Whare Kōtare

Whare Kōtare Empowering people through reconnection with their own purpose and the natural world.

19/02/2026

There are so many wonderful events going on around our Region in the next few weeks.

Bringing Creative and amazing people together to support our Local Artists, Creatives and Food Artisans. What combos!

This weekend:
💫 Otaki Market on Sunday

Next Weekend:
💫 Kikopiri Marae Gala in Ōhau on Saturday 28th Feb. Wonderful opportunity to visit this local Marae to hang out for the day.
💫 Earth House Creatives Mudhouse Picnic in Manakau on Sunday 1st March. This one is loaded with amazing Musicians working their Magik

Whare Kōtare will be hanging out with a stall at all of them.

Come say Hi, and chat about all things Nature and Wellbeing, and the connections between Creativity and Empowerment ❤️‍🔥

13/02/2026

For me the Cicada is a tohu that Deep Summer has arrived.

The hot days bring out the swelling cacophony of their sound.

I’ve learnt that they spend 13 - 17 years underground, before emerging and shedding their casing and bursting into song.

Makes sense as to why they’re a tohu for shedding old layers and stepping into self expression and using your own unique voice.

They’ve been physically showing up for me in the most intriguing of places for the last week.

So, I shall heed their advice, and continue to practice using my unique voice and leaning into self expression.

Apt timing having done my last of a 5 week singing course this week.

Have a listen to this guy, doing his own way amongst the chorus of sound

10/02/2026

While I’m a big fan of being Aware of my Thoughts, so I can see where they’re affecting my Feelings, and therefore my Actions.

I also absolutely love Mindlessness as a way of Being.

Making time to give my Brain a rest from active Thinking, and over stimulation by just using it for great basic functions like Navigation, Observation and Paying Attention to my Physical self.

It’s a wonderful way to get fully Present.

Getting out of my Mind and into my Body.

Knock off the Ruminating and Logical thinking.

And connect back into what ever part of my Body needs attention. Start with Feeling through my Body first. And I find it can considerably shift my Thinking.

09/02/2026

Dolce far niente : The art of doing nothing.

The Italians rate this concept so much they have a term for it.

Simply Being

In the moment.

It’s something I’d gotten out of the habit of, and was grateful for this time the other night.

Simply sitting on the Kohitere hill behind Levin watching the day fade into night.

Taking a moment to pause and breath.

We get so busy being productive or entertained.

When’s the last time you let yourself be ‘bored’ and just lived in the moment with no outcome other than Being?

I always find I connect with Gratitude into the simply beautifulness of being alive when I do this regularly

07/02/2026

Absolute stunner of a day creating for y’all in the Rongoā Room today 💚

💫 Hōhunu (tutu based) Pani
💫 Hine Raumati Pani (Kopakopa and kawakawa)
💫 Mauri Tau Roller
💫 Mauri Tau Soap

And batched up some more Oil infusions ready to go for the next round of making.

The emerald green colour on the Tutu infused oil gets me everytime 💚

01/02/2026

Full moon things ❤️‍🔥

The lively transformation of Fire, Gathering and the Full Moon.

Nice to sit in the quiet now as the embers burn down and the energy fades away.

Here’s to a wonderful month to come.

What would you wish for . . .

29/01/2026

In case you needed a nudge to be brave and playful enough to go learn something new,

Here’s your nudge

😘

Here’s a little snippet of my walk down Trig in Levin practicing my homework from my Singing Classes.

We learn faster when we’re having fun, so, go have some fun today

🙌🏽

We’re all just walking each other home xx
25/01/2026

We’re all just walking each other home xx

24/01/2026

I was fascinated to learn that Hue / Gourd are typically pollinated by the Kūmara Moth, and sometimes bumblebees.

Rather than bees.

Which sent me down a rabbit hole of discovering that Honey Bees were only introduced into NZ in 1839.

Prior to that the Pollinators in our Plant world were Moths, Insects, Lizards, Birds, Native Bees (most of which have a super small territory)

So, our Moth friends do a lot of work at Dawn and Dusk.

And it was nice to learn that there’s a whole team looking after the pollination of our forests.

Natures pretty great at ensuing survival through Diversity hey.

The lil video is the first flower on this years Hue crop. Hopefully we get enough flower s, pollination and long enough growing window this year 🥰

I’ve been making Visions Boards in the January of each year for quite a few years now.Each time they look different. Som...
22/01/2026

I’ve been making Visions Boards in the January of each year for quite a few years now.

Each time they look different.

Sometimes they’re magazine pics and words, other times particular things. This year is the first time I’ve painted and hand written the whole thing.

After a few weeks of intentional clearing and seeking direction from myself I settled into my overall theme of the year and a few guidance intentions.

A year of Deepening Connection - held by the pou of Joyfulness, Nourishment, Ritual and Creative Abundance.

I’ve learnt that guiding intentions that connect to my Values hold me in far greater stead than New Years Resolutions.

I then use these to navigate my way through the year.

Wayfinding using my own intuition to guide and calibrate from.

I’ll be starting to host some workshops to do these too. Let me know if you’re keen 💚

Wholey Moley, I started going to Singing Lessons this year, as a lil treat for myself to learn to work with my Voice.  T...
21/01/2026

Wholey Moley, I started going to Singing Lessons this year, as a lil treat for myself to learn to work with my Voice. To get to know another part of myself.

And already, it’s far more than I expected. If I’m honest, I don’t really know what I was expecting. I just knew I wanted to have some fun exploring what my unique voice sounds like with a little attention given to it.

Turns out it’s about soooo much more.

It’s about Breath, Posture, Focus, Play, Music, Vocals, Control, Fun, Learning and more.

And all of it is going to improve my presentation style and workshop delivery! Which I absolutely love doing. What a freaking bonus!

Today, among other things, I learnt how to warm up and warm down my voice. Something I could have done with yesterday having MC’d a Workplace event and delivering 8 x 30min Well-being Workshops to 160 people!

That’s a lotta talking! And some care for my voice before and after would have been great!

I’m really looking forward to seeing how the rest of my classes go, and can see this being an ongoing journey for, yah 🥰

New Moon things 💫How cool are the light bands coming from the flames in this video 🔥 I love this gentle and powerful mon...
20/01/2026

New Moon things 💫

How cool are the light bands coming from the flames in this video 🔥

I love this gentle and powerful monthly New Moon practice.

Writing down things to release, and writing down the things to bring in.

Setting intention for the months ahead.

This time we used Bay Leaves and Eucalyptus leaves for writing / drawing on, and putting into the Fire.

Plus we burnt the plant matter left over from our oil infusions for making Rongoā products throughout the month.

Loving my Fire rituals 💫 and used the new Ritual Firestarters I’ve been making. Adding extra glamour magic into the stages 🥰

What did you get up to for the New Moon this month?

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Levin

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