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Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Slowing down in Tekapo
In a slump, Dunedin writer Lisa Scott dips her toes into the wellness trend in Tekapo. Aaaaah, you've arrived. Almost everyone exhales coming over the hill, taking that first view of Takapō/Tekapo. It's a physical and psychological surrender to the great lake and mountains. Breathe out, slow down, stop. There's a large painting of the Church of the Good Shepherd in winter hanging at my house, Round Hill skifield in the background. I found it at Hayward's auctions a decade ago — painted in the '70s. Little has changed from the scene captured then, bar the number of tourists surrounding the church. Visiting Tekapo is stepping into a painting. The tranquillity and quietness of this village in the Mackenzie region inspire self-reflection; even the streetlights bow their heads in respect of the night skies, dimmed to help your circadian rhythm. Look up and wish upon a star or a trundling satellite. Feel the presence of the great mothers: nature and the maunga Aoraki. I'm here for Breathe Tekapo, a health and wellness (I accidentally said "wealth and hellness", conjuring the image of a despotic billionaire) festival in its second year. In the past, I would have laughed my head off at this stuff, but 100 rainbows later and now a recovering pessimist, I've come a long way in a year. I've been in a slump recently. I don't feel like myself, feel discontent with everything. I could do with a bucket of wellness. Precious time in support of self, the three-day jam-packed Breathe Tekapo programme features stress control techniques, yoga, fermenting, foraging, journaling, guided walks, Buddhist meditation and an alpine plunge. I was particularly drawn to the talk about "kindling hope for the future" by Dr Denise Quinlan — if there has ever been a time in human history where hope needed to be found, it's now. After the welcome and karakia at the Dark Sky Project, a crowd packed the community hall for tales of human endurance from Bob McLachlan, an adventure racing world champion who's just about to take part in the world's longest kayak race, paddling 1000 miles (the length of New Zealand), from Canada to Alaska on the Yukon, where the bears are. Adventure racing relies on being open about your abilities and Bob is the most laid-back, self-effacing world champ you'd ever meet, with a career begun as a kid when his older brother had a bike and he didn't, so he had to run everywhere. Adversity meets stubborn determination meets triumph. Sunrise yoga with Kate Watkinson was like no yoga class I've ever experienced. Moving to music, giving your body a pat, awakening mind and body — it felt like a form of worship and self-love. I would have sore thighs for a week afterwards, a nice reminder that I do, actually, have some muscles, just unused. There's something about the healing powers of being in a group of mostly women, some of whom had travelled from as far north as near Cape Reinga, and were there for reasons that spoke to why it's so important to step out of your life from time to time: looking for a reset towards retirement, seeking motivation and inspiration, taking a year out of their job, a sisters' trip, curiosity, a girl's weekend, to get off the farm, to make room for reflection. The weekend was remedy for a state we all commonly find ourselves in these days: saying yes to too many things and now finding yourself past your limit and not wanting to do any more things. Throwing yourself in a frigid 6°C lake certainly builds community: a community of mentalists. We were advised to be conscious of our breathing, to aid immersion, but I started hyperventilating the second my feet met the chill. Local cold-water dippers (a bunch of good-looking lunatics) stayed in for a ridiculous amount of time, but I was a two-second wonder. Holy Wim Hof it was cold. Like all type 2 fun, it felt amazing when it wasn't happening any more, and you could congratulate yourself for your audacity. One of the highlights (for me) was the introduction to foraging with Jackie Philips. Foraging is nature's cognitive behavioural therapy, with the added bonus of knowing where your food comes from and experiencing a deeper sense of the environment — plus, constantly learning staves off Alzheimer's. Foraging might seem tame, a budget-friendly way to eat organic, but it's also thrillingly dangerous. For every birch bolete headed for the fry pan there's a copycat plant, a bad twin — hemlock mistaken for fennel, a death cap in your beef wellington. There's not "mushroom" for error. Best story of mistaken identity was Jackie yelling "Stop the car!" on an expedition with partner Peter Langlands, "it's a porcini!" — only to find it was an enormous Boston bun. You need wisdom to forage. Never forage a downward sloping road bank (road runoff), know where the historical dump sites are, where there has been spraying. On a simple walk around the block, we found quinces, autumn berries and crab apples, edible ferns, boletes and fly agaric, a poisonous psychoactive mushroom. Vikings used to feed it to reindeers to filter the poison through their kidneys and then drink the reindeer pee to get high. We didn't have time in the schedule for that. Clinical psychologist Julie Zarifeh has turned significant personal loss and grief into a quest to squeeze the most out of life. I had a sad realisation doing one of her exercises: that the bulk of my time is spent at work, with none for community and little for family — a bit of a wonky balance. How many social networks are you involved in? Zero. And I should definitely spend more time with my mum. Julie's message: remember the simple things that give you joy. Clear away the things that sap your energy. Choose what you focus on and savour those you most enjoy, stretching out the moment, paying attention to detail. We finished with soak in the stars stargazing at Tekapo Springs, something I've always wanted to do. The stars were having some time to themselves. The heavens opened, and it poured down. Instead of a disappointment, it made for a completely unique experience as we soaked in the pools like Japanese macaques while a lovely astrologer in a parka sat on the side and told us stories about the earth mother and sky father, Papatūānuka and Ranginui. I went to bed feeling a deep sense of restfulness and wellbeing. Feeling slumpy happens. You're crushing it, be nice to yourself. — Breathe Tekapo will be back next year.
Otago Daily Times
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Tekapo landmark in LEGO wins prize
The model of Lake Tekapo's Church of the Good Shepherd by Adam Richards, of Christchurch. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A model of a Lake Tekapo icon has claimed top spot at a LEGO building competition. Adam Richards claimed first prize in the first CBS Heritage Competition in this year's Christchurch Brick Show with his model of the Church of the Good Shepherd. In a statement judge and LEGO master Centuri Chan said the model ticked all the technical and creative boxes. "We selected this as the winner because of the technical skill in recreating the vari-coloured stonework and the night sky and stars. "They also recreated the snowy terrain skilfully. It's hard to make LEGO look organic." For his efforts Mr Richards has won a $200 Toyworld voucher supplied by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, the sponsor of the competition. — APL
Scoop
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Heritage And LEGO A Perfect Fit For Competition Winner
The winner of a LEGO building competition that combines the iconic multi-coloured bricks with some of New Zealand's equally iconic heritage buildings has been announced. Adam Richards of Christchurch has won first prize in the first-ever CBS Heritage Competition in this year's Christchurch Brick Show with his model of the Church of the Good Shepherd. Adam has won a $200 Toyworld voucher supplied by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, the sponsor of the competiton. Runners up, Ivan and Tamsin Mackintosh, won a $50 voucher for their model of the Christchurch Public Trust office. Competiton judges, LEGO master Centuri Chan and Rosemary Baird of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, were looking for technical skill - and in particular what LEGO afficianados refer to as NPU (Nice Piece Usage - using pieces in unusual or creative ways), and accuracy to the historical building. The winning model ticked all the technical and creative boxes. "We selected this as the winner because of the technical skill in recreating the vari-coloured stonework and the night sky and stars. They also recreated the snowy terrain skillfully. It's hard to make LEGO look organic," says Centuri. "It was very difficult to choose winners. All the entries were of a high calibre." The judges also praised the runner-up entry, the Public Trust building, saying it was "nicely built for the scale they chose". Exhibitors to this year's show were offered the opportunity to enter a special competition to recreate in LEGO a place recognised on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero - the national inventory managed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga that records the country's rich and diverse place-based heritage. Seven LEGO masters took up the challenge building models that included the Church of the Good Shepherd, Lyttelton Gaol, Kotahitanga Church, Cape Egmont Lighthouse, the Fire Watchtower, the Boer War Memorial in Invercargill and the Christchurch Public Trust Office. A further six models were also put forward to display as non-entry exhibition models. According to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Senior Outreach Advisor, Rosemary Baird, the inspiration for the competition was a model of the Lyttelton Timeball created by Christchurch LEGO master Mark Dowers, which featured in the 2023 Brick Show. "The Timeball model highlighted the close synergy between heritage buildings and LEGO," she says. "We thought it would be cool to see what interest there might be in combining the two in a competition - and this year's incredible entries were the result." In addition to the prizes, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga compiled some information for each of the listed places that featured in the competition. "It was so interesting researching properties from our list that I was unfamiliar with. I was fascinated to learn about the history of the Cape Egmont Lighthouse, for example, which was reconstructed from a previous lighthouse and became implicated in the New Zealand government's invasion of Parihaka," she says. "The impressive Invercargill Boer War memorial illustrates a time when many New Zealanders identified so closely with 'Mother Britain'. These places are not just buildings - their history really highlights how our society has changed over the years." Christchurch Brick Show organiser Lisa Moon was delighted with all of the exhibits at this year's show - and was particularly impressed with the heritage entries. "The entries in the CBS Heritage Competition are amazing, and have generated a lot of positive interest from visitors to the Brick Show, as well as among many building experts who have shown interest in giving it a go next year," says Lisa. The Christchurch Brick Show - New Zealand's largest LEGO fan event - involved 300 exhibitors this year and drew over 15,000 visitors.
Scoop
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Heritage And LEGO A Perfect Fit For Competition Winner
The winner of a LEGO building competition that combines the iconic multi-coloured bricks with some of New Zealand's equally iconic heritage buildings has been announced. Adam Richards of Christchurch has won first prize in the first-ever CBS Heritage Competition in this year's Christchurch Brick Show with his model of the Church of the Good Shepherd. Adam has won a $200 Toyworld voucher supplied by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, the sponsor of the competiton. Runners up, Ivan and Tamsin Mackintosh, won a $50 voucher for their model of the Christchurch Public Trust office. Competiton judges, LEGO master Centuri Chan and Rosemary Baird of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, were looking for technical skill - and in particular what LEGO afficianados refer to as NPU (Nice Piece Usage - using pieces in unusual or creative ways), and accuracy to the historical building. The winning model ticked all the technical and creative boxes. "We selected this as the winner because of the technical skill in recreating the vari-coloured stonework and the night sky and stars. They also recreated the snowy terrain skillfully. It's hard to make LEGO look organic," says Centuri. "It was very difficult to choose winners. All the entries were of a high calibre." The judges also praised the runner-up entry, the Public Trust building, saying it was "nicely built for the scale they chose". Exhibitors to this year's show were offered the opportunity to enter a special competition to recreate in LEGO a place recognised on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero - the national inventory managed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga that records the country's rich and diverse place-based heritage. Seven LEGO masters took up the challenge building models that included the Church of the Good Shepherd, Lyttelton Gaol, Kotahitanga Church, Cape Egmont Lighthouse, the Fire Watchtower, the Boer War Memorial in Invercargill and the Christchurch Public Trust Office. A further six models were also put forward to display as non-entry exhibition models. According to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Senior Outreach Advisor, Rosemary Baird, the inspiration for the competition was a model of the Lyttelton Timeball created by Christchurch LEGO master Mark Dowers, which featured in the 2023 Brick Show. "The Timeball model highlighted the close synergy between heritage buildings and LEGO," she says. "We thought it would be cool to see what interest there might be in combining the two in a competition - and this year's incredible entries were the result." In addition to the prizes, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga compiled some information for each of the listed places that featured in the competition. "It was so interesting researching properties from our list that I was unfamiliar with. I was fascinated to learn about the history of the Cape Egmont Lighthouse, for example, which was reconstructed from a previous lighthouse and became implicated in the New Zealand government's invasion of Parihaka," she says. "The impressive Invercargill Boer War memorial illustrates a time when many New Zealanders identified so closely with 'Mother Britain'. These places are not just buildings - their history really highlights how our society has changed over the years." Christchurch Brick Show organiser Lisa Moon was delighted with all of the exhibits at this year's show - and was particularly impressed with the heritage entries. "The entries in the CBS Heritage Competition are amazing, and have generated a lot of positive interest from visitors to the Brick Show, as well as among many building experts who have shown interest in giving it a go next year," says Lisa. The Christchurch Brick Show - New Zealand's largest LEGO fan event - involved 300 exhibitors this year and drew over 15,000 visitors.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
15 historic Georgia sites to split $130,000 for preservation efforts
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation announced Wednesday that 15 historic sites in the state were chosen to split $130,000 in a preservation funding effort. According to the organization, the funding comes from the Callahan Incentive Grant and the 1772 Foundation Grant programs. The Church of the Good Shepherd in Thomasville and the St. John Methodist Church in Augusta received $5,000 each from the Callahan program. Separately, the 1772 Foundation, a Trust partner since 2023, awarded 13 organizations with between $5,000 and $10,000, for a total of $120,000. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Forest Park mayor under fire after allegations of R-rated insult hidden in memo Disabled woman raising money to pay $900 bill because property owner didn't install wiring right Invitation Homes reaches $48 million settlement, accused of taking advantage of renters for year Recipients included: Andrew Low House Museum in Savannah The Arts Council, First Methodist Episcopal Church in Gainesville Cobb Landmarks, the William Root House, in Marietta Courthouse Square Development, Inc., Robinson-Glass House in Blakely Enhancing Low Income Communities - ELICE, Inc., East Park Cemetery in Vidalia Friends of Historic Woolsey, Historic Woolsey Church in Woolsey Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton Historic Macon Foundation, Historic District College Street house in Macon Pebble Hill Foundation, Pebble Hill Plantation Fire House Complex in Thomasville Pope's Museum in Ochlocknee South Forest World, historic fire tower in Waycross Friends of the Strand, Inc., Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theater in Marietta The grant funding will be used to do exterior work such as repainting, surface restoration, adding fire detection and security systems, repairing or restoring chimneys, porches, roofs and windows, repairs to foundations and window sills and masonry repointing. 'These grants reflect the Georgia Trust's unwavering commitment to preserving the historic places that define our communities and tell Georgia's diverse stories,' W. Wright Mitchell, President and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, said. 'We're deeply grateful to our generous partners — Barbara and Les Callahan, and The 1772 Foundation — whose support makes this important preservation work possible across the state.' The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation will manage the grant funding for the various projects. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
