This text file contains detailed information about an audio recording on PrideNZ.com. It includes the following sections: DESCRIPTION, SPEAKERS, SUMMARY, KEY CONTENT TIMESTAMPS [HH:MM:SS], TRANSCRIPT WITH TIMESTAMPS [HH:MM:SS], HUMAN VERIFIED TRANSCRIPT, KEYWORDS, REFERENCES, RELATED CONTENT AND FOOTNOTE. 

## START DESCRIPTION
The title of this recording is "Vinegar Hill - Gwenllian Davies". It is described as: Will Hansen talks to Gwenllian Davies about camping at Vinegar Hill. It was recorded in Vinegar Hill / Putai Ngahere Domain, Manawatū-Whanganui on the 29th December 2025. The duration of the recording is 7 minutes. The content in the recording covers the 2020s decade.
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## START SPEAKERS
Gwenllian Davies is being interviewed by Will Hansen.  Their names are spelt correctly but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document.
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## START SUMMARY
In conversation with interviewer Will Hansen, Gwenllian Davies shares a vivid account of camping at Vinegar Hill during the Christmas and New Year period of the 2020s, weaving together engagement, recovery, queer community, magic, memory and hope for the future of this iconic rainbow gathering space in Aotearoa New Zealand. A first visit to Vinegar Hill took place the previous summer after alternative New Year plans unexpectedly collapsed. Arrival occurred without camping equipment, resulting in a restless attempt to sleep in a car. Despite discomfort, the atmosphere of generosity and welcome left a powerful impression. Strangers offered warmth, friendliness and connection. That early experience made one thing clear: a return with proper planning was essential. The following year brought a more intentional stay. Arrival on 22 December allowed time to settle into camp life before Christmas Day. The environment at Vinegar Hill is described not simply as a campsite but as a space infused with grounding energy. As a health practitioner and practising witch with a love of herbs, natural medicine and ritual, Gwenllian speaks about magic as something mental, focused and deeply connected to intention. Preparation for market day included writing personalised spells drawn from a carefully assembled book intended as a gift for others at the gathering. Christmas Day by the fire became unforgettable. Under moonlight and candlelight, a spell written in the moment transformed into a marriage proposal. When Kayden asked for a spell, reflection sparked a realisation that the most powerful spell available was commitment itself. Words were read aloud beside the fire before kneeling to ask for marriage. Acceptance followed, creating an engagement shaped by flame, night sky and collective presence. The proposal felt spontaneous yet inevitable, rooted in both love and the charged atmosphere of Vinegar Hill. The significance of that moment sits within a broader personal context. The year leading up to the gathering had been challenging, including work difficulties, health struggles and recovery from a head injury. Vinegar Hill offered respite. The setting provided time to switch off, rest and breathe. The tone of the interview suggests that the hill carries a particular kind of magic created not only by landscape but by people. The night after the proposal brought another deeply felt experience. A baby bird fell from a tree near the campsite. Attempts were made to keep the bird warm and safe, including sheltering the fragile creature in a car overnight. Despite care and hope, the cold proved too much. The small loss carried emotional weight, especially so soon after an engagement. A decision was made to lay the bird to rest near a significant memorial tree within the camp, a site known for holding ashes and memories. The gesture felt natural, almost guided, linking new beginnings with remembrance. Camping life included Smidge, a two year old Devon Rex cat, adding warmth and companionship to the experience. Engagement, care for the fallen bird and the presence of a beloved pet combined to create a sense of shared domesticity in an outdoor queer gathering space. Vinegar Hill becomes, in this telling, a place where family expands and redefines itself. At the heart of the recording lies connection with queer elders. Time spent sitting around the fire listening to older members of the rainbow community stands out as the most meaningful aspect of the stay. Conversations carried stories of darker decades, resilience during social hostility and the creation of spaces where queer identity could thrive. Listening to those who lived through more difficult eras fostered both gratitude and responsibility. Every person at the hill holds a story. Each narrative contributes to a living archive of LGBTQIA+ history in Aotearoa. Daily journalling formed part of Gwenllian's experience, capturing encounters, insights and reflections. The sense of community is described as generous and grounded. Food, water, lights and small gifts circulated freely. Strangers became connections. Special interests found matching enthusiasm in unexpected places. The hill functions as a temporary village built on shared identity, creativity and mutual care. The memorial tree near the meat market area embodies the continuity of Vinegar Hill. Surrounded by stones, the tree marks a place where ashes have been scattered and beloved pets buried. The site symbolises remembrance, grief and enduring connection. Choosing that location for the fallen bird felt right, aligning a small personal loss with a broader tradition of honouring memory within the community. The memorial tree illustrates how Vinegar Hill holds both celebration and sorrow within the same landscape. Events such as market day and themed gatherings add colour to the programme, yet informal firelight conversations remain the true centre of gravity. Storytelling, laughter and shared reflection carry equal importance to organised activities. In a world described as increasingly hostile toward people under the rainbow umbrella, preservation of memory and community becomes urgent. Protecting queer history, safeguarding stories and creating new memories stand out as guiding motivations.
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## START TRANSCRIPT WITH TIMESTAMPS [HH:MM:SS]
I came with my partner, um, for the first time last year, and we stayed for New Year's only. Um, we were supposed to stay somewhere else, um, but that plan fell through, so we ended up at the hill with no gear and attempted to sleep in my car, but we did not sleep. But we had such a lovely time and everyone was so lovely and friendly that we're like, we need to come back next year with a real plan tent. Be comfortable, and now we're here. And it's been such an awesome, awesome [00:00:30] time. So we arrived on the 22nd. And we've been here since, um, Christmas Day, under the moon by the fire I proposed to Caden. Oh, he said yes, he did say yes. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Do you wanna talk more about that? Oh yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I dunno. I just, I just got absolutely caught up in the moment. So I am a, I'm a health practitioner, but I'm also a practicing [00:01:00] witch and I like herbs and I like. Natural medicine and, and that kind of stuff. And magic is very, very mental, um, and very, very kind of like grounding. And so I was going, I'm gonna write out some spells and I'm gonna throw them into the fire and write them out for people. And I have a whole book, book of spells to, to pass on. That's my gift for market day. Um, I like to collect trinkets. Um, but I was, I was, I was writing spells for people by the fire, and Caden asked me for a spell. And I [00:01:30] was like, what is the biggest spell that I can cast right now? Um, and I was like, if I don't do this now, I'm never gonna do it. So I, I started reading out the spell that I wrote, and I went down on one knee, um, by candlelight and by file light, and I asked Caden to marry me. Yeah. Uh, why was it important to do that at Vinegar Hill? [00:02:00] I don't know. That's okay. Um, so I got very, very swept up in the moment. We've had a really weird time at the hill. Um, this year has been incredibly, incredibly challenging for us. I, I, I've had a lot, a little bit of work trouble. I've had a lot of health issues. I had a head injury prior to coming here, so I've been recovering from that. So this time has been really, really good just to kind of switch off and relax. But there is definitely a magic in this place. The night after I [00:02:30] proposed, we found a baby bird that had fallen out of a tree. Um, so I proposed and then we became parents again. Um, yeah, so we have a, we have our cat camping with us as well, smidge. Um, she's a 2-year-old Devon Rex cat. Um, yeah, it's been really good having her, having her as well, so, yeah. And can you tell me about, um, the community at the Hill, the kind of people that you're surrounded by? Oh my goodness. Everyone has been so, so lovely. I've spent so much time [00:03:00] with queer elders, um, those that made it through the darker times, um, who are just here and everyone is so kind. I've had people feed us. We like, we've had people feed us, we've had people like give us water, trinkets, gifts, lights, um, all manner of things to keep, keep us well and keep us grounded like I've. You know, I've, I've, I've met and chatted with so many people. I've been keeping a journal, like every day I've been here. And it's all positive, lovely things about the [00:03:30] community. I've made so many connections and found people with very weird and very specific special interests that align with mine and have been able to share with them. It's great. It's amazing. It's such a cool, cool space. Yeah. Um. And, uh, um, I'm sorry everybody. I think it's, I'm not used to having everybody watching. Alright. Actually here, here's a question. Could you describe what's going on around this right now? Um, there's a great big crowd of people. Um, [00:04:00] I've spoken to most of them. I don't know some of them, but I will. Sure. I'm sure I will by the end of, um, my time here. I think we're staying until the second, so come catch up with me. Um, yeah, and I'm doing an interview and I'm a little bit scared that there's a microphone in my face. Well, I appreciate your bravery for doing so anyway. Thank you. We are both a little scared together. Yay. Um, can you tell me about the events that are coming up that you're looking forward to for the rest of the week? I'm really looking forward to, I'm really looking [00:04:30] forward to market day. Um, I really loved Bengay today. Bengay was awesome. Um. The UV light party. Um, I think I will attend, but I dunno how tired I will be. I've been quite tired. Um, but for the most part I just love sitting by the fire and chatting with the, the older queer and learning the history of the hill. And yeah, that's probably been the most magical thing, is sharing the, the weird and wonderful stories of, of [00:05:00] life, um, around the fire. That is basically, you said that that is the question I was had in my mind that I completely forgot, is why is it important to you to be connecting with queer elders at the hill? Oh, um, yeah, no, that's massive because there is so much history here. Like there was so much story and so much sharing, and everyone has, everyone here has a story and it's important for that to be shared and saved and kept alive like [00:05:30] it's. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's that we've, we've already lost so much, and the world is incredibly cruel at the moment to anyone that identifies under the rainbow. And to think that we'd lose any of that is a real sadness. And I don't wanna lose any of that. I'd like to collect stories. I'd like to keep memories. I'd like to make memories. Could you tell me [00:06:00] about any of the stories and histories you've learned so far? Um, if, if any feel appropriate to share? Yeah. Yeah. So one story of the hill that I really, really like is the story of the memorial tree. So there is a tree, um, down just past where the meat market is set up. We actually managed to set up our tent opposite that, looking over at it. Um, and it has a whole bunch of stones around it and people. There are people whose ashes were scattered there and there are people whose pets were buried under that [00:06:30] tree when the bird that fell outta the tree, um, died. 'cause it passed away on us that the cold got to it and we had to keep it in my car. That's where we put the bird. And yeah, it just felt like the right place to put it, um, to say goodbye. But that's probably one of my favorite tales of the hill so far. And what do you, what are your hopes for the future of the Hill? That it just keeps getting bigger and stronger, and that the community [00:07:00] stays as lively and vibrant and weird as it is.
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## START HUMAN VERIFIED TRANSCRIPT
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## START KEYWORDS
2020s, Christmas, Coming Up, Events, Gwenllian Davies, People, Space, Stuff, Vinegar Hill / Putai Ngahere Domain, bird, bravery, camping, cats, community, connections, elders, face, fire, future, health, history, journal, love, magic, marriage, medicine, memorial, memorial tree, memory, parents, pets, plan, proposal, queer, rainbow, reading, sleep, tent, time, water, witchcraft, work, writing.
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## START REFERENCES
The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/vinegar_hill_gwenllian_davies.html.
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## START FOOTNOTE
Generated 2026-02-25T20:21:54+13:00.
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