Kia ora koutou kātoa,

A couple of frosts in the last week or so have been followed by magnificent warm sunny days with blue skies and no wind. So splendid!

If you have nervous animals, keep in mind that Game bird hunting season opens Saturday 04 May 2024, with shots beginning at dawn. With Lakes Huritini and Waiorongomai so close to Waikawa Beach it can be quite noisy.

The warm sunny days have brought a lot of people out onto the beach — some swimming, others just walking or jogging. Some find picnic spots and set the kids up for beach games.

For a few days we've seen Velella velella washed up on the beach. Unfortunately they get a bit smelly when they start to decay.

Some in the community have been justifiably upset after being burgled recently. The thefts took place in Duncan Street and Manga Pirau Street. Anyone planning on installing a camera that looks beyond their own property should read a little first about the law, unless they're happy to be prosecuted. See Office of the Privacy Commissioner | Privacy and CCTV and CCTV FAQs | Neighbourhood Support New Zealand.

HDC recently accepted submissions on the proposed Long-Term Plan — nearly 500 of them — and this week will be hearing oral presentations (Facebook link) over two days — Wednesday and Thursday. They'll be making decisions later in May 2024.

The pedestrian-only track at 60 Reay Mackay Grove continues to suffer vandalism and destruction of Council property and it seems HDC are sick of it. They've recently reinstalled a couple of posts that were removed and there are markers that indicate further work is planned.

A few recently published LGOIMA responses are informative (LGOIMA is like Official Information Act requests but for local councils). River training costs between 2000 and 2024 were over $54,000 — some folks call these river cuts. Another asked about schedules for replacement of the footbridge within the next three years. The footbridge is currently scheduled for replacement between 2024 and 2026.

Yet a third asked about complaints about vehicles on Horowhenua beaches (not just Waikawa Beach). Over the space of 5 years from 2019 to 2023 there were 41 complaints. The numbers don't include 2024 when we know there were numerous complaints about vehicles using pedestrian tracks.

For some reason at the beginning of April there were more unannounced roadworks at the intersection of Waikawa Beach Road and SH1. Miraculously they resealed the road and repainted the road markings on completion.

From 05 to 09 May 2024 expect traffic delays at Manakau Rail Overbridge while Waka Kotahi install a right turn bay into Whakahoro Road.

Waka Kotahi want to know what you think about increasing the speed along 25 Km of the Kāpiti Expressway from 100 Kph to 110 Kph. The change would save a massive one and a half minutes of travel time while likely increasing fuel use and CO2 emissions. Let them know what you think by 20 May 2024.

Two more properties have come up for sale: 6 James Street and 118 Strathnaver Drive. Nothing seems to be selling though.

It was pretty windy a couple of days ago. Sophie Campbell sent in a photo of a kitesurfer making the most of it.

Links

• Big fire near Ōtaki
• More intersection road works, April 2024
• For sale: 118 Strathnaver Drive
• Waikawa Beach access options for vehicles - decision postponed, March 2024
• For sale: 6 James Street
• Get your Long-term Plan submissions in - recycling, E. Coli in the river, pests
• The good old days: Waikawa the way it used to be
• River training costs 2000-2024 were over $54,000
• Vehicles on Horowhenua beaches - complaints
• Game bird hunting season opens Saturday 04 May 2024
• Waikawa Footbridge updates
• Stinky Velella velella are rather interesting
• Traffic delays 05 to 09 May 2024 at Manakau Rail Overbridge
• Safety issues on track to the beach
• Great days for birds at the estuary
• Increase Kāpiti Expressway speed limit to 110 Kph?
• Caution: burglars are about
• A great day for kitesurfing

Please let me know what you thought of this newsletter!

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If you know of Waikawa Beach things that would interest others, want to publicise an event or if you have comments on this newsletter or the website please let me know at kiaora@waikawanews.nz.

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

Do you know shags why spread their wings to dry? Pied Shag tells us:

Shags are swift underwater swimmers, with a sharp hooked beak to help them catch fish and small crustaceans. They are often seen sitting on a perch with their wings spread out, drying their feathers. This is because a shag’s feathers are not waterproof, making it easier for them to dive and stay underwater for an average of 20 to 30 seconds per dive. But it also means the birds quickly get waterlogged and cold. So after a bout of fishing, shags must spend a lot of time preening and drying to restore their feathers and warm up.

Me te aroha,
Miraz Jordan
kiaora@waikawanews.nz

WaikawaNews: https://waikawanews.nz
aims to provide accurate and factual information on matters of interest to the local community. And to share photos of and information about local wildlife and landscapes.