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Aroha
Aroha explores people and their love of this place, and how this shapes their identity and inspires their work. Discover what makes people love Taupo, New Zealand.
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James Cooper
Farmer and Brewer - Lakeman Brewing Co.In rolling hill country behind Taupō, cattle receive the same kind of treatment as the award-winning beer that springs from the Cooper farm. Farmer James Cooper reckons quality and consistency are essential whether he’s fattening a Simmental heifer or bottling a Lakeman Brewing beverage. He claims hard graft is needed to produce superior bovines and sublime beverages, and that both rely on pristine water sources.
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Libby O'Brien
Angler and adventurerIn 90 seconds, Taupo fisherwoman and adventurer Libby O’Brien can cycle from her house to the lakefront. From there, it’s a 15-minute ride to her senior role at the Department of Conservation office. Within half an hour, she can pedal to her favourite mineral hot pools to soak away aches after an active weekend of fly fishing, boating, skiing and – more often than not - falling off her mountain bike.
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Steve Manunui
Whakapapa Ski Area Manager - Ruapehu Alpine LiftsFor Steve Manunui, noticing trivialities may be a matter of life and death. Minor details count while working on the side of a mountain, where a little too much wind, the wrong clothing or a moment’s inattention can have dire consequences.
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Kim Forsythe
Founder, Baked With LoveDon’t be fooled by the contemporary ‘shipping container chic’ that seems to set Taupo’s Baked With Love premises apart. That sleek industrial façade disguises the soul of an old-fashioned farmhouse kitchen, where founder Kim Forsythe's tempting dishes and decadent special occasion cakes are scattered with violas, cornflowers and edible petals from her home garden.
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Lynden Over
Glass artist, Lava GlassGlass artist Lynden Over’s award-winning style is distinctive and striking. Working in front of a roaring furnace, he twists and blends molten canes of coloured glass together in a painterly way, swirling and stippling the colour in layers to create dramatic, weighty glass vessels that are sought-after by collectors around the world.
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Zhi Yuen Yap
Doctor, hiking guide, photographer“They say a photograph tells 1000 words, but for me, a photograph only tells part of the story. When you look at a photograph, you are missing out on the sensation of the area, being out there in the cold and the wind.
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Paul Froggatt
Executive chef, Huka LodgeFor nearly 100 years, the Huka Lodge kitchen has fed guests who come from around the world to catch trout in the luminescent blue-green Waikato River beside the luxury lodge. For five years, chef Paul Froggatt has led Huka Lodge’s kitchen.
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