Afternoons for Monday 17 March 2025

1:15 Maya swims everything

On Friday teenage marathon swimmer Maya Merhige swam across the cook straight

She made the 22km journey in 14 and a half hours.  And as if that doesn't sound tough enough for you, she did it overnight. 

It's all part of her quest to complete the world's seven toughest ocean swims and raise money for Cancer Research.

1.25 Paul Patterson's latest restaurant in Ōhope

We're heading to the beachside town of Ōhope now, to catch up with a Kiwi-Fijian chef who's recently put down roots there.

Paul Patterson has had a hand in opening dozens of restaurants overseas and had a colourful career before that as an auto engineer, a drain layer, and a security guard to name a few. But it was the food business back in Aotearoa that he wanted to land in, and after some trial and error, he's opened a harbourside restaurant.

Six months in, bookings at The Fisherman's Wharf are steady and Paul has become known for fishing out of the window. Jesse catches up with Paul to see how it's going and how his life is post-Bachelorette

1.35 The hot air balloonist

It's that time of year where the Hamilton skies fill with bright and busy-patterned balloons.

Hot air balloon enthusiasts and spectators alike will gather to enjoy five days of Balloons Over Waikato.

Among the pilots will be Michael Toulson, who's been flying for 13 years.

He's also flown competitively in Australia, Europe and Asia, and what's more, he hand-sews his own balloons.

2:10 Television Critic: Yellowjackets, Adolescence, Daredevil

Brooks Alexander has been glued to his TV and he's got some recommendations. He also has some reckons on the new season of The White Lotus. 

2:20 Information Center Cold Call: New Plymouth

The plan: choose an iSite completely at random. 

Jesse calls them and tries to engage as normally as possible with whoever picks up on the other end, ideally learning a bit about their town and them. 

It could be a lovely chat, it could be a total disaster. Listen in to find out. 

2.30 Expert Feature: The art of Petit Gateaux

Today we're talking about the art of making Petit Gateaux.  

These beautifully presented desserts traditionally have a rich, creamy filling and are normally less than five bites in size 

Maxine Scheckter is a French trained pastry chef who has honed her craft working in Paris, London and here in New Zealand.  

She's the owner and director of Sugar Flour Pastry School in Wellington and has just released her debut cookbook Patisseries Made Simple - The Art of Petits Gateaux.

Text your pastry questions or email at jesse@afternoons.co.nz

3:10 Feature interview: BTS at a Japanese school 

Serve lunch, scrub the floors and then learn about maths and reading. It's how the day goes for primary school students in Japan where character building is prioritized alongside academics.  

Filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki is half-British, half Japanese and grew up near Osaka. Now she tries to unpack Japan's traditions to help the world understand what makes the country so unique. She reveals both the strengths and hidden costs of teaching discipline and collective responsibility in her Oscar nominated documentary, "Instruments of a Beating Heart".   

You can watch the film for free here on the DocEdge website. 

3:35 Here Now

This week's installment of Here Now with Kadambari Raghukumar sees her visiting Happiness House in Queenstown. 

It's a community based, drop-in center, providing support services for the Whakatipu District.  

3:45 The pre-Panel

Wallace Chapman and producer Sam Hollis join Jesse in the studio to preview tonight's instalment of The Panel.