I started painting this rock today and then I said to myself, stuff it, I’m going to paint this rock with my right hand! And so I carried on, painfully at times lol painting this rock with my right hand. I’m left-handed, but there are sports that I can play right-handed such as golf. And [...]

When I think of red and yellow I remember my assignments I used to do in primary school. Yellow borders of koru and wriggly squiggles surrounding words telling stories that I can’t remember. But I remember the colour and the patterns. When I think of red and yellow I remember the waiata (song) – red [...]

I am always in awe of nature – the rhythms, shapes, colours, sounds, movements… When you see something in nature that resonates with your soul, that really touches you…how does that make you feel? Like standing at the foot of a majestic mountain, or a raging river, or looking into a flower. Connection… Today’s kohatu [...]

Green is one of my favourite colours (with purple) and I don’t know if anyone noticed, but I haven’t used green for a long long time! And the only reason I have green today is that this is a recycled rock from the rock pile that already had green paint on it! I don’t actually [...]

I visited the Osteopath today – don’t you just love the French, they’re so passionate and expressive when they speak – well this one is anyway! Anyway, while he was fixing me up and talking a lot lol, we got onto history and where we come from and I realised that some people just don’t [...]

I’ve been fully aware that ever since I returned from overseas, the rocks I have painted have definitely taken a turn. No longer do they always begin with the koru, they are now starting from anywhere. A part of that for me was about stepping out into the unknown, letting go of what I thought [...]

Listening to my ocean music today, I painted this rock. Hearing the waves, the flow of water and dolphins playing and singing beneath the sea… There is something about dolphins that move me – perhaps their friendly loving nature, I feel like I’ve known them many times before… And they are becoming more frequent in [...]

So we’ve won the Rugby World Cup which is fantastic – you can feel the energy around the country at the moment. There were thoughts today about how the country would be if we had lost – I’m pretty sure the energy would have been a lot different! But celebrations aside, we have a real [...]

So this is the day! We’ve just finished pizza and are now getting ready for the game of the year – the All Blacks vs France!! It’s going to be an exciting game I know that much!! So why rugby for me? Why am I so interested in this game, why am I interested in [...]

I’ve painted two stones today – one for my darling niece Rawinia who turned 10 today (left rock) and one for my dear friend Di. Ngā mihi aroha ki a kōrua i tēnei rangi whakahirahira! So I have two stories that merge into one because when I painted these I painted both at the same [...]

We went to the beach today – it was a beautiful day and there were so many bits of driftwood laying about all over the place! I was in heaven, waves lapping into shore, a chillybin full of food (well not exactly – but there were two blocks of dark chocolate!), a good book to [...]

I felt like I was in a scene from Finding Nemo when I was painting this lol Like a whole lot of seaweed or hair or grass growing from the earth but under the sea… And then the bit at the bottom, like little seeds ready to sprout to push up through the surface, getting [...]

People are brought into your life for a reason – you may know them for many years or you may meet for a few moments in conversation, in the street, but every person has an important message. As a teenager, I rarely paid attention. I was too busy living my life to even see opportunities [...]

Teia says to me, that’s not a lot of paint on there and Todd says, wow that’s different lol Even the people I live with have expectation of what my rocks should or could look like and so when something looks a lot different to what I usually paint… it stands out. And yet I [...]

So many things I could talk about today… The way the kōwhai flowers from the neighbours tree fall onto our driveway creating a bright yellow carpet, soft… The kōrari (flax flower) – I love, it’s bends and curves and many colours, it stands poised like a dancer, elegant and graceful… A conversation with my mother [...]

Now I know I’ve got a bit of a challenge posting this rock tonight because I will be competing with at least half the country watching the All Blacks vs Australia game, which also means most of Australia too and a good portion of the rest of the world who will wait anxiously to know [...]

We’ve just got home from Taradale so I’m posting my rock that I painted yesterday… There’s a party going on inside this house and I’m out in the garage painting my rock for the day… It reminds me of a starfish with all it’s arms (or legs); amazing little creatures that look stiff when you [...]

When choosing a photo of a rock that I’ve painted, I don’t necessarily choose the best looking photo but the photo that portrays how I feel and what I want to say at that time. And most times it’s the best photo! This photo speaks volumes about a journey that I am on. It is [...]

I thought it was about time for a change of scenery – looking at all those devastating images of oil on the beach and wildlife – now dead – can get a bit depressing after a while… but it is the reality at the moment…so very very sad, devastating, you can only try and express [...]

I remember when I first started painting kohatu 13 years ago – I would always start with the koru and then everything would flow from there. For a while, I did not sway from this, I was tūturu to the koru, the whakaaro behind the koru, it’s meaning, beauty, balanced shape, it was also very [...]

Oil. Slimy, greasy black pile of fresh cow dung substance, you remind me of tar – melted on a hot day. You smell SO disgusting, how could I possibly be addicted to you? Why do I treat you as necessary? Imagine a large drill penetrating deep; deep into your being, affecting every part of you [...]

I was low on energy today but was very inspired by a host of wahine Māori on Native Affairs tonight who are either politicians in Parliament or aspiring new politicians – all very strong women. It was pleasing to see and made me think, if we had more wāhine Māori in Parliament, not only would [...]

This is another post I’ve been wanting to share for a while. We live in a disease focused society, a struggle mentality, victim mode, especially here in Aotearoa where we have a history of colonisation – something that has had a huge impact on Māori and ultimately the rest of the country. We are so [...]

Today’s rock is full of things… life’s many intricacies… I started the day listening to Steve Job’s kōrero at Stanford University. I’ve listened to this many times…but I want to share some of those words as I feel they are important for the time. “Sometimes lifes gonna hit you in the head with a brick. [...]

When opportunity knocks be prepared. I learnt a big lesson tonight, I learnt to be prepared, as opportunity can present itself at any time and at any place! I went along to Green drinks with Metiria Turei tonight and it was fantastic. No big huha, just an informal evening, sharing conversation with others and meeting [...]

Who do you reckon wins? The teacher of course! I’m totally and absolutely convinced now that school squashes children. School here in Aotearoa is a regimented colonial SYSTEM that is all about fitting children into boxes, preparing them for the workforce for a lifetime of conformity. Todd and Teia spent three days making her a [...]

I started writing today about all the things I remember as a child… I remember as a little girl, my mother tying my hair in a plait. Sometimes she would brush it and then curl it into little ringlets… I remember when I was four years old, walking hand in hand across the road with [...]

I wonder sometimes after I’ve painted a rock – now where did that painting come from? There is nothing particularly exciting about what I have painted today, in fact it looks like a whole lot of painted shapes slapped onto the rock lol But I’m ok with that…now… at the beginning of the year it [...]

I’m coming to the end of my fourth decade – so do the calculation if you want! Well actually I’m a couple more years away but I feel like my life is just beginning… I really do! I’ve been through so many healing journeys over the past years, in fact my whole life has been [...]

It’s one of those days where I’m neither here nor there…just observing… being quiet within myself and just being. The sun came out today, so was nice to feel warm again, just for a moment… I’ve painted my rock earlier today; the All Blacks are playing Canada shortly and the WARRIORS are taking on Manly [...]

I decided to write about today’s rock by looking at the rock, seeing and feeling what I had painted and then writing… Ripples, layers, peeling off unwanted memories of times gone by… Orange – vibrant energy spreads like wild fire, exploding into something new… Lines of the land, stretches of vast landscapes, pathways that lead [...]