Saturday 3 September 2011
Thursday 1 September 2011
Expert baker shares tips
It started with cross stitch, but Catherine Dobby soon switched to baking and has gone on to dominate competitions at the Marlborough A&P show ever since.
Catherine first entered her cross stitch in 1999, but her pikelets, shortbread and chocolate cake have been her most consistent winners, as she has picked up a prize every year.
She has always loved to cook. Her grandmother was her first teacher when she was young and the passion has grown from there.
"I love feeding other people. It's a passion of mine, and I'm always trying out new things."
She also learned the tricks to her prize-winning pikelets as young girl.
"When I was a girl of 10 I started cooking pikelets at the [Blenheim] Presbyterian fete. They are renowned pikelet makers," she said.
"You have got to beat your butter and your sugar till it's really, really thick. I use a whisk, but you have got to beat for a long time and hard."
To keep the pikelets smooth and golden brown they must be turned before the bubbles on the uncooked side burst.
Catherine said she always cooks dishes from scratch and makes a wide range of her own jams and chutneys.
She makes all her family's baking and with two hungry teenagers to feed, one who is gluten-intolerant, baking helps keep the bills down.
To help her feed her cooking passion, Catherine collects recipes from everywhere. Over the years she has built up a large collection of recipe books, some more than 50 years old, picking them up at garage sales and shops.
"Volunteering at the Salvation Army store is quite good too – they get quite a lot of them there," she said.
She even has an Amish cookbook, but these days she mostly sources recipes from the internet and for her pikelets and shortbread she sticks to the traditional Edmonds cook book recipes.
When she is not cooking, Catherine still likes to cross-stitch, plans to do some quilting and likes to read.
For now, though, most of her time is taken up with her sons, Andrew, 16, and Joshua, 14, and preparing to enter the A&P show.
A competitive cook when it comes to the show, her shortbread recipe is also down to such an exact standard she will throw out a mixture that doesn't feel right.
"I can tell by feeling the mixture before you cook it that it's going to be a good mixture.
"I can't describe that feeling – it just comes with experience."
She does have some tips, though, for aspiring A&P entrants.
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"With the shortbread you have got to beat your butter and your icing sugar till it changes colour.
"I use an electric beater and I usually start slowly and then turn it up, walk away and do something else for two or three minutes."
Entries for the A&P show cooking competitions close on October 1.
Shortbread
250g butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup cornflour
2 cups plain flour
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift cornflour and flour together.
Mix sifted ingredients into creamed mixture. Knead well.
On a lightly floured board roll out 0.5 centimetres thick.
Shape into a circle or cut into pieces.
Place on a greased oven tray.
Prick with a fork. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.
American Chocolate Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/3tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups sugar
1/2cup of cocoa
120g butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Melt the butter and mix with the eggs and milk.
Combine all the ingredients and add 1 cup of hot coffee and 1 tsp of vanilla essence.
Pour mixture into a large cake tin and bake for one hour at 180C.
- The Marlborough Express Last updated 15:03 31/08/2011
Catherine first entered her cross stitch in 1999, but her pikelets, shortbread and chocolate cake have been her most consistent winners, as she has picked up a prize every year.
She has always loved to cook. Her grandmother was her first teacher when she was young and the passion has grown from there.
"I love feeding other people. It's a passion of mine, and I'm always trying out new things."
She also learned the tricks to her prize-winning pikelets as young girl.
"When I was a girl of 10 I started cooking pikelets at the [Blenheim] Presbyterian fete. They are renowned pikelet makers," she said.
"You have got to beat your butter and your sugar till it's really, really thick. I use a whisk, but you have got to beat for a long time and hard."
To keep the pikelets smooth and golden brown they must be turned before the bubbles on the uncooked side burst.
Catherine said she always cooks dishes from scratch and makes a wide range of her own jams and chutneys.
She makes all her family's baking and with two hungry teenagers to feed, one who is gluten-intolerant, baking helps keep the bills down.
To help her feed her cooking passion, Catherine collects recipes from everywhere. Over the years she has built up a large collection of recipe books, some more than 50 years old, picking them up at garage sales and shops.
"Volunteering at the Salvation Army store is quite good too – they get quite a lot of them there," she said.
She even has an Amish cookbook, but these days she mostly sources recipes from the internet and for her pikelets and shortbread she sticks to the traditional Edmonds cook book recipes.
When she is not cooking, Catherine still likes to cross-stitch, plans to do some quilting and likes to read.
For now, though, most of her time is taken up with her sons, Andrew, 16, and Joshua, 14, and preparing to enter the A&P show.
A competitive cook when it comes to the show, her shortbread recipe is also down to such an exact standard she will throw out a mixture that doesn't feel right.
"I can tell by feeling the mixture before you cook it that it's going to be a good mixture.
"I can't describe that feeling – it just comes with experience."
She does have some tips, though, for aspiring A&P entrants.
Ad Feedback
"With the shortbread you have got to beat your butter and your icing sugar till it changes colour.
"I use an electric beater and I usually start slowly and then turn it up, walk away and do something else for two or three minutes."
Entries for the A&P show cooking competitions close on October 1.
Shortbread
250g butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup cornflour
2 cups plain flour
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift cornflour and flour together.
Mix sifted ingredients into creamed mixture. Knead well.
On a lightly floured board roll out 0.5 centimetres thick.
Shape into a circle or cut into pieces.
Place on a greased oven tray.
Prick with a fork. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.
American Chocolate Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/3tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups sugar
1/2cup of cocoa
120g butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Melt the butter and mix with the eggs and milk.
Combine all the ingredients and add 1 cup of hot coffee and 1 tsp of vanilla essence.
Pour mixture into a large cake tin and bake for one hour at 180C.
- The Marlborough Express Last updated 15:03 31/08/2011
Sunday 21 August 2011
Saturday 20 August 2011
Monday 15 August 2011
Chilly start to whitebait season
Sub-zero temperatures could not deter hardy whitebaiters setting up their nets near Blenheim on the opening day of the season this morning.
About 14 caravans and buses were already parked on the banks of the Wairau Diversion before 7am.
The temperature fell to minus 2.5 degrees Celsius overnight, and campers woke to a hard frost and rare snowy views.
Blenheim man Jim Mears, who has been whitebaiting for more than 30 years, said it was the first time he had seen snow on the White Bluffs.
"It has to be one of the coldest mornings for whitebaiting ever, but it won't stop me. I love it. Bloody cold, though.
"We [Mr Mears and his wife] were amazed to see the snow cover on the Bluffs. I mean, you often see some on the Blairich [Range], but never this far over.
"It is quite amazing, really. What a sight."
For Mr Mears, the challenge of whitebaiting and "the trusty bus heater" keep him coming back every year.
Some years, he has been lucky to haul in just over a pound (half a kilogram), but in other seasons, he has feasted on a good haul of seven pounds (just over 3kg).
Mr Mears also enjoys getting to know his "neighbouring jokers" throughout the season and cooking up a whitebait fritter or two.
The camaraderie at the Diversion was great, he said.
"We all know each other along this bank, to be honest, but there is a joker next to me here who I don't know.
"Naturally, I'll go and share a cuppa with him this morning and get to know him. There's no hiding out here."
Renwick man Phil Footies is the new kid on the block. He usually travels over to the West Coast for the whitebaiting season, but this year he decided to try the Marlborough scene.
"It's the first time for me, actually, fishing down in this spot – but man, look at it," he said.
"Apart from it being bloody ridiculously freezing, it's a great atmosphere and very peaceful."
He struggled to get his truck doors open this morning, and his nets were frozen.
"Mate, I started out in the Wairarapa bush, but it has never been this cold for as long as I can remember in 20 years of whitebaiting. It's unreal.
"Not being able to open my truck doors, yeah, as I said, she was a cold one all right."
The whitebait fishing season runs from August 15 to November 30 in most parts of the country. On the West Coast, the season runs from September 1 to November 14.
Restrictions on fishing include one net per person, and whitebaiters must remain within 10 metres of their net at all times.
- The Marlborough Express
SAM MORTON
Last updated 13:00 15/08/2011
Jim Mears was out at the crack of dawn setting up his whitebaiting nets in a hard frost at the Wairau Diversion. He is hoping for a steady run of catches this season.
SCOTT HAMMOND
NETS AWAY: Jim Mears was out at the crack of dawn setting up his whitebaiting nets in a hard frost at the Wairau Diversion. He is hoping for a steady run of catches this season.
About 14 caravans and buses were already parked on the banks of the Wairau Diversion before 7am.
The temperature fell to minus 2.5 degrees Celsius overnight, and campers woke to a hard frost and rare snowy views.
Blenheim man Jim Mears, who has been whitebaiting for more than 30 years, said it was the first time he had seen snow on the White Bluffs.
"It has to be one of the coldest mornings for whitebaiting ever, but it won't stop me. I love it. Bloody cold, though.
"We [Mr Mears and his wife] were amazed to see the snow cover on the Bluffs. I mean, you often see some on the Blairich [Range], but never this far over.
"It is quite amazing, really. What a sight."
For Mr Mears, the challenge of whitebaiting and "the trusty bus heater" keep him coming back every year.
Some years, he has been lucky to haul in just over a pound (half a kilogram), but in other seasons, he has feasted on a good haul of seven pounds (just over 3kg).
Mr Mears also enjoys getting to know his "neighbouring jokers" throughout the season and cooking up a whitebait fritter or two.
The camaraderie at the Diversion was great, he said.
"We all know each other along this bank, to be honest, but there is a joker next to me here who I don't know.
"Naturally, I'll go and share a cuppa with him this morning and get to know him. There's no hiding out here."
Renwick man Phil Footies is the new kid on the block. He usually travels over to the West Coast for the whitebaiting season, but this year he decided to try the Marlborough scene.
"It's the first time for me, actually, fishing down in this spot – but man, look at it," he said.
"Apart from it being bloody ridiculously freezing, it's a great atmosphere and very peaceful."
He struggled to get his truck doors open this morning, and his nets were frozen.
"Mate, I started out in the Wairarapa bush, but it has never been this cold for as long as I can remember in 20 years of whitebaiting. It's unreal.
"Not being able to open my truck doors, yeah, as I said, she was a cold one all right."
The whitebait fishing season runs from August 15 to November 30 in most parts of the country. On the West Coast, the season runs from September 1 to November 14.
Restrictions on fishing include one net per person, and whitebaiters must remain within 10 metres of their net at all times.
- The Marlborough Express
SAM MORTON
Last updated 13:00 15/08/2011
Jim Mears was out at the crack of dawn setting up his whitebaiting nets in a hard frost at the Wairau Diversion. He is hoping for a steady run of catches this season.
SCOTT HAMMOND
NETS AWAY: Jim Mears was out at the crack of dawn setting up his whitebaiting nets in a hard frost at the Wairau Diversion. He is hoping for a steady run of catches this season.
Saturday 13 August 2011
NZSG CANTERBURY BRANCH
RESEARCH DAY SATURDAY 20th AUGUST 2011 10:00AM TO 4:00PM
ST NINIAN'S CHURCH HALL 9 PURIRI STREET, RICCARTON
A chance to search some of our library resources that are in storage:
Parish registers, cemetery transcripts, School indexes, the CDs, NZ BDM
microfiche and NZ cemetery microfiche.
Experienced Researchers in Australian, European, and British Genealogy;
how to use School Records; and Computer networks, will be available.
Bring your lunch. Tea and coffee available
Jan Slater
Librarian
NZSG Canterbury Branch
canterburynz@genealogy.org.nz
Waikumete cemetery looking for relatives of 20 serviceman world war one and two to repair graves at no cost to families
COWLEY Ralph Tugi d.27 Jul 1915
SOLOMONA Peter d.3 Apr 1917
MEADE Charles William 9 Nov 1918
MERCER Percy Albert d. 4 Nov 1919
EDWARDS Herbert Cecil Arthur d. 1 Jul 1947
BAIN George d.22 Aug 1914
BONELLA Frederick d. 11 Jun 1919
GROVES Richard d.10 Sep 1917
MINOGUE d. 10 Nov 1916
RYAN Edward Thomas d.10 Dec 1918
BURKITT George Percival d. 4 Nov 1919
STOWELL Hector Arthur d.23 Nov 1918
MITCHELL Leslie d. 27 Nov 1943
RICKMAN James George d. 14 Nov 1918
HARROP Charles d. 2 Aug 1917
SMITH Albert Harrison d. 21 Nov 1918
VERCOE Norman Edmond d. 5 Jun 1919
BARTON Charles Frederick d. 28 Aug 1917
FITZPATRICK Frederick Daniel d. 30 Oct 1918
SPEIR Allan John d. 16 Aug 1920
contact Margaret Marks (04) 496 6343
COWLEY Ralph Tugi d.27 Jul 1915
SOLOMONA Peter d.3 Apr 1917
MEADE Charles William 9 Nov 1918
MERCER Percy Albert d. 4 Nov 1919
EDWARDS Herbert Cecil Arthur d. 1 Jul 1947
BAIN George d.22 Aug 1914
BONELLA Frederick d. 11 Jun 1919
GROVES Richard d.10 Sep 1917
MINOGUE d. 10 Nov 1916
RYAN Edward Thomas d.10 Dec 1918
BURKITT George Percival d. 4 Nov 1919
STOWELL Hector Arthur d.23 Nov 1918
MITCHELL Leslie d. 27 Nov 1943
RICKMAN James George d. 14 Nov 1918
HARROP Charles d. 2 Aug 1917
SMITH Albert Harrison d. 21 Nov 1918
VERCOE Norman Edmond d. 5 Jun 1919
BARTON Charles Frederick d. 28 Aug 1917
FITZPATRICK Frederick Daniel d. 30 Oct 1918
SPEIR Allan John d. 16 Aug 1920
contact Margaret Marks (04) 496 6343
Laura Gooch
Finding a relative
We are trying to find out what happened to our relative Laura Gooch, born Norwich, England in 1894, and we think she emigrated to New Zealand in about 1912.
We hope to find a relative who can fill us in on the missing information.
Laura Gooch (maiden name) had a son, George, who married Rene and had two daughters. We don't know if Laura actually married, when she died, or where she is buried.
Please contact us if you have any information. sidney.barlow496@btinternet.com
PAULINE AND SID BARLOW, Norwich, England
- The Marlborough Express
We are trying to find out what happened to our relative Laura Gooch, born Norwich, England in 1894, and we think she emigrated to New Zealand in about 1912.
We hope to find a relative who can fill us in on the missing information.
Laura Gooch (maiden name) had a son, George, who married Rene and had two daughters. We don't know if Laura actually married, when she died, or where she is buried.
Please contact us if you have any information. sidney.barlow496@btinternet.com
PAULINE AND SID BARLOW, Norwich, England
- The Marlborough Express
Printing in Nelson
Printing in Nelson
It is with sadness and a degree of anger that I noted the decision of Fairfax Media to withdraw the printing press from Blenheim and relocate it to Nelson, from where our daily paper will originate. What a short-sighted decision that is, which ignores the loss of jobs here in Blenheim but also the number of occasions, especially during winter, when the highway between Nelson and Blenheim is closed due to slips, floods or traffic accidents.
The presses here are not old and, while perhaps not trouble-free, seem to cope with not only Blenheim needs but also from other communities, which suggests they are a viable entity.
Older people may recall the battle which took place to enable Marlborough to get free of the restraining hand of Nelson, but I see the proposed move as a retrograde step back and, longer term, can foresee our paper becoming a Marlborough edition of the Nelson Mail.
I would ask the management of Fairfax Media to carefully review its decision and leave us to enjoy our daily paper, printed in Blenheim and utilising local employees.
BILL COX, Blenheim
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Marlborough Express general manager Vanessa Watson replies:
Thank you for your concerns, Bill. We have no intention of becoming a sub-section of the Nelson Mail. The 50 remaining staff of the Marlborough Express remain committed to providing a news and advertising service in this region, a commitment that is supported by Fairfax Media.
The merging of the print plant is an economic one. The machinery needs to be operating for as many hours as possible to provide the best possible return on investment.
In this prolonged downturn, combining the print plants is the best option to future-proof both titles. Many other local industries have had to face the same challenges, and have product manufactured outside the district.
We look forward to the continued support from our readers and advertisers as we move through this transition in November.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/letters-to-the-editor/5427153/Currency-printing-family-bombs
It is with sadness and a degree of anger that I noted the decision of Fairfax Media to withdraw the printing press from Blenheim and relocate it to Nelson, from where our daily paper will originate. What a short-sighted decision that is, which ignores the loss of jobs here in Blenheim but also the number of occasions, especially during winter, when the highway between Nelson and Blenheim is closed due to slips, floods or traffic accidents.
The presses here are not old and, while perhaps not trouble-free, seem to cope with not only Blenheim needs but also from other communities, which suggests they are a viable entity.
Older people may recall the battle which took place to enable Marlborough to get free of the restraining hand of Nelson, but I see the proposed move as a retrograde step back and, longer term, can foresee our paper becoming a Marlborough edition of the Nelson Mail.
I would ask the management of Fairfax Media to carefully review its decision and leave us to enjoy our daily paper, printed in Blenheim and utilising local employees.
BILL COX, Blenheim
Ad Feedback
Marlborough Express general manager Vanessa Watson replies:
Thank you for your concerns, Bill. We have no intention of becoming a sub-section of the Nelson Mail. The 50 remaining staff of the Marlborough Express remain committed to providing a news and advertising service in this region, a commitment that is supported by Fairfax Media.
The merging of the print plant is an economic one. The machinery needs to be operating for as many hours as possible to provide the best possible return on investment.
In this prolonged downturn, combining the print plants is the best option to future-proof both titles. Many other local industries have had to face the same challenges, and have product manufactured outside the district.
We look forward to the continued support from our readers and advertisers as we move through this transition in November.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/letters-to-the-editor/5427153/Currency-printing-family-bombs
Whitebaiter set for new season
Patience truly is a virtue when it comes to whitebaiting, according to Cappy Macdonald.
"You might go down all day and get nothing," Mr Macdonald said yesterday as he prepared for the season to open on Monday.
"If there's none that's too bad. You just go back the next day."
At 84, he's been whitebaiting for about 75 years.
His property on Wairau Bar Rd near Blenheim backs on to the Wairau River and he's been getting his whitebait stand ready as usual. The tidal flow and river currents wash away the platform every year.
Mr Macdonald catches only enough to feed the family.
He predicted this season would be better than last, because he had spotted plenty of whitebait during the past few days.
But he doubted the haul would be as good as previous years.
"It took about 20 minutes to fill a four-gallon drum ... back in the 1950s.
"You can't do that today; there's not as many there."
The whitebaiting season was always a highlight for him and the family, who enjoy whitebait as it is meant to be eaten – as fritters.
The whitebait fishing season runs from August 15 to November 30 over most of New Zealand. The season on the South Island's West Coast is from September 1 to November 14.
Restrictions on fishing include one net to be used per person, and for whitebaiters to remain within 10 metres of their net.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
Last updated 13:00 12/08/2011
Cappy MacDonald
DEREK FLYNN/The Marlborough Express
ALL READY: Cappy MacDonald checks his nets at his pozzie beside the Wairau river in preparation for the Whitebait season which opens on Monday.
"You might go down all day and get nothing," Mr Macdonald said yesterday as he prepared for the season to open on Monday.
"If there's none that's too bad. You just go back the next day."
At 84, he's been whitebaiting for about 75 years.
His property on Wairau Bar Rd near Blenheim backs on to the Wairau River and he's been getting his whitebait stand ready as usual. The tidal flow and river currents wash away the platform every year.
Mr Macdonald catches only enough to feed the family.
He predicted this season would be better than last, because he had spotted plenty of whitebait during the past few days.
But he doubted the haul would be as good as previous years.
"It took about 20 minutes to fill a four-gallon drum ... back in the 1950s.
"You can't do that today; there's not as many there."
The whitebaiting season was always a highlight for him and the family, who enjoy whitebait as it is meant to be eaten – as fritters.
The whitebait fishing season runs from August 15 to November 30 over most of New Zealand. The season on the South Island's West Coast is from September 1 to November 14.
Restrictions on fishing include one net to be used per person, and for whitebaiters to remain within 10 metres of their net.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
Last updated 13:00 12/08/2011
Cappy MacDonald
DEREK FLYNN/The Marlborough Express
ALL READY: Cappy MacDonald checks his nets at his pozzie beside the Wairau river in preparation for the Whitebait season which opens on Monday.
The Perfect Kiwi Cuppa
KIWIS HIFF BRITISH HABITS
New survey and leading NZ comedian identify shift from British values toward uniquely local tastes
New Zealand attitudes toward tea etiquette are shifting, with the vast majority of Kiwis, particularly Generation X, turning their backs on former habits once respected by their British forebears. According to Comedian Dai Henwood, today's New Zealanders are all about drinking 'Our tea, Our way'.
These findings are the result of The New Zealand Choysa Tea Survey, a survey which polled over 550 New Zealanders aged 22 to 54 years - exploring attitudes towards etiquette and cultural values.
The survey revealed a remarkable shift in New Zealand etiquette away from traditional British social niceties. In particular, tea drinking, something 80 per cent of us do, appears to have been 'Kiwified'. A massive 75 per cent of New Zealanders prefer to drink tea in a mug and without a saucer. In addition the overwhelming majority of the nation (94 per cent) enjoy 'dunking' cake or a biscuit in tea with guests.
New Zealanders have also proudly abandoned the formal "British" style of entertaining. Only 13 per cent of respondents stated that they still have a room specifically designed for hosting guests - suggesting Kiwis now prefer to connect and enjoy a social cup of tea with their friends in a relaxed, laidback setting.
Comedian Dai Henwood believes this generational change in tea-etiquette is a sign of a larger trend. "We're seeing New Zealand tastes and social norms moving consistently further away from British principles, as we continue to define and reinvent our national identity. I think that's choice."
Although there are some habits which remain unacceptable for all generations, such as answering a mobile phone (64 per cent) or discussing your financial status while entertaining (71 per cent). Furthermore, the most discussed topic over a cup of tea is weekend plans (90 per cent) followed by work (74 per cent).
In response to this shift in tea trends and tastes, Choysa has developed Kiwi Breakfast tea; a premium tea, specifically designed for Kiwi tastes - celebrating the uniqueness and individual tradition of our nation's tea culture. The brand new blend will hit supermarket shelves nationally in July.
Andrea Martens, Marketing Director - Refreshment for Choysa says: "The Choysa brand has been part of New Zealand life for over 106 years. We're proud to use our heritage and expertise to launch our best ever premium tea - a deliciously rich and smooth blend of the finest from around the Kiwis - it really is our cup of tea, our way."
Additional highlights from The New Zealand Choysa Tea Survey
The New Zealand Choysa Tea Survey shows (90 per cent) agree catching up over a cup of tea is still the best forum for sharing stories and anecdotes. New Zealanders are also a reciprocal bunch, with 81 per cent saying they would invite their tea host back for a cuppa at their place.
The majority of the nation is still neighbour-friendly, with 45 per cent of New Zealanders claiming they would invite a new neighbor in for a cup of tea or a drink.
New Zealanders of all ages are unhappy with current levels of direct contact with friends and neighbours, with 77 per cent desiring more quality time with loved ones.
Most Kiwis (60 per cent) believe the nation is becoming more selfish, with 45 per cent stating New Zealand is a more selfish nation than 10 years ago.
75 per cent of New Zealanders believe it is rude to leave the television on when entertaining guests over a cup of tea. Interestingly, only 45 per cent of Generation X holds this opinion.
The New Zealand Choysa tea survey which polled more than 550 New Zealanders aged 22 to 54 years revealed a remarkable shift in New Zealand etiquette away from traditional British social niceties.
In particular, tea drinking, something 80 per cent of us do, appears to have been Kiwified.
Choysa has developed Kiwi breakfast tea; a premium tea, specifically designed for Kiwi tastes, celebrating the uniqueness and individual tradition of our nation's tea culture.
WIN One tea-drinking Marlburian can win a fabulous prize pack from Choysa, including four boxes of Kiwi breakfast tea, a tea towel detailing tea drinking etiquette and two mugs complete with their own knitted cardigans to keep your tea warm to the last drop. To win, tell us on the back of an envelope about your best tea drinking memory. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
Send your entry to
Choysa Kiwi breakfast tea,
The Marlborough Express,
PO Box 242,
Blenheim 7240
by 5pm, Thursday, August 18.
- The Marlborough Express
New survey and leading NZ comedian identify shift from British values toward uniquely local tastes
New Zealand attitudes toward tea etiquette are shifting, with the vast majority of Kiwis, particularly Generation X, turning their backs on former habits once respected by their British forebears. According to Comedian Dai Henwood, today's New Zealanders are all about drinking 'Our tea, Our way'.
These findings are the result of The New Zealand Choysa Tea Survey, a survey which polled over 550 New Zealanders aged 22 to 54 years - exploring attitudes towards etiquette and cultural values.
The survey revealed a remarkable shift in New Zealand etiquette away from traditional British social niceties. In particular, tea drinking, something 80 per cent of us do, appears to have been 'Kiwified'. A massive 75 per cent of New Zealanders prefer to drink tea in a mug and without a saucer. In addition the overwhelming majority of the nation (94 per cent) enjoy 'dunking' cake or a biscuit in tea with guests.
New Zealanders have also proudly abandoned the formal "British" style of entertaining. Only 13 per cent of respondents stated that they still have a room specifically designed for hosting guests - suggesting Kiwis now prefer to connect and enjoy a social cup of tea with their friends in a relaxed, laidback setting.
Comedian Dai Henwood believes this generational change in tea-etiquette is a sign of a larger trend. "We're seeing New Zealand tastes and social norms moving consistently further away from British principles, as we continue to define and reinvent our national identity. I think that's choice."
Although there are some habits which remain unacceptable for all generations, such as answering a mobile phone (64 per cent) or discussing your financial status while entertaining (71 per cent). Furthermore, the most discussed topic over a cup of tea is weekend plans (90 per cent) followed by work (74 per cent).
In response to this shift in tea trends and tastes, Choysa has developed Kiwi Breakfast tea; a premium tea, specifically designed for Kiwi tastes - celebrating the uniqueness and individual tradition of our nation's tea culture. The brand new blend will hit supermarket shelves nationally in July.
Andrea Martens, Marketing Director - Refreshment for Choysa says: "The Choysa brand has been part of New Zealand life for over 106 years. We're proud to use our heritage and expertise to launch our best ever premium tea - a deliciously rich and smooth blend of the finest from around the Kiwis - it really is our cup of tea, our way."
Additional highlights from The New Zealand Choysa Tea Survey
The New Zealand Choysa Tea Survey shows (90 per cent) agree catching up over a cup of tea is still the best forum for sharing stories and anecdotes. New Zealanders are also a reciprocal bunch, with 81 per cent saying they would invite their tea host back for a cuppa at their place.
The majority of the nation is still neighbour-friendly, with 45 per cent of New Zealanders claiming they would invite a new neighbor in for a cup of tea or a drink.
New Zealanders of all ages are unhappy with current levels of direct contact with friends and neighbours, with 77 per cent desiring more quality time with loved ones.
Most Kiwis (60 per cent) believe the nation is becoming more selfish, with 45 per cent stating New Zealand is a more selfish nation than 10 years ago.
75 per cent of New Zealanders believe it is rude to leave the television on when entertaining guests over a cup of tea. Interestingly, only 45 per cent of Generation X holds this opinion.
The New Zealand Choysa tea survey which polled more than 550 New Zealanders aged 22 to 54 years revealed a remarkable shift in New Zealand etiquette away from traditional British social niceties.
In particular, tea drinking, something 80 per cent of us do, appears to have been Kiwified.
Choysa has developed Kiwi breakfast tea; a premium tea, specifically designed for Kiwi tastes, celebrating the uniqueness and individual tradition of our nation's tea culture.
WIN One tea-drinking Marlburian can win a fabulous prize pack from Choysa, including four boxes of Kiwi breakfast tea, a tea towel detailing tea drinking etiquette and two mugs complete with their own knitted cardigans to keep your tea warm to the last drop. To win, tell us on the back of an envelope about your best tea drinking memory. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
Send your entry to
Choysa Kiwi breakfast tea,
The Marlborough Express,
PO Box 242,
Blenheim 7240
by 5pm, Thursday, August 18.
- The Marlborough Express
Nancy Wake
Nancy Wake
Regarding Prime Minister John Key saying that giving Nancy Wake an honour was not possible because her wartime deeds had already been recognised by Britain ["Lack of recognition vexes NZ war vet saved by Wake", Express, August 9]; nothing is impossible. It just takes longer.
The RSA review of December 2001 states that "Nancy says she still has a New Zealand passport". Biographer Peter Fitzsimmons says Nancy's great-grandmother, Pourewa, was the first Maori to marry a white man, Charles Cossell, in 1836.
Successive governments have turned a blind eye to her achievements and I have to ask why? Because she is a woman?
She was born a New Zealander and we should be proud of her.
LAURIE HAM, Blenheim
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/letters-to-the-editor/5434736/Nancy-Wake-Footloose-and-Pollution
Regarding Prime Minister John Key saying that giving Nancy Wake an honour was not possible because her wartime deeds had already been recognised by Britain ["Lack of recognition vexes NZ war vet saved by Wake", Express, August 9]; nothing is impossible. It just takes longer.
The RSA review of December 2001 states that "Nancy says she still has a New Zealand passport". Biographer Peter Fitzsimmons says Nancy's great-grandmother, Pourewa, was the first Maori to marry a white man, Charles Cossell, in 1836.
Successive governments have turned a blind eye to her achievements and I have to ask why? Because she is a woman?
She was born a New Zealander and we should be proud of her.
LAURIE HAM, Blenheim
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/letters-to-the-editor/5434736/Nancy-Wake-Footloose-and-Pollution
Saturday 6 August 2011
Sunday 24 July 2011
A town for sale: Why does no one want to live here?
It sounds like the sale of the century - 10 years ago Charles and Janet Hedges bought a house and two shops on 0.6 hectares for just $15,000.
In the next few days it's possible someone will get an even better deal when abandoned land is flogged off; the pair's only concern is they don't want their town, Ohura, over-run. Not that there's much chance of that. Demand is not high for plots of land in this part of remote King Country - it's flood-prone, with no cellphone coverage and three-quarters of an hour's drive from the nearest town.
Ohura doesn't exactly scream location, location, location. Rather, it resembles a ghost-town; a shell of its former self; the population dropped by a quarter to 165 in the last Census. But that was part of the appeal for the Hedges, who moved from Hamilton 10 years ago after Charles saw an advertisement in the local paper.
That $15,000 later and a home and prime retail space was theirs. They're putting it to use in a type of his 'n' hers retail arrangement - Charles stores his collection of odd-looking bicycles and 1950s motorbikes in his shop and Janet turned hers into a second-hand shop, called Janet's.
She opens every Saturday, or on request, although requests can make her grumpy, Charles says. Charles, 74, was sick of Hamilton and wanted enough room to pursue his love of tinkering in peace and quiet.
"My husband saw in the paper this place called Ohura. So we came down," says Janet. "Me and my grandkids took one look at it and oh gee! Charles fell in love with it." They're key components of the town, though moving was "a shock to the system".
The former bus company manager keeps herself busy weaving and running the Ohura Residents Society. She gets to town in Taumarunui usually about once a fortnight and goes to Te Kuiti once every one or two weeks to sell her weaving. Charles is content not having anyone around. "I wouldn't like to live anywhere else. I don't really have a routine - I just do what I want." They do, however, notice the numbers dwindling, but if moves by Ruapehu District Council work, that could reverse. Why? Tenders have just closed on the latest round of abandoned land sales, where the council sells off land on behalf of owners who don't pay their rates.
Council deputy chief executive Peter Till says it's the third abandoned land sale in three years. Twenty-three properties throughout the Ruapehu district are abandoned, 10 of which are in Ohura. The last time, 10 properties didn't even meet the reserve price, even though one section sold for $400.
This time, the council has lowered the tender reserve and is trying again. The council does not own the land, it's just allowed to sell it. Although the money goes to the owner, usually it's swallowed up by outstanding rates.
"In most cases, people write to the council saying they don't want to pay their rates and are abandoning their land," Till says. Over the next week, the council will decide who wins tenders and will get in touch with the winners. They don't have to pay any of the rates owing - it's not so much getting the money back but getting a good ratepayer for the future, he says. Many of the bids come from the town's residents.
"If you're the person next door, there's a very good reason for buying a bigger section and getting to control your neighbourhood." Till says, from memory, a three-bedroom home in Ohura sold for $10,000 in the last few years.
"That was a liveable house. The problem is, they don't come with a job." And that's no small problem. There's not a lot to attract anyone to the town. There has been talk of a new coal mine opening by the end of the year, but the mine prospectors have been saying that for years now. With nothing to reverse the trend, could the town disappear altogether?
"I think there's a danger," says Till. Ohura is the town that even the Forgotten Highway forgot. Heading west from Taumarunui on that scenic stretch of road, you turn off on to a narrow trail that carves its way through fog-ridden valleys which seem scooped out of the hillside. No sign welcomes you to Ohura. Just two wide, mossy strips of tarseal and a handful of abandoned buildings scattered along the roadside like broken teeth. Some abandoned sections can be seen from the main road, Ngarimu St.
One abandoned on Kereru Rd lies in disrepair among the weeds, a broken-down Subaru Legacy keeps it company. The house itself has seen better days. The paint's peeling and vines grow from within the weatherboards. Moss and branches all but hide the purple leadlights looking out on to the sagging deck. It would make the perfect setting for a horror film.
Neighbour John Farnham says the owner died and the family didn't pay the rates. "I'd be surprised if that place went for more than $10,000. Basically, they're not worth anything." It has a CV of $30,000 and annual rates of just over $1600.
On Kiwi St, another house sits on its abandoned site, but this one looks to be in slightly better nick. Nailed to the lone skeletal tree in the front yard is the frame of a tree-hut.
A discarded trampoline lies to one side. There are still kids' bikes in the garage. Neighbours Lionel Wellington, 66, and Sue Riley, 57, say a woman lived there with her children. The unpaid rates built up and she tried to sell it for $3000-$4000 but with a stipulation - the back rates had to be paid. With the house remaining unsold, the family left to make a go of it in Taumarunui and now Sue and Lionel have a bid in on the house, but won't say how much they're offering. It's not their first foray into the abandoned land market. It has a CV of $40,000 and rates of about $1600.
Last year Riley bought the abandoned section on the other side of her house for $1000. It's not uncommon - every time some land comes up for tender, a mini game of Monopoly is played in Ohura, the residents trying to out-bid each other to extend their empires. The Hedges, though, are happy with their lot and aren't looking to expand.
They warn it's not simply a matter of fronting up with the purchase price and that there is a fair bit of solitude. "It's got a bit dear with rates and that â€" people can't afford their rates," Janet says.
"The only thing going is the club. That's the heart of Ohura - the cozzie club." And as the pallid sunlight gives way to the fog, that's where the residents of Ohura end up. The place is huge - large enough to squeeze in the town's population three times over. Most of the tables and pool tables are covered over with sheets, the 50th birthday parties which attract large crowds increasingly uncommon.
A deer head mounted above the door wears a hat. Behind the bar are other bare essentials: Chef catfood and toilet paper. Handles of beer start at $2.50. A huge noticeboard is a forest of public notices. In front of it, a huddle of men in beanies and bush gear occupy one of the tables. Ainsley Wereta is one of them. The 42-year-old moved to Ohura about six months ago from Taihape to look after his grandparents. He says a three-bedroom rental costs between $80 and $100 in the town. He picks up shearing work or labouring to keep his family fed.
"It's good as, I love it. "There's a bit of hunting here, a few pigs and deer." His three children, aged between 8 and 11, make up more than a quarter of the school's roll. Wereta drinks with woodcutter Rob Dickinson, 55, who moved in five years ago to get away from his mortgage: "I own a house and I'm happy". "Anyone can live here if they want but no one wants to. They want to live next to the Westfield shopping mall and the McDonald's. "People say 'you poor thing'. But really we're lucky. I just don't want anyone else living here."
But people did live there once. Lots of people. The council's property contracts supervisor, Denny Moynihan, grew up in Ohura, the third generation of coal miners in the town. He moved to Taumarunui about 20 years ago when the mine closed.
"I sold my five-bedroom home with two sections for $30,000, 20 years ago. "That's the attraction - low value houses. But you've got to be prepared to live there." He says growing up in the town was excellent - the town had its own council and rugby team. There were about 400 students at the primary and secondary schools there, whose parents worked the farms and coal mines in the area. But the mines shut and the smaller farms were bought out, shrinking the local labour force.
Instead of hosting small pockets of on-site workers, large farms would bring in teams of contractors who would sweep through the place in a few days, moving on to the next small town. The effects can be seen 30 years on, with Ohura on the verge of disappearing off the face of the earth. Almost anywhere else in the country, land going for a four-figure sum would most likely be a typing error and would inspire a flood of investors.
Not in Ohura. Location, location, location - the cliche holds true no matter where you are.
By Kieran Nash | Email Kieran 5:30 AM Sunday Jul 24, 2011
Charles Hedges has space to spare in Ohura. Photo / Janna Dixon
In the next few days it's possible someone will get an even better deal when abandoned land is flogged off; the pair's only concern is they don't want their town, Ohura, over-run. Not that there's much chance of that. Demand is not high for plots of land in this part of remote King Country - it's flood-prone, with no cellphone coverage and three-quarters of an hour's drive from the nearest town.
Ohura doesn't exactly scream location, location, location. Rather, it resembles a ghost-town; a shell of its former self; the population dropped by a quarter to 165 in the last Census. But that was part of the appeal for the Hedges, who moved from Hamilton 10 years ago after Charles saw an advertisement in the local paper.
That $15,000 later and a home and prime retail space was theirs. They're putting it to use in a type of his 'n' hers retail arrangement - Charles stores his collection of odd-looking bicycles and 1950s motorbikes in his shop and Janet turned hers into a second-hand shop, called Janet's.
She opens every Saturday, or on request, although requests can make her grumpy, Charles says. Charles, 74, was sick of Hamilton and wanted enough room to pursue his love of tinkering in peace and quiet.
"My husband saw in the paper this place called Ohura. So we came down," says Janet. "Me and my grandkids took one look at it and oh gee! Charles fell in love with it." They're key components of the town, though moving was "a shock to the system".
The former bus company manager keeps herself busy weaving and running the Ohura Residents Society. She gets to town in Taumarunui usually about once a fortnight and goes to Te Kuiti once every one or two weeks to sell her weaving. Charles is content not having anyone around. "I wouldn't like to live anywhere else. I don't really have a routine - I just do what I want." They do, however, notice the numbers dwindling, but if moves by Ruapehu District Council work, that could reverse. Why? Tenders have just closed on the latest round of abandoned land sales, where the council sells off land on behalf of owners who don't pay their rates.
Council deputy chief executive Peter Till says it's the third abandoned land sale in three years. Twenty-three properties throughout the Ruapehu district are abandoned, 10 of which are in Ohura. The last time, 10 properties didn't even meet the reserve price, even though one section sold for $400.
This time, the council has lowered the tender reserve and is trying again. The council does not own the land, it's just allowed to sell it. Although the money goes to the owner, usually it's swallowed up by outstanding rates.
"In most cases, people write to the council saying they don't want to pay their rates and are abandoning their land," Till says. Over the next week, the council will decide who wins tenders and will get in touch with the winners. They don't have to pay any of the rates owing - it's not so much getting the money back but getting a good ratepayer for the future, he says. Many of the bids come from the town's residents.
"If you're the person next door, there's a very good reason for buying a bigger section and getting to control your neighbourhood." Till says, from memory, a three-bedroom home in Ohura sold for $10,000 in the last few years.
"That was a liveable house. The problem is, they don't come with a job." And that's no small problem. There's not a lot to attract anyone to the town. There has been talk of a new coal mine opening by the end of the year, but the mine prospectors have been saying that for years now. With nothing to reverse the trend, could the town disappear altogether?
"I think there's a danger," says Till. Ohura is the town that even the Forgotten Highway forgot. Heading west from Taumarunui on that scenic stretch of road, you turn off on to a narrow trail that carves its way through fog-ridden valleys which seem scooped out of the hillside. No sign welcomes you to Ohura. Just two wide, mossy strips of tarseal and a handful of abandoned buildings scattered along the roadside like broken teeth. Some abandoned sections can be seen from the main road, Ngarimu St.
One abandoned on Kereru Rd lies in disrepair among the weeds, a broken-down Subaru Legacy keeps it company. The house itself has seen better days. The paint's peeling and vines grow from within the weatherboards. Moss and branches all but hide the purple leadlights looking out on to the sagging deck. It would make the perfect setting for a horror film.
Neighbour John Farnham says the owner died and the family didn't pay the rates. "I'd be surprised if that place went for more than $10,000. Basically, they're not worth anything." It has a CV of $30,000 and annual rates of just over $1600.
On Kiwi St, another house sits on its abandoned site, but this one looks to be in slightly better nick. Nailed to the lone skeletal tree in the front yard is the frame of a tree-hut.
A discarded trampoline lies to one side. There are still kids' bikes in the garage. Neighbours Lionel Wellington, 66, and Sue Riley, 57, say a woman lived there with her children. The unpaid rates built up and she tried to sell it for $3000-$4000 but with a stipulation - the back rates had to be paid. With the house remaining unsold, the family left to make a go of it in Taumarunui and now Sue and Lionel have a bid in on the house, but won't say how much they're offering. It's not their first foray into the abandoned land market. It has a CV of $40,000 and rates of about $1600.
Last year Riley bought the abandoned section on the other side of her house for $1000. It's not uncommon - every time some land comes up for tender, a mini game of Monopoly is played in Ohura, the residents trying to out-bid each other to extend their empires. The Hedges, though, are happy with their lot and aren't looking to expand.
They warn it's not simply a matter of fronting up with the purchase price and that there is a fair bit of solitude. "It's got a bit dear with rates and that â€" people can't afford their rates," Janet says.
"The only thing going is the club. That's the heart of Ohura - the cozzie club." And as the pallid sunlight gives way to the fog, that's where the residents of Ohura end up. The place is huge - large enough to squeeze in the town's population three times over. Most of the tables and pool tables are covered over with sheets, the 50th birthday parties which attract large crowds increasingly uncommon.
A deer head mounted above the door wears a hat. Behind the bar are other bare essentials: Chef catfood and toilet paper. Handles of beer start at $2.50. A huge noticeboard is a forest of public notices. In front of it, a huddle of men in beanies and bush gear occupy one of the tables. Ainsley Wereta is one of them. The 42-year-old moved to Ohura about six months ago from Taihape to look after his grandparents. He says a three-bedroom rental costs between $80 and $100 in the town. He picks up shearing work or labouring to keep his family fed.
"It's good as, I love it. "There's a bit of hunting here, a few pigs and deer." His three children, aged between 8 and 11, make up more than a quarter of the school's roll. Wereta drinks with woodcutter Rob Dickinson, 55, who moved in five years ago to get away from his mortgage: "I own a house and I'm happy". "Anyone can live here if they want but no one wants to. They want to live next to the Westfield shopping mall and the McDonald's. "People say 'you poor thing'. But really we're lucky. I just don't want anyone else living here."
But people did live there once. Lots of people. The council's property contracts supervisor, Denny Moynihan, grew up in Ohura, the third generation of coal miners in the town. He moved to Taumarunui about 20 years ago when the mine closed.
"I sold my five-bedroom home with two sections for $30,000, 20 years ago. "That's the attraction - low value houses. But you've got to be prepared to live there." He says growing up in the town was excellent - the town had its own council and rugby team. There were about 400 students at the primary and secondary schools there, whose parents worked the farms and coal mines in the area. But the mines shut and the smaller farms were bought out, shrinking the local labour force.
Instead of hosting small pockets of on-site workers, large farms would bring in teams of contractors who would sweep through the place in a few days, moving on to the next small town. The effects can be seen 30 years on, with Ohura on the verge of disappearing off the face of the earth. Almost anywhere else in the country, land going for a four-figure sum would most likely be a typing error and would inspire a flood of investors.
Not in Ohura. Location, location, location - the cliche holds true no matter where you are.
By Kieran Nash | Email Kieran 5:30 AM Sunday Jul 24, 2011
Charles Hedges has space to spare in Ohura. Photo / Janna Dixon
Saturday 23 July 2011
My Auckland: Sandringham
Arna Martin tells Catherine Smith what she loves about living in her neighbourhood.
Jeff Kennedy and Arna Martin with their daughter Lucy. Photo / Natalie Slade
Expand
Jeff Kennedy and Arna Martin with their daughter Lucy. Photo / Natalie Slade
Arna Martin has lived in Sandringham for seven years with her husband, Jeff Kennedy and daughter Lucy, 3. She runs her graphic design business from home and has recently set up an online children's clothing business, Lula, with fellow Sandringham resident Sheridan Miller.
"I'd lived all around Grey Lynn before this, but we used to drive across to the Spice Invaders on Sandringham Rd - it was such a cool name and it felt real. Now it's called the Khyber Spice Market but it still has the best spices.
"We'd looked at houses in other suburbs, but when we came in and saw this house we knew it would be perfect. This area is so family-friendly and we get a backyard and off-street parking for less than [you would pay in] Grey Lynn. There are nice wide streets with trees. A few streets are lined with feijoa trees, so you can go around the neighbourhood and pick them: the council has an initiative to plant fruit trees along streets so people can pick from them.
"Sandringham is so easy for transport with the trains just up at Kingsland, and Jeff can take a bus at the end of the street to the university where he works, He'd never take a car.
"It's really multi-cultural here - our neighbours are Tongan, the shops are Somalian, Indian, French, Iranian, you just get that lovely mix.
Article continues below
We can get the best samosas at Khyber Spices and the chana masala (chickpea curry) is made fresh every day - we fill the freezer, it's dinner for under $10.
"There's a nice mix of young families here. Lucy goes to the Sandringham kindy, and there's the Plunket group and Edendale School within walking distance.
"My neighbour over the road has started a school orchard - she's really green-fingered and answers all my questions. She's got a vege collective where people swap their produce and go to each other's houses. We have a vege garden and my grandparents from Albany tell me things grow so well here because we have volcanic soil which is easy and rich.
"Jeff is a total cricket-head and he just loves walking up to Eden Park in the summer, that's his favourite thing. We walk across to Mt Eden and climb to the summit - you can just cut through the streets and you're at Mt Eden Rd or Balmoral Rd. We're only a 20-minute walk from Kingsland too.
"I like being so close to everything - we go to our favourite wine bar there, it's hidden away. There are great parks for Lucy - Gribblehirst is quite green and lovely and has a flying fox, or there's a little playground at the corner of Sandringham Rd and one by Good Shepherd School."
Arna and Jeff's picks
* Satya South Indian Cafe: 515 Sandringham Rd, ph (09) 845 8451.
The best south Indian food - the dahl puri are divine with potatoes and coriander.
* Voila Cafe: 573 Sandringham Road, ph (09) 846 8393
It's French so does great crepes plus savories, bread and pastries. It's very busy down there because they do good coffee too.
* Cut & Style: 533 Sandringham Rd
Jeff reckons this barber shop is the hub of the community. It's run by Iranians and they are the friendliest people. No appointments and $10 haircuts.
* Khyber Spice Market: 528-530 Sandringham Rd, ph (09) 815 2307
We'd come over from Grey Lynn for their spices and the samosas are only $1.50 and freshly made.
* Urban Flowers: 27 Sandringham Rd, Kingsland, ph (09) 849 4036
The owner does the most fantastic, different things with flowers - she's still worth getting to through all the roadworks around Eden Park.
* Papa's Pizza: 61 Sandringham Rd, Kingsland, ph (09) 849 4501O
pposite Eden Park, it's going to be madness there when the World Cup crowds find out about it. They do wholemeal bases and the most divine toppings. We'll walk up there and sit in the back garden.
* Winehot: 605 New North Road, Morningside, ph (09) 815 946
Not strictly Sandringham, but since we're a dry area this corner of Kingsland is ours. It's French, with a fantastic selection of wines, and you drink from the proper wine glasses without stems. People don't know about it, as it's tucked in a block of shops near the florist and a Thai restaurant.
* Capitol Cinema: 610 Dominion Rd, Balmoral, ph (09) 623 2000.
We can walk through the side streets to get to this and it's just been refurbished. This is how a cinema should be - all grand, with curtains and good films, and you can buy wine or coffee to take into the theatre.
By Catherine Smith | Email Catherine
Jeff Kennedy and Arna Martin with their daughter Lucy. Photo / Natalie Slade
Expand
Jeff Kennedy and Arna Martin with their daughter Lucy. Photo / Natalie Slade
Arna Martin has lived in Sandringham for seven years with her husband, Jeff Kennedy and daughter Lucy, 3. She runs her graphic design business from home and has recently set up an online children's clothing business, Lula, with fellow Sandringham resident Sheridan Miller.
"I'd lived all around Grey Lynn before this, but we used to drive across to the Spice Invaders on Sandringham Rd - it was such a cool name and it felt real. Now it's called the Khyber Spice Market but it still has the best spices.
"We'd looked at houses in other suburbs, but when we came in and saw this house we knew it would be perfect. This area is so family-friendly and we get a backyard and off-street parking for less than [you would pay in] Grey Lynn. There are nice wide streets with trees. A few streets are lined with feijoa trees, so you can go around the neighbourhood and pick them: the council has an initiative to plant fruit trees along streets so people can pick from them.
"Sandringham is so easy for transport with the trains just up at Kingsland, and Jeff can take a bus at the end of the street to the university where he works, He'd never take a car.
"It's really multi-cultural here - our neighbours are Tongan, the shops are Somalian, Indian, French, Iranian, you just get that lovely mix.
Article continues below
We can get the best samosas at Khyber Spices and the chana masala (chickpea curry) is made fresh every day - we fill the freezer, it's dinner for under $10.
"There's a nice mix of young families here. Lucy goes to the Sandringham kindy, and there's the Plunket group and Edendale School within walking distance.
"My neighbour over the road has started a school orchard - she's really green-fingered and answers all my questions. She's got a vege collective where people swap their produce and go to each other's houses. We have a vege garden and my grandparents from Albany tell me things grow so well here because we have volcanic soil which is easy and rich.
"Jeff is a total cricket-head and he just loves walking up to Eden Park in the summer, that's his favourite thing. We walk across to Mt Eden and climb to the summit - you can just cut through the streets and you're at Mt Eden Rd or Balmoral Rd. We're only a 20-minute walk from Kingsland too.
"I like being so close to everything - we go to our favourite wine bar there, it's hidden away. There are great parks for Lucy - Gribblehirst is quite green and lovely and has a flying fox, or there's a little playground at the corner of Sandringham Rd and one by Good Shepherd School."
Arna and Jeff's picks
* Satya South Indian Cafe: 515 Sandringham Rd, ph (09) 845 8451.
The best south Indian food - the dahl puri are divine with potatoes and coriander.
* Voila Cafe: 573 Sandringham Road, ph (09) 846 8393
It's French so does great crepes plus savories, bread and pastries. It's very busy down there because they do good coffee too.
* Cut & Style: 533 Sandringham Rd
Jeff reckons this barber shop is the hub of the community. It's run by Iranians and they are the friendliest people. No appointments and $10 haircuts.
* Khyber Spice Market: 528-530 Sandringham Rd, ph (09) 815 2307
We'd come over from Grey Lynn for their spices and the samosas are only $1.50 and freshly made.
* Urban Flowers: 27 Sandringham Rd, Kingsland, ph (09) 849 4036
The owner does the most fantastic, different things with flowers - she's still worth getting to through all the roadworks around Eden Park.
* Papa's Pizza: 61 Sandringham Rd, Kingsland, ph (09) 849 4501O
pposite Eden Park, it's going to be madness there when the World Cup crowds find out about it. They do wholemeal bases and the most divine toppings. We'll walk up there and sit in the back garden.
* Winehot: 605 New North Road, Morningside, ph (09) 815 946
Not strictly Sandringham, but since we're a dry area this corner of Kingsland is ours. It's French, with a fantastic selection of wines, and you drink from the proper wine glasses without stems. People don't know about it, as it's tucked in a block of shops near the florist and a Thai restaurant.
* Capitol Cinema: 610 Dominion Rd, Balmoral, ph (09) 623 2000.
We can walk through the side streets to get to this and it's just been refurbished. This is how a cinema should be - all grand, with curtains and good films, and you can buy wine or coffee to take into the theatre.
By Catherine Smith | Email Catherine
My Auckland: Mt Albert
Kay McFarlane and Michael Holmes have lived in Mt Albert for 10 years with their sons Tom, 14, Samuel, 5, and Oscar, 4. They run their business, Michael Holmes Premium Eyewear in High St and Newmarket. They tell Catherine Smith what they love about their neighbourhood.
Michael Holmes and Kay McFarlane on Mt Albert Domain with their sons Oscar, Samuel and Tom. Photo / Dean Purcell
Expand
Michael Holmes and Kay McFarlane on Mt Albert Domain with their sons Oscar, Samuel and Tom. Photo / Dean Purcell
I grew up in Mt Albert, but Michael is from Yorkshire. We did London and then Michael showed me horrendous parts of England so we'd really want to come back to New Zealand.
When we needed to come back to Auckland for our business 10 years ago, we went househunting and looked everywhere - I wasn't about to come back to Mt Albert. Then we found the perfect house with a big section, lovely streets of trees and it was so peaceful and close to the city. So we fell into this area again, really.
For us it's about fantastic neighbours, we get on so well, it's not a cafe society. It's an exceptional community, there are kids all around, everyone picks up each others' kids.
When someone's sick or something there'll be a knock on the door with help, meals, taking the baby for a walk. It's like the 1950s, but in a good way; a lot of people in other places don't even wave to their neighbours.
It's a great community for the kids, you know all the families of the boys, the high school kids can all walk to St Lukes for the movies, or to meet up at the food hall. They ride bikes to their friends' place - it's a real community like that. Mt Albert Grammar is a fantastic school, there's a lovely sense of caring, the kids are divine, there are fantastic teachers who all care, and a principal and deputy who are really visible.
And Tom's really happy, he can roll out of bed and be at school in three minutes - he's timed it.
The little ones love the farm at the school, we take them in the weekends to feed the lambs or chickens or sit on the tractor. For the little ones, Bright Beginnings is inspired. It's just opposite Rocket Park, which has served generations of kids, or there's Fowlds Park which is safe for kids.
There's always something on the mountain - the kids called it Dragon Mountain, ever hopeful, but we've been hunting dragons with no luck. We did see the army on exercise up there, but again, sadly, no weapons. The Mt Albert Aquatic Centre wave pool is only a few minutes away, it's good for lessons for the little ones or a meeting spot for Tom and his mates.
Our bit for being green is that we have only one car - Michael rides to work, into Newmarket. The most unlikely spot for a cafe is Cosset, right next to Pak'n Save. Rowan and Kelly both do divine vegetarian, dairy- and gluten-free food and they love the kids.
We'll go to the Pyrenees French deli opposite Rocket Park or the dairy, which is still old-fashioned with icecreams and $1 bags of sweets. Sol Rose is a good Italian. There's great Chinese on Mt Albert Rd and for Indian we head into Sandringham Rd. Michael is the foodie, so he'll bike to Nosh on Dominion Rd or the Westmere Butchery.
It really is a country town in the middle of the city, it's so lovely when you work in busy parts of town to come home to the smell of mowing lawns, the streets of old villas - it takes you back to your childhood. We walk up the mountain and we say to each other, "This is a beautiful city." We don't ever forget that.
Kay and Michael's picks
Mt Albert Grammar School Farm, 40B Alberton Ave, Mt Albert. A slice of farm life with bookable guided tours for groups. Contact the farm manager on (09) 846 0796 or email lamper@xtra.co.nz
Mt Albert (Owairaka Domain), 27 Summit Dr, Mt Albert
Cosset Cafe, 1087 New North Rd, Mt Albert, ph (09) 846 0655
Pyrenees the French Deli, 756 New North Rd, Mt Albert, ph (09) 846 8561
Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Education Centre, 32 Wairere Ave, Mt Albert, ph (09) 846 5733
Rocket Park, cnr New North Rd and Wairere Ave, or Fowlds Park, 50 Western Springs Rd
Mt Albert Aquatic Centre, 38 Alberton Ave, Mt Albert, ph (09) 815 7005
By Catherine Smith | Email Catherine
Michael Holmes and Kay McFarlane on Mt Albert Domain with their sons Oscar, Samuel and Tom. Photo / Dean Purcell
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Michael Holmes and Kay McFarlane on Mt Albert Domain with their sons Oscar, Samuel and Tom. Photo / Dean Purcell
I grew up in Mt Albert, but Michael is from Yorkshire. We did London and then Michael showed me horrendous parts of England so we'd really want to come back to New Zealand.
When we needed to come back to Auckland for our business 10 years ago, we went househunting and looked everywhere - I wasn't about to come back to Mt Albert. Then we found the perfect house with a big section, lovely streets of trees and it was so peaceful and close to the city. So we fell into this area again, really.
For us it's about fantastic neighbours, we get on so well, it's not a cafe society. It's an exceptional community, there are kids all around, everyone picks up each others' kids.
When someone's sick or something there'll be a knock on the door with help, meals, taking the baby for a walk. It's like the 1950s, but in a good way; a lot of people in other places don't even wave to their neighbours.
It's a great community for the kids, you know all the families of the boys, the high school kids can all walk to St Lukes for the movies, or to meet up at the food hall. They ride bikes to their friends' place - it's a real community like that. Mt Albert Grammar is a fantastic school, there's a lovely sense of caring, the kids are divine, there are fantastic teachers who all care, and a principal and deputy who are really visible.
And Tom's really happy, he can roll out of bed and be at school in three minutes - he's timed it.
The little ones love the farm at the school, we take them in the weekends to feed the lambs or chickens or sit on the tractor. For the little ones, Bright Beginnings is inspired. It's just opposite Rocket Park, which has served generations of kids, or there's Fowlds Park which is safe for kids.
There's always something on the mountain - the kids called it Dragon Mountain, ever hopeful, but we've been hunting dragons with no luck. We did see the army on exercise up there, but again, sadly, no weapons. The Mt Albert Aquatic Centre wave pool is only a few minutes away, it's good for lessons for the little ones or a meeting spot for Tom and his mates.
Our bit for being green is that we have only one car - Michael rides to work, into Newmarket. The most unlikely spot for a cafe is Cosset, right next to Pak'n Save. Rowan and Kelly both do divine vegetarian, dairy- and gluten-free food and they love the kids.
We'll go to the Pyrenees French deli opposite Rocket Park or the dairy, which is still old-fashioned with icecreams and $1 bags of sweets. Sol Rose is a good Italian. There's great Chinese on Mt Albert Rd and for Indian we head into Sandringham Rd. Michael is the foodie, so he'll bike to Nosh on Dominion Rd or the Westmere Butchery.
It really is a country town in the middle of the city, it's so lovely when you work in busy parts of town to come home to the smell of mowing lawns, the streets of old villas - it takes you back to your childhood. We walk up the mountain and we say to each other, "This is a beautiful city." We don't ever forget that.
Kay and Michael's picks
Mt Albert Grammar School Farm, 40B Alberton Ave, Mt Albert. A slice of farm life with bookable guided tours for groups. Contact the farm manager on (09) 846 0796 or email lamper@xtra.co.nz
Mt Albert (Owairaka Domain), 27 Summit Dr, Mt Albert
Cosset Cafe, 1087 New North Rd, Mt Albert, ph (09) 846 0655
Pyrenees the French Deli, 756 New North Rd, Mt Albert, ph (09) 846 8561
Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Education Centre, 32 Wairere Ave, Mt Albert, ph (09) 846 5733
Rocket Park, cnr New North Rd and Wairere Ave, or Fowlds Park, 50 Western Springs Rd
Mt Albert Aquatic Centre, 38 Alberton Ave, Mt Albert, ph (09) 815 7005
By Catherine Smith | Email Catherine
Saturday 2 July 2011
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