BREATHE EASY - Just BE
Welcome to the eclectic online home of Shaz and all she does.
Hello! I’m part freelance writer for hire (articles and advertorial), part tai chi teacher, part author, part wannabe haiku writer, part artisan soap maker, part adventurer and lover of all things outdoors, part blogger trying to unravel the mysteries of life. I’m an observer and believe my purpose in life is to reflect truth (but uncovering truth can be a grey area). More simply, I believe kindness and honesty make the world a better place - and that seems a worthy enough goal for me.
Join me by reading about my work, my hiking travels and adventures, my attempts at haiku reflections on the world, soap making projects and share the joys and frustrations of life in my personal blog.
Latest writing examples
With the arrival of winter, I decided that it was time to brush up on my crampon skills, and learn how to use the ice axe I carried as something more than a short walking stick with some lethal spikey parts.
For lockdown I turned a blind eye to the opportunity to spring clean the house, learn a new language, brush up on virology, or spend four hours a day on yoga or any other form of pretzel-wrestling. After a few weeks of numbed-out indecision doing a combination of walking the dog and diddly-squats, I settled on specialising in fungiculture.
Shaz goes on a reporting mission for The Oxford Observer and discovers that she isn’t too old to give surfing a go. No awards were won, but a lot of fun was had. Find out if you too should give surfing a go.
So many of us start the year with the resolution to lose weight – but it is usually harder said than done… so we’ve brought you a collection of tips to help you reach your goal.
It was Susan’s 56th birthday and Daphne was putting in an hour of what she called compulsory mother duty. A piped version of Nights in White Satin was just audible in the tiny room. Daphne suppressed a knowing grin: “Just what the truth is I can’t say anymore…” This early-years yarn of Mum’s had become more fanciful with every recounting.
Imagine arriving at your accommodation for the night and instantly feeling like you belong. The people are friendly, there are other travellers chatting and sharing their discoveries, and the amenities are just what you need - and to top it all, the location is perfect…
You instantly wish you’d booked more than one night. But your itinerary is locked in and you’re moving on in the morning. Bummer, eh!
If peace, solitude, and pristine natural surroundings far from civilisation and the maddening crowd are what you look for in a holiday then the Rakiura Track on Stewart Island could be for you. Sharon Davis tells us more.
Her just-worn-in hiking boots felt stiff and unwelcoming as she pulled at the laces. Next, she hefted her overweight pack and shifted it awkwardly on her shoulders, closed the belt buckle with a tight snap, and picked up her traditional walking stick. In days gone by the stick was used as a grave marker for pilgrims who didn’t make it. Like Bob’s kongo-tsue she’d selected one with a brass bell that jangled with every step. It was supposed to scare away bears, and serve as a constant reminder to focus on each moment
Getting ready to file year-end tax returns can be an annual recurring nightmare for advisers. These simple tips will help reduce your year-end financial stress and streamline your filing process in 2015 and beyond.
Whether you plan to enjoy the 60km circular Kepler Track, one of New Zealand’s stunning Great Walks, over a leisurely three or four days – or in a body-grinding five-plus-hour mountain run as part of the Kepler Challenge – Fiordland’s Kepler Track should be on your bucket list. Sharon Davis tells us more.
It's easy to get blasé about certain aspects of your business, and easy to overlook pain points that customers might experience when dealing with your company. Many business owners get so caught up in running their business that they don't stop to question their procedures or investigate ways to improve their customer's experience.
Asia’s relatively high growth forecasts make it an alluring market for businesses with expansion plans. Find out more about the pros and cons before you decide whether breaking into the Asian market is for you.
Delegat’s Wine has grown from a family-owned business to New Zealand’s second-largest listed wine company by revenue with an internationally recognised brand selling two million cases a year. JIM DELEGAT, Delegat’s CEO and MD, talks to SHARON DAVIS about the Group’s growth and future potential.
Latest hiking adventures
Shanti’s friend, Scruff, missed out on earlier trips to Manuka Hut, so another visit was in order. It turned pretty windy by the end.
Shanti enjoys an easy and snowy trip up to Camp Saddle - and wonders why his humans are carrying big packs again.
Shanti discovers that Mum’s trip to Coleridge Pass was definitely about planning a trip up Red Hill. It was ever so windy, but Shanti found it easier going than the humans did.
Shanti repeats the walk to Mystery Lake - but with a pack on - and then Mum takes him even further (but thankfully not as far as she had planned) for an overnight camp in snow on the Dog Range
Inspired by the views from our trip up Mt Lyndon and the cars parked at the turnoff to Porters Ski Field and trying to guess where the occupants had headed, Shant’s Mum decided to take him for a walk up Cloudy Hill.
Shanti revisits Mt Lyndon with his friends - and is pleased to find less snow on this trip.
Shanti and team make it to the summit of Leith Hill on their second visit and navigate back down on the other side of the scree face.
After being left at home when his humans walked at Lake Coleridge. Shanti gets to walk up Coleridge Pass on the other side of the lake to see the views he missed the previous weekend.
Shanti enjoys a snowy walk on Mt Fyffe but thinks it was an awfully long drive for a day walk.
Shanti stays at home while the team do a non-dog-friendly route up Peak Hill and navigate away from the crowds following the old route back to make a circuit.
A quick solo trip (with Shanti) up Mt Lyndon gets a tick of the to-do list and is added to the worth doing again list.
Shanti is taken out on a second long(ish) walk in two days - and this one starts at MINUS 7 degrees C. He is not amused.
Shanti goes on what was supposed to be a short snow explore, but ends up on Foggy Peak. He sees a rainbow halo as a reward for the effort.
Shanti goes up Mt Grey for the third time and discovers another route down via the fire lookout and Lake Janet
Shanti discovers spikey Spaniards and prickly matagouri on a recce trip to Mt Harper and discovers (again) that hikes with Mum are over-rated.
Days blur into each other without the regular rhythm of the week. After three weeks in Level 4 lockdown Shanti starts to wonder if there was life before lockdown.
Shanti’s last trip to the mountains before a Level 4 lockdown curtails his trips up hills and to rivers.
Oxford resident, John Wardle, recognised for his unique method of sustainable forest harvesting and contribution to forestry in New Zealand.