Waikawa Newsletter May 2024
Kia ora e hoa mā,
What a delight this month to spot a very rare but spectacular visitor, whose Conservation Status is Nationally Critical: a Kōtuku.
Other new sights this month include a model boat on Lake Puna o te Ora (scroll to the end) and a native Kawaupaka | Little shag, with its yellow bill and white throat.
Also new this month: fences and bollards at the two walkways to the beach off Reay Mackay Grove and a 1.8 metre wooden fence across the beach end of Manga Pirau Street. See the links below for details on fences and pedestrian access.
This is also the time of year for roadworks. Many patches have been laid in Strathnaver and the village, as well as along Waikawa Beach Road.
The planned works near the Manakau Rail Overbridge however were cancelled.
When it comes to the unexpected, it turns out we may need to keep our eyes open for wild deer on the road or beach in autumn as one Hokio Beach motorcyclist found out to their cost. Fortunately the rider sustained only a few injuries.
Also up at Hokio, according to a couple of folks I chatted to who had brought their seagoing kayaks down for some fishing — a mate of theirs was out on the water fishing near Hokio Beach when a Humpback Whale surfaced directly below the boat. I've been watching the sea carefully since I heard about that, but have yet to see a whale off our beach.
A little closer to home, in early May, were a crash following a police incident and a tanker that rolled, both near Ōhau. Then on 21 May 2024 a train hit a pedestrian, also near Ōhau: Wellington.Scoop » Person dies after being hit by Northern Explorer in Ohau. Some of those events caused SH1 to be closed.
In more cheerful news, several Black-fronted dotterels have been visiting the estuary, the river cut itself a new channel direct out to sea and the Facebook group was filled with amazing photos of the aurora that captivated the country on 11 May 2024.
Unfortunately in May there were also several disturbing burglaries and reports of suspicious vehicles at Waikawa Beach, leading to a flurry of concern and opinion about possibly installing CCTV cameras at the village entrance. The WBRA held a public meeting, and investigation is ongoing.
Between 6 and 7 pm on 26 May 2024 your cellphone should sound off with an alert from the Emergency Mobile Alert system test. Being able to receive the alert is a good thing.
The Wild Cats of Waikawa group do great work catching and desexing feral cats. Look out for their garage sale fundraiser on Sunday 07 July 2024 at Manakau Hall.
Although property sales have been very slow everywhere for quite some time now, 125 Strathnaver Drive sold quickly. 577 Waikawa Beach Road has also sold. Still for sale: 47 Reay Mackay Grove, 55 Reay Mackay Grove, 30 Strathnaver Drive, 118 Strathnaver Drive.
Links
- A spectacular rare visitor
- A new visitor to the lake
- A third kind of shag at Waikawa Beach: the Kawaupaka
- When birds have bands
- New fences on Reay Mackay Grove and Manga Pirau Street
- Pedestrian access onto Waikawa Beach as at May 2024
- HDC letter about beach access, 24 May 2024
- Road patches on Reay Mackay Grove
- Manakau Rail Overbridge works cancelled - May 2024
- Beware wild deer on the road and beach in autumn
- Fuel tanker rolled at Ōhau, 08 May 2024 — avoid travel
- Crashes near Ōhau, May 2024
- A visit from Black-fronted dotterels, May 2024
- New channel direct to sea for Waikawa River, May 2024
- Waikawa Beach under crimson aurora, May 2024
- Burglaries and prowlers at Waikawa Beach between February 2017 and May 2024
- Public meeting about security cameras, 19 May 2024
- Carefully targeted CCTV has its uses
- Report from public meeting about CCTV at Waikawa Beach
- Waikawa Beach CCTV update, 22 May 2024
- Emergency Mobile Alert system test on Sunday 26 May 2024
- Wild Cats of Waikawa fundraiser, 07 July 2024
- Waikawa Beach vehicle access - minutes of the 20 March 2024 HDC meeting
- HDC Vehicle Access item 21/502 now completed
Please let me know what you thought of this newsletter!
This monthly newsletter is based on posts I've written during the month, with added sprinkles. If you'd like to automatically receive posts by email as they are published subscribe at https://waikawanews.nz/subscribe/
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.
If you want to suggest others subscribe to the newsletter (please do!) then send them to: https://waikawanews.nz/about.
Thanks everyone for the support. I've had a lot of great feedback on my newsletters. I really appreciate that.
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.