We’ve all heard of ‘man caves’, but there are so many inspiring garden buildings, including the ‘she shed’. Check out these beautiful projects from NZ and around the world, most made on a small budget and out of recycled materials.

If you like the long green cucumbers, you're going to love these extraordinary orbs.

Some businesses are disguising their employees  as volunteers, so are you breaking the law when you host a wwoofer from another volunteer scheme?

Cycling the exotic island of Madagascar provides a lesson in the country's economy, as well as one in humanity.

If you only think pesto when you think of basil, Jenny has some recipes to tickle your tastebuds.

Spice up your homemade burgers with a good dollop of peanut butter relish.

Mexican photographer Carla Danieli had never spent time on a farm before her stay on a remote station in the Waihopai Valley.

Mary Biggs started with Le Cordon Bleu, detoured into lemon cordial and is now back to basics with a country cooking school, sharing the bounty of her beloved farm.

Feeding a crowd?  Annabel Langbein's zesty salmon dish with Nam Prik sauce is ready in 20 minutes.

It's a garden harvest special in this week's water cooler as we share tips for growing pumpkins, harvesting fruit and transforming mature lettuce into a delicious soup.

Chris Parry, drummer for the iconic 1960s band Fourmyula and manager of British bands the Jam and the Cure, left New Zealand 50 years ago expecting never to return. But that was until he found a soul-soaring piece of turf he now calls home.

Polly gets wet feet during the storm and discovers she has to reap what she sows.

Visual artist Rebecca Swan's exhibition at the Auckland Arts Festival transforms dead animals into works of art.

Serial entrepreneur Pic Picot has learned that nothing pays better than peanuts.

Ghosts, nudie photographs and a Pacific slave trade - Lisa Scott takes a tour of Port Chalmers and discovers a few skeletons in the closet of this Dunedin suburb.

In the water cooler this week: Emma has a double take at Twin Peaks,  Nadene isn't peachy about the weather and Kate and Tracey go green.

The award-winning owners of Lonely Goat say the costs of compliance are nothing to yodel about, and explain why they are working for love, not money.

A favourite gluten-free recipe from Mary Bigg's Country Cooking School.

Two brothers have turned a patch of Wanaka into a lavender business in full bloom.

Although losing her sight meant the end of artist Juliet Jackson’s love affair with painting, it sparked a new-found passion for the written word.

In the two years since the proficiently self-sufficient Vinbrux family of Oamaru first captured the hearts of NZ Life & Leisure readers, for their ability to live well on food expenditure of $90 a week, the family has branched out and taken Oamaru food retailing by storm.

These chewy and gooey bite-size sweet treats are not only delicious, but gluten-free.

It’s completely inedible when raw and dangerous to cut up, with a heady, perfumed scent that is completely at odds with its appearance. Sound like your kind of fruit?

Monique Fiso is one of the most innovative young chefs in Maori and Pacific cuisine, but it took a job halfway around the world for her to discover her true passion.

At a time when travel bans and giant walls place severe strain on international relations, Polly reflects on the kind hospitality she received in the Middle East.

A love of beautiful things- particularly weddings- has transformed the lives of a Southland family from the ground up.

Use a mild-flavoured honey, such as blue borage, in this toasted sesame version of the classic treat.

At Farewell Spit NZ Life & Leisure staff Cheree Morrison and Jane Ussher saw nature at its most beautiful and most cruel.

The smooth, creamy texture of avocados makes them a great ally in baking. Give these delicious recipes a try.

We take a guided tour through three very different food forests at different stages in their lifecycle.

This week in the water cooler: Nadene is seeing stars in Hunua, Emma has gone to the dogs (again) and Cheree goes banana(grams).

When a crane swung two shipping containers over the treetops of a cherry orchard it signalled the start of a new way of life for the Heeringa family.

A sacred forest in Bali’s Ubud is both a conservation area for monkeys and a place where humans strive to reach physical and spiritual well-being in accord with Hindu principles.

Turn a bean overload into three fantastic summer dishes.

The Mussel Inn beats at the heart of Golden Bay's creative, organic community. Its music-loving owners created it with grit, vision... and a bit of inspiration from Bob Dylan.

Basil, parsley, rocket - use whatever greens you have growing in your garden to make this zesty pesto.

A multi-tasking Kiwi with a passion for saving animals has set up a special sanctuary on her lifestyle block just outside Melbourne.

Many people have a dream to become artisan cheesemakers. It was 20 years in the making for Adrian and Jill Walcroft of Cartwheel Creamery, but they’re maturing nicely.

In Polly Greek's blog this week: when a Pekin duck goes missing, James goes on stoat-catching duty.

Dunedin writer Lisa Scott went adventuring in the Abel Tasman National Park, north west of Nelson, and came away reeling.

She may be berthed close to the super yachts of the world’s well heeled at Auckland’s Silo Marina but the Moerangi is no flash-n-crass gin palace.

Use strong honey, such as manuka, so the flavour permeates this rich and sticky pork dish. To make it easier to carve, ask your butcher to remove the bone from the pork.

An Anglo-American couple find their adventurous spirit by swapping international careers for a Golden Bay distillery and its stock of barrel-aged rum.

This is a garden of no soil that supplies the award-winning Riverstone Kitchen with its fresh vegetables and fruit all year-round, and it's a work of art.

Cows and sheep aren’t the only creatures enjoying the bucolic life — holiday-making families can too. as farmers look for new ways to diversify, home-stays and holiday rentals, even posh camping sites – are on the rise.

Young boys run wild on Polly's  family camping trip.

The following recipe is fast, low fuss and delicious. It is ideal for feeding a crowd at the family bach.

Surf-loving foodies Jason and Melissa Philips downsized and relocated to the Wairarapa to give their hand-rolled burrito business the best chance of catching a big break.

This family of five lives in a 20m², off-grid and smart phone-free home with a composting toilet and a shower they share with the sky.

As a teenager Minnie Baragwanath was told her disability would limit her life. But the winner of the 2013 Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award is determined to make a difference for the lives of disabled people.

Carine Claudepierre shares a  dairy-free, egg-free breakfast option inspired by tapioca.

Less than 100km away from the 1.4 million people who make up Auckland is an island of the self-sufficient. Great Barrier Island resident and author Lindsay Wright checks out some of his industrious neighbours.

It’s been a flavourful career for Kohu Road founder Greg Hall. There’s a pinch of everything in his recipe for success – and the outcome is simply delicious.

Cashew cream is an easy to make dairy-free alternative to whipped cream.

Life is a movable feast for these house-bus-living, fun-loving, free-spirited ‘gypstas’.

If you're looking for something fresh and fancy for Christmas lunch this year, give this balsamic strawberry bruschetta a go.

A Christchurch paddleboard entrepreneur is riding a steady wave of growth.

Learn how to look after your citrus this summer - and look after yourself with this yummy ice cream recipe.

A South Island couple takes on two run-down old rail carriages and, in doing so, embarks on a long, exhausting – and ultimately very rewarding – journey.

For more than half a century, this classic launch has been a summer base afloat. 

Today’s needs, tomorrow’s changes and even resale appeal need to be taken into account when designing the rooms in your home.

In a parched and withering place, a New Zealand photographer gets instruction on how to live.

A universal truth is the power of three. In the coastal township of Raglan, three adored baches subscribe to that hypothesis.

Fun and freedom on a budget? Or the family holiday from hell? Traveling some 1200 kilometres from Christchurch to Auckland in a campervan with two small children isn’t everyone’s idea of heaven. But this family survived… and then some.

This has to be the most divine cordial ever. I can never make enough of it. You just need a small amount in a glass topped up with water and you'll be in heaven. This is how one writer describes it.

From sexy swimsuits to silky separates, skin-baring tops to transparent jumpsuits, summer is all about show.

Polly debates whether to boycott Christmas and celebrate the Summer Solstice instead.

Louise McNutt thought climbing into a wolf den was the biggest challenge she’d face in her animal-focused career, until she chose to ride the length of New Zealand on horseback.

In the final water cooler of 2016: Anna Tait-Jamieson shares her shellfish secrets, Cheree has her eye on the prize and Kate is all tied up in knots.

A storybook house in the towering mountains offers an adorable princess, talking animals, a modest prince and a very funny mummy. She's a comedy writer, he's a beekeeper- meet the Dunbars.

Running out of present ideas for the practical person in your life? NZ Lifestyle Block editor Nadene Hall's gift list might provide inspiration.

These Yoyos are guaranteed to melt-in-the-mouth. This classic sweet treat is quick to make and will no doubt be an absolute crowd pleaser.

This week in the water cooler: we get very confused watching Westworld, make green pizza bases and are screaming for ice cream.

She may have named her first craft beer after a famous lipstick, but brewer Ava Nakagawa is certainly not making beer just for the girls.

Central Otago artist Deidre Copeland's paintings are immediately recognizable . Big canvases. Hyperrealism. She talks to Nathalie Brown about her career and crazy lifestyle.

The Pitches Store chef shares his award-winning recipe for Green Tea Smoked Silver Fern Farms Reserve Beef with Beetroot Mustard.

Spring might be over, but there is plenty of pollen still in the air. Listed below are a few of the potential culprits, and it's probably not what you might think.

He’s interested in how everything is interconnected; she in the personal story of her clients. This pair of Sydney-based Kiwi architects continue to make their mark on both civic and private jobs

There may be a few hills to climb and you could well be subjected to a little karaoke, but this trek through some of New Zealand’s best scenery does good in more than one sense.

For a woman who really loves black and white, Wellington businesswoman Liz Stringer lives a most colourful life, split between town and country.

Sally Maguire’s dog knew a thing or two when it introduced its owner to the love of her life, Helmut Hirler. They walk us through their beautiful home and art gallery, 'Artmosphere' .

There is always an easy way and a hard way to do something, and Christmas cake is no different.

David Elliot loves nothing more than a good story. As luck (and hard work) would have it, his country-spanning, award-winning, character-rich career has bestowed him with plenty of content.

The NZ Life & Leisure spring luncheon was huge success, raising $6500 for Ranui House.

Starting a backyard herbal enterprise can be a viable means of earning extra cash. Donna Lee of Cottage Hill Herbs spills her secrets to success.

Top go-karter Tiff Chittenden is teaching a new generation of speedsters how to tackle the track.

This month the Off-Topic Book Club do a podcast about a case made famous by a podcast when they review Adnan's Story by Rabia Chaudry.

Sheryl welcomed her husband Tony into their marriage by giving him the key to her  fabulous 56-year-old fin-tailed Ford.

As the weather starts to warm up, it is prime time to start sprouting flowers, fruit, vegetables, and herbs in your home garden.

Jason & Tristin Dickey talk us through how they brought superyacht technology down to size in a range of luxuriously fitted aluminium boats.

Featuring New Zealand's largest earthbag buildings, tipis, a permaculture garden and solar energy, Raglan's Solscape eco-camp is leading the way in sustainable tourism.

Livestock being moved around a property can become unsettled, and that can be dangerous. Here's five ways you can keep things under control.

A burgeoning, and bespoke, perfume business strays no further than nature’s garden for ingredients

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but what do Game of Thrones, a jigging Irishman and Bill Clinton have in common? Belfast

This week in the water cooler: we sing the praises of stained glass, wax lyrical about goats and make delicious yet unpronounceable sauces.

Hazelnuts are still a niche product in New Zealand but they have the potential to be the country’s main nut crop.

Hurricane Hallinan, aka the country’s liveliest gardener Lynda Hallinan, shows us her spring makeover in time for another charity fundraiser.

Thieving sparrows,  heartless geese, breathless theatre and treasured faces: things that we were talking about in the thisNZlife office this week

When you’re considering security options for your farm, you’re probably considering the obvious: alarm system, gate alarm, dog, automatic lights, security cameras, but have you considered the humble goose?

How to identify birds and encourage birdlife in your backyard.

Regional councils around NZ are introducing new rules around farming, and you need to know how they may affect what and how you do things on your block.

As the mudbrick  house construction progresses, Polly finds some workers are more help than others.

Meet the Williamsons: global merino suppliers raising a tribe of small boys and creating real socks appeal in Omarama.

New Zealand-made Zenkuro sake is ranked among the world's best.

Looking for something special to bake? Why not try Simon Wright's Lemon Meringue Pie.

If you want to emulate the soft, frothy hues of a cottage garden, these six flowers are a good start.

In a two-part series, Dr Libby fronts up to a question about nutritional deficiencies.

Try these gluten-free alternatives to a standard wheat-based pizza crust.

The kids play in the bush and fish in the stream. The adults work from home creating toys that win awards.

Wellington tea maker’s three herbal blends are led by gut instinct, ensuring what’s tasty also nurtures body and mind.

There are two types of suitcase packers in this world, writes Polly Greeks, the  Johnny-Go-Lightlies and the Just-In-Case packers.

More than half the food thrown out by Kiwi households could be eaten.

Designer Katrina Hobbs is an expert at reinvention. From travel-show host to soap star, business presenter and now business owner, she takes a role and runs with it.

Jenny Drury is finding success with fashion label Ketz-ke by focussing on wholesale and supporting New Zealand retailers.

A Havelock North's desire to support  Pacific Island farmers has led to sweet business success.

A gravity driven watering system is just one of the innovations in use at an organic watercress farm in Raglan.

Cheree Morrison takes a walk in the well-worn running shoes of Fiona Hayvice, one of the world’s top ultra-marathon athletes.

A new wwoof-er demonstrates his unfamiliarity with wholefoods and a spiral staircase sends the family’s spirits to heaven.

For organic month, Kiwi firm, All Good Organics shares with us a recipe for delicious banana bread waffles and whipped coconut cream

You may think of all natives as friendly plants, but two common ones have a deadly secret.

Fans of the wood-burning stove explain why they find an old-fashioned form of cooking far more satisfying than modern gadgetry.

Dunedin style icon Barbara Brinsley says she isn't afraid to stand out in a crowd.

The Off-Topic book Club raves about The Light Between Oceans, by M L Stedman.

A personal quest for work/life balance is at the core of a new restaurant and wellness centre run by a top chef and his yogi wife.

What does it take to captain a rugby team through to win two successive World Cups? A new documentary tries to capture the man behind the hype

Dr Sea Rottman will soon depart on an all-female expedition to Antarctica - just one of many adventures in her life.

This week in the thisNZlife office: We're feeling inspired by a wee spring lamb, try some strange fruit and find hares in the garden.

This delicious wheat free bread takes a little planning but is easy to make.

It's not easy being an organic beekeeper when bees can forage as far as 5km for their food.

In the first of a new series, Dr Libby tackles a problem head on.

The big city beckons for a Kaitaia local, but sometimes the hitting the jackpot comes with a price.

Elsie Hall's patented plant creations are the celebrities of the lavender world

A bubbly soapmaker has turned her favourite hobby into a cottage industry on her Otago small block.

Former Auckland art dealer Anna Bibby ignored the voices that told her she was bonkers and upped and moved to small-town France for a life tres tranquille

The last thing you need is for your orchard to look neat and tidy, at least not ground level anyway.

Part of the fun of owning a small flock is hatching eggs, whether by natural means or with a little mechanical intervention.

A delivery business with a twist boosts returns for a Gisborne orchard.

Leeks are a vegetable that Kristina loves and hates, and then she gets baking.

Height is no limit for Dale Thomas. New Zealand's champion tree climber is just as comfortable at the tops of giant trees as he is with two feet on the ground.

The fabulous walnut is a tasty treat for the home orchard owner, or a potential future crop with New Zealand’s climate meaning we can produce high quality nuts.

David Stedman is doing his artisan bit to keep our digitally drenched society in love with paper.

In a parched and withering place, a New Zealand photographer gets instructions on how to live.

The wind-up to spring planting is starting, and one big decision is going to have year-long repercussions.

This week in the water cooler, we savour the new season grapefruit, say hello to Talking Tom and make the best crackers EVER

If you have a wet or swampy area, fence it off, plant something that thrives on wet soils, and turn it into a thing of beauty.

If you’re tired of pushing yourself to do the lawns get our tips on how to buy possibly the biggest investment in a single product you’ll make when you live on a lifestyle block.

To cement their partnership, Antonia de Vere and Mark Seeney got married. Now they combine their talents in one very creative business, Markantonia

The Screen Sirens discuss why you should binge-watch the Lightbox drama UnREAL.

The after-effects of a dry summer will still be with you this spring.

This shipping container uses every square inch to nurture the future of country kids, and the adults too.

Sue Moody explores Auckland's magenta cycle way - by foot.

Farm trips for the kids, a movie that made our heart sing and yet more dogs... things that got us talking in the thisNZlife office this week.

Romance has fulled the revival of a family's much-loved 60-year-old Land Rover.

Searching for forebears takes an exciting turn for two NZ Life & Leisure writers.

There’s an element of Wonderland in interior designer Anya Brighouse’s home but this creative force is anything but out of control

Sometimes you may need to help an injured bird, and sometimes its best to leave it alone.

Taranaki-born Jamie Tuuta is enhancing the potential of Maori land and assets in his role as the Maori Trustee

Are your ewes due to lamb? Are you ready? Here are some things to consider.

An architect designed his dream house on the shores of the Kaipara using coolstore panels.

This week in the water cooler: we make new discoveries on Netflix, search for the perfect umbrella tree and plan survival strategies for The Food Show

Mulching is an easy way to protect your soil until you’re ready to use it in spring.

Book reviewer Miranda Spary sees the world differently after reading The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent.

The late Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka created a revolutionary way of farming that has no plowing, no fertiliser, no weeding and no pesticides.

When you live on a little island in the middle of a big ocean, you have to make your block of land pay its own way in the most self-sufficient manner possible.

Daniel Gudsell turns a customer complaint into a thriving, environmentally friendly wood business.

A wine producer is allowing her creative spirit to pop while exploring the Chinese heritage of Central Otago.

Caught out by the weather while visiting the UK or Ireland? Here are four great museums to visit on a rainy day.

Pests are tricky, secretive creatures and it can be difficult to know if you have a small problem, or a really big one.

Goats and chooks live in harmony in this funky recycled coop in Portland, Oregon.

Winter is a great time to plant your future fruiting trees, but do you know how to do it so you give a tree the optimal start?

The demise of a local coincides with the near-death of the family’s bathroom plumbing.

Kristina  Jenson brews up some great beer-based recipes, including a fabulously decadent chocolate cake.

Most goats have a tendency to nibble first, check the toxicity of a plant later kind of strategy to life, and that can be deadly.

From the creator of Downton Abbey, the Belgravia serves up old-fashioned Dickensian serialised storytelling on a new digital app. But is the medium successful? Kate Coughlan weighs in.

They’re fussy, but tamarillos are a tangy treat, and prolific if you know the secrets to high production.

The enterprising students of Hukerenui School are making a profit from growing maize, lavender and keeping bees.

Two great options for fodder, shelter, shade and firewood can be as simple as a stick in the ground

Noeline Young is a trail-blazer who adores aviation.

The rain fell down and a solution popped up – a young Wellington couple has designed a collection of classy raincoats that are making a splash.

Despite growing up on the cutting edge of the minimal Modernist movement, this interior and architectural designer’s heart is in the past.

A 1926 Grade II Historic Place-listed concrete milk station is seeing a new life as a spectacular Otaki wedding venue.

A well-designed orchard means you can be self-sufficient in fruit all year-round.

Don't overlook this gourmet low calorie vegetable. Jenny Somervell shares three tasty parsnip recipes.

What makes some people great? The documentary Chasing Great, featuring one of our best All Black captains ever, promises some answers.

Apollo Taito is a manager in the mental-health sector, part-time soldier, PhD student,  vegan and animal-rights campaigner.

Cheree Morrison puts pedal to the metal on the Highlands Motorsport Park course in Cromwell.

She made her first pair of shoes out of some car mat, now Dunedin’s Louise Clifton has opened her own shoe school.

No-one likes mud, and it's something you need to manage carefully or the damage to soil can be devastating.

From weird face masks to smart skin patches, there are plenty of beauty trends to help you face the future.

When she began she thought $100 was a good day's takings, now Brownwyn Lowe is helping hundreds of people cure the symptoms of stress.

Don't throw away your banana peels, they are the secret ingredient in this cake.

Busy bees, balls of bliss and a country bumpkin and her pumpkins - things that got us talking this week.

Why all-terrain roller skates are no match for a goat track in the Far North.

This edible flower cheesecake tastes as good as it looks.

A South Auckland grower shares the secrets of her edible garden.

New Zealand has a good climate for growing tea. Here's our guide to making the perfect cuppa from garden to table.

This 30cm dog might be the ultimate Kiwi canine.

Now is a great time to create something pretty and functional for this spring.

Avoid ruffling feathers when buying your first flock with our simple guide.

Gather rosehips and rhubarb to make this yummy winter jam.

A chance vacancy at Olveston Homestead has enabled three generations of the Goldsmith family to polish up a bit of Kiwi history

You can get rid of weeds using everything from a rabbit to a steam gun (but not together).

There's no reason your hens shouldn't live in style. Introducing our coop of the month, the Hönshus-1.

Make these truffles even when passionfruit is out of season.

Pantry adventurer Duncan White shares this gluten-free alternative to this afternoon tea classic.

Easy to grow and delicious, beetroot are a versatile vegetable in the kitchen.

Hey Daddy-O! Meet the Nixon-Sparkes - the coolest bunch of crazy cats to ever shake rattle 'n' roll.

Here’s what will keep you warm and cozy when you fire up your wood burner this winter.

If you like the benefits of keeping chickens, you’re going to love having ducks.

In the first of her fortnightly blogs,  NZ Life & Leisure columnist Polly Greeks shares an update of life in her mudbrick off-the-grid home in the Far North.

An Asian spin on a winter Kiwi classic from Japanese-born cooking tutor Sachie Noumura.

A Waikato farming family takes the cow by the teats and markets its own jersey milk.

Riding 300 kilometres on the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail can be hard work  but it’s worth every turn of the wheel.

On foot through northern Southland’s high country and on board a helicopter to the roof of the world – a weekend in Southland is an awfully big adventure.

The peony is one of the most beautiful flowers in the world, but it’s what it grows beneath the soil that has turned into a unique business for one Nelson couple.

Aucklanders have a brand new $28 million foreshore on the Manukau Harbour at Onehunga, Sue Moody goes exploring.

A picture-perfect lavender farm, is just one of a bunch of businesses nourished by a Kurow dairy farm.

A series of chance encounters with volkswagens has steered an Auckland family to a love of vintage campers.

What started as an idea to spread some sweetness throughout Wellington has blossomed into a national charity movement.