Waikawa News May 2022
Kia ora e hoa mā,
On the weekend of 21 and 22 May Levin was struck by a mini-tornado and Ōhau was carpeted in hail. Here at the beach we just had some high winds and a few thunderstorms, with rain. Bad weather, but not horrendous. There's plenty of medium and large size driftwood at the inward edges of the beach.
With nearby volcano lakes warming, this is handy to know: Ko Rūaumoko te atua o ngā rū me ngā puia. Rūaumoko is the atua of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Vehicle entrance at half tide after the storms.
The night sky
There are 8 or 9 planets in our solar system, and we live on one of them. Some, like Venus, are very bright, while others, like Neptune, really need a telescope or binoculars. It's a bit special then that by mid-June they all (except Pluto) will be visible in the morning sky. 7 planets all stretched across the sky at the same time!
This is also a great time of year for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere to enjoy seeing the Milky Way.
Watch the first 5 minutes of this excellent video: 7 Planets in the Morning sky | Night Sky News May 2022 for more information.
To see the planets for yourself on a star map visit Stellarium Web Online Star Map, set Waikawa Beach as your location, set the date and time to around 6 am on 14 June 2022, and zoom in to an about 28° field of view. If you aren't zoomed in enough you won't see the dimmer planets represented. To see the real thing, of course, step outside at Waikawa Beach before dawn in mid-June then look east and up. 😀
If I zoomed out more the dimmer planets wouldn't show. At this zoom level we're missing the planets higher in the sky.
Quick news
- Local Councils are upset the recent Budget didn't include funding for battery powered trains in the lower North Island. See No funding for a fleet of hybrid electric trains.
- Waka Kotahi plan to make the speed limit on the road between around Forest Lakes and Levin 80 Kph at most. See the detail at 80 Kph Ōtaki to Levin? Speed review and send them your views if you have any.
- Horowhenua District Council are experimenting with a recycling programme for batteries and lightbulbs, with a couple of drop-off locations. See: Battery and lightbulb recycling trial from 09 May 2022.
- A sign popped up at the Manga Pirau Street beach entrance pointing out the access is only suitable for tractors and 4-wheel drives. There's no indication it was put there by any kind of official body. If anyone pays it any attention it might stop a few cars from getting stuck. See Beach access only suitable for… sign.
- The missing Waikawa Beach Road Heritage Trail sign is a bit of a mystery. The sign on Waikawa Beach Road had information about an important part of Waikawa Beach history. I've corresponded with various people about the missing Heritage Sign but without any real outcome. It could be good to apply for funding to replace the sign, but we would need to consult with mana whenua. I'm no historian, and I have no way of knowing whether the info that was originally on the sign was accurate or appropriate. Is anyone interested in helping with a project like this? If so, email me at admin@wow-waikawa.nz. It would be ideal for the Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association to pick this up!
There's actually more than one kind of Oystercatcher. This is a South Island Pied Oystercatcher.
Watery topics
- According to Horizons Regional Council summer monitoring programme, our river at the footbridge last year (2021) had particularly good 'swimmability' results, while this year's results have been poor. Over the last 5 years our river is generally OK to swim in only 46% of the time. The other 54% of the time the results have been either Orange or Red. We rank a Long-Term grade of Poor. Read details at The sad state of our river for summer swimming.
- The water height sensor that popped up on the footbridge some 6 months ago has now been removed.
- You probably heard the news earlier this month that not only are sea levels rising, but parts of Aotearoa New Zealand are also sinking. That's true of Waikawa Beach, though it's not as great a subsidence as nearby places like Hokio and Ōtaki. However, it does mean properties along the coast and by the river are just that bit more vulnerable than previously thought. Take a look at: Sea level rise and Waikawa Beach subsidence.
- The Manga Pirau Street beach entrance is a place of huge concern in this community. The Horizons Regional Council Catchment Operations Committee held a meeting recently "to make a range of decisions about the proposed river management works programme for the 2022-23 financial year across the region". There is further detail at: No HRC budget for river mouth works in 2022. Their minutes include this:
Waikawa Estuary – Horizons have been requested to undertake further work to protect a subdivision in the vicinity of the Waikawa Estuary. The issue sits outside of Horizons scheme area and Horizons have not provisioned budget to pursue work within the LTP.
Properties
- Sold: 123 Strathnaver Drive. It was on the market for about a month.
- Newly relisted: 17 Drake Street, 10 Arthur Street, both with price reductions.
- Still for sale: 13 Arthur Street, 159 Emma Drive, 40 Manga Pirau Street, 58 Manga Pirau Street, 44 Sarah Street, 501A Waikawa Beach Road (3 lifestyle properties), 686 Waikawa Beach Road.
Toilet Block rebuild
Work has been continuing since the last newsletter. The focus at the moment seems to be the floor and the concrete to be laid, with boxing in place. The builders told me the height of the floor has to be raised, more at one end than the other. There is very little left of the original structure. Read details and see photos at:
- Toilet block progress to 21 May 2022
- Toilet block progress to 13 May 2022
- Toilet Block progress to 06 May 2022
- Toilet block progress, 04-May-22
- Toilet block update 29 April 2022
Toilet block progress to 21 May 2022
Did you know?
Before the railway line, before State Highway 1, our beach actually was part of the main road for those travelling between Whanganui and Wellington. Read the excerpt at Spanking down the level beach, in a horse-drawn coach. It starts:
From Foxton to Wellington in Cobb and Company's coach was a long day's journey, in winter a journey of infinite difficulties and delays, but in summer one of the pleasantest trips which could be undertaken.
And we complain that the trip from Wellington to Waikawa Beach by car takes an hour or so!
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.
Mā te wā,
Miraz Jordan,
Waikawa News
Wow Waikawa! environment