Having ambled around Amberley, writer Lynn Mortimer gives her take on the town and some of its engaging characters. In 1860 it was a tiny rural settlement with few residents, a blacksmith, a carpenter and a wheelwright. A couple of years later in 1876 the railway steamed into town. Since then it’s been onwards and [...]

Surely a mistake – The Heaphy is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks!  While the Queen Charlotte track has been enjoyed by trampers and bikers for some years, this is the first year the Heaphy Track is open (on a 3 year trial over the winter) to mountain bikers.  It’s taken years and many management [...]

Sovereign Palms Show Home: Beauty in bluestone  Words: Kim Newth Wanaka’s rugged good looks and unique architectural styles provided the inspiration for Mike Greer Homes newly opened show home at Sovereign Palms, Kaiapoi. This beautiful and contemporary home, on Sovereign Boulevard, displays a love for timeless stone and clean, crisp lines. Viewed from the street, [...]

Love is a wonderful gift So, you’ve met your soul mate and the two of you are tying the knot … congratulations! If you’ve set the date, your thoughts will now be turning to your big day and how this will be celebrated. Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. [...]

Rangiora wins the Bledisloe Cup! Not just rugby, but photography too has its own Bledisloe Cup, in this case to honour the best six prints, on any subject, submitted by a Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) club. With some 2500 PSNZ members across the country, the cup is fiercely competed for every year and [...]

Rangiora’s Beauty Battalion Celebrating 21 years of Keep Rangiora Beautiful  Words Kim Newth  Imagine how Rangiora would look today if Keep Rangiora Beautiful (KRB) had never come into existence. Take our word for it – it wouldn’t be as attractive as it is now! Many of us may have little awareness of the hard work [...]

A friendly welcome and professional service waits you at Amberley Flowers and Garden Centre. Owner Sally Thomson and her cheery staff – Brenda Chiverton, Shirley Wheeler and Julie-Anne Pringle – will greet you with a smile and welcome any questions you may have about what’s in store. As well as being a florist shop, many [...]

‘Glamorous, sexy and fun’ Words: Kim Newth Photos by Michael Ng Legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head once described fashion as a language: “Some know it, some learn it, some never will – like an instinct.” During her infl uential career, Head worked closely with fi lmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, dressing glamorous screen stars like Grace [...]