Mānawatia a Matariki ... Happy Māori New Year!
Tomorrow, we celebrate Matariki, a time for remembrance, celebrating the present and looking to the future. The theme for 2024 is 'Matariki heri kai' and comes from the Māori proverb ‘Matariki whetū heri kai’ meaning ‘Matariki, the bringer of food’. People are encouraged to view Matariki as a time to journey home, spend time with whānau and friends, and enjoy feasting on fresh, locally sourced produce.
The weather is expected to be clear tomorrow morning if you'd like to view the rising of the Matariki star cluster. Matariki (also known as Pleiades), will be visible in the eastern skies just before sunrise. Find the constellation of Orion and the three stars of Orion’s belt (also known as Tautoru), then look left towards the bright red star of Taumatakuku (also known as Aldebaran). Matariki will be just a little further to the left, past Jupiter. The best time for viewing Matariki will be between 5.30-6.45am.
The Saint Johns Butchery store will be CLOSED on Friday, so our team can return to their whānau and loved ones for the day. We'll be open for business as usual on Saturday and Sunday. Our opening hours this long weekend:
Friday ... CLOSED
Saturday ... 8.00am - 6.00pm
Sunday ... 8.30am - 5.00pm
Mānawatia a Matariki ... Happy Māori New Year!
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.5% A week before Christmas
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33.1% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.