You may think of all natives as friendly plants, but two common ones have a deadly secret.

Fans of the wood-burning stove explain why they find an old-fashioned form of cooking far more satisfying than modern gadgetry.

Dunedin style icon Barbara Brinsley says she isn't afraid to stand out in a crowd.

The Off-Topic book Club raves about The Light Between Oceans, by M L Stedman.

A personal quest for work/life balance is at the core of a new restaurant and wellness centre run by a top chef and his yogi wife.

What does it take to captain a rugby team through to win two successive World Cups? A new documentary tries to capture the man behind the hype

Dr Sea Rottman will soon depart on an all-female expedition to Antarctica - just one of many adventures in her life.

This week in the thisNZlife office: We're feeling inspired by a wee spring lamb, try some strange fruit and find hares in the garden.

This delicious wheat free bread takes a little planning but is easy to make.

It's not easy being an organic beekeeper when bees can forage as far as 5km for their food.

In the first of a new series, Dr Libby tackles a problem head on.

The big city beckons for a Kaitaia local, but sometimes the hitting the jackpot comes with a price.

Elsie Hall's patented plant creations are the celebrities of the lavender world

A bubbly soapmaker has turned her favourite hobby into a cottage industry on her Otago small block.

Former Auckland art dealer Anna Bibby ignored the voices that told her she was bonkers and upped and moved to small-town France for a life tres tranquille

The last thing you need is for your orchard to look neat and tidy, at least not ground level anyway.

Part of the fun of owning a small flock is hatching eggs, whether by natural means or with a little mechanical intervention.

A delivery business with a twist boosts returns for a Gisborne orchard.

Leeks are a vegetable that Kristina loves and hates, and then she gets baking.

Height is no limit for Dale Thomas. New Zealand's champion tree climber is just as comfortable at the tops of giant trees as he is with two feet on the ground.

The fabulous walnut is a tasty treat for the home orchard owner, or a potential future crop with New Zealand’s climate meaning we can produce high quality nuts.

David Stedman is doing his artisan bit to keep our digitally drenched society in love with paper.

In a parched and withering place, a New Zealand photographer gets instructions on how to live.

The wind-up to spring planting is starting, and one big decision is going to have year-long repercussions.

This week in the water cooler, we savour the new season grapefruit, say hello to Talking Tom and make the best crackers EVER

If you have a wet or swampy area, fence it off, plant something that thrives on wet soils, and turn it into a thing of beauty.

If you’re tired of pushing yourself to do the lawns get our tips on how to buy possibly the biggest investment in a single product you’ll make when you live on a lifestyle block.

To cement their partnership, Antonia de Vere and Mark Seeney got married. Now they combine their talents in one very creative business, Markantonia

The Screen Sirens discuss why you should binge-watch the Lightbox drama UnREAL.

The after-effects of a dry summer will still be with you this spring.

This shipping container uses every square inch to nurture the future of country kids, and the adults too.

Sue Moody explores Auckland's magenta cycle way - by foot.

Farm trips for the kids, a movie that made our heart sing and yet more dogs... things that got us talking in the thisNZlife office this week.

Romance has fulled the revival of a family's much-loved 60-year-old Land Rover.

Searching for forebears takes an exciting turn for two NZ Life & Leisure writers.

There’s an element of Wonderland in interior designer Anya Brighouse’s home but this creative force is anything but out of control

Sometimes you may need to help an injured bird, and sometimes its best to leave it alone.

Taranaki-born Jamie Tuuta is enhancing the potential of Maori land and assets in his role as the Maori Trustee

Are your ewes due to lamb? Are you ready? Here are some things to consider.

An architect designed his dream house on the shores of the Kaipara using coolstore panels.

This week in the water cooler: we make new discoveries on Netflix, search for the perfect umbrella tree and plan survival strategies for The Food Show

Mulching is an easy way to protect your soil until you’re ready to use it in spring.

Book reviewer Miranda Spary sees the world differently after reading The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent.

The late Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka created a revolutionary way of farming that has no plowing, no fertiliser, no weeding and no pesticides.

When you live on a little island in the middle of a big ocean, you have to make your block of land pay its own way in the most self-sufficient manner possible.

Daniel Gudsell turns a customer complaint into a thriving, environmentally friendly wood business.

A wine producer is allowing her creative spirit to pop while exploring the Chinese heritage of Central Otago.

Caught out by the weather while visiting the UK or Ireland? Here are four great museums to visit on a rainy day.

Pests are tricky, secretive creatures and it can be difficult to know if you have a small problem, or a really big one.

Goats and chooks live in harmony in this funky recycled coop in Portland, Oregon.

Winter is a great time to plant your future fruiting trees, but do you know how to do it so you give a tree the optimal start?

The demise of a local coincides with the near-death of the family’s bathroom plumbing.

Kristina  Jenson brews up some great beer-based recipes, including a fabulously decadent chocolate cake.

Most goats have a tendency to nibble first, check the toxicity of a plant later kind of strategy to life, and that can be deadly.

From the creator of Downton Abbey, the Belgravia serves up old-fashioned Dickensian serialised storytelling on a new digital app. But is the medium successful? Kate Coughlan weighs in.

They’re fussy, but tamarillos are a tangy treat, and prolific if you know the secrets to high production.

The enterprising students of Hukerenui School are making a profit from growing maize, lavender and keeping bees.

Two great options for fodder, shelter, shade and firewood can be as simple as a stick in the ground

Noeline Young is a trail-blazer who adores aviation.

Despite growing up on the cutting edge of the minimal Modernist movement, this interior and architectural designer’s heart is in the past.

A 1926 Grade II Historic Place-listed concrete milk station is seeing a new life as a spectacular Otaki wedding venue.

A well-designed orchard means you can be self-sufficient in fruit all year-round.

Don't overlook this gourmet low calorie vegetable. Jenny Somervell shares three tasty parsnip recipes.

What makes some people great? The documentary Chasing Great, featuring one of our best All Black captains ever, promises some answers.

Apollo Taito is a manager in the mental-health sector, part-time soldier, PhD student,  vegan and animal-rights campaigner.

Cheree Morrison puts pedal to the metal on the Highlands Motorsport Park course in Cromwell.

She made her first pair of shoes out of some car mat, now Dunedin’s Louise Clifton has opened her own shoe school.

No-one likes mud, and it's something you need to manage carefully or the damage to soil can be devastating.

From weird face masks to smart skin patches, there are plenty of beauty trends to help you face the future.

When she began she thought $100 was a good day's takings, now Brownwyn Lowe is helping hundreds of people cure the symptoms of stress.

Don't throw away your banana peels, they are the secret ingredient in this cake.

Busy bees, balls of bliss and a country bumpkin and her pumpkins - things that got us talking this week.

Why all-terrain roller skates are no match for a goat track in the Far North.

This edible flower cheesecake tastes as good as it looks.

A South Auckland grower shares the secrets of her edible garden.

New Zealand has a good climate for growing tea. Here's our guide to making the perfect cuppa from garden to table.

This 30cm dog might be the ultimate Kiwi canine.

Now is a great time to create something pretty and functional for this spring.

Avoid ruffling feathers when buying your first flock with our simple guide.

Gather rosehips and rhubarb to make this yummy winter jam.

A chance vacancy at Olveston Homestead has enabled three generations of the Goldsmith family to polish up a bit of Kiwi history

You can get rid of weeds using everything from a rabbit to a steam gun (but not together).

There's no reason your hens shouldn't live in style. Introducing our coop of the month, the Hönshus-1.

Make these truffles even when passionfruit is out of season.

Peter and Marion van Dijk have taken the concept of downsizing to a whole new level.

Pantry adventurer Duncan White shares this gluten-free alternative to this afternoon tea classic.

Easy to grow and delicious, beetroot are a versatile vegetable in the kitchen.

Hey Daddy-O! Meet the Nixon-Sparkes - the coolest bunch of crazy cats to ever shake rattle 'n' roll.

Here’s what will keep you warm and cozy when you fire up your wood burner this winter.

If you like the benefits of keeping chickens, you’re going to love having ducks.

In the first of her fortnightly blogs,  NZ Life & Leisure columnist Polly Greeks shares an update of life in her mudbrick off-the-grid home in the Far North.

An Asian spin on a winter Kiwi classic from Japanese-born cooking tutor Sachie Noumura.

A Waikato farming family takes the cow by the teats and markets its own jersey milk.

Riding 300 kilometres on the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail can be hard work  but it’s worth every turn of the wheel.

On foot through northern Southland’s high country and on board a helicopter to the roof of the world – a weekend in Southland is an awfully big adventure.

The peony is one of the most beautiful flowers in the world, but it’s what it grows beneath the soil that has turned into a unique business for one Nelson couple.

Aucklanders have a brand new $28 million foreshore on the Manukau Harbour at Onehunga, Sue Moody goes exploring.

A picture-perfect lavender farm, is just one of a bunch of businesses nourished by a Kurow dairy farm.

A series of chance encounters with volkswagens has steered an Auckland family to a love of vintage campers.

What started as an idea to spread some sweetness throughout Wellington has blossomed into a national charity movement.