraderie among
their many travellers.
Nestled along the coast, the resort
offers a beachfront paradise with pools,
beachside restaurants and nightly fire
dancing shows. The various restaurants
and bars on the property serve artisanal
cocktails and delectable dishes, all
showcasing the rich flavours of locally
sourced ingredients.
One highlight of the Good Travel
programme was the introduction to their
fully organic farm, the largest of its kind
in Fiji. Led by Shahil, the farm manager,
I learned about sustainable farming
practices and had the chance to plant
lemongrass using a ‘no-till’ method. This
method not only produces high-quality
produce but also preserves the delicate
balance of the soil’s microorganisms,
 TRAVEL
ensuring a thoughtful and sustainable
approach for the entire resort.
The farm, a core project enhancing the
local community, uses compost from
both the farm and the resort’s
restaurants, closing the loop on waste
and nurturing the growth of healthy,
locally-sourced produce.
As a guest, you can also take part in a
divine Farm to Fork experience, where

Above: The enchanting Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay

with charming over the sea bures.
Top right: Good writer Jess planting lemongrass on
the farm at Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort.
Middle right: The lush lemongrass and other herbs
growing on the farm.
Bottom right: Tatavu Grill and Bar, where you can
experience feet-in-sand dining while enjoying luxury.

87
 you can enjoy breakfast or dinner on
the farm, right next to where your food
is grown!
The farm is not the only sustainable
experience to note. Sheraton Fiji Golf &
Beach Resort has implemented many
smaller, yet impactful, actions that mean
not only the staff and resort are taking
part in sustainability, but also the
guests. It does not hinder your travel at
all if you’re wanting the luxury, laid back
experience, in fact, you barely know
you’re involved! The rooms have sensors
when the doors are open which means
the air-conditioning will automatically
shut off, the taps and toilets have a
restrained water flow (which you
wouldn’t even notice, but saves a lot of
precious water) and the rubbish bins
have both waste and recycling options,
in every room as well as throughout
the resort.
You might also think you’d miss having a
buffet breakfast, but not only does the
option of freshly prepared food offer a
more personal experience, it also saves
the wastage that comes with the large
amounts of buffet food that sit out for a
long time uneaten.
As I left Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach
Resort, I felt a deep connection to the
Left: The view from the outstanding Fish Bar at Fiji
Marriott Resort Momi Bay.
Right: Oni teaching us about marine conservation
and planting mangroves.
Opposite: Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay.
88
land and people, knowing that my stay
had contributed to a more sustainable
and vibrant community.
FIJI MARRIOTT RESORT MOMI BAY
– PREMIUM, NATURE AND MARINE
CONSERVATION
Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay is situated
on the western coast of Viti Levu. The
overwater bures, a marvel in themselves,
set the stage for a premium and
eco-conscious stay. This 5-star resort
boasts adults-only bures, multiple
swimming pools, water sports activities
and an award-winning day spa, all
surrounded by breath-taking natural
beauty.
If you ever find yourself here, make sure
to head to Fish Bar. This is without a
doubt a ‘must-visit’ place to dine. With
panoramic views, exquisite food and an
almost Mediterranean feel, you won’t
regret spending your evening here
watching an enchanting, golden sunset.
Mereoni ‘Oni’ the sustainability manager,
leads the Good Travel programme at the
resort, dedicated to preserving the
natural environment of Momi Bay.
Guests are encouraged to participate in
the mangrove planting experience, an
initiative to foster marine life and
combat coastline erosion.

I tried my hand at building a fish house
– a structure made from coral rock,
concrete and sand, designed to provide
a safe haven for fish, coral and other sea
life. After learning that ‘Ika’ was the word
for fish in both Māori and Fijian, I aptly
named my fish house ‘Ika Lodge’. This
will be placed in the resort’s coral
restoration area, fostering the growth of
coral and diverse marine life.
In conversations with Oni, I gained
insight into the impact of coral
bleaching globally, emphasising the
urgency of sustainable practices to
protect our precious reefs. As I
witnessed the dedicated efforts of
individuals like Oni, it is disheartening to
think these endeavours may be in vain if
coral bleaching continues. Each small
action matters, and it is crucial to
address the root causes such as
reducing carbon emissions by adopting
sustainable practices to combat climate
change.
Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy has
really enlightened me to what
responsible tourism practices and
conscious travel can mean.
“WELCOME HOME” –
FINDING FAMILY IN FIJI
When I first heard the locals say,
“welcome home,” I didn’t fully grasp the
depth of those words. Yet, as my journey
unfolded, I discovered the true meaning
behind this Fijian expression. Fiji is more
than just a destination, it’s a community
where the people care for each other,
the land and visitors, like me.
I look forward to seeing the growth of
mine and others’ efforts in farming and
mangrove planting, and the difference it
will continue to make to the land and
community.
As I bid farewell to this enchanting
paradise, I leave with a stronger
commitment to conscious travel. Fiji is
not just a holiday spot, it’s a chance to
embrace sustainability, foster
connections and leave a positive impact
on the communities you encounter.
Vinaka, Fiji – until next time. g
TRAVEL
NUTS FOR COCONUTS
Coconuts are a huge part of the
Fijian culture and are seen as
precious gifts from the Earth. From
long ago these have been used in
many ways. While you enjoy a piña
colada with fresh coconut juice,
take comfort in knowing the rest of
the coconut does not go to waste.
Husks are stripped off and turned
into rope or baskets, and shells
made into bowls for kava
ceremonies and instruments.
A ROOT AWAKENING
Kava holds significant cultural and
social importance in Fiji. As a
traditional beverage deeply
embedded in Fijian customs, kava
plays a central role in ceremonies,
rituals and social gatherings,
fostering community bonds. The
cultivation and trade of kava
contribute substantially to the
country's economy, providing
livelihoods for many Fijians. The
export of kava also serves as a vital
source of foreign income. The
plant's role in traditional medicine
and its calming properties make it a
valued element in promoting
relaxation and wellbeing. After
trying this for myself, I can see why
Fijian people are so relaxed!
LOVO LOVE
If you’re visiting Fiji, you must try a
lovo. Similar to a 'hāngī in New
Zealand, the food is cooked
underground using hot stones. This
tradition brings the community and
guests together, showcasing local,
fresh food and an immersion in the
Fijian culture.
To see more highlights of Fiji, visit
Jess on Instagram – @jess_weale
89
 MOUNTAIN
HIGH
A visit to Lake Hāwea and Lake Wānaka
offers a chance for self-rejuvenation as
well as an opportunity to help protect the
precious landscape.
WORDS CAROLYN ENTING

90
R
esurfacing from my plunge into Lake Hāwea I can
taste pure, clean, water on my tongue and I can’t help
but take another sip from the glacial lake. It’s so sweet.
I haven’t tasted water like this since I was a child,
drinking from an alpine stream in the tussock land on
Mt Ruapehu.
My body sings with the memory and the new one I’m making,
laughing gleefully as I now float on my back and take in the
wonder around me. The mountains, the blue of the lake,
marvelling at the abundance of quartz crystal stones on the
lake floor beneath me and the smiling face of Nat, founder of
The Secret Sauna at Lake Hāwea who’s already in on this
incredible secret.
She shares she had the same feeling when she first came here.
“When you swim, you see quartz crystals everywhere and your
skin, hair and soul feel amazing,” Nat says. “There’s something
healing about this lake, and I knew I wanted to stay, and create
a healing space to share with others here.”
Six months ago Nat moved her purpose-built wooden barrel
sauna onto the shores of Lake Hāwea with the permission and
blessing of the owners of The Camp Lake Hāwea, where she is
based. The sauna is on wheels, so it can be moved at any time.
Soft sun loungers surrounding the sauna provide a place to
enjoy a hot herbal tea blend made from herbs that Nat grows
in a little onsite garden.
Opposite: High up amongst the golden tussock
at Lake Hāwea Station with a view over the lake.
This image: You can’t beat the good vibes and
view of Lake Hāwea at The Secret Sauna.
It’s a change of lifestyle for the former film worker who found
herself on a job in the south and realised there wasn’t a
TRAVEL
standalone sauna in the area that wasn’t attached to a hotel or
gym, and the seed for The Secret Sauna was born.
And it really is unlike any other sauna in New Zealand. It has
been voted by a New Zealand Finnish Facebook group as
being most authentically close to a Finnish sauna experience.
A half-moon window frames the view over the lake and to the
mountains beyond. Pipe music plays in the background while
you soak up the heat of the wood fired space, and your plunge
pool isn’t a chest freezer ice bath but a beautiful, sparkling
freshwater lake.
The recent addition of two yurts beside the sauna now provide
a changing area, a place to enjoy a massage and other natural
therapies, and an opportunity to flop onto possibly the biggest
beanbag in the universe.
When you swim you see
quartz crystals everywhere
and your skin, hair and soul
feel amazing.”
91
 Top: The view from The Camp across the lake to Lake Hāwea Station.
Middle: Love Wānaka provides the opportunity for visitors to the area to get
involved with tree planting.
Bottom: Little L at Lake Hāwea Station offers luxury off-grid accommodation in a
paddock with outstanding views of the lake and mountains.
Opposite: Head to the high country in a side-by-side at Lake Hāwea Station.

Directly opposite, across the lake is Lake Hāwea Station, the

working farm of entrepreneurs and environmentalists Geoff
and Justine Ross who are paving the way forward in New
Zealand with their regenerative farming methods and animal
welfare practices. It’s Australasia’s first Certified Climate
Positive Farm.
Lake Hāwea Station, affectionately known as LHS, also offers
luxury accommodation on the farm and I’m lucky enough to
have been invited as their guest.
LHS encompasses 6500 hectares but only accommodates 14
guests at a time. When I’m there they are at full capacity
though I never see anyone. My abode is Little L, a tiny home in
a paddock kitted out with a queen size bed fitted with sheets
made from spray-free cotton and commanding a view of the
mountains and lake. It also has a fence around it because LHS
is a working farm and getting here requires driving through a
paddock. As I sit on the small deck at sunset, glass of Māori
Point Chardonnay in hand, the cows are so close I can hear
them contentedly chewing the grass. Part of the experience is
getting amongst it!
On station activities for visitors include planting a native tree,
e-bike hire (the Te Araroha trail runs through the property and
is wide enough for e-bikes, walkers and runners), in-house
massages, fishing and packed picnic lunches while on-station
tours include back country immersion, astronomy, farm
regeneration, a beech tree remnant wander and “Earth
stewards” for young environmentalists.
With LHS experiences and education manager Richie Laming
as my guide I do a tour of the historic sheep and beef station
with a team working to prove farming can help heal the planet,
and after viewing the operation I believe that it can. We visit a
field planted with a mixed species crop and Richie explains
how these interact with and supercharge the soil while also
providing a variety of palatable foods for the sheep to graze.

92
 “The whole idea is that they eat a third and leave a third
because that promotes coverage on the ground, and trample a
third. Because they are pooing and weeing as they move
through, they are stamping organic matter into the soil which
supercharges the health of the soil,” Richie explains.
From here we head to the high country, up to the saddle at
1225 metres. Getting here is not for the faint hearted though it
is not my first side-by-side 4x4 high country farm rodeo. The
ride up to the saddle through the heart of Homespur Valley is
steep and bumpy. My eyes, however, are glued to the beauty of
the dramatic mountain landscape. Up here, my body sings
again as I stand amongst the tussock and revel in the silence
as I breathe in the clean mountain air.
A back country panorama opens out before us, the hills
swathed in gleaming golden tussock. As Justine Ross
describes beautifully in her must-read book Meet You at The
Main Divide, “it’s like a woman has discarded her voluminous
caramel-coloured silk gown. You are staring across its gentle
creases and folds – the sheen of the silk is the sun on
moving tussock”.
Our final stop on the tour is the Loom, LHS HQ, which
overlooks the lake as well as a man-made water feature and
rocket ship sculpture (apparently representing Geoff Ross “who
is a rocket ship of ideas”). We enjoy the view with a cuppa and
a piece of freshly baked banana bread slathered in butter. I
want to stay here forever but Lake Wānaka is calling me, too.
Everywhere you drive in the region is jaw-droppingly
picturesque. I recommend the there-and-back drive to Mt
Aspiring – a mostly gravel road with cattle stops and a ford,
flanked by mountain ranges and waterfalls. And stopping off
along the way to do the Rocky Mountain and Diamond Lake
three-hour loop track (read more on page 94).
Incredibly this is my first proper visit to Wānaka though it feels
familiar thanks to Rita Angus’s paintings, particularly the one
brought to life by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa’s
12-minute film, A Painter’s Journey: Rita Angus’s Central Otago
The Camp photography Shan Bawden.
(watch it on YouTube!) which features #thatwanakatree. A lone
tree sprouting from the lake set against a backdrop of the
Southern Alps. Putting the hashtag into Google maps helped
me find the location which was heaving with tourists jostling
for a space to get a photo with the famous tree.
A contrast to Lake Hāwea which is only a 25-minute drive away.
Being on the tourist map, Wānaka township has an
extraordinary number and variety of restaurants for a town of
TRAVEL
its size. At its peak the area attracts around 300,000 visitors
per year. The resident population sits at approximately 7,000
and the community recognises that its pristine environment is
vulnerable. Not only from the impact of tourism but also global
warming and shorter winter seasons, which has recently led to
the establishment of Love Wānaka Community Fund
supporting the regeneration of Wānaka’s natural environment.
I catch up with Love Wānaka coordinator Ash Bickley over
dinner at local eatery Muttonbird to find out more while we
tuck into a plate of award-winning Royalburn lamb. I learn that
the fund was developed in partnership with Lake Wānaka
Tourism but is its own charitable entity.
“We hope to invite our visitors to explore this place in a
sustainable way and also provide the opportunity to give back,”
Ash explains. “Whether that is a financial contribution or by
lending a hand to support local environmental initiatives. We
are looking at how we can evolve the way that we do business
in Wānaka and ensure that tourism here is a positive driver for
environmental action.”
One initiative is the establishment of water drums, which have
been set up by local native plant nursery Te Kākano, with Love
Wānaka encouraging visitors to lend a hand by watering plants
whilst on their walks or bike rides around the lake.
The lovewanaka.co.nz website also lists planting, plant
maintenance and wetland restoration events if you want to
coordinate a day of volunteering with your visit. And it’s not
just targeting offshore visitors but anyone who comes to
Wānaka including people with holiday homes in the area.
“Something we hear a lot is people wanting to feel a sense of
connection to Wānaka and being part of the community and
what better way to do that than to go and join a local volunteer
crew or pop down to the community garden,” says Ash.
And it’s a different side of Wānaka that you don’t
always get to see. g
93
WONDERFUL WALK
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
HIGH
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY ANGELA JAMIESON
W
TRACK NOTES
There are several options to do this
trail:
• Rocky Mountain Summit Track:
3 hr return, 7 km, 500 metres
incline (moderate-hard)
• Diamond Lake Circuit Track:
45 min return, 2.5 km (easy)
• Diamond Lake Lookout:
1 hr return, 2 km (easy-
moderate)
• Lake Wānaka Lookout:
2 hr return, 5 km (easy-
moderate)
The trail begins from the carpark
off Wānaka Mt Aspiring Road,
15-minutes’ drive from Wānaka.
Before setting off it’s important to
note the recent weather as the path
along the western side can be
extremely muddy and slippery
during and after heavy rain.
94
ānaka’s Rocky Mountain
Track is up there as one of
the world’s most
panoramically rewarding
hikes for relatively little effort.
The 7 km loop trail near Lake Wānaka's
western shores climbs to 775 metres
above sea level with 360 degree views
over Lake Wānaka, Kā Tiritiri o te
Moana - The Southern Alps and Tititea
- Mount Aspiring.
As you take in the panoramas, you can
thank Stuart Landsborough – founder of
Puzzling World – the one man band
behind the original tracks to Diamond
Lake and Rocky Mountain Peak. With
permission from the land owners Stuart
began carving out tracks two hours at a
time with grubbers and spades on his
regular hikes up to the summit to clear
his head after a busy day of work. He
also engaged help from other hikers by
leaving a note with his tools asking them
to spare a minute of their time to help
finish the track that DOC has since
maintained and upgraded.
From the carpark, a quick 10-minute
stride through the forest has you arrive at
Diamond Lake. There is the option to do
a quick loop around the lake or continue
on up the boardwalk and stairs that hug
the side of weeping wall, where water
drips from the overhanging cliff above.
Prepare to be serenaded by birdsong
as you ascend to a viewing platform that
looks out over Diamond Lake, Treble Cone
Ranges, Roy’s Peak and Hospital Flat.
The track climbs another 150 metres
before reaching a junction. From here
you can head east to the Lake Wānaka
Lookout and/or the Rocky Mountain
Summit via the Eastern Route with
steep drop offs but the most
spectacular views over Lake Wānaka. Or
alternatively, the Western Route towards
the summit with more bush cover. We
chose the Eastern track.
About 400 metres along the trail you’ll
reach another junction for the Lake
Wānaka lookout – a worthy 10-minute
detour across private land.
Continuing towards the Rocky Mountain
summit there's a bit of scrambling up
large rises, requiring caution while
hiking along a rather narrow path with
some sheer drop-offs. The views at this
level are incredibly demanding and
rather distracting from the attention this
part of the track deserves. After the
narrow switchbacks and what feels like
an uphill battle at times you’ll reach the
most stunning 180 degree lookout point
from the Matukituki River into Lake
Wanaka and around to Roy’s Peak and
Treble Cone. Take a minute to breathe it
all in before reaching the summit as this
view is not to be overlooked as anything
less than spectacular.
Upon reaching the summit behold 360
degree views over lakes, alps and Mt
Aspiring. It's the ultimate picnic spot.
Continue the loop via the Western track
towards the carpark. The descent
begins through grassland with more
dramatic views before reaching a gully
with a rock formation that resembles
Simba from The Lion King. The path
continues on through dried grasslands
with hues of gold and green against the
warm greys of the Roy’s Peak rock faces
in the setting sun. g
95
 THINKING
outside

Phantom
Billstickers are
famous for
spreading the
word with street
posters. Now it’s
our turn to shout
out about their
environmental
footprint.

96
 BROUGHT TO YOU BY PHANTOM
Last year Phantom recycled 10,208 tonnes of paper and
cardboard – the same weight as the Eiffel Tower – from its
Auckland operations alone. That’s also equivalent to 95 adult
blue whales.
Phantom have also invested in EV vans – eDeliver3s – which
are big enough to hold lots of posters plus the frames and
other gear they need to transport around town.

F
They first achieved net carbon zero certification in 2021 from
orty years ago, Phantom Billstickers pasted up its first the meticulous auditors at Toitū Envirocare and this audit
poster advertising a gig. Back then posters were applied process is being repeated in 2024.
directly to walls and lampposts with glue, usually in the
It’s fair to say they are as passionate about sustainability as
middle of the night.
they are about street media helping their clients get their
These days you can be sure that Phantom posters are made message out there.
of recyclable paper, printed with plant-based inks and housed
“There’s a reason that poster design and billsticking came
in recycled timber frames. The posters – which come in a
together to create one of the oldest mediums in advertising is
variety of sizes – are pasted onto recyclable backing board
because it works,” Horton says. “It’s at eye level and you see things
with water-based glue, and at the end of life, each poster
in different places. There’s a sense of discovery and a level of
is recycled.
disruption that is very positive for getting in touch with audiences.”
Phantom is New Zealand’s only net carbon zero poster
Ultimately, Phantom is a facilitator for creative expression from
company with the Toitū Envirocare tick!
the ground all the way up to global level creative campaigns.
“For a lot of people, the perception is a poster campaign goes And while they’ll quality check, ensuring files and artwork are
on the wall and stays there forever,” says Phantom marketing ready for print, Phantom doesn’t control any narratives and
manager Tom Horton. “While there is still illegal billsticking that supports creative expression.
happens, it’s usually very small scale. That may have been
“We try not to control too much but also try and facilitate as
where Phantom started back in Christchurch in 1982 but we
much as we can. People often need to get their voices heard
now have a very clean and concise way of application. The
and as long as the message is honest and authentic, we
posters remain clean in the frames for the life of the campaign
support that,” he says.
and are very well maintained. When a campaign is finished,
they’re removed by hand and then recycled.” Many of Phantom’s brand activations now exist outside of the
frames, too. Taking over an entire site or walls, with artwork
Achieving Toitū certification has been a monumental effort for
painted within and outside frames to create a unified and
the company where every aspect of the business is analysed
eye-catching visual effect.
right down to every Uber receipt. Phantom has four digital
billboards and 6,500 poster frames nationwide which are And whatever the scale, environmental impact is always
updated weekly. forefront. phantombillstickers.com

97
BILLSTICKERS
 Ben loves working with this dichotomy.

CULTURE
Originally from the UK he first cut his
theatre teeth working for the Youth Arts
Leicester, an organisation for young
people between the ages of 8 and 25.
Ben was about 13 or 14 and found
himself thrust into a leadership
position. The organisation annually

CULTURE
took 16 young people to the Edinburgh
Festival Fringe to perform six shows in
what he describes as a militant-style

CLUB
turnaround. They didn’t audition, just took
who was able to go. The group was a motley
crew – some passionate theatre geeks, some
at-risk youths and some who had been expelled from
school and could receive funding to do this show, prove
commitment and then get reaccepted back to school. He did
this for nine years.
“That galvanised me with an impenetrable patience,” he says.
“There is nothing I haven’t seen, no problem a professional
We speak with director theatre situation has thrown at me that has ever topped some
of the experiences I had with the Youth Arts. During that time,
Ben Kilby-Henson ahead it never really occurred to me that I was directing as such, it
wasn’t until I got to university and was horrified at the standard
of the rehearsal schedule of student productions that I realised I had been directing all
for the highly acclaimed that time.”

new play by Succession Ben has been directing and writing plays ever since. He moved
to New Zealand 13 years ago and within days of landing he
writer Lucy Prebble. applied for a bar job at Basement Theatre. They replied,
suggesting he put on show at the Fringe Festival. He meet the
challenge with a super quick turnaround adaptation of Turn of
THE EFFECT the Screw. “It was a quick way to plug into the community. I did
• Written by Lucy Prebble it with my overdraft,” he laughs. A similar situation he found
• ASB Waterfront Theatre Stage from April 16 – May 11 himself previously in at University when he directed and
• Starring Jayden Daniels, Zoe Robins, Jarod Rawiri and produced a play – he has, where required, self-funded his initial
Sara Wiseman. projects and used that to launch his career from there.

• Ben Kilby-Henson, Director at Auckland Theatre Company Ben teaches in Auckland’s drama schools and is artistic
manager of The Actor’s Program. He also writes plays but if
After a stellar season at London’s National Theatre this highly
there was one play in the world he wishes he could direct
acclaimed play is coming here and director Ben Kilby-Henson
it would be X by Alistair McDowall. He
will be sticking to the script.
can’t do it. Alistair has forbidden
“For me, the playwright is paramount,” says Ben. “Lucy Prebble anyone to ever show it. “His
is a masterful writer; she just knows how people speak and to work is deeply textural,
honour her text is first and foremost.” highly influenced by
reasonably low brow
Ben and the actors will spend the first week of rehearsals iconic TV shows
around the table unlocking the mechanics of the text. and film. The
Interview by Tamsin Morgan. Photography by Tony Drayton

“I see a play as a musical score, my job is to get them singing play X is an

from the same hymn sheet. We build the world with research homage to
and homework into what is in that world so that all the actors’ Event
choices and decisions are informed.” Horizon a
truly
The play is ultimately about love and whether this sits in the horrifying
heart or the brain. When Connie and Tristan sign up for a horror film. I
clinical trial to test a new antidepressant, they fall in love. But just find
are their feelings real or a side effect from the drug that’s firing Alistair’s
a dopamine hit to their brains? writing so
juicy. I’m here
It’s a gritty story where deception and reality thread
when you’re
throughout the scenes creating duality, confusion, and ready Alistair.”
complexity.

99
 Read, watch + listen
TUNE IN
In local podcast news Petra Bagust’s Grey Areas podcast is
back for a fifth season on April 18! Guests include book author,
public speaker and Good columnist Niki Bezzant and
relationship coach Meg Cowan who recently joined Petra on
stage at Auckland’s Q Theatre for a special podcast recording
in front of a live audience.
Meanwhile, the incomparable Anika Moa now has her
own podcast and “It’s Personal”. You’ll love tuning in
because Anika has a remarkable ability to get people
to tell her stuff! It’s authentic, funny, emotional and of
course personal. Guests include Tom Sainsbury, Robyn
Malcolm, Kaiora Tipene, Jen Cloher, Chelsea
Winstanley, Bella Kalolo, Anna Pillay, Guyon Espiner,
Tami Neilson, Claire Chitham, Sophie Devine and Grace
Palmer. Tune into RNZ National.

WATCH
THE GREAT ESCAPER
Based on true events, this heart-warming flick is sure to leave
you both amused and reaching for the tissues. When
90-year-old Bernie Jordan (Michael Caine) makes a ‘great
escape’ from his care home in Sussex to attend the 70th
anniversary D-Day commemorations in Normandy, he didn’t
quite know what he was getting himself into. Bernie’s wife and
lifelong sweetheart, Irene, encourages him to begin his
adventure, creating a cover story that sees him reach his
destination without a hiccup. As the story goes on, Bernie
embarks on a deeply personal and emotional journey that sees
him making new friendships, looking into the eyes of his once
enemies, and facing long repressed feelings of lost comrades.
Michael Caine really captured life, love, wit, life’s dependencies,
and most of all the can-do spirit of his generation in this
extremely heartfelt movie. Well worth a watch and a reminder
of what is important in life.

LISTEN
DANCE ALONE
Sia’s new single with Kylie Minogue has us dancing
alone at home even though the lyrics say, “I just want to
dance alone, I’m never going home… I just want to
dance alone, I just want to lose my phone”. Can
definitely relate to wanting to lose the phone!
It’s Sia and Kylie’s second collab and first in 10 years,
and part of Sia’s new album Reasonable Woman.
Dance Alone is catchy with nearly three minutes of
groovy beats and has become an instant smash hit. We
guarantee you’ll want to break out some dance moves.

100
 REVIEWS
WHAT WE ARE
READING AND
LOVING
TAKE TWO WELLNESS
by Danielle Hawkins, Allen & Unwin, $37. By Nathan
Hill, Pan
This was our first foray into Danielle Hawkins
MacMillan,
literature and we’re hooked! We even go as far as
from $40
describing the best-selling author as the
Jane Austen of “NZ romance on a farm” in From the
regards to her extraordinary talent for author of the
observing human nature, thoughts and acclaimed
foibles and putting these observations into book The Nix
words delivered with the highest wit. comes this incredible novel about
marriage, middle age, our
Take Two had us belly laughing with glee. It
tech-obsessed health culture and
is just brilliant, funny and so quintessentially
the ties that thread relationships.
Kiwi which is another reason to love it.
Jack and Elizabeth meet in the
The synopsis – Laura and Doug were together for ages and their breakup was just
90s as college students in
one of those things – she wanted children, he didn’t, no hard feelings – at least not
Chicago’s burgeoning
until, with their relationship barely cold in the grave, he got his new girlfriend
underground art scene where they
pregnant. Now seven years later, and just before she is about to do the Te Araroa Trail,
challenge the status quo and resist
a polite social call to his parents’ lands Laura back in the family, helping Doug and his
the norm. Fast forward 20 years
playboy younger brother Mick to cope with a whole raft of crises. And what better
and the pair have a child in
time to re-evaluate your major life decisions than when you’re wrangling a farm, a
suburbia and are haunted by the
bookshop, two small children, your ex’s wife and his two sick parents.
what-ifs of their careers and the
grown-up realisations of how their
dysfunctional families have shaped
their views on the world.
A huge book with clever writing,
THE
MISSING PIECE Hill dives in deep with descriptions.
By Julie Legg, HarperCollins NZ, $38 He is the master of show don’t tell
but in a contemporary, intelligent
With celebs Hayley Holt, Anika Moa way. His use of dialogue is superb.
and Sonia Gray opening up about It will make you reflect on your
their recent adult ADHD diagnosis’s it thoughts around the absurdities of
Reviews by Carolyn Enting, Tamsin Morgan and Jessica Weale.

may seem like ADHD is trending, and modern technology, detox diets,
in a way you are right. renovation hysterias and modern
Talking openly about it has helped love. What is revealed is an ironic,
raise awareness that girls are often profound and startling truth about
missed being diagnosed in childhood and how more and more women are now intimacy and connection.
realising that they have it. And the odds of you having it in NZ are one in 20. Jack and Elizabeth must dive deep
Author Julie Legg has ADHD and provides a beautiful insight into the ADHD mind, as into themselves to not lose
do many others who she interviews in her book. themselves. It’s a remarkable
journey and is no wonder Wellness
Missing Piece contextualises the reasons behind patterns of forgetfulness, emotional is being touted as a favourite read
outbursts and burnout to help women realise they are not alone. And embraces the by so many.
positive attributes of ADHD and ways to find balance. Plus, tips for living and thriving
with ADHD.
To be in to win a copy of this great book turn to page 109.

101
WARDROBE

Fail-safe
combos
Accent autumnal shades with dark denim.
01
04

02

03

10

09 05

06

07

08

01 Twenty-Seven Names ‘Hera’ blazer, $740, twentysevennames.co.nz 02 Kate Sylvester ‘Cooper’ coat,
$899, katesylvester.co.nz 03 Deadly Ponies ‘Mr Molton’ midi, $859, deadlyponies.com 04 Juliette Hogan
Compiled by Carolyn Enting

‘Mei’ dress, $529, juliettehogan.com 05 Stolen Girlfriends Club ‘Crooked Heart’ ring, $399,
stolengirlfriendsclub.com 06 Ksubi Cargo SS shirt heritage, $169.95, ksubi.co.nz 07 Deadly Ponies ‘Rider’
boot, $699, deadlyponies.com 08 Kowtow ‘Bubble’ jumper, $309, kowtowclothing.com 09 Moochi ‘Line’
denim skirt, $330, moochi.co.nz 10 Adidas ‘Gazelle’ sneaker (indoor green), $220, adidas.co.nz

102
SHOP INSTORE OR ONLINE
www.DoveHospice.com

Look what i found...

Dove Hospice & Wellness

supporting people with life threatening illness
 Subscribe to

and BE IN TO WIN*

Magazine subscriptions
from $30. Go to
goodmagazine.co.nz/
subs to subscribe.
*Offer ends 2 June 2024 T&Cs apply.

*Terms and Conditions: Promotion commences 21 March 2024 and ends at midnight 2 June 2024. Winner will be drawn on 3 June 2024. Entry to the competition/prize
draw is conditional on acceptance of the full prize draw T&Cs which can be found by visiting scgmedia.co.nz/terms-conditions/

104
 SUBSCRIBERS
TRAVEL
WE LOVE
Mother’s Day
Giveaway
at Bali Garden
FOR MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
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WITH A TEACHER FROM BALI GARDEN MATAKANA
After yoga, join Kim Campbell, The Matakana Naturopath for a
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baligarden.nz
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facebook.com/baligardenmatakana

105
 MEGA CROSSWORD
A PLACE FOR PUZZLERS.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34

35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61

62 63 64 65

66 67 68 69

70 71

72 73 74 75

76 77 78 79

80 81 82 83 84

85 86 87 88

89 90 91 92 93 94 95

96 97

98 99 100 101 102 103

104 105 106

107 108 109 110 111 112

113 114 115 116

117 118 119 120

121 122 123 124

125 126 127 128

129 130 131 132 133

134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141

142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151

152 153 154 155 156 157 158

159 160 161 162 163 164

165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172

(C) Lovatts Puzzles.

173 174 175 176

177 178 179 180

181 182 183

106
ACROSS 117. Respectful address
1. Witchcraft (5,5) 118. Jail term reduction
6. Inside 120. Nevada’s ... Vegas
10. Six (4,1,5) 121. Ergo
15. By heart, by ... 123. Brown soft drink (6,3)
125. Abdominal muscles
38. Luxury vehicle, ... Martin
41. Winged predator
43. Serpents
44. Income cheat, tax ...
46. Beach rescuers
47. Swallowed

PUZZLES
18. Port working vessel
19. Rewrite 126. Unrehearsed 51. Small aquarium
20. Rock growth 127. Sink in middle 52. Delightfully
22. Golden-haired person 129. Arduous trip 55. Eliminate, ... out
23. Mediocre 130. Toupee 56. Designer, Yves Saint ...
24. Not liable 131. Sales agent 57. Michaelmas daisy
25. Irish group (1,1,1) 133. Murder (2,2) 58. Interferes
26. Shatter 134. Atlantic fish 60. Stove
28. Come next 136. Limited 67. Italian baby
30. Typist’s ailment (1,1,1) 137. Computer’s ... printer 69. Manic (5,2)
31. Flexible 140. ... Arabia 72. Prestige
32. Crimson hues 141. Junior Scout 75. Modify (rules)
33. Medieval guitar 142. Purge 77. Snow slippage
34. 16th of pound 146. Tea, ... Grey 79. Duplicate
35. Osso bucco meat 147. Sonar sound 82. Infusing
37. Diplomacy 148. Lookover 83. Emulate
39. No ... or buts 152. You (archaic) 86. Foreign
40. Cordon bleu cook 154. Tiny bird 88. Lubricated
42. Japanese rice wine 155. Symbol of wisdom 90. Billiards rod
45. Gelatine desserts 156. Loch ... Monster 91. Metal can
48. Chow 157. Knowledge quiz 92. Luau souvenir
49. Leer 159. Flee to wed 93. Once bitten, twice ...
50. Influences 160. Reword 94. Phone text (1,1,1)
53. Jalopy 162. Black & white whale 95. And so forth
54. Dog snarl 164. Wear by rubbing 98. Melodies
56. Hopped 165. Unfair bargain, ... deal 99. Chaperones
59. Songs for one 167. Avoid 102. California’s Los ...
61. Section of grass & soil 169. First Greek letter 103. Flying frames
62. Present 171. Clumsy lout 104. Animal with spine
63. Nought 173. Disavow past opinion 106. High wire performers
64. I have (1’2) 174. Bonus 108. Fortified
65. Injure 175. Keen insight 109. Sinful
66. Ball 177. Trendily creative 110. Former Prince of Monaco
68. Second to last 178. Frozen block (3,4) 111. Warning sign (6,6)
69. That lady’s 179. Faint (4,3) 114. Registers for flight (6,2)
70. Philanderer 180. Tropical tuber 116. More selfish
71. Hostility 181. Seemingly 119. Hosiery
72. Actress, ... Basinger 182. Neglected 122. Destroy
73. Seriously (2,7) 183. Stability 124. Suggestion
74. Pod vegetable 125. Climb
DOWN
76. Paperwork (3,4) 128. Wineglass
1. Sharp hook
78. Noise stopper 130. Refreshing liquid
2. Film star
80. Towelled (oneself) 132. Inflaters
3. Motherly
81. Sent up 135. Chop (ingredients)
4. Unit of digital storage
84. Long-handled spoon 138. Allocations
5. Genetic copy
139. Loud bangs
Answers to be published on goodmagazine.co.nz after 3 June 2024.

85. Sailor
6. College enrolment
87. Uncanny 141. Composer, ... Porter
7. Justifiable (remark)
89. Highlander 143. Manoeuvring space
8. Beef broth (6,4)
92. People who solicit votes 144. Unsuccessful
9. Road
94. Rushed 145. Dearest
10. Goes to ground
96. Indirectly hint 149. Schnitzel
11. Discontinue (5,3)
97. Old family treasure 150. Undiminished in intensity
12. Insect feelers
98. Adolescent 151. Dined at restaurant (3,3)
13. Hurtles
100. Crabbily 153. Renter
14. Savings, ... egg
101. Go to bed, hit the ... 158. Less risky
16. Martini garnish
104. St Mark’s Square city 161. Rely
17. Facilitate
105. Oscar winner, ... Bullock 163. Slept in tent
20. Barest
107. Wall recess 166. Misbehave (3,2)
21. Spotless, ... & span
108. Giggled slyly 168. Extortionate lending
27. Picture museums (3,9)
112. Octagon number 170. Annoying things
29. Made essential
113. Wealthiest 172. Astound
35. Nylon-looped fastener
115. Retribution seeker 173. Proportional, pro ...
36. Partly open
176. Bobs head

107
 Puzzles
DO YOUR BLOCK
Place all the words listed into a grid. Words will go from left to right or from top to bottom in the rows and columns.
Each word can be used only once. Tip: start with the three-letter words.

3 LETTERS Knits Entree

Ire Louse Escape
Pro Merge Etches
Rot Patio Forays
Sir Ranch Lovers
Scour Outrun
5 LETTERS
Seeks Potent
Abate
Spoke Preens
Abuse
Unite Prying
Attic
Untie Salted
Bring
Senora
Bulbs 6 LETTERS
Stable
Civil Become
Subtle
Clerk Births
Taunts
Cobra Chests
Truces
Cures Cornea
Eases Desert

3 LETTERS Grabs Caster

Bee Inlet Desist
Deb Mains Fracas
Doe Mania Imbibe
Odd Nerve Impart
5 LETTERS Occur Meshed
Agile Relax Normal
Alarm Sabre Pelmet
Alibi Scrag Pranks
Argue Testy Rulers
Conga Snails
6 LETTERS
Debar Steeds
Acorns
Embed Swedes
Angled
Erase Thrive
Bakery
Erode Tumble
Beware
Exert Bodice

3 LETTERS Obese Carats

Ant Rarer Escort
Ego Scale Esteem
Nor Stows Forest
Tag Taboo Jersey
Tolls Jovial
5 LETTERS
Totem Lagoon
Abode
Ulcer Lowest
Arrow
Waste Needed
Blade
Woods Rained
Brawl
(C) Lovatts Puzzles.

Roster
Busts 6 LETTERS
Sedate
Cress Agreed
Silver
Crest Beetle
Slates
Delay Billow
Sweets
Delta Bisect
Nails Blanch

108
 Wellbeing in words

PUZZLES
Take yourself on a wellness retreat with this fun word find.

R E J U V E N A T I O N U F A U R O T O R S
A A S H S R W M Q J N A P L C S E R N G O A
I R R O M A S S A G E T K O Q Y S F J U S N
N T K T E H L I C M C U N A P B E C N T K C
S H B S D O N C P I W R J T X G T D T W M T
H I Q P I R O E M N Y E L W R M B L X S K U
O N C R T A I B R D P W X N E A W M N P E A
W G Q I A E T A W F A A O W T L C P H C B R
E I A N T T A T N U R L T H R K R G A G O Y
R K Y G I W X H Q L E K E J E S Q N N R D S
S A P S O P A P U N H S D K A T N I M Q Y P
U E A R N Q L Q P E T X L M T E P L E S S M
T R R B W U E A R S O S A U N A F A R S C B
Y B E S P S R C O S R X T J C M X N S E R G
O I H C N W X H Q R D H I S Y R H R P N U N
J N T N D S W I M B Y P G N O O B U I L B I
K I A U S J K H C H H L I B S O H O N L Y D
H M M Y H O L I S T I C D X K M K J G E K N
F L O A T F O R E S T B A T H I N G S W G U
B S R T S K H S W E I V C I M A R O N A P O
E D A Y S P A R P L U N G E P O O L T K A R
P N U T R I T I O U S M E A L S R E S E T G

Words can appear forwards, backwards, vertical, horizontal, on the diagonal

and overlapping. Two words appear twice.
WIN

AROMATHERAPY HYDROTHERAPY PANORAMIC VIEWS STEAM ROOM

BODY SCRUB ICE BATH RAIN SHOWERS SWIM
DAY SPA JOURNALING RELAXATION TE AROHA
DIGITAL DETOX MASSAGE REJUVENATION WELLNESS
Find the two words that
EARTHING MEDITATION RESET YOGA appear twice in this Word
FLOAT MINDFULNESS REST
Find and enter online at
goodmagazine.co.nz/
FOREST BATHING MINI-BREAK RETREAT competitions to be in to
win a copy of The Missing
Puzzle by Carolyn Enting

GROUNDING MUD WRAP ROTORUA

Piece: A Woman’s Guide to
HANMER SPRINGS NATURE WALKS SANCTUARY
Understanding,
HOLISTIC NUTRITIOUS MEALS SAUNA Diagnosing and Living
HOT SPRINGS PLUNGE POOL SOUND BATH
with ADHD by Julie Legg
(HarperCollinsNZ), $38.

109
 Mindful
Colouring
“A walk in nature, walks the soul back home.” - Mary Davis

110
111
 CHAT
the Cornish coastline. It takes seven
weeks to walk and we’ve done the first
five days and plan on finishing the walk
in sections before our son turns 18.

MY FAVOURITE PLACE FOR A

GETAWAY IS…
Anywhere in nature with patchy WIFI is
where I feel the most relaxed. A beach
with a pohutukawa for some dappled
shade, on top of a snowy peak with
dramatic views or in the comfort of
a forest.

MY MORNING CUPPA IS…

A lemon water – half lemon, followed by
cold water so that the nutrients are not
killed by the hot water.

A MOVIE I THINK EVERYONE

SHOULD SEE IS… BECAUSE…
Anything by David Attenborough
because he reminds us of the magic
that exists in the natural world and
anything by Yorgos Lanthimos because
he reminds us that humans are complex
creatures.

THE MANTRA I LIVE BY…

“I am very grateful for the life I have”.
The gratitude has only poured into my
life after I ditched all social media two
years ago.

MY WISH FOR THE FUTURE OF

FASHION IS…
To be fully circular, with zero waste and
in tune with the natural world.

MY FAVOURITE FLOWERS ARE…

MY CAN’T MISS PODCAST IS…
A good chat I like listening to Tara Brach, a Buddhist
with Kowtow meditation teacher and psychologist,
and I love listening to Gabor Mate a
fashion label Canadian physician.
founder Gosia THE BOOK I’M CURRENTLY
READING IS…
Piatek. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. It is
about the South Coast West path walk
in England that starts in Somerset and
ends in Devon and follows the whole of
Any wildflower seasonal combination.
I’m flower obsessed and grow flowers
and have loved making bunches since I
was a little child from whatever I can
find on the side of the road.
IF THERE WAS ONE THING I HAD
THE POWER IN THE WORLD TO
CHANGE IT WOULD BE…
For governments to be brave and
implement stronger laws that would
really shift the dial in regards to climate
change.
MY HAPPY PLACE IS…
With my girlfriends over dinner, a walk or
a sauna. My girlfriends nurture me and
give me joy all at the same time.

112
 There is a crack in
everything, that’s
how the light gets in.
- Dr. Lauren Fogel Mersy