Island Stories

Deb Kilgallon and Hilde Hoven of Good Heavens join Tim Higham in the AoteaFM studio ahead of Dark Sky week The night sky above Aotea calls people from all walks of life to admire its beauty. For Good Heavens Dark … Read More

Each week Tim Higham gets to the heart of Island Life on Aotea Great Barrier Island through interviews on AoteaFM Interviews from Monday 19th February Aiming High – An interview with Kaitoke School Principle Leanne Eloff Kaitoke School recently completed … Read More

“The famous photographer Henry Winkelmann, a gay man, player of the zither, lover of music, property speculator, bicycle rider, farmer,” has a strong association with Aotea, Great Barrier Island says Kim Bannister. Visitors taking Instragram shots may find faint resonance … Read More

“We were innocent, but we knew somewhere out there were forces that wanted to tame us. We wanted to stay illogical children,” said Lizzie Harwood about growing up as one of seven siblings on the island during the late 70s … Read More

Tim Higham speaks to Mulberry Grove old boy Louis Sammons who will headline opening night at next week’s Finding Our Voice storytelling festival. How would you describe your artistic vision? I use music as a tool of self-expression to share … Read More

Boat shed at Whangaparapara In my book Island Notes: finding my place on Aotea Great Barrier Island I quote the poet Gary Snyder – “we no longer sit around campfires with our grandparents. In the West, books and libraries have … Read More

The Tū Mai Taonga project has begun operations in the north of the island with around 30 staff now employed to find new ways to rid the island of feral cats and rats. There was a buzz of anticipation at … Read More

Small Island Big Ideas has announced its next event – a festival of storytelling to be held on the island from October 6th to 8th. Some of Aotearoa’s best-loved authors writing on themes dear to the heart of Islanders have … Read More

On the imprint page of Mike Scott’s new self-published novel Bait is a standard disclaimer. “Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or … Read More

Sarah Matthew has something to say, but she’s not giving away exactly what. “Art should pull the viewer out of their comfort zone,” she said at the recent opening of her Icons to Extinction exhibition at the Community Heritage & … Read More