Category Archives: Parenting

Aotearoa AWOL at Osaka World EXPO

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

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     

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

Charley Chop Chop Gets Your Kids Cooking

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

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

Karameans Rally to Protest Cop Shop Chop

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

Stupid stuff we need to stop saying to Dads.

FEBRUARY 4, 2016 ~ ROSIE WRITES (PERSONAL BLOG) Recently I got chatting with a nice lady in the queue at the supermarket. (Because when the highlight of your Friday evening is browsing a frozen food aisle, you’ll talk to everyone.) As I loaded a giant bag … Continue reading

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Posted in Children, Education, Marriage, Parenting, Sex, Social Commentary, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bye Bye Fluffy

Python Devours Children’s Pet Piglet Off the Top of my Head By Paul Murray Sometime in the dark of night on November 11, 2015 a young carpet python slithered silently into the home of Lilly and Fluffy Thompson, wound its … Continue reading

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Posted in Australia, Children, Conservation, Funny, Guinea Pig, Hilarious, Humor, Humour, Nature, Parenting, Parody, Python, Satire, Snake, Tragedy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments