Coromind

 Being outside and connecting with the environment is one of my favourite things to do with my children. Helping them learn how to respect nature is incredibly rewarding. Ra knows not to touch bees because he might get a mamae (hurt) so he waves at them and says “Hi bee” in the cutest toddler voice. He also says hi to the flowers. www.coromind.nz

A while ago I was very fortunate to be selected to travel to Japan, representing New Zealand, at the Local Government Exchange and Cooperation Seminar, in Kōhoku, a town in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Whilst there is much to write about … it was the collective responsibility felt by the citizens, working together for the betterment of all, which had the most profound effect on me. www.coromind...

During my linguistics and language studies, there turned out to be several surprising crossovers between how you approach language and how you can approach life and the people around you.  www.coromind.nz

Listen: punk rock agitates, but it always has something to say. Ever since it cursed and spat its way into the beige and regimented mindset of the mid-70s, it’s been loud in calling out the bullshit and challenging the rules. Bands like Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, and The Clash in the UK, and Ramones, Television, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids in the US, were, respectively, fearless in their reject...

The rock lay at the top of the bush, at the eastern end of the farm. Nick and I found it one day, though we had not been searching for it. We had crossed the road from my father’s house, into an area of bush that clung to the side of the hill like limpets to the hull of an upturned ship... www.coromind.nz

Algorithms are the secret sauce behind every social media feed, and they trap us in ‘echo chambers’, bubbles where we keep seeing the same types of opinions, making it easy to reinforce what we already believe and harder to understand different points of view – where everyone agrees with you or, worse, push you towards more extreme content. www.coromind.nz

There’s something special about the way homes flow in Pāuanui and throughout the Hauraki-Coromandel. Real Interior NZ, a locally based interior design and renovation team, knows how to make the most of that character. From beachside baches to full family homes, their custom approach brings style and functionality into every corner of a space. www.coromind.nz

The power of small changes! The idea is simple: choose to refuse single-use plastics for the month of July (and beyond). www.coromind.nz

After nursing for almost 30 years, I felt the desire to try painting. From playing with paint and painting from photos my husband and I had taken, I developed my own style of painting with acrylics by applying paint in many layers to achieve a realistic scene. www.coromind.nz

Coromind is launching a new series of free workshops designed to support artists in our region. Whether you’re just getting started or have been creating for years, these sessions offer hands-on knowledge, kōrero, and community — all aimed at helping you grow a sustainable, confident creative practice. www.coromind.nz

A thirty-minute drying cycle. I was confident the time would pass while I lost myself online, keeping up with (dis)information on my gadget...I felt a little bored. It was then that I noticed a magazine on another chair nearby. What caught my eye was how artistic and colourful the cover was, so I grabbed it, in need of distraction. Its cover was a piece of art with a unique title – COROMIND? My in...

Coromind Magazine Issue 31 Full Audio Version www.coromind.nz

The CoroCine Film Festival is back for 2025, shining a spotlight on Coromandel’s growing community of filmmakers. From 22-24 August, the festival will light up MTC-Mercury Twin Cinemas, Whitianga with a curated three-day programme showcasing films made by, about, and for the Coromandel. www.coromind.nz

Kauri are among the largest and longest living trees in the world with two ancient giants, Tanenui and Tairua, recorded on the Coromandel Peninsula in 1986. ( Ref: Te Ara, teara.govt.nz .) The Kauaeranga Valley was once filled with magnificent kauri trees, but with the arrival of the European settlers thousands of massive trees were felled, and by 1928 most of the kauri had been logged. www.coromi...

At Pattaya, which in the 70s was just a sleepy seaside town which American GIs had also frequented during the war, an ex-soldier also called John befriended us and asked for some money as he didn’t have anywhere to stay and was sleeping under a water tower. He had fallen victim to the lure of swallowing opium-soaked coconut fibre which was a cheap drug of choice for some travellers. www.coromind.n...

Proud to be Local is our inspirational feature, highlighting homegrown Coromandel Peninsula folks doing wonderful things out in the world. In this edition,  Lisl Wollheim Jones. Brought to you by Ron Morgan. www.coromind.nz

As the water temperature cools down over winter, you may notice New Zealand fur seals, or kekeno, returning to the rocky shores around the Coromandel Peninsula... www.coromind.nz

For more than 80 million years, New Zealand’s native species evolved without mammalian predators. Now, more than 4,000 of Aotearoa’s native species are threatened or at risk of extinction. They face threats from possums, rats, stoats, other introduced predators, and habitat loss. In areas where these predators have been eradicated, nature heals, allowing native wildlife to return and recover. www....

In 1973, due to civil and religious unrest, travellers were advised to avoid areas of southern Thailand, so my travel buddy Nigel and I decided to head for Koh Samui Island. www.coromind.nz

Proud to be Local is our inspirational feature, highlighting homegrown Coromandel Peninsula folks doing wonderful things out in the world. In this edition, Monica Harris. Brought to you by Ron Morgan and Coromandel's CFM. www.coromind.nz

From her home in Whitianga, where her roots run deep through generations of family, Sandy Gaskell has been quietly and powerfully expressing stories of Aotearoa through the intricate, absorbing world of te whatu kākahu. www.coromind.nz

In today’s world, having digital skills and internet access is essential for staying connected and being involved. But not everyone has the same opportunities to participate in this digital landscape, and the ‘digital divide’ can seriously affect a person’s sense of belonging – both online and in the real world. www.coromind.nz

Ancient spiritual traditions and modern quantum physics each suggest everything in the universe including humans is composed of vibrating energy. This energy field, often referred to as the ‘life force’, Ka (an ancient Egyptian term) or ‘chi’, flows through and around us, created by us and for us. www.coromind.nz

The women who settled in Thames during the gold rush of 1867 came from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances, which influenced their standing in the community. All classes were drawn to the goldfields by the prospect of striking it rich! www.coromind.nz

Whether you’re a first-time language learner or an experienced polyglot, the language learning process always comes with its own unique challenges. Luckily, you can apply some excellent language-learning tips and strategies to make the journey a little easier.  www.coromind.nz