Contributors
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Talking points
It’s been a hot minute. The last time Wānaka’s Aspiring Conversations Festival of Ideas & Kōrero took place was in 2018, which was only six years ago, but jeez, what a six years. Aspiring Conversations is the biennial off-year sibling to the also-biennial Festival of Colour, which has been running for almost two decades. The…
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Chasing the New Zealand Mountain Dolphin
It started as a light-hearted investigation. It became a fervour of curiosity and madness in the South Island bush. I first heard of the beasts in 2021. In a DOC hut near Murchison, I caught a passing comment about a creature known as the Ruahine Mountain Dolphin. “The what?” I asked. My question was met…
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KATs and Dogs
Leia (yes, as in Princess) trots happily alongside me. We are headed towards a sign-up table in a gravel carpark in Haast, where Anya-Lucia Kruszewski, a Department of Conservation (DOC) trainer, is waiting to receive dogs and their owners. Leia, an 18-month-old border collie, completed her first Kiwi Avoidance Training (KAT) with Anya and my…
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A date with death
There’s no telling when death might tap you on the shoulder. When your name is called, there are no ifs or buts; as the saying goes, “you can be a king or street sweeper, but everyone dances with the Grim Reaper.” Many of us spend our time avoiding this fact. Others, however, invite it in…
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The scientist
It was nearly twenty years ago when retired zoologist John Darby, having spent hours at his computer summarising his data on Antarctic and yellow-eyed penguins one day, wandered the short distance from his home to the Wānaka lakefront. There were the usual waterbirds ̶ mallards, black-billed gulls, scaups, shags ̶ but then he saw…
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Wānaka Tree axed!
April 1, 2022: An act of environmental terrorism has left the town of Wānaka and the world stunned. ‘That Wānaka Tree’, as it has been dubbed by millions on social media, is perhaps the most famous and photographed tree in the world. Or at least it was. The iconic tree was cut down and removed by an unknown assailant on the night of March…
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Fiordland Moose discovered!!
April 1, 2023: Zack Black, 1964’s Photographer in the Field, has incontrovertible proof that the Fiordland moose exists! After living deep in the Fiordland bush for five months, Zack has finally photographed the elusive moose. Zack believes it’s a small herd, perhaps 10 or fewer animals, who have been hidden by a unique geographical feature. The moose in the photo was…
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Book review: Sled Dog Racing in New Zealand – A Photographic Odyssey
By Teresa Angell We wrote about dog racing in Issue 2 of 1964 (March 2020) and featured photos by Teresa Angell, so we were pretty excited to see that she has published a full-length book on the subject. Sled dogs are just the best. Woof! Teresa explores our national sled dog scene from the sport’s…
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Music Review: Silhouette – Alba Rose
Silhouette is the debut EP from Alba Rose, AKA Rosie Spearing. Originally from Wānaka and now based in Wellington, Rosie is known as the lead singer of the indie-pop band Corduroy. She also collaborated with composer and producer Bravo Bonez on the trip-hop project ARLS. Alba Rose is her first solo project, and it continues…