Bird and Beach

A dark loaf of sourdough peeks out through the folds of a disco-dancing kererū tea towel.

Sitting in the car with warm loaf of bread in my lap while R pops into the supermarket to pick up some toppings before we go call on my uncle and aunty at their campground.

I did read this when it came out! I've been naughty and not checking this account because everything is a bit chaos around here at the moment, but rest assured, my tea towels are a cotton linen blend and do the job nicely!

Two freshly-baked loaves emerging from one of our kākāriki tea towels. In the background is a glass “lettuce” bowl of garlic butter made with parsley from the garden. All sitting on an end block chopping board.

#Kai

#SundayDinner

Artist designed and made tea towel from birdandbeach.co.nz/product-cate....

End-block chopping board from @paullecomtephoto.nz.

Homemade sourdough and garlic butter from our kitchen.

Sometimes simple is perfect.

4 greeting cards on a blue background. You can see the front of the Pūkeko in a lab coat and Kea Nui cards, the back of the Disco-dancing kererū card, and the blank inside of what must be the Soccer Goalie Takehē card. Again, there's a pen for scale and context.

The cards are all blank inside, so if you want to add your own cheesy message, such as "I kea about you", go ahead and knock your socks off!

Two floral greeting cards featuring original illustrations by Elisabeth Witbrock - Nasturtiums, and Pink Roses, on a blue background

Greeting cards featuring native bird illustrations by Elisabeth Witbrock, on a blue background. Featured are the Tauhou, Tūī and Kererū designs, with the kākā one open so you can see the blank inside (but not the illustration, sadly). There's also a pen in there for scale and context. Product photography, it's an artform all of its own!

The other thing to know is that if you're after greeting cards to send to someone special, Elisabeth hasn't quite gotten around to loading them up on this website yet, but you can find them at www.thesewphist.com/product-cate...

Hey hey, I've been way to quiet, but as soon as I'm done with that painting... that'll change.

In the meantime, we have just a few calendars left, so you can nab them now for $19 + shipping. Available on our website (click the card below) or our Felt store (felt.co.nz/shop/birdand...)

Sorry we've gone really quiet... we're in the painting stage of the workroom renovation, so all our stock is packed away while Elisabeth finishes all the trims (some amazing friends came to help Ryan paint the walls to make sure Elisabeth didn't overdo it with her dodgy arm).
It's coming together!

Bird and Beach New Zealand 2026 Calendar: Montage of the Front cover (Oriental Bay, Wellington); back cover - 12 thumbnails of illustrations of landmarks across the motu; and the May and December pages, showing Lake Wakatipu and Rangitoto Island. All art copyright Ryan Nielson.

It's that time of year when it's hard enough remembering what day it is, let alone whether you're supposed to be back at work yet.

Here's our very scenic solution to this very real problem!

We have a just a handful of calendars left; they're now $25 + shipping.

birdandbeach.co.nz/product-cate...

Bird and Beach New Zealand 2026 Calendar: Montage of the Front cover (Oriental Bay, Wellington); back cover - 12 thumbnails of illustrations of landmarks across the motu; and the May and December pages, showing Lake Wakatipu and Rangitoto Island. All art copyright Ryan Nielson.

It's that time of year when it's hard enough remembering what day it is, let alone whether you're supposed to be back at work yet.

Here's our very scenic solution to this very real problem!

We have a just a handful of calendars left; they're now $25 + shipping.

birdandbeach.co.nz/product-cate...

Speaking of updates, did you know that we also have a Felt shop?

So far we've listed the calendars and some of Ryan's prints there, but over time Elisabeth will get herself sorted and add some of hers too.

And website header updated with a sneaky bit of on brand alliteration. 😊

Welcome to 2026

May your New Year be filled with sun, sand and birdsong!

We need to update the website header, but FYI Bird and Beach are back from our holiday, please feel free to order anything you want from our website!

Birdandbeach.co.nz

Panorama of Lake Donne, in Hakatere Conservation Park, under a bright summer sky. Not the lake I swam in, but plenty of high country scenery to soothe the soul.

My actual swim was very brief, and I got congratulated on my bravery as I came back out. Laughs all around as I explained that that was today’s shower taken care of.

As we head into the festive season, I wish you all the kind of break that involves a swim in a lake in lieu of a shower!

Elisabeth

Cue a parental explanation that I was probably letting my body get accustomed to the temperature, and that sometimes that’s an essential part of going for a swim.

She wasn’t wrong… But also, I have never felt as strongly that I was being described just like one does wildlife in that moment.

I officially checked off first swim of the season this morning.

As I waded into the lake, I spotted a pūteketeke resting on the pontoon, so I was taking it very slowly.

There was a family picnicking on the shore, and a young voice piped up “She’s not moving!”

Thank you!

Thank you!

Bird and Beach Bird and Beach homeware and gifts, featuring original illustrations by Ryan and Elisabeth.

Bird and Beach are officially closed for the holidays!

We have left a few calendars and some of Ryan's prints up on Felt, and will be able to send those out next week, but any orders from our own website will not be processed until next year.

felt.co.nz/shop/birdand...

Bird and Beach Bird and Beach homeware and gifts, featuring original illustrations by Ryan and Elisabeth.

Bird and Beach are officially closed for the holidays!

We have left a few calendars and some of Ryan's prints up on Felt, and will be able to send those out next week, but any orders from our own website will not be processed until next year.

felt.co.nz/shop/birdand...

It’s the final day for 2025 orders for both Thesewphist.com and @birdandbeach.bsky.social today.

Anything ordered after midnight tonight will be processed in the new year.

Bird and Beach – Aotearoa at home Ryan likes to make art inspired by coastal landscapes. Elisabeth likes to draw birds. If you like birds, or beaches, maybe you should sign up to our newsletter. That way we can tell you when there's something new to check out. Located overlooking Te Awakairangi, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kia ora koutou!

Did you know that supporting small, local, artist-owned businesses helps get you on Santa’s “nice” list?

So today’s a good day to remind you that it’s the last day to order from our website if you want delivery this year!

Small ✅
Local ✅
Artist-owned ✅

🎅 ✅ ✅ ✅

Birdandbeach.co.nz

a mad-cool tea-towel featuring a giant Kea biting the Auckland Sky Tower plus some super cute design cards.

Just got some legit Kiwi made gorgeous art goodies from @birdandbeach.bsky.social 🇳🇿💯🔥Stoked!

The team at Next State Print in Melbourne are great! I always go get a test print on paper done first locally, but I can send them my files with good confidence that it's all going to come out beautifully.

Brilliant!

I think our washing machine is particularly rough (it tangles everything, and sometimes manages to unzip the delicates bags). My SIL has the same washing machine and hers is fine - as are her tea towels she has from us.

That’s really good to know! I got a new washing machine right about the time I did the testing with this base fabric, and the super spin feature was a little rough for them, hence the recommendation to use gentle cycles, just in case.

Detail shot of the tabby cat snuggled under the Kiwi’s wing.

Detail shot of the Kiwi’s head. There is light reflected in his glasses, but you can still see the feathers and eyes behind them. While the tv (not shown ( is a decidedly old-school CRT from the 70s, complete with rabbit ear aerial, the remote grasped in n his wing is for a modern smart TV.

Detail from the pōhutukawa tea towel of a section of leaves with the buds about to burst through. On the flowers already in bloom, the tips of the stamens have a speck of yellow pollen.

I’m also really chuffed with how beautifully the fabric shows the details.

I will admit the same thought crossed my mind as I was taking the photo!

Thank you, I was pretty chuffed with how they turned out. 😊

The newest four designs in their wrappers: Bucket fountain; pōhutukawa; Kiwi on the couch, and; IYKYK (if you know, you know).

After a long day battling InDesign and my printer, all the tea towels are neatly pressed snuggled up in their packaging, ready to send out to their new homes.

Am I allowed to be just a little bit pleased with how well they’ve come out after all that work?

A pile of tea towel blanks folded over on themselves, IYKYK (grey and coloured squares reminiscent of the tv test pattern) on top. Behind them in the table are a selection of other designs folded and in their packaging (which shows the image on that tea towel).

Thought you’d missed out on tea towels for the holidays?

Fear not! All the pre-orders have been stitched up and inspected, so the contingency spares are now available to purchase, and we raided our market stock for you too.

Limited stock, don’t miss out again!

birdandbeach.co.nz/product-cate...