Category Archives: Children

Aotearoa AWOL at Osaka World EXPO

Posted on September 20, 2025 by LivinginPeaceProject

Murray Family’s Quest to Locate MIA New Zealand at Expo 2025 Off The Top of My Head By Paul Murray My family and I recently flew to Tokyo on our annual pilgrimage to visit my wife Sanae’s parents. This year. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Adventure, Australia, Bureaucracy, Children, Economics, Education, Entertainment, Hilarious, Hilarous, Humor, Humour, Japan, Karamea, Media, Money, New Zealand, Parenting, Paul Murray, Photography, Politics, Product review, Social Commentary, Tourism, Travel, West Coast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Little Shop of Horrors

Posted on August 31, 2025 by LivinginPeaceProject

A Karamea Area School Production August 30, 2025 Off the Top of My Head Photographs by Paul Murray

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Posted in Art, Children, Community, Education, Entertainment, Karamea, Karamea Area School, Little Shop of Horrors, Music, New Zealand, Parenting, Paul Murray, Photography, Social Commentary, Theatre, West Coast | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kudos for the Karamea Summer Holiday Programme     

Posted on February 4, 2024 by LivinginPeaceProject

Off the Top of My Head      By Paul Murray      With financial support from the Community Led-Development Programme (CLDP), local volunteers have provided Karamea kids with a wonderful schedule of exciting, intellectually stimulating and practical activities this summer. From cooking, Stand … Continue reading →

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Posted in Artist, Children, Community, Community-Led Development, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Fitness, Health, Heaphy Track, Kahurangi National Park, Karamea, Karamea Radio, Mountain Biking, Music, New Zealand, Oparara, Oparara Basin, Oparara Valley Track, Parenting, Paul Murray, Social Commentary, South Island, Sustainability, Sustainablity, Tramping, Travel, West Coast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Murray Family Life in Sunny Karamea

Posted on November 6, 2023 by LivinginPeaceProject

Anabela Rea, Oct 24 2023: STUFF NZ From Tokyo to Karamea: The Start of the Road at the End of the World’s Longest Cul de Sac. Sanae and Paul Murray say life is sweet in this remote town of 700 … Continue reading →

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Posted in Artist, Cheese, Children, Environment, Environmentally Responsible Business, Food, Gardening, Health, Japan, Kahurangi National Park, Karamea, LivinginPeace Project, New Zealand, Oparara, Paul Murray, Photography, Property, Rongo, Social Commentary, South Island, Sustainability, Sustainablity, Tokyo, Tourism, Travel, West Coast | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Business Opportunity Knocks in Paradise

Posted on December 5, 2018 by LivinginPeaceProject

Off the Top of My Head By Paul Murray  In the Spring of 2006, German traveller Lena Fischbach happened across a remote Marlborough Sounds lodge, met Kiwi journeyman Mike MacMillan and ended up with two kids living in Karamea at the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Children, Community, Economics, Environment, Heaphy Track, Kahurangi National Park, Karamea, Marriage, Money, Mountain Biking, Nature, New Zealand, Oparara Basin, Oparara Valley Track, Paul Murray, South Island, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Charley Chop Chop Gets Your Kids Cooking

Posted on June 23, 2018 by LivinginPeaceProject

Off the Top of My Head By Paul Murray Parents in this “digital age” have a serious challenge…How to encourage our children away from passive screens and to pique their interest in more active pursuits. Chef Charley “ChopChop” Ainscough is … Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Review, Children, Education, Food, Health, Nelson, New Zealand, Parenting, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Burning Woman Throws Baby

Posted on July 1, 2017 by LivinginPeaceProject

Off the Top of My Head By Paul Murray When a large macrocarpa tree blew down in front of his house in a storm, Granity artist and bon vivant Peter Whitaker saw it as a sign, “It was like a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Art, Artist, Artist-in-residency programme, Bureaucracy, Children, Culture, Economics, Environment, Environmentally Responsible Business, Hilarious, Humor, Humour, Interviews, Karamea, LivinginPeace Project, New Zealand, Parenting, Paul Murray, Peter Whittaker, Photography, Resident artist, Rongo, Rongo Backpackers & Gallery, Sculpture, Social Commentary, Social Equity, South Island, Weird, West Coast | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lovers Meet in Heaven for July 7 Tanabata Festival

Posted on July 7, 2016 by LivinginPeaceProject

Off the Top of My Head By Paul Murray Last night at Rongo Backpackers & Gallery in Karamea at the top of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand  we’ll have a Pot-Luck Dinner to celebrate the Japanese … Continue reading →

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Posted in Children, Culture, Education, Funny, Historical, Japan, Karamea, LivinginPeace Project, New Zealand, Paul Murray, Photography, Rongo, Rongo Backpackers & Gallery, South Island, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Karameans Rally to Protest Cop Shop Chop

Posted on March 2, 2016 by LivinginPeaceProject

Off the Top of My Head By Paul Murray A review of police services on the West Coast by N.Z. Police Superintendent Karyn Malthus recommended that the Karamea Police Station be “disestablished” and the police constable be relocated. This would … Continue reading →

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Posted in Buller District Council, Bureaucracy, Children, Department of Conservation, DOC, Drugs, Economics, Efficiency, Heaphy Track, Historical, Kahurangi National Park, Karamea, LivinginPeace Project, Media, Money, New Zealand, New Zealand Police, Oparara, Oparara Basin, Parenting, Paul Murray, Peace, Photography, Politics, Rongo Backpackers & Gallery, Social Commentary, South Island, Sustainablity, Travel, Uncategorized, West Coast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reverse Malthusian Trap Snares Rural Kiwis

Posted on February 17, 2016 by LivinginPeaceProject

Off the Top of My Head By Paul Murray Karamea, West Coast, New Zealand: February 17, 2016 The New Zealand Minister for Economic Development the right honourable Ms Joyce Stevens announced today that given the success of recent regional austerity … Continue reading →

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Posted in Buller District Council, Business, Children, Economics, Education, Efficiency, Funny, Hilarious, Hilarous, Humor, Humour, Karamea, LivinginPeace Project, Media, Money, New Zealand, New Zealand Police, Parody, Paul Murray, Politics, Power, Satire, Social Commentary, South Island, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments