Contents

COVER : Is it an alien? A prop for a science-fiction movie? No, it’s the face of a common jumping spider found in and around New Zealand homes. The glowing green globes (true colour) are its main eyes. Two pairs of secondary eyes are also visible. The cream-coloured “shaving brushes” in front of the mouth are palps.
CONTENTS - Features :
NORTHLAND’S BURIED TREASURE [At the turn of this century, some 20,000 people dug, sluiced and scoured the swamps and hillsides of Northland in the search for kauri gum. At that time, the resin was one of the country’s most important exports, and it remains one of nature’s most beautiful products];
LOST CROPS OF THE INCAS [New Zealand orchardists, nurserymen and scientists have been at the forefront of a drive to re-establish fruits, tubers and grains which were grown 500 years ago by the Incas in their mountain strongholds in the South American Andes];
EIGHT LEGS, TWO FANGS AND AN ATTITUDE [Love them or loathe them, spiders are hard to avoid. their webs festoon our homes or decorate our trees with elegant architecture, they scuttle out from under debris, or descend in front of our eyes on invisible threads. Though often portrayed as villians and nasties, spiders are mostly harmless, frequently helpful, and lead fascinating lives];
THE END OF THE RAINBOW [Tucked away at the northern tip of the South Island is a place many consider to be as close to the proverbial pot of gold as they are likely to get : Golden Bay. Beautiful, balmy - and far from the main economic streams of new Zealand life. How do the residents of the Bay survive?];
CONTENTS - Departments :
LETTERS; GEONEWS [Takahe are liberated on Tiritiri]; WEATHER [The causes of heavy rain]; SPACE [towards the centre]; COMING UP [What’s in store]; MINI ADS;