Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid The words "No alarms and no surprises" in a Radio NZ report on the naming of the All Blacks to play in the tenth edition of the Rugby World Cup, summed up my thoughts... Read More

Weather Eye with John Maunder Rainfalls for the month of July have been recorded in Tauranga since 1898, except for 1904, 1907, 1908, and 1909. The graph for the period 1898-2023 shows the range of rainfalls from an... Read More

Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz This week we're off on a tangent, but first a quick plug for a show. Local singer Mandy Meadows is presenting ‘Piaf - The Legend' in Baycourt's Addison Theatre... Read More

Roger Rabbits with Jim Bunny ADVISORY: LIKE MINCE AND CHEESE PIES, THIS STORY MAYBE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. READ, THEN SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE IF NECESSARY. It was my worst ever pie experience. And 42 years later... Read More

Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid It is no surprise to see Western Bay of Plenty sportsmen and women surface in worldwide top level sporting events. However many local sports fans, would be bowled over... Read More

Weather Eye with John Maunder The ‘Maunder Minimum' is the name given to the period from 1645 to 1715 when the number of sunspots - ‘storms' on the sun - became almost zero. The period is named after... Read More

Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz I know I go on about valuing your feedback on this column. Which is, of course, exactly what I'd say if no one ever emailed; columnists all want to seem popular and engaged. But... Read More

Roger Rabbits with Jim Bunny 'Good ideas are always crazy...until they're not.” Thanks Elon. I take a billionaire's wisdom on board. But my latest idea is going to stay crazy. It's never going to not be crazy.... Read More

Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid Pick up a daily newspaper or flick through the online daily news websites in our country, and you are likely to find headlines such as "Night of crime, five teenagers... Read More

Weather Eye with John Maunder The following data sets and comments are from the climate4you.com website developed by Professor Ole Humlum who is a Danish Professor Emeritus of Physical Geography at the University of Oslo,... Read More

Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz I have a great story to tell you but no space this week. It's like that sometimes. Gigs, gigs, gigs. Even halfway through writing this column I got a call asking if I... Read More

Roger Rabbits with Jim Bunny It's the story of two Olivers, the two very different journeys they took, and the impact they had on me. One simply brightened my day. Brightened my week. It shone through the gloom of cluster... Read More