Rachel Hunter
Kiwi supermodel turned yogini Rachel Hunter is in Tauranga this month for a special event and book launch for Tour of Beauty.
She will be signing copies of her book Thursday midday at Whitcoulls in Bayfair, Mount Maunganui and then later that evening is holding a Beauty of Soul event at Baypark.
Guests are invited to bring their own cushion and sit with Hunter for an intimate evening of conversation, storytelling, and questions about her travels, wellbeing, and beauty and her newly released book.
In the book, Hunter reflects on how her own ideas about beauty have evolved throughout her life, as she's grown from being the quintessential Kiwi girl-next-door, to being a world-famous super model in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles, to being the loving mother of two children and the host of her own TV show.
The book is not only visually stunning but shares some important messages from around the globe about what defines beauty for all ages. It tells the story of how over the course of a life-changing year, Hunter took on the challenge of looking at how different countries around the world define beauty and wellness.
The book tells the behind the scenes story of the hugely successful television series, Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty.
"As a child, I barely looked in the mirror; my hair was too crazy curly, I had buck teeth, I was tall and lanky. Listen, I'll admit it all worked out in the end! But growing up, I never felt like beauty was important. For me, beauty was nature. There was no judgment or teasing to be found there; in nature I found the love and tranquillity that I was looking for.
"Tour of Beauty was a chance for me to investigate everything that I was already interested in, all the sides to beauty, wellness and spirituality; a chance to take these words that we are bombarded with and squeeze the truth out of them," says Rachel.
From the ancient health practices in China, through to the vibrancy of India, contrasted with the futuristic, forward-thinking beauty worlds of South Korea and Japan, Rachel's Tour of Beauty gave her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not only to gain some of the best wellbeing advice the world has to offer, but also learn the importance of community, authenticity and joy.
As Rachel travelled the world on her quest to understand the true meaning of beauty, she met many people, each of whom shared different parts of the puzzle of wellbeing and long life.
"I wanted to rattle the cage of the beauty industry, to break down the ideas that many of us have about beauty, and to trace some of those ideas back to their roots in order to better understand what it means to be truly beautiful."
the details
What: Beauty of Soul with Rachel Hunter
Where: Baypark, 81 Truman Lane, Tauranga
When: Thursday, October 10, 6.30pm-8.30pm.
Rachel will also be at Whitcoulls Bayfair at midday on October 10.
In this extract from the book, Hunter discusses benefits of Moroccan mint tea:
Moroccan Mint Tea
It wouldn't be a true Moroccan experience if we didn't try the country's traditional mint tea. To the beautiful people of Morocco, this tea goes beyond being a delicious beverage. In fact, serving the tea is seen as a gesture of friendship. This is why you will find the tea being served seven days a week, 24 hours a day — even when you're buying things in the souk, the salespeople will serve you tea while you do your shopping.
Mint tea is by far one of the most popular accessible and loved teas worldwide. It can be enjoyed cold on summer days or warm on a cold winter night. It is not just an enjoyable drink, it also comes with health benefits. The herb mint has been used as a health tonic for thousands of years and many people believe that it has the following medicinal properties:
Digestion: Since mint stimulates the digestive enzymes, when you eat it, it assists the body to absorb nutrients from food and convert them into usable energy. Thus when you consume mint, it will assist with digestion and help your body to use the fuel you're putting into it.
Skincare: Mint can work as an effective skin cleanser as it has antiseptic properties and it also relieves itching. These two effects combined mean that mint will both soothe the skin and help in curing infections. Mint oil is high in salicylic acid which is found in a lot of skincare products because it helps to loosen up dead skin cells. This makes it ideal to help prevent and treat acne.
Fatigue: As mint is a natural stimulant, it can be an excellent way to refuel your body/brain and increase your cognitive ability. If you ever feel anxious or exhausted mint could be your saviour! You can either consume it as mint tea, apply it to your skin or even just have a good sniff of it, and it can lift your emotional state.
Allergies and hay fever: Whether triggered by seasonal change or flowers and dust, allergies and hay fever affect many people all year round. Fortunately, mint leaves have been found to be an effective way to treat allergy symptoms. The extract of mint inhibits the release of histamines, which in some cases trigger nasal symptoms that are associated with allergies and hay fever.
Nausea: It's believed by consuming a sufficient quantity of mint tea it will help to relieve nausea symptoms. This is because it contains menthol which calms the actions of the muscles in the digestive system.
How to make it
Ingredients
8-10 sprigs of fresh mint + 3 for garnish (In Morocco they usually use spearmint but peppermint or mint work just as well)
3 tsp of green tea leaves
4 cups water
For sweetness you can add cup of agave nectar or teaspoon of stevia or a few spoons of sugar, whichever you prefer.
Directions
Put the mint leaves and the tea leaves into a teapot. Add 4 cups of boiling water and your chosen sweetener. Let the tea brew for 5 minutes. Arrange your tea glasses (or tea cups) and pour the tea. In order to get a nice foamy tea, you need to pour the tea into the glasses from a height. To finish, garnish with the remaining sprigs of mint.
— Extracted with permission from Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty, published by Bateman Books, RRP$39.99.
The former dairy farmer turned to art after a rugby accident put him in a wheelchair.