Contributors
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Getting across the river
How Anthea Fisher learned to stay composed in a crisis. When the helicopter smashed into Antarctica’s Amery Ice Shelf, the force was enough to eject Anthea Fisher out of the four-point harness strapping her to the seat. It was so violent it ripped her boots off. In a few seconds, the sleek machine had become…
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War and peace: The 1964 guide to the memorial halls of the South Island
Commemoration meets community. There might be a playgroup one day, indoor bowls the next, or a tangi, a Euchre night, a wedding, a roller derby, a cabaret, a community board meeting, a life drawing class, a gig. Almost every small town in Aotearoa has one: a town hall. They are often called the heart of…
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Tracing water
A walk along a creek. We begin at the delta, where the creek abruptly splits, first into arteries, then into veins, making its way through small stones and silt toward the lake. Standing on a rectangular tongue of wood that protrudes over the water, dozens of longfin eels slither below among the piles. The song…
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Koe: An Aotearoa ecopoetry anthology
Edited by Janet Newman and Robert Sullivan (Otago University Press, 2024) Coined in the 1990s, ecopoetry is work that delves into the relationship between the human and nonhuman worlds, often presented with an awareness of the damage and losses the former has imposed upon the latter. It is, Janet Newman notes in the introduction to…
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Book reviews: mammals and lizards
New Zealand’s Native Mammals: When and where to see them –by Carolyn King (Upstart Press, 2024) Geckos & Skinks: The remarkable lizards of Aotearoa – by Anna Yeoman (Potton & Burton, 2024) When it comes to wildlife, Aotearoa is known primarily for its birds, which isn’t surprising, because we really do have an exceptional and…
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Music review: The Dreams of Our Mothers’ Mothers!
Mousey (2024) This is the third album from the brilliant Ōtautahi-based and Silver Scroll nominated songwriter Mousey (aka Sarena Close). This time she wants it darker. A less upbeat offering than her first two releases, Lemon Law (2019) and My Friends (2022), The Dreams of Our Mothers’ Mothers! delves into themes of family estrangement, something…
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Music Review: Blue Mind
Tess Liautaud (2024) A Franco-American who is sometimes based in Ōtautahi and spent a time living in and gigging around the Southern Lakes, Tess Liautaud has been bringing her brand of alt-country / Americana (the team at Flying Out called it “rootsy Canterburycana”) to our speakers and stages for a few years snow. Blue Mind…
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Gear review: Rab Ultrasphere 4.5 Sleep Mat
When both warmth and low weight are crucial, the award-winning Ultrasphere 4.5 is the ultimate packable, featherlight air mat. Its groundbreaking design includes two layers of heat-reflective TILT, which reduce radiant heat loss and offset air chambers that trap heat within the construction, allowing you to recharge comfortably without the need for high-volume insulation. Combined…
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Film Review: Inshallah
“We had no real plan except to head north into the mountains.” Directed by Georgia Merton and Isobel Ewing, ‘Inshallah’ is a short film (“the perfect length for a cup of tea” Georgia says) about bike packing through mountainous northern Pakistan. The two ended up cycling, and sometimes hitching with bikes lashed to the roof,…