Mōrena.

Even on the hard days, keep at it.

Early morning gym photo in a mirror with a weight rack in the foreground

Queenstown, early morning run 🏃‍♂️

view of Queenstown inner harbour in early morning darkness

Fairlight Station and homestead, Southland. Wonderful visit to talk about their all female shepherds internship programme.

gate sign at Fairlight Station craggy peak behind homestead station homestead

Garston, Southland. Visiting Garston Hops, the southernmost hops growers in Aotearoa.

view of mountains from Garston evening sun on hills

Poached feijoas #feijoas #poached #preserves

jars of poached feijoas

Finished reading: Lie With Me by Philippe Besson 📚

A gloriously written story of hidden first love in 1980s provincial France, reminding us of the loss, pain and wasted opportunities created by social oppression. The final pages pack an incredible punch that will stay with me for a very long time.

The fact I was a teenager in this time period and had lived in France only a few years earlier deepened the impact on me significantly. Philippe Besson is incredible.

Candlelit study #candle #books #study #library

Stacks of books and notebook illuminated by a candle.

Ottolenghi birthday feast

Ottolenghi birthday feast at Hōkio prepared by Andrew and Alec #hōkio #hokiobeach #feast #birthday #friends #dinner #delicious

Dishes: • Tomatoes with sumac onions and pine nuts • Brussel sprouts with burnt butter and black garlic • Sweet potato in tomato, lime and cardamom sauce • Lime and coconut potato gratin • Curried carrot mash with brown butter

Collage of Ottolenghi dishes

Chill’n in the garden #hōkio #hokiobeach #garden #chill #chilling #palms #weekend #tunes

pillows on the deck under the dappled light of palm trees

Fire in the Sky #mōrena #morning #sunrise #pōneke #wellington

bright orange, pink and red sky over a cityscape

Misty morning #tāmaki #tāmakimakaurau #auckland #quickvisit #mōrena #morning #misty #harbour #view #sammackay

View across CBD buildings to a misty but otherwise sunny Auckland harbour

A little art in Auckland #tāmaki #tāmakimakaurau #toiotāmaki #aucklandartgallery #tate #light #sammackay

Golden hour in Hagley Park 🌳 #ōtautahi #hagleypark #christchurch

late evening sun on trees in a park

Just a little party. 🌈🎉 #CubaDupa #HouseParty #EvaSt # HannahsLaneway #Pōneke

collage of various house party pictures

Mōrena Tāmaki Makaurau #mōrena #AtaMārie #morning #workout #LesMills #KyberPass #Newmarket #Tāmaki #TāmakiMakaurau #Auckland

Orange early morning sky over Kyber Pass Road, Newmarket. Red Les Mills sign on the side of a building

Great way to start the day after a fabulous concert 🎶 📚 🥯 #deli #federalstreetdelicatessen #florenceandthemachine #concert #books #unitybooks #auckland #tāmakimakaurau

bag of books from Unity in a booth at Federal Deli

A Night to Remember

Fantastic party for Mayor Tory Whanau's 40th. Wonderful party, great people, and a chance to recover and catchup the day after. #party #wellington #pōneke #torywhanau #billhastings

A night to remember

Pōneke - a collage #tepapa #toiartgallery #stjohnsbar #goldings #pōneke #sun #autumn #sammckay

Poneke collage - sunny waterfront St Johns bar, art gallery, Goldings bar

Fabulous Day Party at the White Barn with Hamish and Alastair, a quick visit to see Mum and Dad at Eketāhuna, and dinner on the deck with Bill and Simon at Hōkio. ❤️💙💚 #DayParty #WhiteBarn #Carterton #Wairarapa #Eketāhuna #EkeCountryCottage #Tararua #Hōkio #HōkioBeach #Horowhenua

collage showing garden party, white barn with green plantings, country cottage and dinner on a beach house deck

If anyone in Pōneke needs an in-depth guide to the Scythians and other historical steppe peoples I can probably help 😂. I actually did not set out to create this collection… but now that I have it I love it 😍 📚 #books #history #scythians #steppe #collection #serendipity

A bookshelf with 10 books about the ancient Scythians or related steppe peoples