Blogs

Indie-Rock, Blues and Benjamin Britten...

Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz Tauranga continues to surprise me with the amount and variety of music on offer. I've said this before and though I hate repeating myself, I know I'm doing exactly... Read More

Rugby clubs thrive post-Covid with weight-restricted play

Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid While Covid changed the world, it also brought a myriad of small changes throughout society. Bay of Plenty senior club rugby adapted, then took another approach in... Read More

Climate Extremes in New Zealand.....Tauranga has one them

Weather Eye with John Maunder Climate extremes in New Zealand, since instrumental records became available in the 1850s, show a range from the highest temperature of 42.4 degrees Celsius recorded in Rangiora on February... Read More

Eulogy to a lamb chop

Roger Rabbits with Jim Bunny What has Donald J Trump got in common with 'Stew” the wether sheep whose pronoun is ”it"? Well, lore has it both Trump and Stew are draft dodgers. Fancy that! Trump dodged the... Read More

Loserpalooza and an open mic

Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz It's back - time for Loserpalooza 2025. Totara St will come alive from midday for 12 hours on Saturday, June 21, with the sounds of 24 bands each playing for 30 minutes... Read More

Warriors eye NRL title after strong season start

Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid For three decades, the chant 'This is the Warriors Year” has echoed out of Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland's industrial heartland in Penrose. Just maybe, the big... Read More

A new approach to skincare wellness

Skin Secrets with Sue Dewes from Tranquillo Beauty In today's world of holistic wellness, self-care is no longer a luxury - it's a necessity. At the forefront of this trend is our innovative wellness facial, a treatment... Read More

What happens when we let young people lead

Lobbying For Good with Erika Harvey YouthFest 2025 was our biggest youth-led event yet! Every year during Youth Week, Youth Voices Action hosts YouthFest to celebrate the creativity, talent, courage, and leadership of... Read More

Irks ….and an apology

Roger Rabbits with Jim Bunny Some people's habits annoy. Like a roasted sesame seed that gets under a dental plate and rumbles around. So, I hear. Those trivial, petty, but exasperating habits of others that live rent... Read More

Hecklers, awards and competitions

Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz Today, let's talk music competitions... Firstly, the AMA, the Aotearoa Music Awards 2025. I was outraged. Outraged I tell you. Not at the interruptions. No. Musicians... Read More

Hurricanes ... where are they?

Weather Eye with John Maunder Roger Pieki Jn in a recent study says that there has been no tropical cyclone of hurricane strength anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere so far in 2025. If we get to June 5 - which looks... Read More

Bay of Plenty Steeplechase: A look back at its golden era

Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid Wind back the clock to the 1960s; jumps races took centre stage in winter thoroughbred racing and jumps jockeys were the kings of the sport. There was a series of big... Read More