Kia ora! Welcome! Failte! Gidday! Croeso!

Why did I give my website this name (Hazelthenut)? Simple - someone else beat me to Hazelnut!

I started this website as practice when I was living in Whakatāne, when I updated the Edgecumbe Choir's website... given that it is time consuming to do this, that I don't have a fast computer & that I tend to be busy, my initial enthusiasm for downloading photos etc has worn off! Hence since 2013 I haven't loaded photos from any of my trips. However, the front page is up to date, and you can download free calendars to print off - including one for 2024 if you select the appropriate tab!

Feel free to contact me if you wish, & I'll get back to you in due course.

Enjoy exploring the site.

About me

I was born in Scotland but I now live in Aotearoa. I am a New Zealand citizen, but in common with many other people who live in NZ (or on Planet Earth for that matter) I identify with more than one place. I describe myself as a Skiwi - a Scottish kiwi who likes skiing. (My preference is cross country skiing.) I have a wide range of interests, as you'll discover if you choose to explore this site.

15 March 2019 (shootings in mosques in Christchurch)

In the aftermath of the events which took place in Christchurch I added a new tab to this site: "Processing 15.03.2019". As human beings New Zealanders from all walks of life have been confronted with issues which are hard to make sense of.

In the words of John Donne (1572 - 1631):

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind..."

In the early days of the pandemic I reflected on Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) and its impact on this page:

https://hazelthenut.jimdofree.com/15-03-2019-covid-19-et-al/

May Gibbs encouraged folk to wear masks in the Australian flu epidemic 100 years ago.

The best thing you can do in the pandemic, to help yourself and others, is to wear a mask, to physically distance yourself from others (especially in indoor settings when with people you don't know) and to get vaccinated / boosted!

https://bookmyvaccine.covid19.health.nz/ or call 0800 28 29 26

Information about COVID-19 is available from:

Unite against COVID-19 website: Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)

Unite against COVID-19 social media channels: Social media | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand website: COVID-19 information – Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand

Manatū Hauora - Ministry of Health website: COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) | Ministry of Health NZ

HealthHub: COVID-19 Health Hub (covid19.health.nz)

Book My Vaccine: Book My Vaccine | Ministry of Health NZ (covid19.health.nz)

Healthline: For COVID-19 health advice call 0800 358 5453 anytime

Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi

Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi is a team of passionate volunteers - photographers and storytellers - honestly sharing and celebrating the stories of people in the Christchurch community. The stories are published on Facebook, the website (hoco.org.nz), on instagram (sometimes) and one a month features in Christchurch's Avenues Magazine. I featured on the Facebook site in February 2020, when I was living in Christchurch (I now live in Ōamaru). You can read about my passion for cycling and see a recent mugshot of me at https://hoconz.org/2020/02/11/ive-never-owned-a-car-hazel/. Alternatively you can do this on this site, under the Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi tab (https://hazelthenut.jimdofree.com/humans-of-christchurch-ōtautahi/).