“My goodness, what a beautiful group of women,” says Anne Kernohan of the island’s Aotea Yoga Collective. When former island yoga teacher Julie Stansfield offered to sell her practice just over a year ago, six yoginis (female master yoga practitioners) … Read More
Who was Great Barrier’s first surfer? Tryphena resident and retired island chemist Mike Gardiner can claim that title. He first visited the island in 1957 fresh out of school and camped in a cave near the mouth of Kaitoke River, … Read More
From the deck of the Aotea Track’s Mt Heale (Matāwhero) Hut the vista at twilight is awe-inspiring. It faces west towards Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island. To the left is the distant glow of Auckland. Ecologically, Aotea Great Barrier … Read More
There’s a climactic scene in Don E McGregor’s latest book where a Barrier guerilla fighter and a wily Japanese soldier stalk each other in the rocky crags around Ruahine above Rosalie Bay. Defiant Great Barrier Islanders have played a crucial … Read More
As lockdown brought travel to and around the island to a halt I reached out to several island professional photographers, asking them if they would share a favourite image and about how Aotea has challenged and inspired their work. Hillary … Read More
The next festival on Aotea’s calendar – Small Island Big Ideas in September – promises to cater for hearts and minds. Its theme is Uncertainty – an odd theme you might think – but accepting that change is constant is … Read More
Words Tim Higham, Images Saskia Koerner Aotea’s population is growing. The number of people listing the island as their primary place of residence for health care purposes has crept up to over 1150. The last official census in 2018 had … Read More
A lot of visitors say Great Barrier Island is like stepping back in time. All homes and accommodation places are reliant on their own power, waste and water systems. Recent participants in the Off the Grid Festival had the chance … Read More
Joss Bellerby loves the apple and chocolate scents of her Stonewall Store in Tryphena when she opens up in the morning. Gerald Endt needs to be in touch with the day – temperature, soil condition and moisture – if his … Read More
