Mairangi Notes #20 — 2026.08.29

MHJ

my mairangi

Issue

#20

2026.08.29

Yussi's Note

One More at the Table

My mother-in-law visited New Zealand for the first time. The kids were thrilled to see their grandmother after so long, and the whole house buzzed with the joy of one more person around the table. Places we walk past every day without a second thought suddenly feel new again, ordinary routines carry a bit of a thrill, that's what love does. The two weeks are drawing to a close, but in between we sat down to plenty of meals together and walked plenty of places side by side. Memories like these carry us forward, even from a distance.

Main Story

Life in Aotearoa · 2026.08.28.

A Short Family Trip to Rotorua

Three generations, six of us, and a short escape to Rotorua — steaming thermal pools, luge runs my son couldn't quit, and a grandmother's first taste of NZ.

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Lunch Box

MON

Chicken Cream Risotto

Chicken thigh is simmered first to make a stock, then shredded back in along with soaked rice, and once the rice has softened right through, cream sauce, milk, chopped spring onion, garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper go in, simmered further until it turns properly creamy. Rich and comforting, this risotto goes down well as the kids' dinner and just as well packed into a thermos for a warm rice lunch.

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Campus Notes

TUE

The Power of a Peer

Working on an assignment that goes through peer review this time. The usual process, shaping the essay, writing it, checking it over, adding the references, but at the end of it handing my work over to a peer I trust, to be looked at through someone else's eyes. What I couldn't see myself, the gaps I missed while too caught up in my own thinking, someone else catches for me instead. A process that reminds me this journey was never meant to be walked alone.

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English with Jin

This Week's Expression

“It's not fair!”

Jin's new catchphrase these days. Ask her to get changed, brush her teeth, or that it's bedtime, and out it comes without fail. I still can't work out what exactly is so unfair about any of it, but I've learned to answer with a calm "nothing unfair about it at all" and hold my ground. Our five-year-old, the youngest of the bunch, sure picked up the language of standing up for herself fast.

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Local Guide

🌱

Community

Community Planting Day, Browns Bay

Sun 30 Aug, 10am - 12pm · Free
Help Restore Hibiscus & Bays plant native trees at Taiaotea Reserve. Tools, plants and guidance provided, just bring gloves, water, sturdy shoes and warm layers. No experience needed, all ages welcome.
📍 Taiaotea Reserve, 702 Beach Road, Browns Bay, Auckland

🚗

Temple Day

Fo Guang Shan Temple Open Day & Vintage Car Show

Sun 30 Aug, 10am - 2pm · Free
Vintage cars fill the temple forecourt for a Daffodil Day fundraiser, with the gardens, art gallery and vegetarian tea café all open. Dress code applies: long pants or long skirts, kids included. All ages.
📍 Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, 16 Stancombe Road, Flat Bush, Auckland 2016

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From the Archive

Local Guide

Families in Parks — Summer Fun

We stumbled across a Kaipatiki Community Facilities Trust pop-up at Marlborough Park on Easter Monday — giant games, free entry, no booking needed.

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

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