Ross Mackay
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Review: The Story of New Zealand Freeskiing
To push a stick in the sand and write the story of a sport that is about as niche as you can get (maybe aside from a short history of underwater hockey) is a bold leap of faith. But I’m glad Sam Masters took it. In The Story of New Zealand Freeskiing, he has captured…
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And yet it moves
A Foucauldian moment in the mountains. Bivvy /(‘bıvı)/ Verb 1. Informal for bivouac. 2. To stay outside in a small tent or temporary shelter. 1. Arriving in Wellington off the ferry late one drizzly night with no money to spare for accommodation, I wandered the city looking for somewhere to sleep. It was the 1980s,…
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Burning issues
According to William Shakespeare, the fire that’s closest kept burns most of all. Allan Uren investigates. FORAGING FOR FIREWOOD IS HARD WORK. AS THE SAYING GOES, IT WARMS YOU TWICE. OR, AS WĀNAKA FIREWOOD ENTHUSIAST TOM O’DONNELL LIKES TO SAY, IT ACTUALLY WARMS YOU FIVE TIMES: CUTTING DOWN THE TREE, RINGING IT, SPLITTING IT, STACKING…
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Where the poets hide
The writing is on the wall for the tiny town of Oturehua. Oturehua is a charming speck of a township. Like in many of the small communities of Aotearoa, there’s not much beyond a pub, a general store and a single main road. It’s a one-horse kind of place. You might stop for a snack…