Writing that celebrates who we are and where we live.

A selection of stories written for the Department of Conservation’s blog to raise awareness of Aotearoa New Zealand’s places, people and species. I also enjoy writing about creativity, travel, women’s issues, ritual, and more.

Life savers, sea-sentinels and shapeshifting carnivores – Sea sponges

Sea sponges are almost description-defying. Spongy? Some are, but others are rock hard. But definitely filter-feeders? Mostly, but a few have evolved to be carnivorous and lucky for us, New Zealand is thought to be a global hotspot.

Tūturuatu Telegraph: How a poster can set your life on a course

One of our earliest forms of self-expression are the posters we put on our walls. Sure, that puppy-in-soft-focus might be ripped down in teenage angst, replaced with your favourite music idol / movie / heart throb (Luke Skywalker, guilty as charged). But you can’t underestimate the impact of those early posters and their subliminal messages as you drift off to sleep.

Teeth of the taniwha turns lounge lizard

Imagine the day when we might share our lives and properties with endangered native birds, insects, and a lizard to two. But would you share your couch with our longest skink? Over on Aotea/Great Barrier Island, this happened to locals, Kim and Frances, thanks to local conservation efforts and a lack of certain predators. Living up to the title of a ‘lounge lizard’, a chevron skink was found perching on the arm of their sofa, living la vida.

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

Today is International Day of Forests. We celebrate the diversity and importance of our forests – some strange, others ancient, many young, and one commemorative – found in and around the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

Whio Journal: Saving our iconic blue duck

The whio, or blue duck, appears on our $10 note and the wild rivers of the back country, and not many places in between. As such, few New Zealander’s know whio exist, and most will have never seen or heard one. With just 3,000 left in the wild, a partnership between Genesis and DOC called Whio Forever was struck in 2011 to protect and grow the population of this national taonga. We take a closer look at what it takes to bring this iconic species back from the brink of extinction.

The secret life of plants on Tiritiri Matangi – an island re-planted

Bringing the story of our native plants and trees to life takes special skill, especially when competing with our unusual and charismatic birds. But for readers of Dawn Chorus, Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi’s membership newsletter, 81-year old Warren Brewer weaves the worlds of linguistics, history, rongoā Māori and botany into a riveting read on flora found on Tiritiri Matangi Island.

Tūturuatu Telegraph: Turning the tide for a unique shore bird

What sports a cap, bobs like no-one’s watching, is equal parts feisty to friendly, and number around 285 across their wild and captive populations? One of our most threatened endemic birds, the tūturuatu or shore plover, also known as tchūriwat’ to Moriori on Rēkohu / Chatham Islands, where the largest wild population resides.

Tentacles, jewels and birthing babies out of mouths: Amazing anemones

For most of us, peering into rockpools was our entry into the weird and wonderful world of our oceans. Hours spent watching crabs dart in and out of their narrow crevices, investigating the patterns and textures of limpets and seaweed, delighting at the shape of sea stars at the water’s edge, and glimpsing tiny fish flitting around at the corner of your eye. It was heaven.