Paul is collecting fallen twigs from beech trees, the dense dwellers of the Tarurua Range. He is building a morning fire in between a pile of rocks on one of the islets of the Atiwhakatu River we are lingering on. It’s not a necessary fire. The sun is strong today and we are sheltered fromRead more
Hello, Mother Nature. I am getting to know you well here in these pieces of land hanging off the bottom of your swollen body. You’ve taught me it is possible for all of your beauty and, occasionally, all of your tragedy to fit into a country the size of your bellybutton. In America, you’ve birthed placesRead more
I wrote this piece for the “Tirohia Mai: Look at Us Now” exhibition featuring stories about the historical and modern women of Aotearoa New Zealand. The exhibition opens at the National Library next Monday 17 June. I am straddling life again. Living in the fringes of a country that exists on the edge of theRead more
The tangled tree in my front yard is alive. The winter is coming and the wind is blowing its southerly whispers, sending icy secrets into the world. But the tree will not listen. It’s not blooming anymore. I missed most of its bursts of coral flowers this year — busy sweating and wandering around theRead more