Mairangi Notes #14 — 2026.07.10

MHJ

my mairangi

Issue

#14

2026.07.10

Yussi's Note

Growing, From Behind

First week of the school holidays, and with just the four of us, we haven't made any big plans. We've walked the beach near our place, and done a full lap of the neighbourhood collecting wildflowers in colours we don't have in our own yard. Out for petrol one evening, we swung by McDonald's for a Happy Meal; on a trip to the bank, we lingered in the bookshop and the stationery store. The days that make up our week are ordinary, but they're the kind you don't forget. Jin shouting "I'm the Moana of Mairangi!" at the sea. Hyun with a trampoline full of friends she's called over. Min, somehow already tall enough to borrow my clothes, heading out the door with a friend. More and more, it's their backs I'm watching now. The kids are growing up.

Main Story

Life in Aotearoa · 2026.07.10.

Matariki in the House

A simple paper star craft that turned into our family's Matariki tradition — plus what each of the nine stars actually means.

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Lunch Box

MON

Warm bowls of Chicken Udon

Chicken udon is still the kids' all-time favourite — a taste that followed us all the way from Korea. Holiday meals here fall into a simple rhythm: a light breakfast, an easy lunch, then a proper dinner. With the weather turning cool, we're leaning into warm, brothy food, like this one. Boiled udon noodles, a ladle of hot chicken broth, shredded tender chicken, a scatter of spring onion. Simple, but it means something.

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Campus Notes

TUE

The Power of Community

At church, I was introduced to someone weighing up whether to study social work and shift careers. I'd heard her name often — every time I mentioned I was studying social work myself, hers would come up. Our small community has a way of threading people together. Some connect over having shared the same supervisor, opening up in ways they might not otherwise. Others offer comfort simply because they've walked the same road. Social work covers such a wide range of fields that people doing the "same" job can end up doing something entirely different day to day — so we gather, share what each of us does, and look for ways to grow together. I believe that willingness to help one another, that strength of community, is the quiet force that lets social workers meet each new day.

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English with Jin

This Week's Expression

“Today is Wednesday”

We rarely speak English at home. Mostly it's me tossing out a simple instruction or question, and even then the kids usually answer back in Korean. Whatever English makes it indoors leans American — until last Wednesday, when I mixed up my days and asked, 'What day is today?' 'Widnsday, mum,' Jin said. Not Wednesday — Widnsday, in an accent she picked up from nowhere I can point to. Somehow this five-year-old already sounds more Kiwi than her parents.
Turns out it's not just us. A friend's mum told me the exact same thing when we dropped by their place. Every day I find a little more of a world settling into my daughter's language, into her life. And it's going to be a much wider world than mine.

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Local Guide

🐋

Matariki

Kaui Whetū Make Day

10-12 July · 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Free drop-in Matariki event at the NZ Maritime Museum (Auckland waterfront). Make your own woven whetū (star) using traditional Māori weaving techniques, exploring the symbolism of the moana within the weaving. Whānau-friendly, run in partnership with Whatu Creative. No bookings needed — just turn up.
📍 Corner of Quay and Hobson Street, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland 1140, New Zealand

🪁

Matariki

Puketāpapa Manu Aute Kite Day 2026

Sunday 12 July · 11:00 am-3:00 pm
Free Matariki event atop Pukewīwī / Puketāpapa / Mt Roskill on Sunday 12 July 2026 — a day of kite flying. Games, workshops and activities on offer; bring your own kite to fly, or just watch the large-scale kites on display.
📍 1129 Dominion Road, Mt Roskill, Auckland

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From the Archive

Little 15 Mins

Fearless Four

She was fearless with people but late to talk. Then she landed in Auckland, where nothing sounded like home — and everything began to change.

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www.mhj.nz · Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

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