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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Sister-cities relationships explored in podcast
Nathan Woodfield hosts the Dunedin-Otaru Sister City Podcast on OAR FM. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A new radio show and podcast is exploring the rich cultural connection between Dunedin and its Japanese sister city, Otaru. The programme is hosted by Nathan Woodfield, secretary of Dunedin-Otaru Sister Cities Society. Growing up in Osaka, he lived there until age 10, when his parents returned to their New Zealand homeland. He subsequently returned to Japan to work in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, which is aimed at promoting grassroots international exchange between Japan and other nations. The first episode of the series featured a conversation with Bronwyn Thomson, a local high school teacher of Japanese language. Ms Thomson talked about her experience learning the language, and shared stories from her visits to Japan. In episode two, Mr Woodfield told his own story and covered some of the history of Otaru. He said he was looking forward to speaking with Dunedin locals who have a Japanese connection, and to people from Dunedin now living in Japan. The podcast will also promote local events, such as the Hiroshima-Nagasaki 80th Memorial Photo Exhibition to be held at the H.D. Skinner Annex, Tūhura Otago Museum, in August. "It's really special that from 10,000 kilometres away we can join in a global call for peace." Dunedin-Otaru Sister City Podcast is broadcast every fourth Monday at 6pm on 105.4FM and 1575AM. Podcasts are available from and other major platforms. A full schedule of OAR FM programmes can be found at By Jeff Harford
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
World travels shared in podcast
"That Blind Woman" Julie Woods and husband Ron Esplin host The World in 360 Minutes on OAR FM. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Though Julie Woods and husband Ron Esplin have seen the world through different eyes, they bring a shared vision to a new radio show and podcast series on OAR FM. The World in 360 Minutes is a 36-part exploration of the couple's globetrotting adventures. Each group of 10-minute episodes in the series is connected through a common theme, starting with "Around the World in 80 Minutes", which focuses on Ron's eight decades of international travel. By the age of 10, Ron had been around the world one and a-half times by ship, crossing the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. By age 80, the tally of countries Ron has visited is 80, many with Julie, who is blind, as his travel companion. Travelling by land, sea and air, Ron recorded his impressions of the sights he saw through watercolour paintings, some of which feature in the couple's recently published book Around the World in 80 Years. Julie's travel tales are informed by sound, smell, touch and taste. Her plan is to have brought her own tourist tally to 60 countries before her 60th birthday in January, 2026. The radio and podcast series features the pair in lively conversation about their experiences. The World in 360 Minutes airs on Saturdays at 10am on 105.4FM and 1575AM. Podcasts are available from and other major platforms. A full schedule of OAR FM programmes can be found at By Jeff Harford, Community liaison, OAR FM
