Editor’s letter
Beautiful New Zealand will always be home, but after moving to Melbourne in my 30s, I became a big fan of the “world’s most liveable city”. I fell for the fabulous fashion, food, footy, laneways, galleries, gardens, markets, trams ... My list of things Melbourne does well goes on and on.
But one thing I didn’t expect to fall in love with was the races. When I first arrived there, I looked twice at the ladies flocking to Flemington in their crazy big hats and heels, and thought it really wasn’t for me. My, how I flipped on that one! After one season working on the Spring Racing Carnival for Channel Seven, I was hooked. I caught the fever!
The horse races were thrilling – especially the Melbourne Cup – but I also went wild for the buzz of the Bird Cage, where all the celebs were decked out in their finery. And yes, I came to love the big headwear!
Back in Aotearoa, there are fewer race events – but my hubby and I still adore a day at the track. And last weekend was just the best. Not only did we have the buzz of getting dressed up, sharing race tips and having a little flutter at Ellerslie, but we hosted 38 Woman’sDay readers for the fun day out. Thanks to a great competition we ran in the magazine with our friends at Colgate Optic White, we brought together the most wonderful group of readers from all over NZ for the Derby Day races.
I wasn’t so lucky with the bets, but I didn’t care. I was too busy making new friends from New Plymouth, Hamilton, Rotorua, Dunedin, Masterton, Wellington, Christchurch, Taupo and Auckland too. Not only was it a privilege to learn about their lives and hear about their fondness for Woman’sDay, but it was also so gorgeous to watch people take a happy day out from their busy worlds and make new friendships through the magazine. It was the ultimate escape for just one magical afternoon.
Keep in touch, lovely readers! I’m sure we’ll meet again.