Polly comes face-to-face with Brutus, the local boar, and the Far North version of the Boogeyman.

NZ Life & Leisure editor Kate Coughlan, aka Little Miss Muffet, takes a voyage around her great-grandfather and makes cheese.

This week in the water cooler: we're exploring Napier's Art Deco architecture in style, reducing our use of plastic bags and taking part in an important study.

This week Jim ponders different ways of grieving and wonders, yet-again, if those daughters aren’t a step ahead of him.

Readers in Blenheim, Christchurch and Dunedin can sample the award-winning cuisine at the Outstanding Food Producer Dinners.

The cookbook queen is happiest when she's following the lead of her nature-loving mother.

Angela Beer didn't even know she was a dog person until she met her beloved Dunhill, and she had even less idea just how far that love would take her.

Are we living in a television golden age? The Screen Sirens discuss why award-winning Kiwi writer and director Jane Campion now prefers to work on TV these days. They then give the low down on the second season of Top of the Lake.

Between the mountains and the sea, sculptor Ben Foster and environmentalist Sabrina Luecht have found the best of nests.

Kristina is trying to break her addiction to sugar and she's found there's a veggie on her side.

When a legendary gardener dies, what becomes of his or her garden? Ask Fergus Garrett, the guest speaker at November's Nelmac Garden Marlborough.

This week in the water cooler: We announce NZ's best chocolates, meet a very special creche at Ararimu School and wage a war on stickered fruit.

Brenda Williamson is as competent managing a private hospital as she is navigating tight corners.

This week, Polly finds manners put grease in social cogs while attending a children's birthday party.

New wearable pet sensors will not only find Fido, they can also report on how he's feeling.

Cakes are a blank canvas for a talented baker and author of Melie's Kitchen.

Being a chocolate judge would be many children’s dream. thisNZlife goes behind the scenes at the NZ Chocolate Awards to discover how to taste chocolate like a pro.

This week the sky falls in after a slip on the rocks.

A passion for hunting and a taste for cured meat prompted Chris and Sally Thorn to start their own artisan business in Lumsden.

A spirited New Zealand biochemist and entrepreneur is finding ways to support women in science on her own home soil.

Actress Alice Englert wasn’t fazed baring her soul on camera for her mother Jane Campion’s latest series.

Mint enhances the flavour of both the lamb and the broad beans, bringing a freshness to this dish.

This fennel dish makes a lovely addition to a traditional roast meal, or is a good accompaniment to fish and chicken.

This week in the water cooler, we're tutu impressed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet's Romeo & Juliet, are finding heart-melting dogs, are celebrating Tanya Carlson's 20 years in fashion and are watching Helen Clark documentary, My Year With Helen.

Lisa Scott’s first day of snowboarding at Awakino skifield in North Otago involved a helicopter and an avalanche.

The family visit the local marae, and reap the mother of all harvests.

Be in to win one of five copies of Chelsea Winter's new cookbook Eat, valued at $50 each

There’s plenty waiting to be discovered in the big city of Invercargill and in the small towns that line its wild coast.

This German-born dream machine is  loving Kiwi country roads

The Screen Sirens weigh up how the new film Hampstead compares to Diane Keaton's other movies.

This week in the water cooler, we're foraging for grapefruit, exploring virtual worlds, taking trips to Spain and are feeling inspired by a New Zealand business leader.

The weight-loss equation of calories in/calories out is not only dated, it can also be harmful

A New Zealand super-plant is powering the healing properties of a must-have multi-tasking new balm.

A New Zealand pilot is channeling Burt Munro racing a Soviet World War II era fighter plane in Reno next month.

Former MasterChef judge Simon Gault’s diabetes diagnosis is a 'sauce' of inspiration for a new food venture and at his restaurant Giraffe where he serves veggies grown in his own garden .

A cruise passenger speed-dates destinations along the south-east Asian coast, and hopes to meet some of them again.

NZ avocados are particularly special, with double the amount of vitamin B6 and 20 per cent more folate than those grown in other parts of the world.

This cold summer soup, made with kvas, is Russia’s answer to gazpacho.

A Christchurch-based couple who met in Russia had a gut feeling a tasty new probiotic would be a hit in New Zealand. They were right

This week Jim realises he’s been left behind - again.

You can’t actually age backwards, but you can look like it. Take these few make-up tips for keeping your face as ageless as your spirit.

For more than 25 years, the locals of a small rural Southland community have co-operated to provide themselves with mostly locally-grown, organic food. They encourage others to try it, and to learn from their years of experience.

Mt Ruapehu robbed William Pike of one of his legs but never his ability to inspire

The roadside stalls that dot the rural landscape, suddenly appearing on a windy road when you least expect it, so I was trying not to let on just how desperate I was for one of my own.

This week in the water cooler: A winter weekend in Central, wild waterways and their wonderful creatures, underwater world champions and a towering construction.

A couple’s wish list read: their own land, a self-sustainable lifestyle and a business that reflected their personal values.  After a bright idea and lots of hard work, that list has become a blueprint for the Blue Earth range of body products

Take your cheese board to the next level with this onion marmalade recipe.

A leading Japanese businessman who has chosen New Zealand as his home, wields art to encourage society to reuse what exists rather than waste resources. he shares his vision for bringing contemporary art into the natural landscape.

A long list of charity work and a focus on living a good and healthy life occupies one of the country’s leading business people. Annette Presley shares her insight

How to identify birds and encourage birdlife in your backyard.

Our native trees are some of the most unique in the world, and so is the man who has dedicated his life to studying them and telling their stories, including his latest on the king of them all.

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but what do Game of Thrones, a jigging Irishman and Bill Clinton have in common? Belfast

In this award-winning story, Lisa Scott travels on foot through northern Southland’s high country and on board a helicopter to the roof of the world  in Southland.

This week in the water cooler, we're raving about Dunkirk, achieving our garden goals and digging up our old handbags for a good cause.

Switch breadcrumbs for quinoa for a gluten-free version of fried chicken.

Marie-Ann Billens understands that the key to a long-lasting career is to create a good foundation – and to find a job that never feels like work

Polly tests an alternative parenting method on for size

Garry Wycherley and Robyn Ansell are putting tiny Awakino on the map, one building at a time

Meet 21-year-old fine arts student and artist Lizzie Snow who is winning fans around the world with her intricate geometric mandala designs. Watch our exclusive video.

This week in the water cooler we: celebrate clever New Zealand scientists at the KiwiNet awards and take our horses to the dentist  (yikes).

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a juggle but finding the right balance is essential for happiness and wellbeing.

thisNZlife’s Emma Rawson and Sarah van Boheemen from Love Food Hate Waste hitch a ride on an Auckland Council food waste collection truck and see, firsthand, how much food New Zealanders throw away.

Jim turns from hero to zero when channeling his mother's parenting style.

Te Kura Whare is a new-generation building embodying super-green values and the spirit of Tūhoe

This cake is gluten and dairy-free - and delicious. It’s a beautiful saffron-gold colour, and has a delicious orange flavour and moist texture, plus it’s easy to make.

The Off-Topic Book Club have a lively discussion about Berlin-based New Zealand author Sarah Quigley's new novel The Suicide Club.

Water, a precious resource, is at its most pristine in a spring-fed stream chuckling its way through the heart of Wanaka

Kelly Farrimond's Poor Man's Orange marmalade is a reduced sugar version of a family favourite.

Polly  channels Crumpy and Scotty when she braves flood waters in a Hilux - and becomes a true bush woman in the process.

Sarah Lancaster is a maker on a mission to encourage sustainability - one hand-made tote at a time. Through her business, Sew Love, she’s teaching basic tailoring skills such as hemming, mending and patchwork.

After years overseas, an Auckland couple has created an urban oasis on home soil in a house they have lived in twice.

Maureen-Ann Farrimond's Pineapple Fruitcake is a family favourite.

Every vista in this world-class garden, photographed through the seasons, tempts visitors down a path laden with promise. Barewood Garden's creator shares how she's grown alongside her garden.

Jim Kayes finds himself cast in the role of coach, but can he hold court in the world of school netball?

A young Wellingtonian is thinking big with a burgeoning tiny house business.

Western Australia’s wild flowers draw hoards of hunters in search of a floral fix.

A little experiment with a superfood has turned into a win-win business for a young farming couple.

One of the enduring myths about commercial poultry is that poultry producers worldwide use growth hormones to make broilers grow faster and produce more meat.

James hogs the limelight when he goes on the hunt for a pig and Polly wisely stays at home.

Environmental scientist and lawyer Fergus Power has moved from protecting the Great Barrier Reef to injecting a little “rocket fuel” into the Wairoa District Council.

Rongotea dairy farmer Alan Rowe has struck a surprising little problem with the car he has owned for 47 years.

This easy-to-make pumpkin soup is packed with flavour.

This week in the water cooler: We wage a fruit war with Lynda Hallinan over persimmons explore a handy travel photo app, and mow our support for Emirates Team New Zealand.

The discussion around the state of NZ’s fresh water isn’t short of an opinion or two, but science is speaking out more loudly.

This llama farmer is so dedicated to her quest to find and save the real llamas of New Zealand, she is making a life-changing move to a new home on a new island.

This week Jim Kayes teaches his daughter how to drive, and lives to tell the tale.

Stay chic and cosy this winter with our fashion picks.

Ask Rodney and Clinton and Erin and Emma... They’ll tell you it’s love that makes a family, not just blood ties.

Our heroine casts a dashing figure as she marches across the Banks Peninsula. And like all good dramatic characters, her  past holds a compelling secret.

As the debate over the country’s polluted waterways heats up, Polly Greeks writes a love letter to Aotearoa’s rivers and streams.

A stay at these all-glass cabins on the outskirts of Kaikoura is to step into a magical realm where the world is reframed and time works in mysterious ways.

Twenty-five years a journalist, Jim Kayes knows how to hook a story but when he ventures out on his rookie fishing trip  he realises hooking a fish is completely different.

This week in the water cooler: we review McLaren and Wonder Woman, avoid some nasty slips in the Waikato and put porridge to the test.

The 2017 National Poultry Show is a celebration of NZ’s oldest poultry club, and its members are all stars of a chick flick with a difference.

Boutique winemaker Debra Cruickshank has produced a port especially for duck hunting season.

Jim Kayes has been a journalist for 25 years. He survived growing up with four sisters and is now married with two daughters. Despite this, he thinks he's in charge.

The director of the new film Pecking Order talks about the bizarre world of poultry showing, and how a brain tumour has shaped his outlook on life.

When the owners of an earthquake-wrecked home were told it was a lost cause, They knew it wasn’t.

This week in the water cooler, we're using our CSI skills to search for a missing cat, eating all of the pies and are singing in the rain.

Screen Sirens reviewers Emma and Yolanta say Wonder Woman is the action movie women have been waiting for.

A three-time America’s Cup winning team member is back on a boat but in a wooden dinghy.

An Auckland chicken-restaurant chain founded on a wing and a prayer is now one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing businesses thanks to the adaptability  of its owners.

In which Polly trades in foreign treasure-hunting for a more sedate seeking of materials and finds it just as rewarding.

The rarest pig breed in the world is teetering on the brink of extinction, and the few people working to save it would love some help from anyone who enjoys the company of pigs, and a good slice or three of the tastiest bacon around.

Hedgehogs present a prickly problem, being both garden friend and foe.

Journalist and art critic Anthony Byrt is doing his bit to make the world – and Northland – a better place.

This week in the water cooler: We have birds on the brain reviewing Pecking Order, get caught in a web of spidey powers, and revisit a classic with Anne with an E.

There are secrets to discover in the Cook Islands by following the road less traveled.

Food is the biggest household expense after accommodation, and the cost of it seems to be skyrocketing year after year, so what are the most high value things you can grow to save money?

Art gallery founder Pauline Bianchi has overcome a life-threatening accident to create a meaningful life with her  6 year-old daughter Valentina.

Greg and Rachel Hart share a mission: to connect New Zealanders with what they eat, how they live and with the planet itself.

This easy-to-make quinoa tart is a tasty and filling dish to serve to guests on a gluten-free diet.

This old craft is still immensely popular, and encourages a true community spirit on a Golden Bay lifestyle block.

Polly turns to a whale when time rushes by.

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

From a little girl in her mother’s Auckland studio to the big-city stages of the world, ballerina Clytie Campbell’s career has swept from one act to the next.

Breathing new life into an old church has taken more than a decade and cost twice the estimate but the owners are in heaven.

This is a simple dish, yet to do it well you need to concentrate.

A revelation turned an experienced and successful architect away from the traditional styles in which he’d always worked towards something far more organic.

This recipe by The Prodigal Daughter founder, Rachel Priestly showcases her own Italian- styled cured meats.

Canterbury sculptor Raymond Herber has carved out a true niche for his life and work in an abandoned quarry.

Meet Sean and Jodi Brosnahan – East Coast farmers, breeders of supreme Angus beef and winners of the inaugural Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards 2017.

NZ Life & Leisure proudly supports the annual Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards. With 150 entries, from the Catlins to Kaitaia, the judges were spoilt for choice.

New Zealand towns and cities are crying out for more town criers. Two sisters are ringing the bell for a proud (and loud) institution.

Golden Bay writer Charlotte Squire learned a lot about life in downsizing her family into a 27sqm home

The land is proving to be a natural classroom in more ways than one for Polly and her family.

It’s almost time for the announcement of the winner of the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards 2017 so thisNZlife asked the award judges to reveal their kitchen secrets.

This recipe by The Mountain Cafe's Kirsten Gilmour is perfect for a light, fresh,  lunch or evening salad.

This week in the water cooler: we scream like a chook, watch divine TV and gaze in awe at mighty Mt Ruapehu.

The wild yeasts of Kapiti Island star in a new brew from a Waikanae company known for its barrel-fermented sour beers.

If water is contaminated after a disaster, there are several ways to purify it.

Food in a refrigerator won’t last long without power so plan your food usage carefully to avoid contamination.

How to keep animals calm after a disaster and how to plan for animal evacuation.

Polly finds traveling with kids a less-than-relaxing experience.

Force yourself to eat a certain way and you will likely fail. try giving yourself a little wiggle room instead.

An everyday accountant is working with New Zealand scientists to explore the disease-fighting properties of heritage apples and orange tomatoes.

Zero-waste blogger Amanda Chapman discusses the community fridge project and her eco heroes.

Meet the selection of creative female go-getters selling their wares at the Rural Ladies marketplace.

Distracted by saddlebacks and robins, Insider’s Guide editor Cheree Morrison never expected to trip over a kiwi.

Electric bikes are popular in Asia and Europe, but will they catch on in Auckland? We see what the buzz is about.

From two sprawling high-country stations on either side of the Waitaki River, two young and creative rural ladies are empowering and connecting like-minded women.

Jim Kayes is easily led astray by his 10-year-old daughter on a bike along the Hauraki Rail Trail.

This week, Polly defends her ducks from a date with  the casserole pot.

An Auckland entrepreneur is earning a crust with a clever bread mix business.

If you think selling food you’ve made in your home kitchen can’t be done legally, you could be in for a delicious surprise. We meet some small-time home-based business people with a passion for food who show how they work within the rules.

An Auckland-based technology entrepreneur is making going to the doctor as easy as pushing a button

We’ve all heard of ‘man caves’, but there are so many inspiring garden buildings, including the ‘she shed’. Check out these beautiful projects from NZ and around the world, most made on a small budget and out of recycled materials.

If you like the long green cucumbers, you're going to love these extraordinary orbs.

Some businesses are disguising their employees  as volunteers, so are you breaking the law when you host a wwoofer from another volunteer scheme?

Cycling the exotic island of Madagascar provides a lesson in the country's economy, as well as one in humanity.

If you only think pesto when you think of basil, Jenny has some recipes to tickle your tastebuds.

Spice up your homemade burgers with a good dollop of peanut butter relish.

Mexican photographer Carla Danieli had never spent time on a farm before her stay on a remote station in the Waihopai Valley.

Mary Biggs started with Le Cordon Bleu, detoured into lemon cordial and is now back to basics with a country cooking school, sharing the bounty of her beloved farm.

Feeding a crowd?  Annabel Langbein's zesty salmon dish with Nam Prik sauce is ready in 20 minutes.

It's a garden harvest special in this week's water cooler as we share tips for growing pumpkins, harvesting fruit and transforming mature lettuce into a delicious soup.

Chris Parry, drummer for the iconic 1960s band Fourmyula and manager of British bands the Jam and the Cure, left New Zealand 50 years ago expecting never to return. But that was until he found a soul-soaring piece of turf he now calls home.

Polly gets wet feet during the storm and discovers she has to reap what she sows.

Visual artist Rebecca Swan's exhibition at the Auckland Arts Festival transforms dead animals into works of art.

Serial entrepreneur Pic Picot has learned that nothing pays better than peanuts.

Ghosts, nudie photographs and a Pacific slave trade - Lisa Scott takes a tour of Port Chalmers and discovers a few skeletons in the closet of this Dunedin suburb.

In the water cooler this week: Emma has a double take at Twin Peaks,  Nadene isn't peachy about the weather and Kate and Tracey go green.

The award-winning owners of Lonely Goat say the costs of compliance are nothing to yodel about, and explain why they are working for love, not money.

A favourite gluten-free recipe from Mary Bigg's Country Cooking School.

Two brothers have turned a patch of Wanaka into a lavender business in full bloom.

Although losing her sight meant the end of artist Juliet Jackson’s love affair with painting, it sparked a new-found passion for the written word.

In the two years since the proficiently self-sufficient Vinbrux family of Oamaru first captured the hearts of NZ Life & Leisure readers, for their ability to live well on food expenditure of $90 a week, the family has branched out and taken Oamaru food retailing by storm.

These chewy and gooey bite-size sweet treats are not only delicious, but gluten-free.

It’s completely inedible when raw and dangerous to cut up, with a heady, perfumed scent that is completely at odds with its appearance. Sound like your kind of fruit?

Monique Fiso is one of the most innovative young chefs in Maori and Pacific cuisine, but it took a job halfway around the world for her to discover her true passion.

At a time when travel bans and giant walls place severe strain on international relations, Polly reflects on the kind hospitality she received in the Middle East.

A love of beautiful things- particularly weddings- has transformed the lives of a Southland family from the ground up.

Use a mild-flavoured honey, such as blue borage, in this toasted sesame version of the classic treat.

At Farewell Spit NZ Life & Leisure staff Cheree Morrison and Jane Ussher saw nature at its most beautiful and most cruel.

The smooth, creamy texture of avocados makes them a great ally in baking. Give these delicious recipes a try.

We take a guided tour through three very different food forests at different stages in their lifecycle.

This week in the water cooler: Nadene is seeing stars in Hunua, Emma has gone to the dogs (again) and Cheree goes banana(grams).

When a crane swung two shipping containers over the treetops of a cherry orchard it signalled the start of a new way of life for the Heeringa family.

A sacred forest in Bali’s Ubud is both a conservation area for monkeys and a place where humans strive to reach physical and spiritual well-being in accord with Hindu principles.

Turn a bean overload into three fantastic summer dishes.

The Mussel Inn beats at the heart of Golden Bay's creative, organic community. Its music-loving owners created it with grit, vision... and a bit of inspiration from Bob Dylan.

Basil, parsley, rocket - use whatever greens you have growing in your garden to make this zesty pesto.

A multi-tasking Kiwi with a passion for saving animals has set up a special sanctuary on her lifestyle block just outside Melbourne.

Many people have a dream to become artisan cheesemakers. It was 20 years in the making for Adrian and Jill Walcroft of Cartwheel Creamery, but they’re maturing nicely.

In Polly Greek's blog this week: when a Pekin duck goes missing, James goes on stoat-catching duty.

Dunedin writer Lisa Scott went adventuring in the Abel Tasman National Park, north west of Nelson, and came away reeling.

She may be berthed close to the super yachts of the world’s well heeled at Auckland’s Silo Marina but the Moerangi is no flash-n-crass gin palace.

Use strong honey, such as manuka, so the flavour permeates this rich and sticky pork dish. To make it easier to carve, ask your butcher to remove the bone from the pork.

An Anglo-American couple find their adventurous spirit by swapping international careers for a Golden Bay distillery and its stock of barrel-aged rum.

This is a garden of no soil that supplies the award-winning Riverstone Kitchen with its fresh vegetables and fruit all year-round, and it's a work of art.

Cows and sheep aren’t the only creatures enjoying the bucolic life — holiday-making families can too. as farmers look for new ways to diversify, home-stays and holiday rentals, even posh camping sites – are on the rise.

Young boys run wild on Polly's  family camping trip.

The following recipe is fast, low fuss and delicious. It is ideal for feeding a crowd at the family bach.

Surf-loving foodies Jason and Melissa Philips downsized and relocated to the Wairarapa to give their hand-rolled burrito business the best chance of catching a big break.

This family of five lives in a 20m², off-grid and smart phone-free home with a composting toilet and a shower they share with the sky.

As a teenager Minnie Baragwanath was told her disability would limit her life. But the winner of the 2013 Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award is determined to make a difference for the lives of disabled people.

Carine Claudepierre shares a  dairy-free, egg-free breakfast option inspired by tapioca.

Less than 100km away from the 1.4 million people who make up Auckland is an island of the self-sufficient. Great Barrier Island resident and author Lindsay Wright checks out some of his industrious neighbours.

It’s been a flavourful career for Kohu Road founder Greg Hall. There’s a pinch of everything in his recipe for success – and the outcome is simply delicious.

Cashew cream is an easy to make dairy-free alternative to whipped cream.

Life is a movable feast for these house-bus-living, fun-loving, free-spirited ‘gypstas’.

If you're looking for something fresh and fancy for Christmas lunch this year, give this balsamic strawberry bruschetta a go.

A Christchurch paddleboard entrepreneur is riding a steady wave of growth.

A South Island couple takes on two run-down old rail carriages and, in doing so, embarks on a long, exhausting – and ultimately very rewarding – journey.

For more than half a century, this classic launch has been a summer base afloat. 

Today’s needs, tomorrow’s changes and even resale appeal need to be taken into account when designing the rooms in your home.

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

A universal truth is the power of three. In the coastal township of Raglan, three adored baches subscribe to that hypothesis.

Fun and freedom on a budget? Or the family holiday from hell? Traveling some 1200 kilometres from Christchurch to Auckland in a campervan with two small children isn’t everyone’s idea of heaven. But this family survived… and then some.

This has to be the most divine cordial ever. I can never make enough of it. You just need a small amount in a glass topped up with water and you'll be in heaven. This is how one writer describes it.

From sexy swimsuits to silky separates, skin-baring tops to transparent jumpsuits, summer is all about show.

Polly debates whether to boycott Christmas and celebrate the Summer Solstice instead.

Louise McNutt thought climbing into a wolf den was the biggest challenge she’d face in her animal-focused career, until she chose to ride the length of New Zealand on horseback.

In the final water cooler of 2016: Anna Tait-Jamieson shares her shellfish secrets, Cheree has her eye on the prize and Kate is all tied up in knots.

A storybook house in the towering mountains offers an adorable princess, talking animals, a modest prince and a very funny mummy. She's a comedy writer, he's a beekeeper- meet the Dunbars.

Running out of present ideas for the practical person in your life? NZ Lifestyle Block editor Nadene Hall's gift list might provide inspiration.

These Yoyos are guaranteed to melt-in-the-mouth. This classic sweet treat is quick to make and will no doubt be an absolute crowd pleaser.

This week in the water cooler: we get very confused watching Westworld, make green pizza bases and are screaming for ice cream.

She may have named her first craft beer after a famous lipstick, but brewer Ava Nakagawa is certainly not making beer just for the girls.

Central Otago artist Deidre Copeland's paintings are immediately recognizable . Big canvases. Hyperrealism. She talks to Nathalie Brown about her career and crazy lifestyle.

The Pitches Store chef shares his award-winning recipe for Green Tea Smoked Silver Fern Farms Reserve Beef with Beetroot Mustard.

Spring might be over, but there is plenty of pollen still in the air. Listed below are a few of the potential culprits, and it's probably not what you might think.

He’s interested in how everything is interconnected; she in the personal story of her clients. This pair of Sydney-based Kiwi architects continue to make their mark on both civic and private jobs

There may be a few hills to climb and you could well be subjected to a little karaoke, but this trek through some of New Zealand’s best scenery does good in more than one sense.

For a woman who really loves black and white, Wellington businesswoman Liz Stringer lives a most colourful life, split between town and country.

Sally Maguire’s dog knew a thing or two when it introduced its owner to the love of her life, Helmut Hirler. They walk us through their beautiful home and art gallery, 'Artmosphere' .

There is always an easy way and a hard way to do something, and Christmas cake is no different.

David Elliot loves nothing more than a good story. As luck (and hard work) would have it, his country-spanning, award-winning, character-rich career has bestowed him with plenty of content.

The NZ Life & Leisure spring luncheon was huge success, raising $6500 for Ranui House.

Starting a backyard herbal enterprise can be a viable means of earning extra cash. Donna Lee of Cottage Hill Herbs spills her secrets to success.

Top go-karter Tiff Chittenden is teaching a new generation of speedsters how to tackle the track.

This month the Off-Topic Book Club do a podcast about a case made famous by a podcast when they review Adnan's Story by Rabia Chaudry.

Sheryl welcomed her husband Tony into their marriage by giving him the key to her  fabulous 56-year-old fin-tailed Ford.

As the weather starts to warm up, it is prime time to start sprouting flowers, fruit, vegetables, and herbs in your home garden.

Jason & Tristin Dickey talk us through how they brought superyacht technology down to size in a range of luxuriously fitted aluminium boats.

Featuring New Zealand's largest earthbag buildings, tipis, a permaculture garden and solar energy, Raglan's Solscape eco-camp is leading the way in sustainable tourism.

Livestock being moved around a property can become unsettled, and that can be dangerous. Here's five ways you can keep things under control.

A burgeoning, and bespoke, perfume business strays no further than nature’s garden for ingredients

This week in the water cooler: we sing the praises of stained glass, wax lyrical about goats and make delicious yet unpronounceable sauces.

Hazelnuts are still a niche product in New Zealand but they have the potential to be the country’s main nut crop.

Hurricane Hallinan, aka the country’s liveliest gardener Lynda Hallinan, shows us her spring makeover in time for another charity fundraiser.

Thieving sparrows,  heartless geese, breathless theatre and treasured faces: things that we were talking about in the thisNZlife office this week

When you’re considering security options for your farm, you’re probably considering the obvious: alarm system, gate alarm, dog, automatic lights, security cameras, but have you considered the humble goose?

Regional councils around NZ are introducing new rules around farming, and you need to know how they may affect what and how you do things on your block.

As the mudbrick  house construction progresses, Polly finds some workers are more help than others.

Meet the Williamsons: global merino suppliers raising a tribe of small boys and creating real socks appeal in Omarama.

New Zealand-made Zenkuro sake is ranked among the world's best.

Looking for something special to bake? Why not try Simon Wright's Lemon Meringue Pie.

If you want to emulate the soft, frothy hues of a cottage garden, these six flowers are a good start.

In a two-part series, Dr Libby fronts up to a question about nutritional deficiencies.

Try these gluten-free alternatives to a standard wheat-based pizza crust.

The kids play in the bush and fish in the stream. The adults work from home creating toys that win awards.

Wellington tea maker’s three herbal blends are led by gut instinct, ensuring what’s tasty also nurtures body and mind.

There are two types of suitcase packers in this world, writes Polly Greeks, the  Johnny-Go-Lightlies and the Just-In-Case packers.

More than half the food thrown out by Kiwi households could be eaten.

Designer Katrina Hobbs is an expert at reinvention. From travel-show host to soap star, business presenter and now business owner, she takes a role and runs with it.

Jenny Drury is finding success with fashion label Ketz-ke by focussing on wholesale and supporting New Zealand retailers.

A Havelock North's desire to support  Pacific Island farmers has led to sweet business success.

A gravity driven watering system is just one of the innovations in use at an organic watercress farm in Raglan.

Cheree Morrison takes a walk in the well-worn running shoes of Fiona Hayvice, one of the world’s top ultra-marathon athletes.

A new wwoof-er demonstrates his unfamiliarity with wholefoods and a spiral staircase sends the family’s spirits to heaven.

For organic month, Kiwi firm, All Good Organics shares with us a recipe for delicious banana bread waffles and whipped coconut cream

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.

The rain fell down and a solution popped up – a young Wellington couple has designed a collection of classy raincoats that are making a splash.

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.

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.

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.

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.