Martinborough Wine and Food 

By Sue Delamare

We were lucky enough to have Margaret and Mike Hanson from Blue Earth olives and The Elder wines to come and talk to us and let us sample their three different blends of olive oils and taste examples of their rose, pinot gris and pinot noir. You may have seen them recently on Country Calendar. In case you missed it a little bit of history to follow.

As a teenager Margaret went on an AFS exchange to Minnesota in the USA. While at Blue Earth High School she met her future husband, Mike. When she returned to New Zealand he followed within a year and they established a life in Dunedin, and then Wellington. Mike came from a farming family in the states and made lots of trips  to the Wairarapa which he loved. Eventually they bought a thirty-acre property. In 1998 they decided to plant olives and now have seven acres of them. This was followed by a vineyard in 1999. … Continue Reading

MAREE’S MUSINGS

HATS OFF!

By Maree Roy

You may think that chat about hats is a strange topic for my column, but headgear has featured in the news of late. For one thing, there was the tragic death of Tehran woman Mahsa Amini after being beaten for allegedly breaking hijab rules. On a happier note, the coronation of King Charles. Closer to home, there’s been the local body elections, with hats being thrown in the ring, and later, in the air. 

The significance of the latter was a mystery. So to save head-scratching, I checked it out. It’s a tradition started in the US Naval Academy back in 1912; when sailors, after spending two years in training wearing their midshipmen hats almost constantly, celebrated by chucking them away.  … Continue Reading

How Well Do We Know People in our Community?

Andrea Didsbury

By Lyle Griffiths

“I’m not a farm girl” says Andrea. “I’m really a townie. I certainly didn’t realise that I would find my home in the South Wairarapa. Originating from Kaitaia, my Dad was transferred to Christchurch with the rural bank, so our family moved South.   I completed my degree at Otago University. Then like many New Zealanders I decided it was time for some OE. For three years I travelled, working in pubs and restaurants in between times. 

When it was time to return my sister and her husband were working at the Lake Ferry Hotel. What better place to find my feet. I even met my prospective husband over the bar. I may not be a farmer, but he certainly is. Pirinoa Station has been in the Didsbury family since 1877 and our children are sixth generation descendants. … Continue Reading

Heading in wrong direction

Scientists warn world ‘is heading in wrong direction’ amid rise in nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane

Atmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases have reached record highs, according to a study by the World Meteorological Organization, which scientists say means the world is “heading in the wrong direction”.

The WMO found there was the biggest year-on-year jump in methane concentrations in 2020 and 2021 since systematic measurements began almost 40 years ago. … Continue Reading