Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer.
Carriage sized pumpkin
When I first read this story I though I must be seeing the world’s largest pumpkin. I was wrong. It isn’t even the biggest one grown in New Zealand but still, it’s a whopper. Rangitīkei farmer, Luke Gilchrist is extremely proud of his latest massive pumpkin – weighing it at an astonishing 546kg, with a 4m circumference, taking over 200 days to grow.
“’It is quite a long stint. At the peak, this one was growing about 18 kilos a day for about 35 days,’ Gilchrist said. ‘We were estimated to go over 700kg but, because we had a few cold stints this year, that trickled it down a bit. At one point, it was growing 12cm a day in circumference, he said. The fruit was 111 days old and it took another 75-80 days of plant growth.
“Gilchrist began growing giant pumpkins in 2022 after talking to another grower. That year, he grew one weighing 465kg, which was dropped 300m from a helicopter for a radio station challenge. ‘It was just a hobby we took up; it is a cool hobby but it is a lot of time – over 200 days of effort,’ he said.
“Gilchrist’s 546kg effort this year is not his biggest. In 2024, he grew a 578kg pumpkin. The New Zealand record is held by Waikato farmer Tim Harris, who grew an 844.5kg pumpkin in 2021. A rewarding part of Gilchrist and his family’s years of growing giant pumpkins is the friends made around the world. ‘You meet a whole lot of people through it. It’s a small community but everyone is out to help everyone,’ he said.” (Source: “Rangitīkei farmer Luke Gilchrist grows 546kg giant pumpkin on dairy farm near Marton,” by Fin Ocheduszko Brown, April 16, www.nzherald.co.nz).
5 stars – great effort and what looks like a rewarding and satisfying hobby!
Rarest bird making a comeback
The Department of Conservation’s dedication and hard work to ensure our endangered species are given all the help they can to thrive is rather incredible. This week figures were released showing New Zealand’s rarest bird – the tara iti – is on the way back from probable extinction with numbers and breeding pairs growing. There are now over 50 birds in the wild and 11 breeding pairs.
“A census by the Department of Conservation (DOC) found the tara iti/fairy tern population had increased by 15% from 2025. Conservationists are in a ‘race against time’ to save the tara iti. Efforts appeared to be working, as in 1983, only three to four breeding pairs remained. DOC programme lead Ayla Wiles said the increase was down to the ‘strength of DOC’s partnerships and the mahi of volunteers to protect tara iti and the effort to constantly learn, adapt, and improve’.
“DOC credited the success to its partners, including local mana whenua, Auckland Zoo and many dedicated volunteers across Auckland and Northland. ‘As part of this collective mahi for tara iti, Auckland Zoo’s Head Start programme has had its most successful year to date – hatching, rearing and releasing 10 chicks,’ the zoo’s curator of birds Dr Juan Cornejo said.” (Source: “New Zealand’s rarest endemic bird population grows,” by Karanama Ruru, April 14, www.stuff.co.nz).
5 stars – thank goodness for all of this work to ensure, as much as possible, that our native species do not disappear – total upside!
Picasso painting won in raffle
This raffle is a little bit different to the ones my kids sold tickets for when they were younger. This week, one lucky winner went home with an original Pablo Picasso painting, worth more than €1million, after buying a €100 ticket in a charity raffle.
“Ari Hodara, an engineer and art enthusiast, learned he was the winner on Tuesday when he answered a video call from Christie’s auction house in Paris. ‘How do I know this isn’t a prank?”‘the 58-year-old asked when he was told he was the new owner of the 1941 work by the Spanish master.
“Organisers said more than 120,000 tickets for the prize draw were sold at €100 (£87; $118) each, raising around €11m (£10m; $13m) for Alzheimer’s research. The draw was the third edition of the “1 Picasso for 100 euros” fundraising raffle, which was founded in 2013. This year’s prize was Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman), a gouache-on-paper portrait rendered in Picasso’s signature style. It depicts his partner and muse, the French surrealist artist Dora Maar.” (Source: “Man wins €1m Picasso painting in €100 charity raffle,” by Ian Aikman, April 16. www.bbc.com).
5 stars – I must remember to enter this raffle next time it swings around – the odds are certainly better than winning our Lotto!
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