It was one man’s obsession, contained in more than 60 cartons which sat, alongside his ashes, in the sleepout where he read voraciously. Where he inhaled hours of National Radio. Where he died. The cartons represented a lifetime of reading for...

The first day of school can be a scary prospect for any student, and the first day of university can be just as daunting. But for Anaru Palmer and Leah Owen, departing head prefects of Tauranga Boys’ and Tauranga Girls’ Colleges, there’ll...

A chronic hip problem is about to scupper Andy Murray’s career at just 31. At 38, Roger Federer can’t have too many more Grand Slams in him. But even at 80, Norma Lois Cox reckons she has another five seasons of tennis in her. “At...

Two white fox faces swirl through a magically intimate tableau. Did you really see them? You glance back, but the Delphic duo have vanished again into the late summer hues, momentarily caught in an ethereal theatre of grace and elegance. Over there!...

The Dingle Pedallers, made up of four gentlemen with an average age of 70, are cycling the length of the country to raise funds for the Graeme Dingle Foundation. The distance of 3000 km is expected to take them about 40 days. “They will...

The Great K Valley Adventure Race is back for a second year. The event, which runs on the cycleways in and around Tauranga’s Kopurererua Valley – or ‘K Valley’ – will be held on Sunday, March 3. Organised by Rotary Tauranga...

Yarn bombers will once again be decorating Greerton’s trees to acknowledge the wonderful non-profit organisations that support so many people in Tauranga. Leigh Crockford, from Crockford Real Estate Greerton, is sponsoring the yarn bombing competition...

The response has been consistent from seasoned kumara growers and experts. “Nah, never. I can’t remember ever seeing that. It’s very rare.” Jenny Lucey’s botanical curiosity at Aongatete - a rarity in fact - has got people...

Three students have landed the opportunity to further develop their knowledge and skills with the assistance of a scholarship. The Omokoroa Lions Club recently awarded their annual tertiary scholarships to students from the Omokoroa area who have had...

We don’t hesitate to get a can out to zap the buggers, or pour pesticides all over our precious plants. But they’re little things that make a big impact, and a large part of why the world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction. The...

The train driver calls it the “long loud” – a sustained and desperate blast of the locomotive horn. It’s not just that perfunctory honk indicating the train is approaching a level crossing, but the sound of danger, the sound...

Don’t kill the turtle! Spare the turtle, bring the turtle home. It’s loved and missed in Katikati, some half-an-hour and 36 kilometres up State Highway 2 from Carmichael Reserve where it’s holed up - ponded up - at the moment. This...

Georgia Bavington’s goal to swim the Cook Strait could be achieved earlier than planned. Currently fifth on the list of potentials, the 15-year-old could get called up any day to tackle the challenge.  Georgia started planning the Cook...

He’s a young creative and a budding entrepreneur. He’s also self-published and soon to be on the shelves. Did we mention that he’s also nine-years-old? Young Sherakin Walker has authored, drawn and started processing 28 of his very...

In some ways, Jack Miller is the modern-day Pied Piper of Hamelin, but a little more noble and a lot more local. Welcome Bay, in fact. The original rat-catcher was the colourful star of German Middle Age legend, who used the magical powers of his flute...

Like slow falling dominoes, Rowan Boyle’s family have felt the continuous effects of Huntington’s disease their whole lives. Rowan is the only one of her two siblings that hasn’t been diagnosed with the inherited disease that causes...

There have been reported sightings and doubters, but now there’s the indisputable evidence. The Weekend Sun has the pictures of the slippery slider – trachemys scripta elegans – the red-eared terrapin, regarded internationally by...

Ralph Starck is in counting mode. “478, 479, 480.” Then the phone rang, so Ralph gave up counting the forest of bromeliads that surround his Papamoa home. “I knew that would be the first question you asked,” says the bromeliad...

You will hear it before you see it, like a pesky little fly zooming in and out of the scenery. Lightweight and fast, this flying machine can do extraordinary things with the right attachments. But calling it a drone is a big no-no in the model aircraft...

They signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 that formally ended World War One. And 100 years ago, they also rang a school bell for the first time at number 659, seven kilometres up Rangiuru Road, and ten kilometres south-east of Te Puke.  School...

They’re a dynamic young double act, and their weekly gigs are pulling increasing numbers of punters to the citadel on Cameron Road. The citadel is the Salvation Army fortress of faith, and the double act is the bi-cultural Vemoas – Salvation...

Thousands of strands of hair were once chopped off and disposed of, destined to spend their last days in a bottomless landfill. Now, a Tauranga hair salon has given your forgotten hair clippings a new lease of life, by becoming completely sustainable. Hair...

When they win, they sing. “The Dogs are having a party,” the anthem goes. “We play hard, we play fast. Ain’t no way we’re coming last.” The Dogs are the Papamoa Bulldogs, and they hope to be in full voice after...

The Leadfoot Festival is back for 2019, bringing with it a unique mix of classic cars, vintage motorcycles and motorsport legends. Each year, New Zealand racing legend Rod Millen opens his private grounds at the Leadfoot Ranch to host more than 150...

A restorative and cosmetic dentist working in Te Puke has offered the whole town some dietary and dental advice to help ensure they keep their teeth for life. Dr José Marinho, who recently relocated from London, says after two months practising...

Jazz fans will be treated to six days of music and excitement in April, as the Bay comes alive for the National Jazz Festival Tauranga and the National Youth Jazz Competition. The festival - the longest running of its type in the Southern Hemisphere...

With their best penmanship, the British Crown and Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, establishing a unity (Kotahitanga) that we still celebrate today. This Wednesday, February 6, a dawn service will be held at the base of Hopukiore...

A colony of turtles, established in the Carmichael Reserve, right here in Tauranga? Well-known and respected local conservationist and writer Ann Graeme was skeptical about a reported sighting. She was then gob-smacked when she saw for herself. “It...

Unlike its dreamy, balmy Caribbean namesake, Grenada Street in Arataki is a bristling corner of suburbia right now. It’s about a couple of separated cycle lanes, and it has some neighbours in Grenada Street feeling frustrated and unheard. “The...