Over the years I have purchased and collected lots of lovely goodies which I think would make great Christmas gifts - handmade pieces from other NZ creatives, bird-themed goods and delicious wine etc. So I thought I would compile some of my favourite things, along with some experiences I can recommend, to help inspire you for gift giving this year!
Home Décor
You can’t go past beautiful and considered hand-made home décor items. I follow lots of very talented creatives on Instagram, and have purchased some of these wonderful pieces below. I like how each piece is individually made and one-of-a-kind.
Jo from ‘Bearwood Studio Workshop’ creates handmade small-batch wooden homewares and sculpture all made from recycled & sustainably sourced New Zealand native timber. I absolutely love my perching bird; it was super hard to pick as there’s lots of other birds to choose from too, like penguin and kingfisher!
See Jo’s work at www.bearwood.co.nz/shop/
I love these pretty hand-made ceramics from Deborah Sweeny which I purchased for my art studio. Her work is made from NZ clay, hand blended with NZ volcanic sand which creates a lovely random speckle. She has a wide variety of things to choose from like bespoke bowls and lamps. I got some gorgeous candle holders and little bud vases which I’ve filled with dried flowers from my friend Penny at ‘Blooming hec’.
See Deborah’s work at www.deborahsweeney.com
Capture your special memories
Whether you hire a professional photographer or take photos yourself, there’s something really special about capturing photos of your family and friends.
These are some beautiful examples of photos taken by my friend Georgia (who also took some of the photos of me you can see on my website!). A family photography session gift voucher with Georgia or another photographer is a great way to capture memories you will treasure forever.
See Georgia’s work at Georgiakatephotography on Instagram
Another way to capture fun memories is with a Polaroid camera. It’s so easy to take thousands of photos on your phone and never print them out, so Polaroid’s are a great thing to have at any event or occasion! I’ve taken mine along to family get-togethers, weddings, adventures with friends, and it’s always been a hit. I like to display my favourite photos on the fridge, but you can also buy photo albums especially for Polaroid pictures too.
I purchased mine as a gift pack like this from Harvey Norman, but there’s other brands of similar cameras to pick from too. Also be sure to buy plenty of film too!
NZ native bird prints
I couldn’t really write a Christmas gift guide without cheekily adding in some of my bird prints - so I thought I would share my two most popular artworks at the moment. Fantails are delightful little birds with their friendly nature and are a kiwi favourite. The huia are an iconic native NZ bird which became extinct in the early 1900’s. No videos or photographs exist of them alive, so I undertook extensive research to aim to recreate what they would have looked like.
See the whole range of NZ native birds prints in my shop. However, if you’re unsure which print to get, gift vouchers are also available, so please get in touch here. If you’re buying a print for a gift, I also offer free gift-wrapping and can even write a personalised card too (just add all the details in the ‘notes’ section at check out).
‘Fantail Friends’ available in A4, A3, A2 and A1 size limited edition prints.
‘A Lost Harmony’ available in A4, A3, A2 and A1 size limited edition prints.
Drink
Recently I’ve had a bit of an obsession with collecting hand-made ceramic mugs - they make drinking coffee and tea extra special! A pretty mug would make such a lovely Christmas gift, and you could even pair it up with some loose leaf tea and infuser too.
Sunflower mug by Luni and Sprig
Jellybean mug by Claybird Ceramics
White dipped tumbler by Brock Ceramics
Here’s a beautiful mug by Oka Pottery which are sold in limited releases. These are incredibly popular and often all sell out within minutes, so be sure to set a reminder for the next release at 8pm on the 4th of December!
Wine makes such a great gift and I highly recommend Hawkshead wine! I collaborated with them on fundraising for the Shore Plover, as they are long-time passionate supporters of conservation. All of the wines I’ve tried have been delicious as you’d expect from a boutique winery in Gibbston Valley (Queenstown).
See the range at www.hawksheadwine.com
Hawkshead Pinot Blanc is one of my favourites - a perfect wine for a summer bbq.
Read
It’s always nice to park up with a good book over the Christmas holidays! Below are some of my suggestions for the bird, art and nature lovers.
‘A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of New Zealand’ by Oscar Thomas
‘Excellent Short Walks in the South Island’ by Peter Janssen (or see the North Island one here)
‘Field Guide to Native Trees’ by John Dawson & Rob Lucas
‘Zealandia’ by Jim Lynch
‘The Hunters’ by Debbie Stewart
‘New Zealand Bird Paintings’ by Ray Ching
It feels quite surreal to share that my artwork has been published in a book!! What an honour to have my artwork in a book about Richard Henry, pioneer conservationist and New Zealand's first wildlife ranger.
“Richard Henry’s observations and descriptions of the birds and marine life of Dusky Sound, his close relationship with its wildlife, his valiant efforts to save kākāpō and kiwi from the advancing tide of mustelids sweeping the mainland, and his translocation of the endangered birds to offshore islands, were pioneering contributions to wildlife conservation.”
Buy the book at www.putangipublications.co.nz/
Jewellery
Here’s a selection of some of my favourite jewellery, all hand-made by kiwi artisans.
Feather ring by www.rholenesingleton.com
Albatross necklace is by artist David McLeod which I purchased from Eade Gallery.
Sterling silver ring by www.twisledesigns.com
Experiences
As much as quality hand-made goods are great gifts, I also try to gift experiences where I can too. We’re very lucky in New Zealand these days, in that there are many nature sanctuaries around the country, which make for great gifts - especially for kids and families. My partner Nick and I took our four nieces to Zealandia a few years ago, and we all really enjoyed it! There’s also night tours and other experiences you can buy/gift as well. Google what’s available near you - there’s often really great deals for yearly memberships too. A couple of other similarly great places/experiences include:
Gannet Safaris Overland - Unique wildlife encounter with the beautiful gannet at Cape Kidnappers.
Wingspan Birds of Prey Centre - See our birds of prey up close with their amazing flight displays in Rotorua.
Tiritiri Matangi Island - Take a day trip, or even stay the night at one of NZ’s predator free islands just north of Auckland.
White Heron Tour - join a tour to visit the White Heron Sanctuary, located near Whataroa in stunning South Westland, New Zealand.
Heritage Expeditions - if you’re looking to really spoil someone, check out their tour options of places like NZ’s Subantarctic Islands. I’ve written about my amazing trip with them here.
