Hi everyone – it’s been a long hot summer here with this scorching, dry weather showing no sign of abating. During those moments when we’ve been hiding indoors trying to stay cool, we’ve enjoyed reading, browsing and bookmarking some interesting things from around the web to share with you:

Some great tips here about interacting with native wildlife – including the modern day problem of how to do a safe selfie and why you should never trust a Kea:
https://blog.doc.govt.nz/2018/12/16/the-dos-and-donts-of-interacting-with-nzs-native-wildlife/

The Mountain Safety Council’s GoWeek starts today; developed to encourage people to get out and safely explore New Zealand’s outdoors:
https://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/resources/community/event-registration/goweek/

Social media, children and the outdoors are a combination that do not often get written about in a positive light, so it was refreshing to read this article about how social media is connecting young people who care about the environment:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/25/social-media-inspiring-children-to-save-natural-world

Whilst the rise of ‘disposable’ tents, particularly at music festivals in New Zealand and around the globe, is saddening and problematic, it’s encouraging to see creative approaches arising to solving the problem – such as cardboard tents and recycled raincoats:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/110301747/campageddon-warehouse-under-pressure-over-throwaway-tents

Apparently, even looking at photos of the outdoors can lift your mood. If you want to get inspired and browse some beautiful, free shots of the New Zealand great outdoors, kiwi photographer Tim Marshall has a great offering on Unsplash:
https://unsplash.com/@timmarshall