A walk on Waitangi Day

Today is Waitangi Day in New Zealand, the national day and the anniversary of the signing initial signing on 6 February 1840 of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty of Waitangi was an agreement between the British crown and the Māori chiefs and is regarded as the founding document of the country. The day was first celebrated in 1934 and became a public holiday in 1974.

The sun was shining, with summer having returned for now at least, so we headed over to Zealandia, the wonderful urban sanctuary in Wellington.

Birds aplenty: the Royal Albatross Centre

I have always been fascinated by albatrosses. With their size, ability to fly long distances and their sometimes comical take-offs … More

Words on Wednesday: Zealandia

Cities don’t have to be places devoid of native wildlife. In fact, in some cases it can completely flourish there … More

This week’s small pleasures #172

And so here we are with the last small pleasures post of 2020. I’m on holiday, which is a small … More

Thursday thoughts

It’s the busiest time of year for me at work, and so it is important for me to think of … More

This week’s small pleasures #157

From stormy weather to glorious sunshine, this has been a week of real changeable spring weather, marking the new season.

A little bit of wildlife: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

We could not resist visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on our trip to Brisbane. 12km from the city, this … More

In Wildness is the preservation of the World

The days around Christmas and New Year are, if you are on holiday like we are, a chance to go those places that at weekends get forgotten in the piles of ironing, grocery shopping and laundry.