Apples and pears – from the trees

Greytown’s Molewood Orchard has just opened its gates for Pick Your Own: apples and _ for the first time _ pears.

Last year was the first the family-run orchard opened to the public, which greeted the initiative with huge enthusiasm, as people travelled from throughout the Wairarapa and much further afield to pick fresh, sun-warmed fruit from the trees.

The Cooke family, who returned to managing Molewood Orchard in 2022, is delighted to be

preparing for another pick-your-own season and to build on the success of last year with a number of initiatives.

This season the orchard is offering pick-your-own pears as well as apples.  … Continue Reading

ArrowFM offers outlets on its platform

Are you a media junkie? Want to learn more about podcasting and broadcast media? Do you have a message to share? 

If you represent a community support service, practise sustainable farming, are a member of the disability community or want to celebrate cultures and enthusiasms, you can share all this with Wairarapa and the world thanks to our podcasting and live broadcasting platforms on this local community access radio station. Join ArrowFM for an exciting workshop to empower you with the skills and knowledge you need to reach your audiences.

Arrow FM presents CREATING MEDIA, a dynamic workshop exploring the diverse technologies available to content creators in today’s media landscape. And because we’re all about the people and the message, CREATING MEDIA will help you with content creation and presentation. … Continue Reading

Aratoi: There’s still “beauty in life”

We live in a constant state of crisis. Fires rip through forests, flood waters erode coastlines,

wars tear cities to the ground, pandemics take lives, inequality divides us, and it is easy to

feel that we exist in a time of ruin.

However, it is important to also see the beauty in life and enjoy the small things. This season

at Aratoi we ask you to think about the big issues we face, but also enjoy the sunnier side of

life; discover beautiful architectural buildings, wonder over photographs from a bygone age

and enjoy eclectic joyful creations. … Continue Reading

A Ruamahanga field full of Sunflowers

By Lyle Griffiths 

Students from Kahutara School piled on to the Green Cycle bus to visit Ruamahunga Farm. 

It was a day for the children to discover a field full of sunflowers, to learn about the seasonal growing cycle and to harvest some of the flowers to take back to school. The sale of these flowers for $2.00 each, will go towards restoration projects.

Sitting in a circle in the midst of the field they heard a tale of the sunflower. 

There was once an Indian prince who never washed and smelled appalling. Finally, he took a bath and was horrified by the brown mud that came off his feet. He issued an edict that all mud should be covered. But the coverage of the soil prevented anything from growing. Enter the sunflower Queen who uncovers the soil and plants sunflowers, creating a field of delight. … Continue Reading