Australian Women’s Weekly NZ November 2021

A few years ago, oh, who am I kidding, it was more than 20 years back, a different lifetime… There was a guy on a deserted beach in Fiji. So far so good right in the storytelling stakes. Dressed only in a pair of board shorts, he was being photographed with a couple of other young Kiwi lads while the Pacific Ocean waves lapped at the perfect golden sand. The trio laughed and joked their way through the photoshoot, enjoying the novel, if not slightly awkward experience. Those photos would later appear in an issue of Woman’s Day. My memory is a little sketchy, but I believe the headline on the story was something like, “Meet the hunks of Treasure Island”. That’s right, Treasure Island, as in the television show,…

Trying these new Ayurvedic-inspired herbal blends from Dilmah, the experts in tea. Every morning, I sit on the front verandah of my villa (in rain, hail or shine) and enjoy a cup of tea. It’s become a ritual I call my morning meditation. The Arana range uses the best of nature to help promote harmony in the mind, body and spirit. Sounds good to me! Available from supermarkets. Booking a long-awaited date night at the Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival. Opening the festival is Dame Jane Campion’s critically acclaimed new film The Power of the Dog. Shot last year in the South Island, it boasts a star-studded international cast including Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as local acting success story Thomasin McKenzie. Opening in Auckland on…

Queen’s GREEN CANOPY Judi’s Jubilee joy For the first time, the Chelsea Flower Show has been held in autumn and with the Queen in Scotland, Dame Judi Dench stepped in as an ambassador. The Queen’s Green Canopy Garden promotes mass tree planting in the UK in honour of the 2022 Platinum Jubilee. Dame Judi says she has two passions in life – “Shakespeare and trees”! Heroes in the headlines Runway revolution Aaron Rose Philip made history at New York Fashion Week as the first model with a disability to feature in a luxury label at the Moschino show. A happy ending After a very public battle for freedom, it seems Britney Spears has something to smile about. The singer announced her engagement to boyfriend Sam Asghari. Governor’s honour Actor and…

When it comes to writing novels, people are always surprised to know… That having a good idea is the easiest part. The tough bit is the hours sitting there, pulling words out of your head, polishing them up, then writing some more. If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be… Pretty stuck as I’m useless at everything else, but I love animals, so maybe I’d try to get a job at the zoo. Life is too short for… Skipping meals and eating non-delicious things because food is the one thing we can rely on to be a total pleasure three times a day. The last time I cried was… While having my old horse put to sleep. It was not so much crying as a tsunami of snot and tears. The…

France L’Arc de Triomphe has been wrapped in 25,000 square metres of recyclable fabric as part of an art installation by late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. THAILAND Gardening for good Abandoned taxis in Thailand’s capital have been put to good use, after many drivers lost work due to COVID-19. Ratchaphruek Taxi Cooperative has transformed its taxis into mini gardens, helping feed and support out-of-work employees CHINA Follow the rainbow road No, it’s not a rainbow sour strip – it’s a road! Zaozhuang in Shandong Province has thrown out all the stops to attract tourists, painting an entire road in the colours of the rainbow. The path can be used by pedestrians and cyclists alike, and is sure to create a lot of buzz! Indonesia Quake-proof After earthquakes devastated Lombok in Indonesia,…

As one of our most well-known broadcasters, Kate Hawkesby has been a household name for a very long time, but she describes her day job in the least razzamatazz way possible. “I’ve been a shift worker my whole life, so I’ve never not worked wacky hours,” she tells us. “I’ve never done the nine-to-five thing, so I don’t think my body knows any different.” The wide divide between the workhorse nature of setting an alarm at 3am for years on end and the glitz that comes with being part of a high-profile media couple plays out in a very interesting way for both Kate and her husband Mike Hosking. When you look at our news sources, they appear to be everywhere. In reality, they work fast and early, then they…