Summer Times for Friday 10 January 2025

9:10 Filmmaker David Farrier live from California wildfires

Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from Southern California in the United States where wildfires have been ravaging the area for days after starting in the Palisades.

Five people have died and many homes have been destroyed.

New Zealand documentary maker David Farrier is based in Los Angeles and joins Anna Thomas to share what it's like on the ground.

9:15 Ice cream for Vanuatu

Thomas Bros Orchard near Motueka is well known in the Nelson region for their real fruit ice creams, attracting visitors all summer long.

They've dedicated their busiest day of the season to fundraising efforts for the families of staff members in Vanuatu.

Supervisor Zara Fox joins Anna.

9:25 Timing your coffee consumption may increase benefit

A world-first study into coffee drinking habits and health outcomes suggests drinking coffee in the morning, instead of all day, is linked to a healthier life.

Dr Lu Qi from Tulane University in the United States is the lead author of the study and joins Anna from New Orleans.

9:35 Chef Josh Emett cooking up a menu for sailing royalty

Renowned Kiwi chef Josh Emett has worked his culinary magic in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, honing his craft alongside Gordon Ramsay and earning four Michelin stars.

He's graced our screens on shows like Masterchef and Hell's Kitchen and opened several high profile eateries - most recently Auckland's Gilt Brasserie.

Josh's latest challenge \has been to design a menu fit for the City of Sails as host of the upcoming Sail GP event on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January.

He joins Anna to share a sneak peek into the menu.

9:45 UK correspondent Diane To

Diane To joins Anna from London with updates from the United Kingdom, including Dry January, a new study into cigarette consumption, and the World Darts Championship.

Diane is a London-based journalist who works in video news production, covering all things from international breaking news to human interest stories. She spent most of her career in Hong Kong working in TV news, with a few years making current affairs documentaries. She has many fond memories of living in New Zealand in the early 2000s, when she dipped her toes in broadcast journalism at Radio One down in Dunedin. She did not live on Castle Street, or burn any couches, but has witnessed a fair share of such shenanigans. 

9:55 Geo Jumble

Tune in to see if you can untangle three Asian city names from three given words. Text 2101 with the correct answers.

kickboarding - dramatisable - microbiology

10:08 Road Trip: Ian Griffin

The last year has been a particularly busy one for keen space watchers.

The Aurora Australis has been unusually visible, we've had solar storms threatening our navigation systems, and a rare solar eclipse swept across North America.

For this reason, Otago Museum director and astronomer Ian Griffin has been a regular voice on RNZ's airwaves, keeping us updated on the best times to view these phenomena, and explaining the science behind it all.

Back down to earth, he's in our Christchurch studio today to take us on a virtual tour of his favourite spots in Aotearoa.

Ian's playlist:

• Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol
• Submarine Bells (Chills cover) - Anthonie Tonnon
• Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves

10:45 Museum stop: Cotter Medical History Museum

Today we're stopping at a niche little museum dedicated to healthcare.

Founded by the late Christchurch surgeon Pat Cotter, the Cotter Medical History Museum's collection includes historic artefacts, photos, books, equipment and medical notes spanning two centuries.

His son Paddy Cotter, who now helps manage the museum, speaks with Anna.

11:05 New music: 'Sapphire' by Cammy

Up-and-coming Auckland indie pop musician Cammy (Cameron MacLean) joins Anna Thomas to share his newly-released single, 'Sapphire'. 

11:10 Olivia Shivas: The D*List

Olivia Shivas has worked as a journalist and podcaster for over a decade, dedicating her career to shedding light on the inequities faced by disabled people.

A wheelchair user herself, she's made it her mission to reframe the way disabled people are portrayed in the mainstream.

Now she's taken a more inward focus with an online magazine and community project called The D*List, made by and for the disabled community.

She joins Anna Thomas.

11:30 Breakthroughs in menopause treatment

Despite being around 50 percent of the population, female health conditions have traditionally been studied less, even when they affect a high proportion of women. 

However in recent years there have been some significant breakthroughs including in the treatment of menopause.

Associate Professor Dr Michelle Wise from the University of Auckland shares some of the exciting developments.

11:45 The world's weirdest driving rules

Driving overseas has the obvious challenges - road signs in a different language for starters. But did you know most countries have their own peculiar driving rules and customs?

Auto Trader in the UK has put together a map of global driving etiquette in 180 countries.

Laura McNally from Auto Trader UK joins Summer Times to explain.

11:55 Geo Jumble answers

Did you get the right answers? Tune in for the unscrambled Asian city names.

Kickboarding - Bangkok
Dramatisable - Islamabad
Microbiology - Colombo