Our Life

There are times when stressing out the system can be good for the health — ask the artery-blessed Ama of Japan.

These simple steps will keep your cut flowers looking fresh for longer.

A few tricks to ensure you have a good pallet upcycling experience.

Lovely Lola the caravan ensures the Browns relax in colourful comfort whether by the beach, the lake or in the bush.

First there was craft beer, then gin. But is mead the next big artisan drink craze?

This Matakana local has gone from being classed as a hippie to an environment hero.

When fruit trees finish blossoming, the leaves unfurl, and trees set their crop for the season. That’s when it’s time to do your first pick.

Why do we overeat? New research shows the body is at the mercy of two mechanisms when faced with food — hunger and opportunity.

If a bath beneath a starry, starry sky sounds like your kind of happy, you’re in excellent company.

When wild winds rage across the top of the Hauraki Gulf, it’s time for these farmers to harvest a special crop.

Beth Willis is reviving a colourful 1970s craft — one crocheted daisy earring at a time.

The art of ceramics is piquing national interest, with beginner classes selling out around New Zealand.

It’s all very well for the strong-minded to advise ‘food be thy medicine’, but what if it tastes awful and has the mouthfeel of shoe leather?

Modern dried florals embrace the beauty of twisting leaves and wilting petals.

Make a succulent wreath for Christmas and beyond. This living wreath will easily last until the next holiday season as the succulent cuttings will develop roots in time.

These newspaper seedling pots can be planted straight into the ground.

Lynda indulges her fever for ferns with a tabletop collection of covetable species.

One man’s penchant for potatoes has led to a thriving multigenerational family-run paddock-to-packet potato-chip business.

That old houseplant at your grandma’s house might be worth thousands, but can you make a killing growing the most on-trend houseplants?

A group of (mostly) women are regenerating Gisborne’s flora — one eco-sourced seed at a time.

A backcountry hut along the Forgotten World Highway is a befitting backdrop for this city-eschewing couple.

A Queenstown couple take on the task of nurturing Aotearoa’s most valuable and important resource.

Learn how to make this cute macramé keychain before moving on to larger projects.

Dust off those needles – this easy-to-knit beanie teams New Zealand natural wool with a cute-as-a-button possum-fur pompom.

Grab the iron and a bundle of soft plastic bags then make a tote with sustainable style.

A bonsai collector shares the lesson of caring for artfully pruned trees.

Scientists call foods that are good for the body ‘functional’. Marketers call them ‘superfoods’. Welcome to the health-giving world of nutraceuticals.

Light your fire with these simple, homemade starters.

You might think hunting lodge, you might think it’s too much  wood for one home, but the modern log house is a strong statement in clean, green, renewable, hand-crafted building work.

Create a magical trail of stepping stones using ready-mix concrete and decorated with bold, beautiful leaves from the backyard.

Converting a barn into a home can create a distinctive living space, but it involves a unique set of building challenges.

A psychology student’s budding business, providing solace when she most needed it, is rooted in the belief that homegrown flowers can heal the mind, body and soul.

A tennis coach and an IT professional have transformed their not-much-good-for-anything land into a tiny house escape.

The pantry contains a smörgåsbord of ingredients perfect as natural dyes.