Latest news with #BayofIslands
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
People alarmed as mom asks 'find my daughter' in scenic rock photo... can you spot her in 20 seconds?
A parent on Reddit challenged people to find their daughter in a clever hideaway that left viewers completely puzzled. User Snzzyman posted a photo on the 'find the sniper' thread of a seaside rock structure covered in small sea creatures in Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The completely normal looking picture of a rock turned out to be a challenge. The poster's daughter was hiding somewhere behind a hole in the rock and finding her in the photo was more of a feat than many Reddit users were expecting. It left people feeling panicked, confused, and even a little spooked. Snzzyman said that they saw the opportunity for the perfect optical illusion and just had to take it. 'Long term snipe fan!' they wrote. 'I saw great potential when I saw the little hole in the rock haha.' But the hole with the daughter's face peering through was not so easily found. Take a look at the photo and see if you're as easily stumped as the comment section. Can you find her face in the photo in less than 20 seconds? How did you do? If you were unable to solve the puzzle in the blink of an eye, you're in good company. The picture left most people completely confused. Some gave off-base answers while others gave up altogether. One user wrote: 'I spent more time trying to uncover the scale of the picture than finding her. I have to say I thought it was a huge mountain and when I saw her face I actually gasped. This was a great one.' Another said: 'Let's face it, that was a good one.' 'Took a while to spot. Peak-a-boo,' a third joked. A few people intricately searched the photo only to be startled when the answer popped out at them unexpectedly. 'NGL I got a little freaked out,' one user commented. Another agreed: 'Ha! I zoomed right into it and she jump-scared me.' The element of surprise appeared to be common with one viewer exclaiming: 'I can't see any- OH MY GAWD!!!' And some people were just seeing things: '2/3rds down from the top, 2/3rds across to the right, wearing a dark blue, long-sleeved jacket and pants that match the color of the rock, arms raised, maybe also taking a picture of you?' So if you're still stumped, you're in good company. The daughter's toothy smile can be seen through a tiny hole just right of center on the rock structure. If you zoom in three quarters of the way up, you should be able to see her grin. From far away it's hard to even tell that the rock has a hole in it, but when searching the picture completely zoomed in, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
Vogue
26-06-2025
- Business
- Vogue
Maggie Marilyn Resort 2026 Collection
Four years ago, Maggie Marilyn's Maggie Hewitt decided to shift the focus of her business to direct-to-consumer. At the time, she felt that she needed to take some time to re-center herself and her brand, which had grown quickly after being shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2017, just two years after she had founded it. 'We've spent the past years getting closer to the customers, understanding how to meet their needs, perfecting fits, and understanding what fabrications are going to be really durable and stand the test of time in wardrobes,' she explained in her Sydney showroom. Now, she's re-entering the wholesale world with her resort 2026 collection. 'We didn't have those insights when we had no direct-to-consumer business, so I think we're primed for more success going back into this [world]. Even though there's lots going on with the tariffs and everything else, I feel like we are primed with the right knowledge to make those partnerships a real success.' Her lineup for the season was decidedly more feminine than previous collections, with ruffle embellishments on shirt collars and slip dresses, and, most cleverly, on the hem of a simple polo sweater dress. An unexpected addition was a seashell print, which was inspired by memories of her upbringing in the coastal town of Bay of Islands in New Zealand. 'I grew up collecting seashells, and now when I take Ralph, my little boy, back home, seeing everything through his eyes, collecting shells together, and teaching him what everything is…it's just so special,' she said. Her watercolor seashells, in shades of pink and brown, were a funky take on the classic feminine summer floral, which contrasted nicely with bold striped pieces in a 'Neapolitan ice cream' color palette. Elsewhere, rugby sweaters and windbreakers inspired by pieces she remembered her dad wearing rounded out the offering. 'I think there's a playfulness that I've found since becoming a mom and seeing everything through new eyes, never forgetting the joy of getting dressed.' Hewitt continued: 'I think if you know how the clothing was created, that it comes from this place of integrity—we still have full supply chain transparency, we work with each tier of the supply chain, whether it be our farmers, growers, fabric mills, or the factories. I think that can also add a feeling of joy when you put [our clothes] on.'
RNZ News
17-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Bay of Islands cruise ship numbers set to plummet
Cruise ships feature prominently in the Bay of Islands tourist scene over summer. Photo: NZME The Bay of Islands $23.34 million cruise ship industry will be hit hard next season with the number of visiting ships set to plummet. Bookings for the tourist mecca's 2025/2026 cruise season have almost halved from the peak two years ago. A cruise ship representative blamed the decline on a number of factors affecting New Zealand's cruise industry, including tougher biofouling rules along with compounding cost increases from central government, ports and regional authorities. There are just 47 cruise ships scheduled to visit the Bay of Islands for the coming season. This compares with 92 cruise ships booked for the peak 2023/2024 season. The coming season's numbers have reinforced the annual bookings decline in the Bay of Islands since the peak. Bookings for the 2024/2025 season were almost 20 percent down on 2023/2024. Seventy-four ships were booked. New Zealand Cruise Association chairperson Tansy Tompkins said the drop in numbers had many in the industry deeply concerned about the future. "New Zealand's booking momentum, has slowed significantly, and while final itineraries are still being confirmed, current projections indicate a major downturn," Tompkins said. The decline from the peak was "sobering", Tompkins said. She said the forecast for the coming season put New Zealand back to 2017/2018 season levels. Tompkins said the risk of cruise ships being refused entry into New Zealand because of dirty hulls was one of several key reasons for the decline. The risk threatened New Zealand cruise ship destination brand. Tougher biofouling rules for visiting cruise ships came into force for the Bay of Islands and the rest of New Zealand in October 2023, just as the 2023/2024 season got underway. Eighty-seven cruise ships arrived in Bay of Islands' 2023/2024 season - meaning five vessels did not turn up. Four cruise ships did not turn up in the 2024/2025 season - including the last two for the season due on 30 May - due to weather, according to Far North Holdings chief operating officer Robert Binney. All cruise ships entering New Zealand must have no more than a thin layer of slime and goose barnacles on their hulls when they arrive. Biofouling can introduce foreign marine species. These can threaten the environment, economy, and cultural values. It happens when too much sea life - including foreign algae, barnacles and other marine growth and may include shrimps and crabs - builds up on ship hulls. Tompkins said unpredictability around the introduction of new regulations also contributed to the decline. Cruise companies had to deal with the outcome of this when passengers booked up to two years in advance. And New Zealand was now the world's most expensive place for cruise ships to visit with significant compounding cost increases including from central government, ports and regional authorities. This was putting New Zealand at a competitive disadvantage. She said senior cruise line executives had a perception New Zealand was difficult to operate in and an unwelcoming destination. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
07-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Fire on historic ship The Tui most likely caused by electrical fault
Historic ship The Tui was found on fire on 4 June 2025. Photo: RNZ / Peter De Graaf The fire that destroyed a historic ship in the Bay of Islands was most likely caused by an electrical fault, not by arson, a fire investigator says. The Tui, a century-old sugar barge converted into a replica sailing ship by the late underwater explorer Kelly Tarlton, was severely damaged by fire early on Wednesday morning. Police initially treated the blaze as suspicious and, given how little remained, Northland fire investigator Craig Bain was not hopeful of being able to establish the cause. Luck was, however, on his side. "As the digger was bringing bits and pieces out, we were looking for the likes of switchboards and hard drives for the security system, and anything that might show an origin point," Bain said. "Just by pure luck, once everything had been removed, I went into what was left and looked over the side - and lying in the sand were the burnt-out remnants of the mains switchboard. Digging through that a bit further I found what was left of the mains cable that feeds the switchboard, and that had significant arcing and a fair bit of melting on it as well, indicating significant heat." That led the investigation team to conclude an electrical fault was the most likely cause of the fire. The find was even more unexpected given how quickly they had to work to beat the incoming tide. Bain said the switchboard was still warm to the touch when found, and appeared to have fallen out of the boat early in the fire. Power was live to the switchboard due to the vessel's pending restoration, and it was possible moisture had entered it during the wild weather lashing the Bay of Islands that night. Bain said the finding that the fire was most likely electrical rather than suspicious could provide some comfort to the owners, as well as to the Tarlton family. "I think it's quite a benefit to the folks starting out on this project to restore the boat that there doesn't appear to be anything malicious about the fire, that we know of." Kelly Tarlton created the Tui in the 1970s to display his collection of treasures salvaged from shipwrecks around New Zealand. Later it housed a series of restaurants and cafes but for the past decade it had been empty and increasingly derelict. It was bought last year by researchers Cat Peters and Thibaud Guerin, who planned to turn it into a centre for free community marine education. In April this year their TriOceans Education Trust received a grant from Foundation North to restore the ship. Work had just started when the fire broke out. Parts of the ship not destroyed by the blaze had to be demolished that morning, both to allow firefighters to fully extinguish the flames between its two hulls and to ensure debris did not enter the Bay of Islands on the high tide at 2.30pm. The site was blessed before dawn on Saturday in a moving ceremony led by the chairman of neighbouring Te Tii Marae, Ngāti Kawa Taituha. Fiona Tarlton took part, representing the family, and said she planned to gift the marae a framed photo of the Tui and her late father. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
04-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Northland researcher's dream of creating marine education centre goes up in smoke
Thibaud Guerin, owner of marine research company TriOceans, and Cat Peters, chairwoman of the TriOceans Education Trust, say they haven't given up their dream of a marine education centre in the Bay of Islands. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf A Northland marine researcher's dream of creating a free community education centre has literally gone up in smoke in a devastating ship fire. Cat Peters, chairwoman of the TriOceans Education Trust, said her plans had been 10 years in the making. Last year the trust had been able to buy the Tui - a derelict ship next to Waitangi Bridge in Paihia - and at the end of April it received a substantial grant from Foundation North to restore the vessel and turn it into a community classroom . Work was just about to start when the Tui was destroyed in a fire that started just after 4am on Wednesday. Surveying the charred remains of the vessel later that morning, Peters was unsure what her next steps would be. She was, however, determined to keep her vision alive. "The dream's not going to die, we're all very committed to it. It might just take a bit of a different form now," she said. Historic ship The Tui on fire in Paihia. Photo: Supplied Peters was also upset for the Tarlton family, with the late Kelly Tarlton creating the replica three-masted barque from a vintage sugar boat in the 1970s, and turning it into a museum for treasures he had salvaged from shipwrecks. "It's gutting. Gutting for us. Gutting for the Tarltons. Gutting for the community, and everybody who came out to support this new lease of life for the boat. It's just gutting." Work had been due to start any day and some building materials had already been brought on board. "We were going to turn it into a community education centre. It's been a long lived dream of all of ours, to offer free marine education to the community so people can learn about what's going on in the Bay, and learn about how they can help and be involved." Peters said the Tui was ideal because it was right on the water and incorporated the story of Kelly Tarlton. "So it was perfect. And you can't get more inspired learning about the water than on the water." Northland fire investigator Craig Bain inspects debris pulled off the ship in the hope of identifying the cause of the fire. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf Lead contractor Darrin Hawke, of Kerikeri, said he had already carried out some interior work and was looking forward to starting the restoration in earnest. He had lost building material but no tools in the fire. "I really feel for the owners. They've put a lot of heart and soul into this project so I feel for them more than anything else. But it's sad for everyone concerned. And I'll just have to look for more work." Peters said very little could be salvaged from the wreckage. "The majority of it's gone. We had fortunately taken some old artifacts off already, just in preparation for the work. But the things that were the soul of the boat, they're all gone unfortunately." She did, however, manage to rescue the ship's wheel, which she would offer to the Tarlton family given their long connection to the Tui. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
