Merry Christmas Eve Everyone
Hi Neighbourly folk, I really enjoyed this post from Simon Woolf with its beautiful image and lovely words. I hope you all enjoy Christmas.
"Merry Christmas Eve Everyone.
This image is of possibly the Southern most Pohutakawa in the North Island. It is the third year since I noticed it, shortly after we lost our great friend Eva McGauley. It didn't flower last year!
It is located in one of the most exposed places, anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand! Wellington's South Coast can be one of the most rugged, extreme environments anywhere in the world, and especially when an Antarctic blast hits Cook Strait. Winds exceeding 200kph, eight to 10 metre swells, and a sub zero wind chill factor are regular occurrences in this area.
Evie's Tree, for that's what we have called it, symbolises resilience, hope, strength and beauty, everthing Evie was.
After the past year, where we all have come through some adversity, Evie's Tree, proves that with adversity there is opportunity. If this stunning little pohutakawa can flower in the conditions it faces, we too can overcome most of which is thrown at us, and flourish too."
- Simon Woolf
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
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Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
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41.8% I avoid spending money on coffee
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45.5% I still indulge at my local cafe
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12.7% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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