Kia Ora!
With all the royal news and reality TV drama, it’s been an exciting week to comefinale, I’d just spent nine days out of the offi ce and largely out of reception hiking around Lake Waikaremoana, then road-tripping around the East Cape and Bay of Plenty. Highlights included patting stingrays on a reef near Gisborne, hearing kiwi calls on a night-time nature walk in Whakata- ne, and spending my birthday riding horses and sitting in hot pools in Rotorua. Bliss! But the most stunning spot I visited was Te Urewera, an isolated and ruggedly beautiful part of the country that reminded me of the Chatham Islands, where I was lucky enough to spend time with Miriama Kamo and her delightful father Raynol, who was born there. I remember arriving in the dark back in 2015 and, as soon as I got off the plane, being struck by how vivid the night sky was. Sadly, Raynol passed away last August, but as Miriama explains on page 18, he’ll be joining those shining stars when we celebrate Matariki this month. Enjoy the mag and have a great week.
