Speaking Freely

THIS MONTH’S BEST LETTER

wins a wonderfully warm unisex Weka Woo hat and a Wyld Hug scarf, together valued at $160, from Naturally Wyld. Both use Pilana yarn that comes from organically and ethically farmed sheep. Pilana’s lightweight blend encapsulates the best attributes of this unique fibre – it is lightweight, soft and warm. Naturally Wyld wool is organically scoured, spun and knitted in New Zealand. Cosy ewe, cosy you!

VISIT WYLD.CO.NZ

LETTER FROM AMERICA

I read with interest your editorial regarding the 400th issue (July) and thought about my connections to North & South. When the magazine started in April 1986, I was at the end of four months of travel in New Zealand. I had come from my home in Vermont, USA to celebrate turning 40 and see an area of the world that had intrigued me since I was six. That trip began a continuing love for New Zealand.

In 1990, I returned to New Zealand to teach. I was hired by Porangahau School in Central Hawke’s Bay for the following year, and stayed with friends in Ōmakere until I could move. They had stacks of old issues of and I would read them at night. The articles gave me information about people, places and important events that I would not have learned any other way. When a place or sports hero or unsolved murder came up in conversation, I’d think, “Oh, I remember reading about that!” There is so much to learn when moving to a new country and I loved knowing something.