Catherine

Needed a brain break so took myself off for a solo walk in the hills behind Days Bay. Found these beautiful Aotearoa orchids. Adore the purple sun orchids! #nz #aotearoa #orchids

Transferred 9+ years of photos off my phone. These pics capture the beauty of Aotearoa New Zealand & my passion for our natural history 🌱💚

Watched the karakia & farewelled our beloved popoiangore leopard seal visitor. Wrote about finding her: www.facebook.com/share/p/1DKM...

@fromthemorgue.bsky.social She didn’t make it 😞 DOC knows & will conduct a postmortem

The Wellkiwis Influenza A results this week are scary. Doesn’t have my kid in there yet who tested positive on Thursday & even with vaccination she’s pretty unwell. Mask up people #nz #wellkiwis #flu

Visited my second cousin today who is going to be 102 in a couple of weeks. She told me how she used to pick apricots off her uncle’s tree in Aro Street as a child & then we had a conversation about how she’s older than Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore.

Really sad to read @krystlef’s death notice in today’s paper. She was such a beacon of light and fun here, and in the days of old twitter. Sending aroha to her whānau & friends

Bishop’s memoir is going to be wild #nzpol

Congratulations Elizabeth - such a stunning pukapuka!

Given the amount of public speaking he must do, I expected Paul Goldsmith to be a much better speaker. That was just atrocious.

@theobrominated.bsky.social Woohoo, first book award! Congrats - cheering from Pōneke!! Loving the launch of your new career 😆

Calling all children in Aotearoa who love writing poems - Poetry Box launches with a Giselle Clarkson review and bird poem challenge - I will write back. I will give away books nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2026/04/23/p...

Buy a ticket to our talk ‘𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀’ at Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival & go in the draw to 𝐖𝐈𝐍 a signed book + a tote bag! www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/groundw...

My UK passport application has finally been approved. Only taken 3 months & NZD$520. I’ll believe it when it’s in actually in my hand…

Just finished watching Mackenzie Crook’s tv show ‘Small Prophets’. So gorgeous. Think I like it even more than ‘The Detectorists’, if that is possible. Killer soundtrack too

Needed a brain break, so today we went to find Raupeka / Earina autumnalis / Easter orchids in the hills above Wainuiomata. We could smell the orchids before we could see them - there was an incredible cloud of perfume all around us, similar to vanilla.

Bit windy innit

Thanks for your kind words @clairemabey.bsky.social! Such beautiful books in the Longlist, so chuffed to be in such excellent company 📚

@theobrominated.bsky.social Congrats on the long list - nice to see we’re in good company! 🌱🌸🌿

Whakaoriori Masterton gives good sunset after a day of extraordinary rain.

Metrosideros excelsa ‘Aurea’. Trees are still flowering in Normandale, Lower Hutt 💛

For those (rightly) upset at FluTacking not continuing, consider joining WellKiwis: www.wellkiwis.co.nz Since 2017 it has helped me understand what viruses are around - esp helpful when my partner was going through chemo

Wellington Natural Heritage Trust needs your help to secure one of Wellington City's last remaining tracts of old-growth native forest. The 71 hectare property is in South Mākara. Kiwi have moved in already. It will flourish with effective pest control! givealittle.co.nz/org/wellingt...

This morning I went on a rātā-viewing walk run by the Wellington Botanical Society & the tree outside St Paul’s Church on Waiwhetu Road is *incredible*! Well worth a visit if you’re obsessed with Metrosideros robusta

Are you searching for a great Christmas present for the #Aotearoa art lover or natural history enthusiast in your life? Our pukapuka explores #colonialhistory, #women’shistory, #botanicalart, #comets, #NZpoetry & #eclipses

Tonight we’re giving an author talk at Unity Books Wellington at 6pm! Our presentation features our favourite research moments, artwork by Emily Cumming Harris & we're bringing our collection of rare hand-coloured books from the 1890s to display. www.facebook.com/share/1FN2pX...

My sister has long covid & had to give up her job a few years ago. She’s started making & selling sweet little peg angels & prints: felt.co.nz/shop/mrs-mac ❤️ #christmasnz #secretsanta #handmade #aotearoachristmas

The yellow pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa ‘Aurea’) behind Chaffers New World in Wellington is in full bloom. Covered in bees this morning 💛

Grew a rainbow of aquilegia 🌈

New Plymouth people - Michele & I are giving a talk about some of our book research highlights. 6pm, Wed 5 Nov, Taranaki Research Centre. Come say hi! #taranaki #botanicalart #newplymouth

Was excited to come across these elegant pressed fern specimens in a file I looked through today, c.late 1800s/early 1900s. But I miss the time when I could order a file from NZ Archives & view it 45 mins later. Takes 3 days now.

Such a stunning pukapuka! Am at the launch at Unity Books for ‘He Puāwai’ by @theobrominated.bsky.social 🌸🌼🪻Perfect Christmas present

The Zinefest at the School of Architecture on Vivian Street in Pōneke is super cool. We had a blast buying zines, stickers & having little portraits drawn. Love the creativity ❤️ #wellingtonzinefest

I’m always doing something weird when @fromthemorgue.bsky.social is out walking his adorable dogs. Today I was removing ivy that’s smothering trees down by the awa. Little point doing predator removal if we’re not also restoring habitat #predatorfreenz

If flowers are your thing - @zarakesterton.bsky.social, Tori Champion and I run a growing network on Women and Flowers. This month Michele Leggott and @deleifd.bsky.social are speaking about their beautiful book Groundwork. Details below or email womenandflowersnetwork@gmail.com to join us!🌷

Wish I could post videos here. Saw this cute baby seal swimming on the waterfront. It saw me, and then hopped on to a rock and clambered up towards me. I moved very quickly.

Public thank you to @chaneyz85.bsky.social for being awesome at her job and helping us make a big research discovery! #findingmissingbooks #emilycummingharris

Sent an email today using ‘mōrena’ & ‘ngā mihi’. Received this reply: “Please note I am not Maori, so your greeting is not appreciated. What’s wrong with Hello or Hi etc, and regards etc. I think this PC token use of Maori is unwarranted.” 🫠 (He knows I whakapapa Māori too)

In need of tōhu & good news stories, so was pleased to see 7 kōtuku ngutupapa / royal spoonbills along the awa this morning. Usually only see 2 or 3 #teawakairangi #predatorfreenz

Found some very cool specimens of Tūtae kēhua / basket fungus / Ileodictyon cibarium while checking our Predator Free trapline along the awa this morning #predatorfree #teawakairangi