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Prince Andrew is defying his brother King Charles’ orders by refusing to leave his 30-room Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor estate, where he’s lived for almost 20 years. But the disgraced royal fears the monarch may go to extreme lengths to get him out. “He’s concerned that now the coronation is over, the knives are out,” royal biographer Phil Dampier tells Woman’s Day. “He’s worried that the royals might even turn off the utilities to get him out of there.” According to reports, the $60 million home – which Andrew, 63, shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson – has been earmarked for the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke of York has been told he must vacate by September. In addition, Charles, 74, is reportedly cutting the $500,000 subsidy that the late…

FOR the past few years, the Street Rod Nationals has been cancelled due to COVID or other problems. However, the Zone 9 clubs were determined to run the event as it coincided with the 50th anniversary; the first was held in Taupo in 1973. We may have missed a couple, but the 50-year anniversary was going to be celebrated and was done in grand style over Easter weekend in Christchurch. Over 100 cars were entered from the North Island, and many still had problems getting across the water, some not managing to arrive ‘til Friday afternoon. All up 155 cars were entered. Interesting note: Dave Coker and Danny Redhill (from Northland) found out that their boat sailings had been cancelled, so they stored their cars with friends halfway down the island,…

YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BEING THE BEST YOU If you’ve never heard the term perimenopause, peri is Greek for “near” and menopause is, well, menopause – the end of our fertile years. But it’s not something to be afraid of. It’s not a disease or a disorder – it’s a natural life transition. However, getting there can be a confusing rollercoaster, which is why understanding it is key. Knowledge is power! WHAT IS PERIMENOPAUSE? Perimenopause is the lead-up to menopause. If you’re in your early forties, you’re probably in it or will be very soon. You might not even realise you’ve stumbled into it because it can creep up gradually. What’s more, most menopause symptoms actually happen during peri – and 20% of women don’t experience any symptoms, gliding right on through! But if you…

‘That’s when we decided it was happening – and it was happening in an hour’ They say the course of true love never did run smooth – and there’s nothing like a pandemic to prove it! With one COVIDcancelled wedding behind them, Auckland couple Paelina and Joshua Passfield couldn’t believe their bad luck when their phones blared with a Civil Defence notification advising them of an upcoming lockdown, effectively cancelling their second lot of plans. Unable to face the idea of postponing their nuptials again, Paelina decided there was no time like the present and declared they’d be getting married that night, before Auckland entered Alert Level 3 at 6am the next day. She wasn’t able to organise a last-minute photographer for their whirlwind ceremony, so fortunately, Woman’s Day has come to…

The New Zealand suburban landscape, when it is projected onto wild places, is an odd thing. Mixed with the New Zealand summer holiday, suburbia has all the beauty and absurdity of a bad translation. Or that was the way it seemed when our family turned up at a campsite on the shores of a South Island hydro lake late in the summer, with a boat on the back and a tent in the car. We were getting away from it all and looking forward to swimming, fishing, and sailing. What we didn’t know is that we were about to drive slap-bang into a version of suburbia we thought we had escaped from. We arrived early in the morning and perused the campsite for a suitable gap to pitch the tent. There…

There was a time when artificial intelligence was something that we heard about only in science fiction. It might sound like the stuff of movies, but if you’ve taken a recent look at the news, you’ll know it’s become a hot talking point – with some even claiming that it might be as life-changing as the invention of the internet and mobile phones. But what exactly is artificial intelligence and how can it affect us? Also known as AI, it’s the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are designed to think and act like humans. AI can recognise speech, make decisions, solve problems and understand natural language. It’s not new, but many advances in recent years have demonstrated that computing power can master complex tasks – from assisting with complex…

THE CHAOS OF UPHEAVAL CAN CREATE OPPORTUNITY. Take the dawning EV revolution, which has already seen a startup car company rocket past century-old competitors to become the most valuable automaker on earth. In the latest upset, a Korean brand best known for low prices, long warranties, and liberal financing has created a machine with performance that rivals the most revered Germans. In nomenclature, the difference between the Kia EV6 GT and the lesser EV6 GT-Line models is slight. That Kia denotes the top-performing version of its mid-size EV by reducing rather than adding to the nameplate is something of an undersell, but the GT’s hardware shows the intensity of this effort. The headline achievement is the powertrain. Other dual-motor, all-wheel-drive EV6 models serve up 320 total horsepower; the GT, presumably after downing a…

DEBUNKED PRINCESS DIANA IS… STILL ALIVE One of crazier theories out there is that Princess Diana didn’t die in a Paris car wreck in 1997, and is actually living as a French socialite under the name Ondine de Rothschild. A YouTube video, which has gathered hundreds of thousands of views and has been widely circulated on Twitter, suggests the late Princess of Wales faked her own death to escape the royal family and assume the identity of Ondine – in reality, the daughter of Elie De Rothschild of the banking dynasty and his mistress, Ariane Dandois. With her blonde coif, blue eyes and strong jawline, Ondine looks incredibly similar to Diana, who died aged 36. Conspiracy theorists also claim the two women have the same birthmark on their right cheek – which…

It is a curious phenomenon that when you own a particular model of vehicle, you seem to notice greater numbers of that model than you ever did before! Back in August 2020, for instance, I was afflicted by that after-effect of a Covid-19 shutdown that led people to go and buy things. In my case it was an impromptu visit to a Jeep showroom that resulted in driving away in a new Wrangler JL Unlimited Rubicon a day later. Yes, it does go well and has since been places like the 42 Traverse, Woodhill Off Road Park etc., but so far, the scratches have been able to be polished out. However, what I was alluding to is the number of other new Wranglers that I am now seeing on the Auckland roads.…

It was perhaps one of Apple’s most anticipated product refreshes of all time, and at its Spring Loaded event, the Cupertino company did not disappoint. Apple’s iconic all-in-one desktop computer has been overhauled from the ground up, sparking a new era for the Mac. AN ALL-NEW DESIGN At last year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple confirmed plans to transition away from third-party computer chips towards its own custom-designed silicon. Fast-forward six months, and the first M1 Macs were born, with the Mac mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro given new leases of life with record-breaking internals, taking the Mac into a new direction. Speaking of the M1 chip ahead of its launch, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said that “Apple silicon will make the Mac stronger and more capable than ever. I’ve never been more…

The use of filtration to hold back exposure has been a common practice amongst professional photographers for many years. On reflection, the idea to create filters such as neutral density grads is far cleverer than it is often given credit for, perhaps because the concept is so straightforward. This simplicity can be a source of misconception, however, and many photographers who are unfamiliar with their usage can make mistakes when selecting filters. There are so many types and variations of the humble ND filter that identifying which make and model is the best fit for a specific image can feel like a minefield. Just what is the difference between a fixed and variable ND? Why would you select a hard grad over a soft grad? And what on earth is the…

Hey, Toyota—is everything, um, OK? Strapped into the new Toyota GR Corolla and sitting in pit lane awaiting our turn at a 2.1-mile section of Utah Motorsports Park’s wildly undulating road course, we felt slightly silly. Until now, we imagined, the only people who’d ever worn helmets inside a dealership-ready Corolla were unbalanced folks with visions of, well, something as absurd as a track-ready production Toyota Corolla. One such person is Toyota President Akio Toyoda. He’s been pushing the company’s Gazoo Racing (GR) subbrand, and he personally signed off on the final product. The result is the craziest showroom-spec Corolla hatchback ever built. Just how out of bounds is it? We can count on one hand the sporty Corollas sold here over the decades. It was long ago typecast as an anodyne, safe…

WHEN COVID-19 began tearing around the globe, Francesca Dominici suspected air pollution was increasing the death toll. It was the logical conclusion of everything scientists knew about dirty air and everything they were learning about the novel coronavirus. People in polluted places are more likely to have chronic illnesses, and such patients are the most vulnerable to COVID-19. What’s more, air pollution can weaken the immune system and inflame the airways, leaving the body less able to fight off a respiratory virus. Many experts saw the possible connection, but Dominici, a biostatistics professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was especially well equipped to test it. She and her colleagues have spent years creating an extraordinary data platform, one that aligns information on the health of tens of…

When Total Film meets Cate Blanchett in a Venetian hotel suite to discuss her awardsy new film, she’s wearing a white, impeccablycut trouser suit very much in the style of her character, Lydia Tár, striding round the room exuding alpha presence. Having just watched Tár as it premiered at the Venice Film Festival, the prospect of Blanchett embodying the uncompromising, voracious Lydia is a little intimidating. But the genial Aussie proffers a plate of freshly baked chocolate brownies, which she’s munching on with little care for her pristine tailoring. This, Tár would never do. The character is a DGAF conducting maestro for the Berlin Philharmonic whose glittering career teeters as she becomes obsessed with her cellist (newcomer Sophie Kauer), skittering along the edges of #MeToo and cancel culture. As her director,…

Early detection is your best line of defence One in nine New Zealand women will develop breast cancer at some time in their life. Because early detection gives the best possible chance of survival, it’s essential to stay up-to-date with breast checks. Here, we answer some of your biggest questions... WHEN SHOULD I START DOING BREAST CHECKS? If you’re not already performing regular checks, breast oncoplastic surgeon Dr Samriti Sood says the time to get started is now. “Essentially, earlier the better, and the process is simple and shouldn’t be daunting, so creating the habit younger is preferable,” she explains. WHEN SHOULD I HAVE MY FIRST MAMMOGRAM? “For women over 50 years of age, it is recommended to book in a regular mammogram every two years, however it is very reasonable to commence mammograms from…

It could be said that the plains of South Taranaki are just that. Unfussy. Pragmatic. Cows get milked; bread gets baked; rugby gets played. The people might grumble, but they get on with the task at hand anyway It was . a stretch of belief then when Pihama Lavender started production inside , an abandoned dairy factory in 2013. Under the guidance of owner Liz Sinclair, the soil produced not grass―green, thick, lush, milk-producing grass―but lavender and, at a pinch, this place was less the provinces, more Provence. Suddenly the prospect of aromas, oils and propagation introduced a world that was frankly a little fussy, less sensible. It is a further stretch of belief to enter Pihama Lavender in the month of May, the time around which Roger Peters’ Songs of…

When he was a little boy, Barry Humphries’ mother sternly told him not to draw attention to himself. Her floppy-haired, artistic son loved breaking the rules. But nobody could’ve guessed that a suburban misfit from Melbourne would go on to hog the global spotlight as superstar Dame Edna Everage and a host of other characters. The world mourned when Barry – acclaimed comic, actor, writer and artist – died at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital on 22 April, aged 89, following a seven-decade career. Friend and fan King Charles III even sent the Humphries family a personal letter to convey his sympathies and was said to have called Barry before he passed away. Ricky Gervais declared Barry a “comedy genius”, while chat-show legend Sir Michael Parkinson said outrageous Dame Edna was his most…

J ust two months before her death, Tina Turner revealed how she wanted to be remembered. “As the Queen of Rock’n’Roll. As a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms,” she said, voicing the thoughts of millions of fans who are now mourning the incredible life and work of one of music’s most iconic stars. The American-born singer famous for her raw, powerful voice, incredible stage presence, empowering songs and iconic hairstyle broke through numerous barriers during her five-decade career. And she was triumphant to the end, telling The Guardian in the same interview that “nothing” frightened her about getting older. ‘This is life’s full adventure... I embrace what it brings’ “This is life’s full adventure and I embrace and accept every day…

Model Lexus LS500 F Sport Engine 3445cc V6 (90°), dohc, 24v, twin-turbo Power 310kW @ 6000rpm Torque 600Nm @ 1600-4800rpm Transmission 10-speed automatic Weight 2230kg 0-100km/h 5.0sec (claimed) Economy 10.0L/100km Price $195,953 On sale Now THE LATEST Lexus LS limousine has quite a unique character depending on the choice of engines and two trim levels available. The most driver-focused example, the LS500 F Sport, is fitted with the 310kW, 600Nm 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 rather than the 264kW 3.5-litre V6 hybrid, as well as a raft of mechanical inclusions aimed at making it sharper to drive. For their substantial near-$200K outlay, LS owners benefit from a fairly absurd level of standard equipment, including soft-close doors, 28-way adjustable and heated seats, heated steering wheel and an electronically controlled rear sunshade and sunroof; while the infotainment has been upgraded to a 12.3-inch widescreen and…

FOSTER’S RECORD 66.7 % wins 16 wins 1 Draw 7 defeats Historic series loss to Ireland First loss to Argentina ‘THE HORSE HAD CANS THROWN AT HIM. HE’D DONE NOTHING WRONG. THE POOR HORSE DIDN’T KNOW WE’D LOST THE WORLD CUP.”’ John Hart was spat on. His horse had beer cans thrown at it. Wayne Smith once had a human turd left in his letter box with a note suggesting it reflected his coaching ability. And Ian Foster was abused getting off the team bus after the second test loss to Ireland in Dunedin. Blaming the coach is a national sport and Foster would be advised to stay away from social media as he is being eviscerated there after the historic series defeat to Ireland. It’s left his coaching tenure hanging by a thread - and rightly so - but his fellow…

Where I live, the police drive some heavy-duty machinery. There’s the odd Ford Taurus hanging in there, but mainly it’s Chevy Tahoes, Dodge Durangos, and Ford Explorers, with a healthy smattering of V-8 Dodge Chargers. One day, while I was day-dreaming about municipal budgets (as I am wont to do), I wondered: Would cops drive something smaller and more efficient if they got to share in the savings from a lower purchase price? And if so, what would that number need to be? If I were a cop, I’d think $1000 could persuade me to drive an Escape patrol car. But I am not a cop—I had to turn in my badge because I play by nobody’s rules but my own—so I asked some police to join me in this…

“Sometimes I think we’re alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we’re not. In either case, the idea is quite staggering.”—Arthur C. Clarke HUMANS HAVE WONDERED about life in the universe since antiquity. Early Greek philosophers argued that the cosmos contained “a plurality of worlds.” Today we know that exoplanetary systems are indeed ubiquitous, but the question now is: How common are planets that can support life? In 2000, paleontologist Peter Ward and astronomer Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington in Seattle penned a controversial book, Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe (Copernicus). In it, they propose that Earth is an unusual world where complex life-forms developed over an extended period. They further assert that though simple, unicellular life may be abundant in the universe, complex…

THIS ’41 Willys coupe saw drag strip action in the ‘50s and ‘60s in Alabama before being tamed and transformed into a street rod, running a smallblock Chev/Muncie combo. In 2005 Greg Haliday purchased the car out of Fayetteville, 40 miles from Atlanta. He had already decided to take the relatively mild street rod and return it to its racing roots whilst retaining some degree of street running manners. To kick the project off, parts were gathered. Eric Livingston of West Auckland Engine Reconditioners sought out Ray Barton Racing Engines to build a race-inspired blown and injected Hemi based on one of RBRE's iron 426 Hemi race blocks, alloy heads, and utilising a 4.150” stroke crank to produce 472ci. Livingston also supplied and built a 904 TorqueFlite transmission with reverse pattern…

KEVIN Grainger has been playing around with old cars since the ‘70s. In 1974 he started work on ‘48 Ford Pop, running an HA Viva front end, 105E Anglia rear, and a hotted 1725cc Hunter engine. It was painted in blue with the name ‘Blue Moves’ (after an Elton John album title). Once completed in ‘77, and as his daily driver, the Pop was a regular sight around Hamilton ‘til the mid-'80s. A lot of the original Pop's build set the pattern for Kevin's next project, the Van you see here. A trip down to Horopito in ‘77 bought back the remains of the ‘38 Thames; yes, it's a ‘38 Thames. While many folks instantly assume it's Pop Van, this one is a ‘38 Thames and proudly wears the rare grille…

THE V8 C63 is dead. Long live the V8. Mercedes-AMG has all but confirmed the next iteration of its much-adored super-sedan will be powered by a four-cylinder turbo, but one packing a monstrous 480kW working in conjunction with a powerful new high-tech rear-axle electric motor. For the first time, the C63 will also be equipped with tarmac-tearing all-wheel drive, with 0-100km/h times expected to dip into the low three-second range. This, of course, represents an enormous philosophical shift away from the current brooding 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 375kW/700Nm rear-drive model. But it will also mean an enormous increase in outright performance potential: the new C63 will make the current one look slow, blasting the claimed 3.9sec time to 100km/h into the weeds, not to mention our own measured 12.4sec over 400m. And, of course, it…

Like most doting parents, Alexandra and Lee Woodworth say bringing their two precious children into the world was a dream come true, but for the Auckland couple, it’s been a particularly bumpy start to family life. After their daughter Sylvie, now two, was born prematurely, Alexandra’s second pregnancy was classed as high risk. But despite the nerves, she was determined to stay positive. “I had a cervical stitch and I was optimistic that everything would go as planned the second time around,” Alexandra tells Woman’s Day. “Then my waters ruptured at just 21 weeks.” Due to the risk of infection, the 35-year-old was whisked into surgery to have the stitch removed, while doctors told her to prepare for the worst if she went into early labour. “I cried my eyes out in that…

You might have seen headlines this week about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra taking so-called “fake” moon pictures. Ever since the S20 Ultra, Samsung has had a feature called Space Zoom that marries its 10X optical zoom with massive digital zoom to reach a combined 100X zoom. In marketing shots, Samsung has shown its phone taking nearly crystal clear pictures of the moon, and users have done the same on a clear night. But a Redditor has proven that Samsung’s incredible Space Zoom is using a bit of trickery. It turns out that when taking pictures of the moon, Samsung’s AI-based Scene Optimizer does a whole lot of heavy lifting to make it look like the moon was photographed with a high-resolution telescope rather than a smartphone. So when someone takes…

CHLOÉ ZHAO WAS, she admits, nervous. It was summer 2018, the day before the director was supposed to hit the road to film her next small indie film. Zhao was in a conference room at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, pitching a Marvel movie. The studio’s top brass were there—Kevin Feige, Nate Moore, Louis D’Esposito, and Victoria Alonso—and Zhao was defending her vision like a PhD thesis. Nothing impromptu, lots of visuals. Maybe a bit too formal. Just in time, the History Channel show Ancient Aliens came to Zhao’s rescue. Part of her idea for Eternals hinged on a saga of extraterrestrial contact on Earth—just like Ancient Aliens. That’s when Feige, architect of the vast, intertwined Marvel Cinematic Universe, piped up: “I was just watching that the other day!” Spurred on, Zhao…

I first learned about Michèle Mouton when I was in my early 20s, just about the same age she was when she first got in a race car in 1973, the inaugural year of the World Rally Championship. The race was the famously difficult Monte Carlo Rally, and Mouton was navigating for a friend. She said she had no idea what she was getting into: “When he first asked me if I wanted to co-drive for a rally, I said, ‘What’s rally?’” I was working at a motorcycle shop and had also never heard of rally racing. One of the mechanics told me I looked like “that French lady driver.” I didn’t, but I did wear my dark hair in long braids and had a habit of glaring at people—so, close…

AS A BOY AT A TYPICAL 1970S’ SCHOOL uniform-wearing, single-sex, sports-mad, culturally ignorant high school, in a then typically insular region that was happily demolishing its art deco heritage, I visited a touring exhibition by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.1 His work, like the art room haven I was discovering at school, was full of light, colour and energy. Hundertwasser’s work and that art room2 were both retreats from the reality of our dreary built environment and windows into a wider world of what could be. We all dreamed of fabulous possibilities in our youth but, of course, a lot of that is beaten out of us by schools and practice and life in general as we become human resource units in the service of capitalism. But I still have a…

Max.Adams@haymarket.com DID YOU PREFER the Snickers bar when it was called a Marathon? Think Opal Fruits were tastier than Starburst? Sometimes changing a product’s brand name can influence buyers’ preferences, even when there’s no difference under the wrapper. And now the Subaru Solterra, which is virtually identical to the Toyota bZ4X, is here to test that theory. This isn’t the first time the two brands have teamed up; Subaru’s BR-Z sports car was the twin of Toyota’s GT86, and it made sense to tie up again in the lucrative electric SUV field. The biggest difference between the Solterra and bZX4 is that the former forgoes the latter’s cheaper 198bhp front-wheel-drive option; it’s available only in more potent four-wheel-drive form, with one electric motor driving the front wheels and another for the rears. RIVALS Kia…

#22 NEXTBASE 422GW Should you run into an accident on the road, a dash cam provides solid evidence of everything that happened, and the Nextbase 422GW is compact, clever and affordable: there’s a 1440p video resolution here, as well as support for Alexa so you can speak to the device too. The 2.5-inch touchscreen panel also makes operating the camera very simple. £139, nextbase.com #23 BELKIN BOOST CHARGE 20K Running out of smartphone juice might be a somewhat trivial problem, but it’s still an incredibly frustrating one – and one which the Boost Charge 20K from Belkin can solve. That 20K refers to 20,000mAh of battery capacity, which means that it can charge a standard phone around five times before it needs to be recharged itself. £29.99, belkin.com #24 ANGELL ELECTRIC BIKE If you find the thought…

Born in Mexico City to actor parents, Demian Bichir’s big break in America was playing Fidel Castro in Soderbergh’s Che. He’s since garnered a Best Actor Oscar nomination for A Better Life and starred in such notable films as The Hateful Eight and Alien: Covenant. Now on a hot streak, his appearances in The Midnight Sky, Chaos Walking and Godzilla Vs. Kong will be followed by Robin Wright’s directorial debut, Land... In terms of spectacle, Godzilla Vs. Kong is your biggest film yet... I beg to differ. I’ve been in huge films with bigger stars – some actors who could punch out Godzilla! I’m kidding. I know what you mean. Growing up as a kid, I watched those films. The effects now... you see the pores of the beasts. It’s brutally beautiful. Next…

The final scenes of a movie can make or break an entire picture. However good the previous couple of hours, if the last five minutes go spectacularly wrong, you could be looking at the difference between a classic and an also-ran. The best movie endings should feel consistent with what’s come before and emotionally satisfying. You can have the credits roll after a massive cliffhanger, have your heroes going down in a blaze of glory, let the bad guys win, or make the audience question everything they’ve just seen with a killer twist. All of the above – and many more – are represented in our list of the best movie endings of all time. Spread across 80 years of cinema history, the 25 movies are listed chronologically, rather than being ranked…

The steely snarl behind us acquires a manic edge every time the tacho needle swings past 7000. It’s an epic, almost vintage 911 soundtrack WE’RE IDLING THROUGH one of the small villages that dot the rolling hills around Stuttgart when the Porsche PR guy swings right and noses up a quiet side street. After a hundred metres or so, he turns into an empty parking lot in front of an anonymous building. It’s a warehouse of some kind. Not new, not old. Walls painted white. Drawn blinds on all the windows. No signs. One grey roller door. We park and get out and the roller door opens. Porsche legend Andy Preuninger is standing there, grinning. “You want to have a look?” We enter a small antechamber, the roller door behind us closing…

CLEMENTINE MILLS plays Quinn Cox Where were you born? I was born in a little town in Surrey, England. Where do you call home? I had most of my childhood years in the UK, then my family moved to Auckland when I was 13. I also lived in Sydney for a number of years. If I had to pick one, I’d say Aotearoa – I feel very lucky to call this place home. What was your first-ever paying job? I started babysitting when I was 12 – I’ve always loved working with children and animals. What was your first big break? It was called M.Rock, a beautiful play based on a real story about the world’s oldest DJ. I was playing the granddaughter Tracy, who was a fun-loving, quirky chaos agent – like a younger version of Quinn…

Danielle Takoko says she’s always been easy to spot in a crowded room. She’s the one surrounded by people, her big, booming laugh making everyone smile. But behind the grins, she faced a private battle, one that saw her spend up to $100 a week on chocolate bars alone. She’s mum to five children – two of whom are adopted, one who is a “foster for life”, and two who are Danielle and husband Brian’s biological children. Four of the children have multiple disorders ranging from ADHD to foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and Danielle’s busy life saw her skipping breakfast, bingeing on takeaways and turning to food as a source of comfort. “If I had a bad day, I’d have a chocolate bar,” tells Danielle, 44. “If I had a good day,…

Keith Urban can’t wait to get back on to the set of American Idol after announcing his upcoming return as a guest mentor. It’s been seven years since he flirted up a storm with fellow judge Jennifer Lopez on the hit talent show – and insiders say his wife Nicole Kidman “is bracing for more of the same” when it comes to current judge Katy Perry. “Keith is a huge fan of Katy’s,” reveals an insider. “One of his favourite songs is Teenage Dream. “He’s never made a fuss over performing in front of other judges, but this time, with Katy there, he’s making a huge effort to put on a perfect show. He’s always admired her vocal range and has a terabyte of songs he’d love to record with her.” However, friends…

1st Daughters Lorina (11) and Isabella (9) unload mum Christine’s new Chesterfield sofa, using dad MANFRED KROPF’S 2.2 TDCi Defender 130 to carry it right to the door of their hilltop home in Ratten, Austria. We’re sure Mum and Dad stepped in to help at some point… ‘A nicely staged family shot from Manfred, with that beautiful sofa almost stealing the limelight from the equally beautiful 130.’ NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR‘I feel like I need a stiff drink just looking at this amazing photo. Well done, Anthony!’NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR WIN! gear in the next issue of LRO To browse the full range of gear, go to exmoortrim.co.uk 1st PRIZE Exmoor Trim T-shirt, mug, coffee cup, flask and keyring worth £50.99 2nd PRIZE Exmoor Trim T-shirt and mug worth £27.99 Send pics to wolr@LRO.com. Include a description of the vehicle and…

After months of “will he, won’t he?” speculation, Prince Harry finally jetted into London in what palace insiders are dubbing a “fleeting but meaningful” visit. And while Harry, 38, may have no other supporters among the rest of his family, who have been aghast at his shocking attacks on the monarchy, insiders reveal he brokered a fragile peace with his father King Charles III, 74. “Harry was determined to put on a flawless show as the dutiful son,” a palace source says. “He is genuinely proud and in awe of what his father is going through, and the incredible weight he now bears. Whatever’s going on with the rest of the family, Harry was not going to let it mar his father’s special day. “Their troubles are by no means resolved, but it…

‘Good things came along too... I learnt to appreciate the light with the dark’ Wrapped in a cosy jumper in the lounge of her new home, Hayley Holt is finally in her happy place. After a painful 18 months, which saw the TVNZ sports reporter and her partner Josh Tito deal with the sudden and tragic stillbirth of their son Frankie when Hayley was six months pregnant, the pair have shared a difficult path together. But a year down the track, life is better and brighter, and Hayley and Josh have something to celebrate – the purchase of their first home together. As she takes Woman’s Day on a tour, long-term renter Hayley laughs that it took her a full week to feel like she wasn’t squatting in someone else’s home. But…

As sunny weather finally arrived, stars joined royalty in looking blooming marvellous as they toured the Chelsea Flower Show last week. Famous names from the worlds of TV, music and radio all dressed in their summer best as they mingled among the fragrant plants and flowers. Leading the arrivals at the official preview of the annual garden display were royal twins Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia Spencer. Newlywed Amelia wore a floaty dress from Zimmermann, while Lady Eliza went for a pink polka-dot outfit by Alessandra Rich. At the Natural Affinity Garden for Aspens, designed to highlight the therapeutic value of nature by helping visitors engage with their senses, musician and DJ Cerys Matthews was reading from her children’s version of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood. WINNING DESIGN Meanwhile, Dame Joanna Lumley, looking stylish…

It’s a night Jeff Wilson can’t forget. He’d like to, but there are too many people happy to remind him. “I don’t need to see it,” Wilson says, waving his hand to add emphasis. He’s talking about a photo that shows him losing the ball forward in what would have been a match winning try had it not been for a remarkable tackle by Wallabies halfback George Gregan. There are two different clips on Youtube with the shorter version viewed almost 300,000 times and a longer edit nudging 200,000. “Nothing,” is Wilson’s succinct answer when asked what his memories are of the night. “That was the start of my poor memory,” he laughs. “It’s easier as a sportsman to have a poor memory because you remember the bad days a lot more than…

Rumors picked up again recently that a new 15-inch MacBook Air will be Apple’s next major Mac release, possibly at the Worldwide Developers conference, according to Mark Gurman’s latest report. But whether we get it before, during, or after WWDC, this much is true: It will instantly become Apple’s perfect laptop. That may seem like a stretch, but hear me out. Assuming the rumors and our own assumptions are true, the 15-inch MacBook Air will be the ideal laptop for nearly every user, with its combination of size, processing power, and value. The MacBook Air is already Apple’s most popular laptop, and a 15-inch model would be the jewel of the lineup. Here’s why. THE RIGHT SIZE Apple offers MacBooks in four different sizes: 13.3 inches (13-inch MacBook Pro), 13.6 inches (M2 MacBook…

• Phantom Pickup IN THE build by a young team at their recently opened fabrication shop, Peterson Fabrication Ltd. This “phantom” 1937 Ford pickup started life as a sedan, now features slick quick-change installation. From Craig Stare. • Howzat!! AS FAR as trophies go, there is probably nothing better than receiving Ed Iskenderian’s 100th birthday favourite car award. Imagine that. A legend in our sport picking your car at his 100th birthday bash. Well, the recipient was a Kiwi, and Squeak Bell has this trophy as his 1939 Convertible Sedan was Ed’s pick. Squeak thinks he possibly received it because there were no Model Ts there, and maybe he had a soft spot for 39 Fords. Squeak has been to every one of Ed’s birthday parties since his 80th. Ed is an extremely knowledgeable…

Our former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, told an audience in July 2022 that “it is grim out there”. She should have said it’s “Brothers Grimm out there”. The fairytale where the central character falls asleep and awakes years later to a fundamentally different world is where New Zealand currently is. In the background, although just a metaphor, the so-called Doomsday Clock suggests we are at “90 seconds to midnight”. This is the worst it has ever been. An unprecedented and largely untethered arms race is taking off, tensions between countries are high and many of the safeguards of a well regulated multilateral system are falling by the wayside. This situation is forcing us to make decisions that come once in a generation. A foremost example of this is whether New…

❝Microscopic amounts of the internal chemical substances inside your battery react even when not connected to your vehicle.❞ There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to start your vehicle when you need it most. The frustration is even worse and more prevalent during the colder winter months. Although there are many factors that affect the capacity and performance of lead acid batteries, temperature variation is definitely one to be considered. Self-discharge, age, driving habits and abuse are also factors that contribute to the life and performance of your lead acid battery. Self-discharge is a phenomenon that all batteries will endure, like it or not, it will happen. A lead acid battery will self-discharge even when not in use and rates can change depending on the type, AGM, EFB, Flooded or Deep…

Shetland fine lace yarns and knitted textiles are wellknown in the handspinning world. For many, Shetland fine lace is the ultimate yarn to spin. I am sure that for others, it is something to avoid. These beautiful yarns knit up into beautiful fabrics, but it does take practice to spin them. When asked to write this article, my first thought was, “You just spin as fine as you can with enough twist so that it holds together and the yarn feels okay when plied.” That is possibly how spinners of the past and present here in Shetland see it, but we have the historical knowledge, the wheels, and the fleece to do the job. I’ll try to share with those of you outside of Shetland what I mean by “enough twist” and…

Kringla heimsins, sú er mannfolyt byggir… These are the words that open the 13th-century History of the Kings of Norway. Written in Old Norse (the language spoken in medieval Scandinavia), it means “The orb of the world, which mankind inhabits.” Penned by an Icelandic chronicler, Snorri Sturluson, the History is an important source on the Vikings, who held Europe in thrall from the eighth to the 11th centuries. Their trading and raiding sent them to the far horizons of that “orb,” sailing west to Britain, then Greenland, and even reaching North America. As well as their infamous brutality, Viking success depended on navigational skills, essential not just to navigate Europe’s rivers and Atlantic coastline, but also to venture south from their homeland all the way to the Mediterranean: “That great sea,”…

$3,299 body only, olympus-imaging.com.au The new OM System OM-1 is here. Recognise the camera but not the name? That’s because it’s a new line from OM Digital Solutions, which bought the sinking Olympus imaging division in 2021. A natural successor to the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, the OM-1 will be the last camera to have the Olympus name etched on its body. But it’s what we hope will be the first of many bearing the new OM System branding. A warm tribute to the original 50-year-old Olympus OM-1 35mm SLR, and a fitting swansong for the Olympus name, the OM-1 is a hugely capable camera, and a joy to shoot with. Everything that we’ve loved about the Olympus Micro Four Thirds system over the years is cranked up a notch here,…

As we drive to the Far North in early January the roads are very busy out of Auckland. We are in the holiday traffic, and once we complete the section of motorway through the tunnel at Pūhoi the pace slows to a crawl. Patience wanes after a series of slow stop–starts through Warkworth and a long 50km section through Dome Valley. Parts of the highway are pretty rough, and having not travelled north for a number of years I am surprised how bad this section of road is. But there are plans underway for the construction of a motorway bypassing Warkworth, Dome Valley and Wellsford. Improvement is long overdue and will certainly help access to Northland. SCAN QR TO WATCH THE VIDEO OR CLICK IN DIGITAL EDITION Youtube channel: NZTODAY RV…

Tabitha Lorck, 24, is a solicitor based in Auckland. By day, she deals with clients and contracts; in the evening, she enjoys dinners out with friends. So far, so normal. But Tabitha has a second life: she’s an Instagram food influencer (@fattab). When she dines out, which she does at least once a day, she photographs the meal carefully and writes a short review. Then she posts it for her 9,000 Instagram followers – who like, comment, repost and, as often as not, visit the restaurant themselves. Food influencers like Tabitha have popped up en masse in recent years. You’ve probably heard of Albert Cho, the foul-mouthed superstar behind @eatlitfood, whose 65,000 Instagram followers hang on his every word. Herne Bay’s Bacio café told me that when Albert favourably reviewed their jam…

I remember one scene, when we were all around this cow and it decided it was going to wee,” recalls Orion Lee, one of the two lead actors in Kelly Reichardt’s minor miracle of a film. “And oh my gosh, the bladder on a cow! There was this huge puddle. And the smell! We had to move away and start again.” Well, they do say never work with animals. But before we paint too dark a picture of Evie, the two-year-old Jersey who is the titular star of Reichardt’s seventh feature, let it be said that she was, when not weeing, a pleasure to work with. “She’s a super-sweet animal,” stresses Reichardt. “She had a great temperament and tolerated us. It’s more about training the crew to slow down and become…

Sorento’s chic ‘GT-Line’ name against big-gulp Grande sums up each SUV’s approach PICKING between a Toyota Kluger and Kia Sorento was, historically, not very exciting. Both seven-seaters served a purpose – that being the ability to carry the parent’s quintuplets in relative comfort and safety – if little more. Launched in September 2020 and June 2021 respectively, the new Sorento and Kluger truly evolved – especially the Kia. With chiselled good looks, an engaging chassis and lashings of USB charge points, the Sorento impressed at launch, even if its 3.5-litre petrol V6 and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel didn’t move the game on like the cabin did. That became a problem when Toyota’s new Kluger debuted on TNGA-K underpinnings packing a self-charging hybrid based around a 2.5-litre petrol engine. The hybrid promised to cut theV6’s consumption…

Even after more than five decades, fans around the globe still love The Sound Of Music as much as they did when the classic musical came out in 1965. Based on The Story Of The Trapp Family Singers, the 1949 memoir written by Maria von Trapp, the film is set in Austria in 1938 and tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to the large family of Navy Captain Georg von Trapp after failing at being a nun. But filming was gruelling, with one problem after another – the first hitting the cast and crew when they arrived in Salzburg, Austria. “The town didn’t want us there,” recalls Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich. “They provided no cooperation whatsoever. “And we had the worst spring weather in [Salzburg in] 50 years,”…