August 26, 2022

Waikawa News August 2022

Kia ora koutou kātoa,

In the last week or two I’ve noticed birds flying by, beaks stuffed full with nesting materials. Watch out for the swallows who are taking every opportunity to build nests where you don’t want them. In our case, that’s in the garage. Other birds, like the hawks and black swans, seem to be busy impressing potential mates. Today I realised the gorse bushes in a nearby paddock are in bloom. Spring is near.

It’s now only a month till Daylight Saving kicks in:

Daylight saving starts at 2 am on Sunday 25 September 2022 when clocks go forward 1 hour.

A recent new visitor to Waikawa Beach is a (probably juvenile) Kererū. Although they’re easy to find up at Manakau I don’t believe they’ve been down to the beach before. That brings our count of bird species found at Waikawa Beach to a massive 56.

This is also breeding season for the very rare and endangered Bitterns. They nest in 3 spots in Strathnaver — please don’t let your dogs run loose near the Reay Mackay Grove lakes. Also listen out for the Bittern’s distinctive booming at dawn and dusk. One Strathnaver resident spotted a Bittern recently, so there’s definitely at least one currently in residence around here.

As for the weather: something in the region of 270 mm rain has fallen since the last newsletter. And there were a couple of weeks where the low temperatures dipped below 5C and one day even down to -3C. The groundwater level is astonishingly high. Some people have found their driveways disappearing below new ponds, and others are worried about the fate of hundreds of waterlogged and drowned plants.

This is a good reminder that actually much of Waikawa Beach was historically a swamp. Map from Visualising Māori Land. All those brown blobs on the map are swampy areas.

Something I found out only today:

There are two types of rain, and one of them is almost impossible to forecast.

Watch the excellent 4 minute MinuteEarth video Why is Rain So Hard to Predict? about frontal rain and convective rain.

Spinifex planting plans: 08 October 2022

Craig Kidd, HDC Parks and Property Officer | Āpiha Papa Rēhia, Rawa advised us about planned Spinifex planting at Waikawa Beach for 2022:

We are looking at 3500 - 4500 Plants for Waikawa Beach. Our plants arrive in August and will plan planting in September — any thoughts for a day and will need to check tides. We will try and get spinifex Plants planted, along from the groyne to Strathnaver whenever there is any sand build up and may even plant into the bank to try and establish spinifex to arrest the erosion.

We have 08 October 2022 as our planting day, meeting time and location will be advised later. With a good turnout of volunteers planting is usually finished within an hour. I hope we’ll see you there!

Read the full item at: Spinifex planting plans

Life in the Shallows book

Coming soon to the Library in Levin: Life in the Shallows book

Featuring wetlands to visit all around the country, descriptions of the rich bird, insect and plant life that can be found there, and some of the innovative ways we can protect and restore them, Life in the Shallows is a key resource for those who want to explore, understand and care for these precious places.

Toilet block update

When I was chatting with the builders a couple of days ago they told me there have been 53 rain days since the upgrade project started. Not only are those conditions unpleasant to work in, but the risk of damage to crucial and expensive tools is a major concern.

The roof trusses are on and internal walls are up in the toilet block proper. The floor height though needs to be increased by about 50mm.

For comparison with last month look at Toilet block update as at 31 July 2022 and Toilet block progress to 26 August 2022.

Hightide — Wow Waikawa! and Waikawa News posts by email

This newsletter is monthly. If you’d like to receive posts by email as they are published subscribe to the new Hightide mailing list. Note: I send these emails manually, it’s not automated, so it’s possible I may forget sometimes. Posts will be taken from both Wow Waikawa! environment site and Waikawa News.

More bike stands on their way

Carolyn Copeland, Roading Projects Team Leader responded to an email from a resident asking for more bike stands. See: More bike stands for Waikawa Beach

I am happy to inform you that we will be installing more bike stands in Waikawa Beach There will be some installed with the new amenities block at Hank Edwards We will also be installing an additional rack near the locations shown in the attached drawing [near the Miratana track off Manga Pirau Street and near #10 Reay Mackay Grove] I do not have specific timeframes as there are significant delays with supplies at the moment However they will be installed this financial year, so before the end of June 2023

SH1 Ōtaki to Levin safety improvements

In a regular newsletter NZTA recently advised:

Following confirmation of funding, the tender process is currently underway for construction of the safety improvements on SH1 between Ōtaki and Levin. This includes wide centrelines, side and median barriers and turnaround areas between Ōtaki and Ohau. We expect construction work to begin later this year

Bud-galling wasp

Horizons Regional Council want to slow down the spread of the Sydney golden wattle — an acacia that can take over dunes, crowding out other plants, leads to sand blowouts and releases allergens that affect hayfever sufferers. It also creates substantial fire risks. That’s why they’re trying to get approval to introduce a bud-galling wasp. Waikawa Beach lies at the southern end of the range for the wattle.

Bits and bobs

• Lake Puna-O-Te-Ora, the lake on the corner of Reay Mackay Grove and Strathnaver Drive, is rich in birdlife. Rains this year have raised the level of the lake substantially — a cabbage tree that usually stands several metres from the lake edge is now surrounded by water.
• Marion Cherry took an excellent photo of a Little Black Shag and Pied Shag standing back to back at the river. The picture clearly shows how these two species differ. Have you seen a Little Black Shag? Thanks Marion for permission to use your photo.
• I think we all know An excessive amount of water has drenched our paddocks and properties this year. Flooding signs went up at several spots around Waikawa Beach recently. Berms are sodden or just plain underwater, puddles reach out to one another across roads, waterbirds are very happy. A paddock near me has become home to large numbers of black-backed gulls, black swans, paradise ducks, pied stilts and other birds. The bonus: we’re going into spring with full water tanks.
• Cows on the loose: back on 20 August 2022 several cows escaped their paddock and strolled around the Miratana track to the beach and along James Street. A few locals rounded them up.

The night sky

On hold this month … clear skies are a rare commodity at the moment.

Properties

Still for sale: 22 Kristin Place, 58 Manga Pirau Street, 61-63 Manga Pirau Street, 501A Waikawa Beach Road (3 lifestyle properties), 13 Arthur Street, 17 Drake Street.

If you know of Waikawa Beach things that would interest others or if you have comments on this newsletter or the websites please let me know at news@wow-waikawa.nz. If you want to suggest others subscribe to the newsletter please send them to: http://news.wow-waikawa.nz/about-waikawa-news.html.

Thanks everyone for the support. I’ve had a lot of great feedback recently on my newsletters. I really appreciate that.

Mā te wā,

Miraz Jordan