Happy New Year – 2012 is going to be an amazing year, full of positive things for Marlborough. How do I know? Well because just about everyone I meet here has some fantastic talent, inspirational vision or creative venture, and loves the place they live in, so it can only be good, hey.

So with that in mind, it brings me great pleasure to let you know about a seminar tomorrow evening, Friday 13th January 2012 7-8pm.

The awesome Dolphin Watch & Nature Tours team (some of the cool folk mentioned above) are presenting a seminar on native Falcons with guest speakers from the Marlborough Conservation Trust at their office on the corners of Wellington Street and London Quay.

It will be an informative talk and slideshow about these stunningly beautiful birds and how we can preserve them for the future. There will be a donation entry with all proceeds going directly to the Marlborough Conservation Trust. www.nzfalcons.org.

Bring a friend or four and make an evening of it, I am certain, it will be worth while…. I hope to keep you all in the loop about future seminars too, and in the meantime, if you are a facebook follower, like the Dolphin Watch page and you will have your finger on the pulse of Picton wildlife happenings.

Any questions re the event, please phone 0800 WILDLIFE or 03 573 8040

K – have a good night,

Tika

This stunning image is by photographer Andy Trowbridge, who I hope won’t mind if I borrow it until I find a local image for the cause of preserving these birds. Any volunteers for an alternate? Will at ? Driftwoodecotours?

This video is kindly shared by Amanda of my favourite blog www.soulemama.com

Enjoy your weekend! tika x

Another glorious day in paradise with bright sun, blue skies – the door is open, the breeze drifting through, Anika Moa’s In Swings the Tide is playing from the kitchen where daughter Indigo and young friend Coco are making crumble from the delicious plums dripping from the garden trees and I just wanted to wish you all a happy New Year. 2010 feels like it’s going to be an awesome year.

Mouli and I took an evening stroll in the wind [do love the wind so - Celtic heritage ] along the foreshore last night admiring the new offices that have been going in – really dig the perspex office divide in Marlborough Sounds office – very groovy! – It’s looking cool, really hoping that there will be lots of glass in the building that’s still going up – fingers crossed and greenery throughout the car parking area.

Have really enjoyed a break from the computer, a tikitour to visit our eldest son Jakob in Invercargill, and then chilling at home with friends, weeding the veggie garden, harvesting broad beans and lettuces for salads – yum, browsing through the most recent World Sweet World magazine -= have to love the funky bookshelf made from books (intrigued, pick up a copy and check it out). Recycling or upcycling is becoming kinda trendy, has been for a while, but the message is important especially in view of the little achieved at the Climate Summit in Denmark. It’s got me thinking that we need to improve our own position… We do shred all our dedundent office paper and then use it for hen bedding before adding it to our compost system, and try and use our own bags around town if shopping, but it is alarming how much packaging there is on products.. maybe we could start Picton as a no plastic bag town. Anyone else keen?? Anyone out there!

(6th January 2010 just received my Greenpeace newsletter and came across tips to be more green at home)

Anyway I’d best actually go and do some work since my garden won’t supply me with everything! and remind me to tell you about our newly launched Portage site next blog.

Okay I’m off,

ciao tika x

Thank you to World Sweet World  from their free music download compilation of beautiful Folk/ Indie songs by very talented musicians from Wellington and Tauranga.

If you wish to order books, please contact: lisa@nobledesign.co.nz
03 573 5359 / 021 204 8712

ZaoZoo books are printed digitally by Astra Print in Wellington, using papers and inks with the best environmental profile available. Book owners are also asked to pass on their book to others, to increase its lifespan… and also because it’s just a nice thing to do.

Wow!! We had the best weekend ever, very fitting for the 150th Marlborough Anniversary Weekend. Saturday saw us in Nelson, browsing the culinary delicacies of the market – cumin and walnut cheeses, red onion and pumpernickle bread, thai noodles… mmm yum, and Sunday morning jaunt up and run down the fantastic Tirohanga Track, Picton followed by the one of the most magical experiences of my life thus far!!

No, I’m serious… you all have to book a trip with Will Parsons of Driftwood Ecotours right now!

Our group arrived – husband Mouli, daughter Indigo, son, Tarn and a friend Marama to be greeted by Will and Rose, his wife, and were welcomed inside to get an idea from a linen and wax map of the reserve and the splendid view from their deck of where we would be kayaking, a quick browse through a beautifully illustrated book of the extinct birds of New Zealand ( a whole book – that is so sad!!) including of course the Moas before heading to the shed to don life jackets etc  and select kayaks.

Once we had taken to the water a whole new world opened… so near Blenheim, but yet another realm. The Opawa River (smoky river) edged by beautiful flowering rushes is home to a host of birdlife, and the birdsong is music to your ears along with the sound of your paddle. Shags glide along and dive for mullet, we pass Mihis (duckshooting hides and thank our lucky stars it’s not duck shooting season!), further along near the the former Pilot’s House we meet whitebaiters catching the high tide to go across to the far side along by the Wairau Bar. Here we were treated to Will’s homemade Morning Glory Muffins and a welcome cup of tea, served in his Primus teacups – all quality! Will tells me his recipe is on his blog (which is in my blogroll, guys) – so I’ll be hunting that down, they were delicious!

The light on the water and the reflections, the wonderful mantle of colour on the Wairau Hills meant that I was stopping frequently to take photos…more of that later…

Driftwood Ecotours Kayaking Tours are  in the words of our twelve year old, “a must-do experience” and Will is doing a Christmas kayaking deal of 4 for price of 3 if you book before December 31st 09, so please book soon and tell him Tika and tribe sent you.

We took to the water again paddling leisurely along the  boulder bank, and in the distance the water was dark with black swans – a beautiful sight. We picnicked on the bank, doning more layers as it grew cooler with the dusk, tucking into Will’s wonderful homemade fare. Feasting and watching the sun setting, we counted our blessing – how lucky we are!

Paddling back on the inky river, lit by a moon, near full, it was like moving through a Japanese painting, ethereal spoonbills ghosted past the eeiry lights from Montana Winery and a wonderful feeling of peace..a fish nearly jumped into Marama’s lap as she paddled along, splashing back into the black water..

All in all it was a wonderful evening, and I can’t speak highly enough of this trip. The only downer was I got my camera wet!! My fault I left it in my lifejacket pocket when we hauled up the kayaks. However all is not lost I have recovered the photos from the trip, which I will add as a gallery just as soon as I can. [have done!!! - camera still sick though ]

So for now,

I’ll away and get back to work.. ahhhh

Tika

p.s please ask if you’d like to use my photographs – donate to Forest and Bird, or plant a tree!

During the trip beginning 1st November (if Wouter’s knee recovers – check their blog!), Vanessa, Wouter and Ella will be  doing various challenges to raise money – the first challenge they have accepted is streaking naked through Cathedral Square in Christchurch!  (Here my thoughts of joining them fly apart!! – they would be on their own for that bit!) Challenges will be determined by the public, and can be issued via their website: www.cycle4nature.org . Donations can be made through their website or through fundraising website givealittle

If you are interested in birdlife and nature, do also check out another blog, which is always worth a browse… Will Parsons from Driftwood Ecotours Marlborough’s answer to David Bellamy.

He and Rose have just got back from Iceland – wicked photos for sure…and Myths and Legends Ecotours, Guardians of the Sounds.

for now, Tika

Just a fleeting one to introduce you to Will and Rose Parsons of Driftwood Ecotours (Blenheim Marlborough New Zealand – so you can find them easily!!). They are awesome. Anyone who loves New Zealand, birdwatching, walking, scenery, the sea, the sky and wants to learn, enjoy and be guided by a really wonderful and knowledgeable man, Will Parsons, do get in touch and book one of Driftwood Ecotours now. They are well worth it.

Do check out Will’s blog on his site - he is a talented photographer too.

Have to fly, the kitchen floor needs varnishing…. would so rather go on an ecotour, but hey there’s sanding dust everywhere, and the floor is crying out for attention…chaos reigns. In the meantime, have fun.

tika

It’s dusk and the fire’s alight, so what better time for a story…..Kupe and Te Wheke

“According to Maori oral history, the great navigator Kupe discovered Aotearoa (NZ). Kupe lived with his family in Hawaiiki, growing crops and fishing the bountiful oceans. Also on Hawaiiki lived the priest Muturangi, who kept a giant octopus as a pet.

For fun, the octopus took to stealing the baits from Kupe’s fishing lines. When Kupe found out about this trickery, he chased the octopus across the ocean in his waka Matahourua. He caught his prey in Cook Strait between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, and the two fought a great battle.

During the struggle, the octopus’s tentacles gouged out the Marlborough Sounds. Finally Kupe killed the beast, cut out its eyes and placed them on rocks near the entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound.

This place is today known as Nga Whatu – “the eyes” (also known as The Brothers).”

This is one of several stories scattered through the Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company website for your perusal and delight. The gorgeous wee story icons are punctuated throughout the text and fun to find…see if you can find them all.

Or if you really want to cut to the chase, just check out Stories.

I’d tell you more but alas, I have to go and cook….

Enjoy!

tika

It’s brilliant, so please tell everyone who lives locally to get behind this scheme and buy a bin.

For further information, phone Andrew on 03 573 5401, or pop into the office, which is open monday-friday 10am-4pm, saturday 10am-1pm- closed sundays and 29th October for Marlborough Anniversary Weekend.

Happy Recycling!

 For now Tika

Wow, tempus fugit indeed!  Freaky how fast , where do the weeks go??? September already.

Just been adding some links for Driftwood ecotours whom we host and I would really like to draw your attention to the amazing nature photography within their blog ( check out the blogroll to the right).  The Kotuku (heron) pictured to the left was taken by Will in Mapua…they are so graceful, truly elegant birds, with beautiful white plummage. If you are interested in birdlife within the Marlborough area, do give Will a ring or contact him through his website linked above for a personalised tour.

 The kereru pictured here is one of Will’s too, and having spent quite a while the other morning trying to photograph one in our garden, I can truly appreciate the beauty of both the bird and the success of the photograph. Orginally from Scotland the size of these native pigeons(kereru) always amazes me!

One of the interesting things about my job as web designer is the wide range of topics I learn about through uploading content, yesterday I was adding some pictures of black and red coral to Dive Marlborough’s site. Of course in true kiwi style the black coral is actually white and the red, bright pink, but hey! they are stunning.. Have a great week … best get back to it..

For now,

Tika