Contributors
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Can’t buy me trout
“THERE’S LITERALLY A GODZILLA-SIZED BROWN TROUT LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER, AND YOU’RE TELLING ME NOBODY IN GORE SERVES TROUT AND CHIPS? ISN’T THIS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ‘BROWN TROUT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD’?” MY SERVER GIVES ME A FAMILIAR LOOK. IT SAYS: “YOU’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE, AND MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP TALKING.” The immense…
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Book Review: Tamatea Dusky
By Peta Carey Tamatea / Dusky Sound is a massive area, virtually uninhabited and rarely explored, despite its widely-regarded natural beauty. Remote and relentlessly buffeted by westerly winds, this archipelago in the southwest corner of Fiordland National Park draws unique, adaptable individuals requiring tenacity and endurance to match the physicality of its landscape and waterways.…
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Winging it
Spiders in mirror are not as creepy as they appear. “I’VE BEEN RIDING WITH SAM FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS. HE’S BEEN TO EVERY CLIMBING CRAG ON THE SOUTH ISLAND. IT MIGHT BE THE LONGEST RELATIONSHIP I’VE EVER HAD,” ANNE SAYS WITH A SMILE AND A NOD AT THE IMPRESSIVE WEB ON HER 2003 FADED GREEN…
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Have you seen this seabird?
Is the seafaring grey-backed storm petrel making itself at home in the Southern Alps? Scientists want your help to find out. THIS IS A CALL-OUT TO ALPINISTS. PLANNING ON CLIMBING IN THE SOUTH ISLAND? DOCTOR COLIN MISKELLY NEEDS YOU. THERE MAY BE A MOMENT YOU’RE LEAVING YOUR TENT OR YOUR HUT WELL BEFORE DAWN, HEADLAMP…
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Book Review: Wonderland
THE PHOTOS IN PETER ALSOP’S WONDERLAND (POTTON & BURTON) ARE A SAMPLING FROM THE ARCHIVES OF WHITES AVIATION. FOUNDED IN 1945, WHITES DEALT IN EVERYTHING FROM AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, TO TRAVEL JOURNALISM, TO HAND-COLOURED PHOTOGRAPHY. ONE THING THEY DIDN’T DO WAS FLY; DESPITE THE COMPANY’S NAME, THEY NEVER OWNED A PLANE. THEIR PHOTOS, COLOURED BY HAND…
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It’s a (sled) dog’s life
Sled dog racing is a thing in New Zealand, and it’s growing in paw-pularity. ACCORDING TO AMERICAN HUMOURIST LEWIS GRIZZARD, “LIFE IS LIKE A DOG SLED TEAM. IF YOU AIN’T THE LEAD DOG, THE SCENERY NEVER CHANGES.” GOOD POINT, LEWIS. ALTHOUGH I’M NOT SURE I’D WANT TO BE FRONT MUTT IN THE EVENT MOST OFTEN…
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Claimed by the sea
French for Rabbits make soundscapes like seascapes, like driftwood, like walks on the beach. THE MUSIC MADE BY FRENCH FOR RABBITS IS HARD TO DEFINE. THE BAND ARE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS PURVEYORS OF “DREAM POP”, BUT THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN THAT. FOR ONE THING, IT’S SALTIER. FRONTWOMAN BROOKE SINGER’S VOCALS FLOAT LIKE SEAFOAM ON…
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Accidents happen, or do they?
Nathan tucks into a word-salad. “UNBELIEVABLE SALMON FARM ATTACK!” “TRAGIC ACCIDENT!” “100% PURE NEW ZEALAND!” I first noticed the word-salad issue when I received a late-night message on the Fishing Telegraph. I understood completely. The Fishing Telegraph is an extremely accurate and efficient form of communication, and it was telling me someone had cut a…
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DIY defence
The Semple tractor tank has a reputation as a homegrown groaner, but was it really such a bad idea? IN MID-1941, THE CHRISTCHURCH AND DUNEDIN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HELD THEIR CAPPING PARADES. ALONG WITH THE USUAL MOTLEY, INCLUDING A SIX-LEGGED PANTOMIME HORSE, LOTS OF BOYS IN DRESSES AND A DEVICE CALLED “THE NEW POMME POMME” THAT…