Newsletter 09: Sunday 1 March 2026

Makaroro  -  a place to connect

 At this special exhibition, (details below) Margaret-Mary Farr is sharing outcomes of her yearlong involvement with the Makaroro River.   She gathered and ground minerals, rocks and clay for her paintings, along with charcoal and colours from plants.  She met amazing people who walked with her and she “connected” with the river and its environs. 

Some equipment, collected materials and hand made pigments, charcoal and pastels.

Margaret-Mary writes, “ The Makaroro river is at present very threatened by what some people call progress.  The plan is to create a dam up there to feed the valley with water.  This beautiful place where you can still drink the water straight from the river will be gone forever.  

Last year I decided to do a study of the valley.  I have been on a dedicated personal journey of discovery and connection.  I have been up there on a regular basis observing the change of seasons, the life of the river and life that lives there, and especially gathering materials and making pigments and art materials to create my work. 

Most importantly, I have observed the Mauri (life) of the Makaroro.  I have connected to this place through being there and spending time there.  In the words of the fox from the book, The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) - “If you want a friend, tame me.  One only understands the things that one tames.”  

People have forgotten the truth that the fox said.  You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed.  “I have tamed the Makaroro.”

Margaret-Mary with “Winding Towards Dutch Creek”
“See the cliffs rising up and the river being pulled towards them.”
-using charcoal, and pigments created from lupins, red cabbage, grey wacke, Makaroro umber, chalk. 

I felt humble and privileged to become aware of the commitment and heart-filled devotion of Margaret-Mary’s involvement in this journey of discovery and you are all invited to this exhibition. 
Diana

Makaroro -  place to connect

Art Exhibition by Margaret-Mary Farr
CBH Museum, 23 High Street, Waipawa
open daily, 10 am. to 4 pm. 
until 1 May 2026

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Confirmed date for our AGM: Saturday 2 May 2026. 

Gerrit Raichle
For the AHB Committee gwr@actrix.co.nz

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ROOM BOOKINGS

For any sequence of 3 or more bookings please contact  the Treasurer [ treas@anthrohb.nz ]

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**ECLIPSES
The moon's orbit, like the orbits of the planets, is slightly inclined - about 10°- to the orbit of Earth, and both earth and moon orbits intersect in two points, the so-called NODES.  So we experience eclipse seasons twice per year: at the time of the nodes.

When a full moon occurs at a Node there will be a Lunar eclipse as the moon passes through the earth's shadow.  When the eclipse is total the moon appears a deep red - the so-called 'blood moon'.  This is caused by the sun's light passing horizontally through the earth's turgid atmosphere thus becoming red and spilling (refracting) into the earth's shadow.

In New Zealand, we are in a notable position on the globe to experience the whole eclipse process through most of Tuesday night, reaching a maximum about half an hour after midnight,

When a new moon occurs while the moon passes through either of the nodes, the moon for a short moment is exactly between the sun and Earth, causing an eclipse of the sun.  The tip of the moon’s shadow just reaches the earth, and so is quite small, but moves over the surface of the earth at great speed.  Anyone standing in this shadow as it passes can experience a brief solar eclipse, when all goes dark like dusk.