Afternoons for Monday 13 December 2021

1.15 Guess The Mystery Sound 

Ruud Kleinpaste sent us audio of a "mystery sound" and we asked listeners to guess.

Stu got it right - it was the sound of young kingfishers!

1:20 Havelock Marina's new regular visitor!

The Havelock Marina has a new regular visitor - but it's one that requires a bit of space.

Over the last few weeks Havelock locals have spotted a leopard seal visiting the Marina, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) wants to remind people not to get too close.

The last sighting was on Friday - if you live in Havelock we'd love to know if you've spotted the seal in your travels.

Dave Hayes, DOC's Sounds Operations Manager, he talks to Jesse.

1.30 Lavender bush NZ flag to be flagged

The small West Coast town of Reefton is preparing to say goodbye to one of its most fragrant attractions.

Local man John Bougen planted thousands of lavender bushes six years ago to create a floral New Zealand flag.

John Bougen says the flag has run its course. He talks to Jesse about why he created the flag and why it's time to let it go.

1.40 New florist in town is paying it forward before she's even opened up her shop

A new florist has announced their arrival in a small town in the Tararua District in a very generous way.

Thicket owner Sarah Romanos has been dropping bouquets of flowers around the Pahīatua town centre for locals to find and gift on.

People have been posting the flowers on social media and sharing who they have gifted them to.

Sarah talks to Jesse about her unique marketing campaign.

1:45 Great NZ Album

2:10 Television Critic: Linda Burgess

Today Linda talks to Jesse about Chasing Ghislaine on 3 on Demand. She's also been watching And Just Like That on Neon and Found on Netflix.

2:20  Australian Correspondent Brad Foster 

Australian correspondent Brad Foster talks to Jesse about the latest COVID news and state borders opening. He's also talking about a new pop up restaurant in Sydney where the wait staff are being paid to be rude and diners are being encouraged to complain!

2:30 Expert feature: Christmas Day meal ideas

It's that time of the year when the precision and planning of the big Christmas Day meal is in full swing.

Today's expert is chef and food writer Julie Biuso. She joins Jesse to talk about some different delicious menu ideas for the big day and how to avoid disasters and remedy any mistakes along the way.

Julie can answer your questions too, just text 2101 or email jesse@rnz.co.nz.

3:10 Learning new lessons about risk through surf life saving Nippers!

Working as a war correspondent in Baghdad, or covering drug cartels in Mexico City, could not prepare New York Times Australia Bureau chief Damien Cave for the fear he would face when he moved to Sydney. Water. He says learning to swim in the ocean and watching his kids in surf rescue programmes helped him let go of American obsession with safety and dive into the 'give it a go' culture in our part of the world.  He shares what he's learned about building courage, connection and at Sydney's Bronte Beach. 

3:35 Voices

Kadambari Raghukumar talks to Auckland Museum about the new Te Taunga space, a community driven display place, currently hosting the Sudanese diaspora.

3:45 The Panel with Anna Dean and Andrew Hoggard