At 40 years old, Purple Patch has seen generations of people come through its doors, from children finding a toy to treasure, to a friend finding a gift for an expecting mum. The store is one of the longest-standing retailers in Tauranga’s CBD,...... Read More

The new era thrust upon us by the global pandemic has provided an interesting opportunity for a locally-based cruise ship director who has shifted his overseas office to a makeshift studio in Papamoa. Darren McColl, who lives with wife Mylinda Reid McColl...... Read More

The International Youth Silent Film Festival New Zealand Regionals are happening again in 2018 and look set to be bigger and  better than before.The 2017 competition and VIP Red Carpet Awards night at Baycourt in Tauranga were both huge successes,...... Read More

From the age of nine, my sisters and I would explore the headland at Omokoroa. Our small bach was nearby, and after a day on the water, we’d go blackberry or raspberry-hunting up through the trees and bush area. It was mostly overgrown, and we...... Read More

My phone rang. “Oh Rooosalieeee,” purred Alys Ingrid Wicksteed’s velvet voice, “you simply must hear about what we have planned - it’s going to be fabulous!”  She mentioned Bob Addison, the city’s Steinway...... Read More

From re-purposing beer crates, to keeping snuggly in winter with salt bags, Marco and Tess Partridge are living an adventure of simplicity and sustainability that they  once only hoped to do. They call themselves the Crafty Gatherer,  gathering...... Read More

Recently I went to a “Goodness Me I’m Plastic Free” workshop in Papamoa. I’d been following Pania Edward’s family journey since mid-way through 2017.  Her son Andrei’s teacher at Tahatai Coast School, Shona Poppe,...... Read More

Late December I kept receiving text messages from a friend saying: “Hey, how about you write about Veganuary?”  Finding a free moment I messaged back: “What’s that?” She replied: “It’s like Movember, but...... Read More

Graham Hoete, aka Mr G, was busy before and after Christmas painting a mural on the back wall of the Mount Maunganui cinema. Again. Specialising in photorealism with spray paint, he’d previously painted his father there. Now he was painting highly...... Read More

When I accompanied my sister  Andrea to London, I managed to talk her into breaking up the flights by  stopping off in Paris. We jumped on the hop-on hop-off bus and whisked around the city. On our second day, she went shopping and I went to...... Read More