Freya Hill | Stories

A Brief and Unusual Obligation

It was a brief interaction. He was in need of help but unwilling to accept it and clearly prone to impulse. Me, just a woman out for a morning jog, not expecting to have the fate of another life placed into my hands before I’d even had my morning shower. I had noticed him as I…

All This Love If You Need It

One out of four seemed a reasonable turn out, given our geographical spread these days. For Dad’s birthday last weekend, I was the sole kidult physically present to wish him a happy birthday. But on the morning of his birthday, there was a kind of digital party created, with first a video call to my…

Some Kind of Wonderful

The photo above was taken at the island Tiri Tiri Matangi. It’s a magical place, in the Hauraki Gulf and accessibly by a ferry from downtown Auckland. Going there feels special because you can only approach it by boat, and only a few people are able to stay each night. It also feels like one…

Don’t Fear The Reaper : La Plagne Part II

And so there I was, sliding down the slopes of La Plagne in Savoie, with Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ playing on a loop in my head. That 70s guitar riff playing out in my head as I did my best to control my speed and follow the girl in front of me,…

You’re Not The Girl You Think You Are : La Plagne Part I

He said “But Freeeeyaaaa, you must reeelaxxxxx” his teeth parting in a smile while still clutching half a cigarette. I’d said it was fine for him to smoke as we took the ski lift together, in my desperate attempt to appear not as uptight as I obviously was. On the list of things that might…

By George! Trends in Brands’ Names

What a shameless ploy, to use the image of a famous hollywood hunk to grab your attention. Can you name him though? Did I hear you say ‘George Clooney?” – By George, you’re right! ‘George Clooney,’ is probably the best known of the #brand’s going by the name ‘George’ at the moment, but he is…

Liquid Gold: Lewis Road Creamery and Whittakers Chocolate’s Co-branding success

“It’s a world gone made” muttered the Saturday supermarket shopper, as he pushed his trolley passed the queue waiting patiently near the milk section of the New World supermarket. The queue had about 12 people in it when I walked by at 12.30pm. According to the staff member I talked to, the queue had…

A Modern Preoccupation: Pure and Deep Play Review

We were late. We’d spent too long at the bar anticipating how great Toa Fraser’s new play – Pure and Deep– would be that when it came to the crunch we only allowed a few minutes to find a parking space in central auckland on a rainy saturday night. It must have made a bit of…

Dunedin: A Quirky, Playful Intellectual City

We took the bus to the seaside on the Sunday morning. We walked along the Dunedin foreshore in the sunshine wearing winter jackets and sunglasses,. Saint Clair beach turned out to be a lovely place to spend our last day in the city of Scarfies, and after enjoying a meal at a busy cafe (clearly the…

Home Grown: Home, Belonging and Identity

The young lawyer wrote fervently; the remnants of his lunch pushed aside as he took notes with pen and a hastily produced paper. I was discussing the legal definition of a dwelling, over lunch on the weekend. The four of us young professionals were seated around a table at a busy cafe and I was outlining…