Air Chats Summer 2022

Air Chats

Kia Ora Tātou

Welcome to the Summer edition of the Air Chats Inflight Magazine

In te reo Māori summer, from December to February, is known as ‘raumati’, and one tradition holds that Te Rā (the sun) and Hine Raumati (the summer maid) had a child, Tānerore, and the saying ‘Te haka a Tānerore’ (Tānerore’s war dance) refers to the shimmering of hot air during summer.

At Air Chathams we’re looking forward to a busy summer, and in fact it has been a remarkably busy quarter for us, with a full flight schedule and all our usual destinations taken up by both regular and new customers. And after the past few years it’s extremely heartening to see people getting back out and about, visiting family, having meetings in person instead of virtually, and taking that long awaited overseas trip.

Summer fever is indeed rising as Kiwis dream of surf, sun and sand - so now is the time to get your suitcases packed with shorts and jandals and plan those family escapes.

We’re predicting a summer like no other - with incredible destinations such as Emily Bay on Norfolk Island or some of New Zealand’s premium beaches like Ōhope in Whakatāne. Kiwis are spoilt for choice over the warmer months when travelling on the Air Chathams network.

Whilst it’s exciting times to be getting back to what we do best – connecting kiwis by air - it is still a very challenging time for the industry, with record high fuel prices, labour shortages, inflation and constant international parts supply issues. All of which drives up our operating costs and puts real pressure on our Air Chathams family to deliver the on-time performance we strive for daily - so please keep this in mind when travelling with us and if you can, share a kind word with your crew or via our feedback survey; it means the world to our team!

For this summer issue of Air Chats, you will see we have chosen an eclectic collection of articles from the South Pacific to let you discover and explore the unique world of Air Chathams. Whether you are reconnecting with whānau, discovering adventures, or reacquainting with work colleagues, we enjoy sharing time and conversation with you all when flying Air Chathams, your family in the sky!

Ka kite anō and safe travels!

Duane Emeny, Chief Operating Officer

Each year Air Chathams carries more than 100,000 passengers around New Zealand, and in each edition of our inflight magazine Air Chats we celebrate the very best of the regions we cover: from art and culture, to business, history and lifestyle, Air Chats tells the stories of the people who make those places great. If you’d like to be a part of Air Chats, get in touch - the team would love to hear from you. marketing@airchathams.co.nz airchathams.co.nz fb.com/airchathams @airchathams

Publisher Plenty Limited - airchats@plenty.co.nz

Editor/KaiwhakatikaTuhinga Andy Taylor - info@plenty.co.nz

Design & Production/Kaiwhakatauira Sarah Lane - design@plenty.co.nz

Advertising Enquiries airchats@plenty.co.nz +64 (0)27 932 5515

Cover image Matatā, Whakatāne. Image courtesy of Whakatāne District Council.

Air Chats is published by Plenty Limited on behalf of Air Chathams Limited. Copyright 2022 by Plenty Limited. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior consent of the publisher. Advertising statements and editorial opinions expressed in Air Chats do not necessarily reflect the views of Plenty Limited or Air Chathams Limited. ISSN 2624-4179 (print), ISSN 2624-4861 (digital).

AIR CHATS

04

EVENTS/NEWS

The airline that brings New Zealand together.

08

THROUGH THE LENS

14

TAKING FLIGHT

Air Chathams General Manager Roy Mackereth talks about his journey with us and what the future holds.

18

GO WEST

The traffic lights are gone, summer is here and it’s time to stretch your legs on the Kāpiti Coast.

34

YOUR SHOUT!

Whakatāne’s two classic pubs are a great place for a pint - and a trip back to a storied past.

38

OUR FLEET

From single engine light aircraft to our turbo-prop planes, we’ve something for every occasion. 22

GAME FOR A LAUGH

A dynamic duo in Whanganui are finally putting the city on the comedy circuit.

TIGER, TIGER

Photographer Lesley Whyte shares the story of her all-female photo tours to the Chatham Islands. 29

Research into Norfolk Island’s tiger sharks turns up some surprises for their species and ours.

DESTINATIONS

Air Chathams is New Zealand’s largest privately owned airline, flying to some of New Zealand’s best regional destinations.

Events

Ōtaki Kite Festival - 10th Anniversary

Saturday, 18 and Sunday, 19 February 2023 Free event www.kapiticoastnz.com/events/otaki-kite-festival

Spend the day on the beautiful Ōtaki Beach marvelling at the huge kites that come from around the country for this iconic Kāpiti event. You are welcome to join in the fun by bringing your own kites to fly or purchase a classic kite from the stall. Enjoy a picnic or grab some food from the variety of food carts and fundraising stalls then settle in on the grass to enjoy the on-stage entertainment.

KĀPITI COAST

Kāpiti Food Fair 2022

Saturday, 3 December 2022 from 10am to 4pm Mazengarb Reserve Paraparaumu www.kapitifoodfair.co.nz

All foodies and their tribes are invited to a super fun, indulgent and entertaining day out that aims to make a lasting impression on both the mind and body. Fill your life with good friends, good times and good food at the Kāpiti Food Fair featuring award-winning pop country singer Jody Direen.

Image: Captured By Friday

WHANGANUI

Cemetery Circuit

Boxing Day, 26 December 2023 www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz

This world-renowned motorcycle street race has enthralled petrolheads since 1951. Featuring Formula 1, BEARS, classics and sidecars, international and national legends, this street circuit is one mile long with eight corners, two railway crossings, an over-bridge and blind S’s beside the old Whanganui cemetery. If you have just a sniff of petrol-head in you, you won’t want to miss this.

River Edge Park Miniature Railway Running Day 2023

First Sunday of each month and every Sunday during the Primary School Holidays, 10am - 3pm. Located at River Edge Park between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park. www.new.riveredgerailway.org.nz

River Edge Miniature Railway Running Days are held on the 1st Sunday of each month and every Sunday during the Primary School Holidays, 10am - 3pm. The perfect family activity. Closed toe shoes are a must for anybody riding. Access via Car Park at the river end of McAlister Street, Whakatāne.

Whanganui Gypsy Fair

Saturday, 28 - Sunday, 29 January 2023 Kowhai Park, Anzac Parade www.facebook.com/thegypsyfairnewzealand

The Gypsy Fair has been travelling the North and South Islands of New Zealand for over 30+ years. It is NZ’s longest-running fair and has an eclectic range of mobile homes which you can admire as you walk among the stalls.

A fun-filled day for the whole family with something for everyone and entry is free! As always, they will be bringing you an expansive range of handmade products, market stalls, arts/crafts, food and entertainment.

Whanganui Vintage Weekend

Friday, 20 - Monday, 23 of January 2023

www.whanganuivintageweekend.nz

Whanganui begins every year with a huge, colourful party weekend. With vintage and celebration-themed events, dress-up competitions, special shopping, dancing and more this weekend has something for travellers of any age and interests. This celebration of all things vintage takes place over Wellington Anniversary Weekend and events include the Caboodle, the Retro Market, the Riverside Shindig and the Soap Box Derby, along with the Vintage Fair and supporting events and attractions run by the community.

New Zealand Masters Games February 2023

www.nzmg.com

Centered at the Games Village in The War Memorial Centre, this nine-day event comprises more than 55 different sports and 2,400 individual events as well as nightly entertainment. Alternating between Whanganui and Dunedin each year and with offerings for ages 20 and up, the NZ Masters Games attracts competitors not only from all over New Zealand, but also from more than 20 countries internationally. A great time and great place!

A staple of Whanganui summer is back in action

Indie music festival Welcome to Nowhere was cancelled in 2022 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic - and now it’s back! In keeping with the festival’s alternative style, the location is advertised as at an undisclosed location near Whanganui - and the lineup may or may not be announced in advance. Capacity for 2023 now sits at 850, not including artists and workers, so get in early for some great summer sounds.

Chatham Islands DAY OUT Festival taking the pressure off

In lieu of the traditional Chatham Islands festivals, Saturday, 4 March will see a smaller, more relaxed event at The Den. Whānau, friends and visitors to the Chatham Islands are invited to come along for a celebration of family activities, food and craft stalls, music, warm company and everything that is great about the Chatham Islands. Bring a picnic or buy food on the day, and kick back and relax with the community.

Orba making shoes out of plants

Start-up company Orba is based on the Kāpiti Coast and has developed a world-first: a street sneaker designed to biodegrade. Orba shoes are designed in New Zealand and almost every part of the shoe is made from plant-based or biodegradable ingredients, ethically sourced from around the world.

Orba have captured both international and national acclaim and have won several awards in the sustainability space. Their Ghost sneaker took out the Sustainability category at the Global Footwear Awards in 2021 and the Sustainable Product Design category at the Design Institute of NZ in the same year - a fitting endorsement of the unique world-first approach to design and sustainability that Orba delivers.

Photo Beth Mountford

HUGH RENNIE New book charts Chathams’ history

THE CHATHAM ISLANDS

have a long and storied history, and a history that is often misunderstood. As renowned author Dr Michael King noted in his 1989 book Moriori: A People Rediscovered, “As far as the rest of the 19th century is concerned, it is probable that no other part of New Zealand has had so much unsubstantiated rubbish written about it as the Chatham Islands.”

Visitors to the Islands can learn - especially at Kopinga marae and the much expanded Chatham Islands Museum - of the real history of how Moriori, European and Māori came to these Islands. Now a new book seeks to redress misunderstandings of the Islands’ long and often turbulent history.

Chathams Resurgent – How the Islanders Overcame 150 Years of Misrule is the work of former chair of the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust, Hugh Rennie, who has first-hand knowledge of the Islands’ recent events and has done extensive research into its history.

He tackles the unique history from seizure in 1842 by proclamation by the British government to forestall an unwelcome German colony, through years of gunboat military control, to 1991 when Islanders took control of infrastructure as the Crown “walked away”. Those earlier years, once said by Professor Dame Alison QuentinBaxter to have been “benign neglect”, he sees as central government misrule.

For anyone with an interest in the history of the Chatham

Taking control, through the Trust and then a revitalised Island Council, the small Island population has achieved dynamic change, and has now persuaded the Crown to return and make long overdue (and long-promised) infrastructure investment.

For anyone with an interest in the history of the Chatham Islands this is a must-read, but it is also an important work for anyone wanting to understand the history of Aotearoa New Zealand and

People love to photograph broken buildings and wrecks, and we get to go to places that you can’t go to without the consent of the locals.

Through THELENS

THE CHATHAM ISLANDS are well known as a photographer’s paradise, but they can also be quite daunting: getting there, getting around, knowing where to go and at what time can be a real mission, let alone concentrating on the camera and getting it right. Luckily, people like Lesley Whyte are there to make it easier.

Lesley is an award-winning photographer specialising in story telling and street photography, and for the last ten years she has been running photography retreats to some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most stunning locations. But her connection to capturing images goes back much farther than that.

“Photography has been a part of my life since I was a teenager and was given a Rollieflex camera,” she says. “I converted the family bathroom into a darkroom, with film hanging from the shower rail! Then life and a family came along, and when I got back into it seriously everything had changed - it had gone digital obviously, and it was a really male dominated scene. So I started Women in Photography for people who had been like me, wanting to learn more and not get looked at as if I was asking a stupid question!”

The result is gals-only photography retreats that are pretty much door-to-door, including transport to selected locations, accommodation, meals (and wine - an essential part of the photographic process!) and most importantly full instruction in how to get the best out of your camera. And the best part is that it culminates in finished A3 prints on proper photographic paper stock (which explains why Lesley has quite a bit of luggage on our Air Chathams flights!).

“We’re only for beginners and intermediates,” Lesley says, “small groups, usually between six and ten, and we do everything from learning how to capture your images right the way through to making A3 prints of those images.

“I don’t think women approach photography differently to men, but they are more social and less competitive about it! When we are out photography is very inclusive, there is a lot of support and building of confidence.

“When I got back into it (photography) seriously everything had changed it had gone digital obviously, and it was a really male dominated scene.”

“The greens are not the same as on the mainland, the landscape is rugged and challenging. People love to photograph broken buildings and wrecks, and we get to go to places that you can’t go to without the consent of the locals. The guys at Port Hutt actually love to see us and there is a lot of banter there, and we get to go onto private property to photograph old houses, and of course the seals and the German missionary ruins. We do incorporate the usual tourist things, but we also get off the beaten track to some very special places. And we are always finding new ones - we work really closely with Toni from Hotel Chathams, and if we see something we’d like to get close to for photography she will know who to talk to and sound them out.”

“The

(on the Chatham Islands) are not the same as on mainland NZ, the landscape is rugged and challenging.”

Photographer Lesley Whyte

That local knowledge - as well as having someone to keep you headed in the right direction and your camera settings correct - makes for some stunning photography. But happenstance and chance have always played a big part in great images, and it’s no different on the Chathams.

“The weather is incredible,” says Lesley, “and the light can change from one minute to the next so you really have to be ready. But that challenge is the best way to master photography, and experiencing things like that iconic New Zealand scene of a flock of sheep cresting a remote gravel hilltop road - something we don’t see so much on the mainland. Or the classic Chathams experience of finding prehistoric shark’s teeth on the beaches and photographing them - we really do leave only footprints and take only photographs.”

Finding prehistoric shark’s teeth on the beaches and photographing them we really do leave only footprints and take only photographs.

Norfolk Island Chatham Islands

Important Information for Visitors

The Islands are a place where you will enjoy many different activities. Nature, history, culture, fishing, walks and hikes, photography, art and craft, isolated beaches and bird watching.

Here are a few key things Tourism Chatham Islands would like you to know before you arrive.

Respecting the Local Kai Moana Resource

The Chatham Islands are renowned for their abundant seafood. Help us preserve this valuable resource by taking only what you need for a meal and purchase fish to take home from the local factories.

Please leave the paua beds for the locals. They are an important local food source and resource that we don’t want to see depleted. You can enjoy lots of quality Chatham Islands seafood on the menus here on the islands.

Private Land Access and Signage

Unlike mainland New Zealand, most of the island, including the beaches, is privately owned land. Most attractions are on private land and access to them requires permission and payment of an entry fee. This must be prearranged and your host will be able to assist. Visitors are asked not to venture onto any private land without permission.

Natural and Archaeological Taonga

Voluntary Visitor Levy - $25 per visitor

To assist enhancing the visitor experience, particularly infrastructure, we encourage all visitors to make a donation of $25 directly to Tourism Chatham Islands:

ANZ Account: 06 0845 00796434 002

Particulars: Your name Reference: Donation

Thank you for your support.

The Chatham Islands are rich in flora and fauna, geological and archaeological treasures – for example native birds, fossils (including shark teeth), and sites related to Moriori settlement, all of which are protected by law. These also hold special value to Islanders. Please respect these by not removing any items you find.

Water Conservation

Water is often in short supply and restrictions are put in place, particularly in summer. Please help us to conserve it when showering, flushing etc.

Taking flight

Roy Mackereth started out at Air Chathams in 2017 as a Flight Operations Assistant; five years later he is General Manager of the airline as well as a working pilot. We caught up with him to hear about his journey.

As an airline we punch above our weight, and that is reflected in the people we also strive to do things better and I love being a part of the culture there.

Where does the story start?

“I did well in business at school and thought ‘that was a bit of me’, so started a commerce degree at Auckland University. And. . . absolutely hated it! After six months I packed up and went to flight school to learn how to fly planes. I’ve always loved planes and aviation, but I have no pilots in the family so I couldn’t tell you where it comes from. I think my family were pretty surprised that I was pursuing flying - they were very proud for a member of the family to go to university!”

An admin job in aviation followed, but a contact passed on Roy’s name and contact to Craig Emeny, the Air Chathams CEO.

“And just a few weeks later I was working for Air Chathams as a Flight Operations Assistant. Things kind of just took off from there: by the end of 2017, I became the Operations Control Manager, and as Covid hit in 2020 I took over the Customer Product department. Early this year I became the Airline General Manager. The best part is that while covering these roles I also get to fly!”

What are your favourite aircrafts?

I love flying the ATR, but if I tell any pilot that my first aeroplane out of flight school was a DC3 then they look at me with quite a lot of envyand anger! It’s the dream of most pilots; it’s so majestic, so nostalgic, it helped win the Second World War and it has absolutely no technology so it is proper aeroplane flying. I was recently out walking in Māngere in Auckland and the crew were flying the DC3 back from a day of scenic flights in Tauranga, and everyone just stopped where they were and stared at it as it flew over.”

You’ve had quite a career trajectory - what is the secret to your success?

A big part of my success has been the support of the Air Chathams family, and the airline really is a family, not just the Emeny’s who own it but everyone who works there. I had the drive and determination to do well and that fitted in perfectly with how the airline operates, and so

their support was a perfect fit for me. As an airline we punch above our weight, and that is reflected in the people - we also strive to do things better and I love being a part of the culture there. Since I joined the airline it has doubled in size and it has been fantastic to have been a part of that.

As General Manager I’m essentially in charge of all things to ensure operational integrity – ensuring we have the people and resources in place to get flights out on time, with crew, with ground support, all while ensuring we remain commercially viable. It’s about ensuring that we have all the pieces together to do a good job and I love the challenges and rewards of that.

What do you think is the secret to the companies growth?

“The fact that our default answer to everything that comes our way isn’t ‘no’ means we are determined to solve issues and do a good job. It’s all about being able to pivot and take opportunities that will be of benefit to the community and grow the company. That cando attitude is a really Kiwi thing - and it’s in the DNA at Air Chathams. For example when COVID really kicked in we removed seats from the aeroplanes and started flying freight to keep communities around the country going, and that helped us as a company in addition to those communities.

The challenges for us at the moment are the same as for the industry worldwide - not so much resources as labour shortages. But it’s been awesome to see tourism bouncing back so fast; it’s been like a switch being flipped, with the tourism centres starting to pump again its fantastic to see. I’ve been able to fly into every airfield from Kaitaia to Invercargill and it is great to see so many smiles returning.

So where to now Roy?

Just keep doing what we’re doing - connecting Kiwis and communities. Simple as that.

Go West

The traffic lights are gone, summer is here and one of our best trail running events is just around the corner. So dust off your shoes, get some training in and get ready to hit the Kāpiti Coast before all the world heads our way.

The Waitarere Forest Run, formerly known as Great Forest Events, is Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest forest running event, having been started some 25 years ago by the Levin Joggers and Walkers Club. It soon rose to iconic status, being the first off road marathon in the country, and was popular with hundreds of Kiwis and visitors alike. The 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID, and it was set for a big comeback in 2021, with 2,000 people signing up.

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Sadly however, the event had become a victim of its own success. The Joggers and Walkers Club was a volunteer group and while they had been trying to attract new members for several years it had become obvious that the existing committee would be overstretched in handling such huge numbers of entrants. A theft of equipment was the final straw and the organisers were forced to cancel the 2021 run, refund entrants, and disband their committee; the oldest forest run in New Zealand, was, it appeared, history.

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There really is no other coastal triathlon like it in this country or indeed the world.

Bengy Barsenti, left, out there doing it

And it almost certainly would have been if not for one man - enter Bengy Barsanti, the creator of Barefoot Sports NZ, which organises running, mountain biking and triathlon events throughout the greater Wellington Region, including a Kāpiti half marathon, trail-running events, the XTERRA Series and the Wellington Triathlon series. Bengy had competed in the Forest Run himself and was so saddened to see it go that he decided to do something about it.

“I’ve spent most of my life working in sport and sport development in the United Kingdom,” Bengy says, “and about five years ago I came back to where I grew up - Kāpiti - and got involved in several events around Wellington. I eventually took over some of those events, at what must have been the worst possible time to start staging things! It’s been pretty tough but we now have about 21 events, including the new exciting Waitarere Forest Run and one of our favourites of the year the XTERRA Wellington Festival, which is a completely unique, off-road triathlon, duathlon and trail running experience held on the Kāpiti Coast in February. There really is no other coastal triathlon like it in this country or indeed the world.

Barefoot Sports ran the only XTERRA Triathalon on the planet in 2020, sending athletes into the Wellington hills while the rest of the world pulled down the shutters.

No glitz nor glamour, just honest New Zealand terrain, spectacular views and proper homegrown hospitality!”

Bengy was quick to acknowledge the great work of the committee who had set up the Forest Run and hosted so many events, and was under no delusions that getting it back up and running while the pandemic dragged on would be a challenge. But then Bengy is up for a challenge - Barefoot Sports ran the only XTERRA Triathalon on the planet in 2020, sending athletes into the Wellington hills while the rest of the world pulled down the shutters.

“We made a strategic decision to cancel as few events as possible,” Bengy says, “safety sits at the heart of everything we do and Covid was no different, we had pretty stringent health and safety in place and we limited numbers or spread things out if we had to, but we were really determined to keep things ticking along somehow for the community. It put the pressure on us, but we wanted to do it because so many people rely on events like this for their wellbeing.”

“The original organisers of the Forest Run had done an amazing job, but COVID really impacted them and we’re really excited to be able to step in and bring back this piece of our heritage. The Waitarere Forest is just north of Levin, south of Palmerston North and it is just a beautiful run through a beautiful forest.”

“It feels a little like out of the frying pan and into the fire with the substantial challenges around the event world at the moment.”

“Events are complex beasts, our role is to use events to inspire people and create long lasting memories. It’s those memories that drive us to challenge ourselves in all aspects of our lives. If our participants can do something they never thought they would achieve? Work on Monday is a breeze. Although we have had challenges getting the Forest Run up and running with changing landscapes, housing developments and interesting economic environment, we are committed to creating a national event with a very local heart. In fact we are excited to do so.”

“There are 2km, 5km, 10km and 21km courses, no cut off times, and we want everyone to feel welcomed and to feel relaxed. Events are stressful things and we want entrants to turn up at the start line feeling ready to go, not worrying about all the details. Just get out there and give it heaps!”

25th February 2023 xterrawellingtonfestival.co.nz

16th April 2023 waitarereforestrun.co.nz

Game for a laugh

A new collective is giving locals the giggles in Whanganui and putting the city on the national comedy circuit.

WHANGANUI IS A BUSY LITTLE PLACE. Great shopping, wining and dining, the iconic river and a great bunch of locals who have long punched above their weight in the artistic and creative space. And yet, for Dave Wiggins and Elizabeth McMenamin-Pervan, there just seemed to be a little something missing, and that something was a standup comedy scene. So, with classic Kiwi can-do attitude, they set about putting that to rights.

Aucklander Wiggins had been a regular on the New Zealand comedy scene - and winner of the NZ Comedy Guild Best Newcomer in 2003 - for sometime before stepping back from the limelight for nearly a decade and then relaunching his standup just in time for, well, COVID. Whanganui native McMenamin-Pervan originally began treading the boards as an actor in Auckland and began her comedy career at the same time as she and Dave were cooking up Hello Comedy, winning the Whanganui Raw Comedy Competition in June this year.

GALA COMEDY WHANGANUI

STARRING DAI HENWOOD AND MICHELE A’COURT

HOSTED BY

RHYS

MATHEWSON

When they both found themselves in Whanganui, it didn’t take long for them to recognise that the city needed a standup scene - and they were perfectly placed to launch it.

“Dave and I met through a comedian friend of ours,” says Elizabeth. “Once we had both moved here we realised there was no real comedy scene in Whanganui and comedians were skipping us and going to New Plymouth and Palmerston North - I guess they figured people from Whanganui would drive over for gigs. We had a vision about creating a scene here and so we organised our first show in February in The Musicians Club - and despite all the COVID restrictions at the time it sold out,

which told us there was a real appetite for more. It also gave us the impetus to book Rhys Mathewson in June - and that sold out three weeks before the show!”

The duo’s comedy connections have been core to the fledgling comedy scene’s success, with both Wiggins and McMenamin-Pervan able to pick up the phone and run ideas directly by some of the country’s big names in comedy, but they are also committed to shining a spot light on our lesser known comedy talents.

“Comedians love the regions they have such great crowds, great atmosphere.”

Above: Dave Wiggins and Elizabeth McMenamin-Pervan. Dave is on the left.

“As well as the three-monthly shows, where we strive for a really great headliner supported by three locals, we have also been running our Fresh Comedy nights at Porridge Watson,” says Elizabeth, referring to the hippest bar in town and the wellspring of so much of Whanganui’s creativity. “Fresh Comedy is for local comedians, or comedians coming over from New Plymouth or Palmerston North, and we are really committed to making it as diverse as possible. We usually have at least eight comedians and even though we have it on a Monday night we get really great turnouts.”

The best is yet to come however, so if you’ve been looking for a reason to visit Whanganui, Hello Comedy have just the ticket (pun intended).

“We’ve always dreamed a bit bigger,” says Elizabeth, “and wanted to really put Whanganui on the map with something special. We’d been brainstorming it for sometime, and when we got some funding from Whanganui and Partners to market a festival we came up with the Whanganui Comedy Gala - which we’ll be hosting on 16 June 2023, with tickets on sale in December. Air Chathams has also helped out and we have Dai Henwood and Michelle A’Court lined up, Rhys Mathewson MCing and some really big names in the works. It’s going to be an amazing show - and one that is not going to skip Whanganui!”

Even with their comedy connections it might be expected that convincing standups to leave the big smoke and play in the provinces wouldn’t be easy, but Elizabeth says it has been pretty plain sailing.

The city needed a standup scene - and they were perfectly placed to launch it.

In Whanganui we enjoy kicking the year off with a touch of vintage delight, by bringing together a range of eclectic vintage themed events and attractions for one enthralling long weekend.

Gather your friends and family together, dress up and get down to experience that unforgettable Whanganui vibe… with a vintage twist.

FOR FULL EVENT INFO, VISIT VINTAGEWEEKEND.NZ

“Comedians love the regions - they have such great crowds, great atmosphere - maybe because we’re not so spoiled for choice as in the big centres. And I guess they do tailor their sets for where they are, certainly bagging Auckland always works! Justine Smith got a lot of flak for how she pronounced Whanganui in some of our advertising! We don’t pronounce the H, so in her show she got up and really broke the ice with this brilliant piece on how ‘sorry’ she was! It was brilliant.”

have just the ticket.

So pencil the Whanganui Comedy Gala into your diary in preparation for an awesome Whanganui getaway; tickets can be purchased at the The Royal Whanganui Opera House box office and ticket website or via the Hello Comedy website. More headliners will soon be announced - check out their Facebook or Instagram page - and maybe practice your pronunciation unless you think you can upstage Justine Smith with witty comebacks on why you say the city’s name wrong!

If you’ve been looking for a reason to visit Whanganui, Hello Comedy

Tiger, tiger

SHARKS: FEARED, ENDANGERED, THE ONLY SEAFOOD NOT WELCOME AT A BARBIE, and an essential part of the marine ecosystem. Now new research into one of the world’s largest populations of adult tiger sharks, found around Norfolk Island, is telling us about the extent of microplastics in our oceans - but also why these huge sea creatures just don’t seem to be interested in us.

Charlie Huveneers has had a thing for sharks nearly all his life. The Flinders University professor is the director of the Marine and Coastal Research Consortium and also research leader of the Southern Shark Ecology Group - but all that had humble beginnings.

“I’ve been interested in sharks since I was 12 years old,” he says. “Like most kids I was a bit afraid of them but wanted to learn more. So many of the books I read talked about how little we knew about sharks and that fascinated meand that has grown into my life’s work.”

Most of his current work is related to shark bite mitigation and wildlife tourism around the world, but his recent focus on Norfolk Island has produced some quite surprising results. “Our shark programme on Norfolk Island started in 2020,” Charlie says, “and originated from the need for tiger shark samples, and stories emerging about Norfolk Island having a large number of tiger sharks. But, we never dreamt of being able to catch, sample, and tag as many sharks as we did. We took ten tags with us on our first field trip and would have been happy deploying five to seven of those tags, but ended up catching 30 large tiger sharks in only six days. And it has been the same story every year since. Over the last three years we caught, sampled and tagged 90 different tiger sharks, all from one small bay. These weren’t small tiger sharks either, and averaged 4m with many sharks reaching 4.5m.”

Which of course begs the question of just why you would swim with the sharks, and the ones in Norfolk in particular.

first decided to go to Norfolk Island for the project of a post-doctoral fellow, Dr Lauren Meyer. Lauren is being supported by Georgia Aquarium (in Atlanta, USA) and is collaborating with Canadian scientists to understand microplastic loads in top predators. With tiger sharks occurring worldwide and having a broad and diverse diet, they were a logical, ideal species to investigate how much microplastic load varies between locations. Being so remote we expected Norfolk Island to have low microplastic levels, providing a good natural baseline or control location.

“Like most kids I was a bit afraid of them (sharks) but wanted to learn more.”

“We

“As we were catching these sharks to collect samples, we also had the opportunity to tag them with acoustic and satellite tags thanks to the support of the Neiser Foundation. These tags showed us that tiger sharks are not permanently resident around Norfolk Island, and mostly use the island from November/December to May/ June. The rest of the year they travel far and wide to Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, and New Zealand, and often spend extended time off New Caledonia. We already knew that tiger sharks in the Caribbean and Atlantic can travel long distances, but had no idea what the Norfolk Island tiger sharks did. Also, we found that the main prey of Norfolk Island’s tiger sharks are mutton birds, which was unexpected. As pelagic birds are notorious for consuming plastics, this could be a concerning source of plastic accumulation in tiger sharks.”

Should tiger sharks be a concern to us?

“Tiger sharks have been responsible for many shark bites worldwide and are responsible for the most fatal shark bites in some regions like Hawaii. But tiger sharks have never been an issue around Norfolk Island,” Charlie says. “Even though the spot where we tagged these 90 tiger sharks is only a few kilometres away from popular surf spots, surfers have hardly ever seen a tiger shark while surfing, but I can nearly guarantee that tiger sharks have seen surfers! Whether this is linked to disposal practices is currently being assessed by our team. And while some shark species can be resilient to human impacts and overfishing, many species are at elevated risk of extinction. Tiger sharks are globally listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, but it appears that Norfolk Island has a healthy population of tiger sharks.”

The work of people like Charlie Huveneers and his team will ensure those marine ecosystems continue to be safe - and teach us all about what our addiction to plastics might mean for our top marine predators.

“We found that the main prey of Norfolk Island’s tiger sharks are mutton birds, which was unexpected”

Cook's Landing Restaurant About Us

Aviation Poolside Cafe Whalers Room

Dining

Set in 5 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, the newly renovated South Pacific Resort is the largest and most conveniently located hotel on Norfolk Island It will take just a brief walk to the main shopping township of Burnt Pine and only a short drive to historical Kingston, amazing Emily Bay and the Golf Course The South Pacific Resort is perfect for relaxing and unwinding on your Norfolk Island holiday

Enjoy a delicious dinner in Cook's Landing Restaurant, which offers Modern Australian cuisines for all age groups Sample the fantastic coffees and toasties at the Aviation Poolside Cafe or sip a cocktail by the poolside at the end of a busy day.

Whatever your preferences, our warm and friendly staff will ensure your Island getaway trip is memorable.

Norfolk Island’s rich history and spectacular scenery are ideal tour material and no holiday is truly complete without experiencing some of the best Pinetree Tours has on offer.

The Island tour and entertainment specialists for over 35 years. Our famous Island Fish Fry is an evening not to be missed! Out on the grassy clifftop, or under our purpose built deck area for the cooler nights, you won’t miss the view, and you certainly won’t go home hungry!

Our tours take in everything, including Island homes, historic sites, convict buildings, shows & entertainment activities where you, the guest, can take part in the action. You might dress as a convict & enjoy an evening of light hearted colonial feasting and singing & dancing, or indulge in a mouth watering progressive dinner served in a variety of Island homes

THE ORIGINAL ISLAND FISH FRY

Your shout!

It’s a scenario playing out all over the country: earthquake building standards and the changing way we socialise are seeing a popular Kiwi icon the pub! slipping into extinction. So it’s great to see two grand old dames of the local hotel scene alive and kicking in Whakatāne!

The Commerce Hotel, Whakatāne, c.1908, Whakatane Museum Collection, 2010.95.9

There was a time not too long ago that the pub was the heart of small town New Zealand, a place to catch up on gossip, quench your thirst after a hard day’s yakka, eat out, and maybe meet your significant other. Any self-respecting pub featured several barsthe obligatory public bar, a lounge bar, and possibly a sportsman’s bar - as well as a dining room and accommodation for the ubiquitous-at-the-time travelling salesmen. And while any self-respecting one horse town had a pub, the mark of a truly great town was a bevy of boozers to choose from.

Back in the day, Whakatāne had three. One has long since passed into folklore, but the Commercial Hotel and Whakatāne Hotel are still to be found in the town’s CBD, busy and brilliant reminders of a golden era.

The Commercial Hotel – popularly known as The Comm – is actually the second watering hole to grace the current location. In 1893 a Mr E L Smith, eager to capitalize on the wealth of a growing Whakatāne, was granted a hotel license in March with the proviso that his establishment be in operation by June. With no time to spare, he acquired a hotel from the Coromandel goldfields - where the gold was running out and the pubs were going cheapand had it dismantled and put aboard a ship.

The Commercial Hotel at left and the Bank of New Zealand at right, c. 1939. Whakatane Museum Collection, P658

As with most building projects the reassembly of the building was soon behind schedule and Mr Smith stood to lose his license if he didn’t complete his end of the bargain. Not to be stopped, he erected just the doorframe and door, complete with nameplate and sign, and declared himself open for business. The liquor licensee must have been a man of excellent humour, as he quietly ignored the fact that the rest of the ‘Hotel’ was a pile of lumber, turned a blind eye, and the beer flowed.

The two pubs enjoyed a long and (usually) friendly rivalry.

Once completed, the original building served the town well and passed through several owners, one of whom died there together with seven of his staff and guests in the 1918 influenza, and it was also common folklore that Te Kooti was a regular drinker there in the later years of his life. In 1939, the old Hotel was demolished and a new Commercial Hotel rose in its place.

It was in that same year that the Whakatāne Hotel was built. It too replaced an older structure as there had been licensed premises on that site since the 1870s, and one story has it that, like the original Comm, one of these establishments arrived on a ship from the Coromandel. In this case, however, the pub was destined for farther up the coast and was only staying in Whakatāne to wait for a storm to pass, but in a heated late night card game the ship’s master used the pub as collateral on what he was certain was a winning hand. It wasn’t and the pub stayed in Whakatāne.

The two pubs enjoyed a long and (usually) friendly rivalry. ‘The Whaka’, as it was commonly known, scored a coup when it played host to the cast and crew of the 1954 film The Seekers, the first colour feature made in New Zealand, which was partly shot on location in Whakatāne. A hint of sexual abandon and big screen scandal rippled through the town when one of the stars - Laya Raki an ‘exotic’ actress of ‘mysterious island origins’ - took to spending her evenings draped on the windowsill of an upper floor room while smoking cigarettes. So many of Whakatāne’s young men took to spending their evenings draped on the bonnets of cars in the street below that a nearby cobbler opened after hours so as to give them an excuse to be there. The cobbler promptly made a tidy sum from unnecessary shoe and boot repairs - and Laya Raki turned out to be one Brunhilde Marie Alma Herta Jörns from Hamburg, Germany, but she stayed in character throughout her visit and in the days before Google no one appears to have been any the wiser.

The Whakatāne Hotel was built in 1939 fancied itself as a cut above The Comm, with ‘remarkable incandescent bulbs’ and proudly advertising that it had a ferry connection across the river, though passengers found themselves conveyed across by what contemporary photos clearly show was just a row boat.

In the early 1970s the Commercial expanded into the BNZ building that had been its neighbour for many years, and this corner location became ‘The Comm’ that we know today. It has been recently refurbished, and both Whakatane’s fine old watering holes are still perfect locations to quench your thirstor for a trip into New Zealand’s past.

The Whakatāne Hotel, Whakatāne Museum Collection, 776 The Whakatāne Hotel today with the Craic Irish pub

In a heated late night card game the ship’s master used the pub as collateral on what he was certain was a winning hand. It wasn’t and the pub stayed in Whakatāne.

The Strand and Whakatāne Hotel in the 1960s; the fountain - loved by some, loathed by others - was removed in 1987.

A hint of sexual abandon and big screen scandal rippled through the town...

Whakatāne Museum Collection, 13830

Our fleet

Air Chathams has a fleet of 11 aircraft, ranging from single-engine light planes to turbo-prop passenger aircraft capable of speeds of over 500km/h. With this diverse fleet we can offer everything from scenic flights to charters, passenger services and freight.

ATR 72

Our newest regional airliner Speed 500 kilometres per hour Max Altitude 25,000 feet Pressurised Cabin Yes No. of Pilots 2 No. of Flight Attendants 2 No. of Seats 68 Inflight Catering Available Toilet Yes

Saab 340

Our Swedish princess Speed 470 kilometres per hour Max Altitude 25,000 feet Pressurised Cabin Yes No. of Pilots 2 No. of Flight Attendants 1 No. of Seats 34 Inflight Catering Available Toilet Yes

Douglas DC-3

Our pride and joy. This remarkable aircraft has certainly ‘been there and done that’.

Speed 240 kilometres per hour Max Altitude 10,000 feet Pressurised Cabin No No. of Pilots 2 No. of Flight Attendants 1 No. of Seats 28 Inflight Catering Available Toilet Yes

Fairchild Metroliner

Safe, fast, and efficient commuter aircraft

Speed 450 kilometres per hour Max Altitude 25,000 feet Pressurised Cabin Yes No. of Pilots 2 No. of Flight Attendants 0 No. of Seats 18 Inflight Catering Limited Toilet No

Cessna 206

The Chatham Islands workhorse

Speed 230 kilometres per hour Max Altitude 10,000 feet Pressurised Cabin No No. of Pilots 1 No. of Flight Attendants 0 No. of Seats 5 Inflight Catering No Toilet No

The airline that brings New Zealand together

Air Chathams is family owned and operated and is New Zealand’s largest privately owned airline, flying to some of the country’s best regional destinations. For more than 35 years we’ve been bringing New Zealand together.

The home of Air Chathams

The Chatham Islands are New Zealand’s most eastern islands, located over 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of southern New Zealand. About 600 people live on the two largest islands, Chatham and Pitt, and we have officially been a part of New Zealand since 1842.

The islands are volcanic in origin with diverse landscapes and a fascinating history, renowned for a bountiful seafood industry and conservation efforts protecting many rare and endangered species.

Top tips before making a visit:

• No passport is necessary when flying from New Zealand.

• Electricity is standard for New Zealand at 240 volts AC, but can be unreliable so we recommend surge protection on your devices.

• Pack clothing for variable weather. Think layers and protection from the sun, wind and rain. Sturdy walking shoes are recommended.

• The Chatham Islands are 45 mins ahead of mainland New Zealand standard time.

• There are no shuttles or taxis. Transport from the airline needs to be arranged with your accommodation as will any rental vehicle prior to your visit.

• Check with your accommodation provider about any specialist needs or allergies as the Chatham Islands often have limited supplies for specific requirements.

• There is a small hospital with a resident doctor and nurses available. Air Chathams always recommends travel insurance for any air travel.

• With deep family connections and local heritage, many places of interest are on private land and require the owner’s permission to visit. If you are unsure, please ask first.