Sunny Otaki

“The plan to provide something to ease the burden of Christmas for some of our town’s families originated from Strengthening Families in Levin, who had funding for the year left over and decided to to buy hampers or presents for families with very little. A lot of community groups donated to this as well, in particular Subway, who set up a tree in both their Levin and Otaki stores, and asked people to leave presents there. 

Word Hello Day! November 21  The objective is to say hello to ten people on the day. By greeting others, the message is for world leaders to use communication rather than force to settle conflicts. The event began in 1973 by Brian and Michael McCormack in response to the Yom Kippur War.

The Otaki Menzshed, which can be found near the Women's Health Centre on Mill Road, has existed now for a little over a year. It sprang from the desire of Menzshed founding member Valdis Plato's desire to create a space where people could come together, share their skills, find like minded people, and do valuable work in the community.

The Long Walk Home – day two Day two started very early for me and I was soon on the train to Mana ready to do it all again – a hot bath and a good night’s sleep had ensured that I was still raring to go.  My walking partner was not quite so raring to go as was suffering from a sore ankle but she had strapped it up and joined me at the start. The words of encouragement on the second day were from Porirua’s mayor and we were soon on our way. 

I am a relative newcomer to New Zealand (Jan 2013) and while I was aware of the risk of earthquakes before we boarded the plane at Heathrow, to be honest I hadn’t really given the reality of earthquakes and their aftermath a second thought.  That changed for me in August 2013 when I started work at the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (Massey University and GNS) as my first task was analysing interviews from Christchurch GPs about their earthquake and recovery experiences.

New Zealand Native birds are beautiful, unique and sometimes very rare.  As kiwi's we are very proud of our wildlife, the most popular and well known bird is the Kiwi, with hair-like feathers, long beak and huge feet its a National icon. Then there is the Kakapo the worlds largest parrot, or the Tomtit which only grows to 13 cm high.  The Kea is the worlds only alpine Parrot and is renowned for its intelligent and inquisitive nature. The Albatrosses are the world's largest seabirds. They normally breed on remote islands and spend at least 85 percent of their lives at sea, well away from land and human view. Learn more about our beautiful native birds.

The New Zealand Jandal, or the Flip Flop, is the most common footwear in the world. Popularity has seen it appear all over the globe, handy for hot summer days and suit just about any foot shape.  Of the four main species, Flip flop, Thong, Jandal, Chappel, the Jandal is originally found in New Zealand and plays an important part in Kiwi cultural identity.

It's Halloween, and if you come across one of those super scary Halloween Monsters you need to make sure you know your Zombies from your Mummy's and your Freddy from your Chucky.  Here's a Halloween guide on how to kill those super scary villains...Good Luck!

  Oh my god, it's a Zombie outbreak!! Halloween is fast approaching and if your worried about an impending Zombie attack, then never fear, here is the Kapiti Coast Zombie Survival guide to help you through this Halloween.  Keep ahead of the pack, the best hide-outs and how to not get bitten... Good luck!

Every country develops its own slang, which can make it difficult for overseas visitors to understand. New Zealand is no exception, often the same word, for example "True" can have three very different meanings.

Support your local Moustache During November each year, the Movember campaign created by +Movember Foundation  is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches around the world. With their “Mo’s” men raise vital funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health.   As an independent global charity, the Movember Foundation’s vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. Read more about Movember .  At Zilchoo we think it's a fantastic cause and if you can't grow your own mo, here's an Instant Moustache to help you out!

It's the age old problem, should I eat that Pineapple Lump? Well never fear, Zilchoo is here to help you, with our scientific flowchart we'll help you take a journey of Pineapple Lump goodness.  Follow the flowchart and discover if you should eat that delicious Pineapple Lump. Pineapple  [ pahy-nap-uh l ]  noun  The edible, juicy, collective fruit of tropical bromeliaceous plant . Lump  [ luhmp ]  noun  A piece or mass of solid matter  without regular shape or of no particular shape

I Love Otaki It's a fantastic little town with so many things going on, I've put together all my favorite things about Otaki, from friendly locals, amazing sunsets, beautiful historic churches to the Otaki Gorge.  I stopped at 50, I'm sure there is more! Let me know what you think should be added to the list!

The +Edinburgh Festival Fringe  is the largest arts festival in the world and takes place every August for three weeks in Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh.  My husband and I happened to be visiting Scotland and  went along to join in the celebration of arts and entertainment!

Vintage Advertising! Don't you just love Vintage advertising, it's a bit weird, slightly inappropriate and always a little funny.  We've put together 8 New Zealand Vintage Advertising posters from over the years (some are about New Zealand, some are for products) which one do you think is the most amusing? Or have you seen a better one?