Great South
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How do you like them apples?
The orchards of Southland carry the fruity roots of the region. YOU CAN’T GROW FRUIT TREES IN SOUTHLAND. THAT’S THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. MOTHER NATURE WILL BITE, SWALLOWING THEM UP LONG BEFORE THEY ARE READY TO GIVE UP THEIR FRUIT TO PATIENT AND HUNGRY LANDOWNERS. THIS MIGHT BE TRUE OF VARIETIES LIKE GALA AND PACIFIC ROSE,
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Top of the pit stops
The 1964 guide to our favourite rural, and remote, toilets of the South Island. You may not realise it if you grew up in Aotearoa, but this country does public toilets well. Drive into any small town and you will be greeted by a white-on-blue sign pointing the way jauntily to the loos, conveniently located,
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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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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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Galaxy quest
Astrophotographer Simon Williams can see in the dark. PERFECT PITCH BLACK: IT’S NOT AS EMPTY AS YOU THINK. WAIT IN THE DARK, AND YOU’LL FIND IT TAKES AROUND TEN MINUTES FOR HUMAN EYES TO ADJUST TO DARKNESS. IN THAT TIME, SOMETHING SPECIAL HAPPENS. AS THE LACK OF LIGHT DEPRIVES YOU OF ONE OF YOUR MAIN
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Electrifying driftwood
Walking the thin line of sanity in Papatowai at The Lost Gypsy Curios & Coffee. IT’S THE SMALL PLACES THAT HIDE THE UNEXPECTED. YOU DRIVE THROUGH AND WONDER, WHAT HAPPENS HERE? THE TRIP FROM INVERCARGILL TO PAPATOWAI TAKES ALMOST TWO HOURS, AND AS YOU HEAD THROUGH THE CATLINS TO THE SMALL COASTAL SETTLEMENT (FULL TIME
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Prisoners on the Milford
That one time the “finest walk in the world” was a short-lived experiment in Australian-style convict labour. THE MILFORD TRACK IS PROBABLY THE SHINIEST JEWEL IN NEW ZEALAND’S VERY BEJEWELLED TOURISM CROWN. FAMOUSLY CALLED THE “FINEST WALK IN THE WORLD” IN A 1902 ARTICLE BY THE ENGLISH-BORN POET AND ALPINIST BLANCHE BAUGHAN, IT’S WALKED BY
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All you can eat, cheap
The 1964 guide to binge eating your way around the South Island without ending up in debtors’ prison. WINTON – THE MIDDLE PUB You would think a place like Winton would lead the way when it comes to the Southland delicacy that is the cheese roll, and you would be right. Winton’s Middle Pub−yes, it’s