The Fringe, October 2022

ISSUE 219, OCTOBER 2022

community news, issues, arts, people, events

WORST WEEDS WATCHLIST

Have you spotted these in your backyard? Pest plants have a real ecological impact when they jump the garden fence and smother our forests and streams. Keeping them at bay means that native plants and birds can flourish.

CLIMBING ASPARAGUS

MOTH PLANT

WILD GINGER

Smothers the forest floor and prevents growth of native plants. Climbing plant with small, thin leaves, white flowers and green berries that ripen to orange/ red. For small amounts, dig out tubers, rhizomes and seeds & rot in a water barrel or dispose in community weed bins. Try to remove before seeding occurs. Large infestations may require herbicide.

Strangles native plants and is a prolific seeder. Noxious woody vine with white sap and large green pods bearing up to 1000 seeds. Wear gloves when removing pods and dispose of in community weed bins. Pull out young plants at the root, or cut woody stumps and apply herbicide.

Avoid skin contact - sap is an irritant.

Quickly forms dense stands that prevents native plants from growing. Cut off seed heads and dispose at community weed bins. Green stems and leaves can be left to compost. If rhizomes can be removed without causing erosion, dig out and rot in water barrels or dispose in community weed bins. If leaving rhizomes in the ground, cut stems at base and paste immediately with herbicide.

WOOLLY NIGHTSHADE

JASMINE

TRADESCANTIA

Quickly forms dense stands that prevent native plants from growing. Small shrubs grow into large trees with furry grey/green leaves, purple flowers and green fruit turning yellow when ripe. Dig or pull out small plants or cut and paste large trees with herbicide. Remove seeds and dispose of in community weed bins.

Grows densely and smothers native plants on the ground and in the subcanopy.

Evergreen climber with tough stems, dark green leaves, red/pink flower buds and white, five-petalled flowers. Cut vines and leave upper stems to die in trees, alternatively dig out roots. Rot down in a water barrel or dispose in community weed bins.

Forms dense mats preventing native plants from growing, and will regrow from stem fragments. Rake up or pull out all pieces and compost in a weed bag, or dispose of in community weed bin.

For large infestations or more detailed information, visit https://pestsearch.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz To prevent the spread of kauri dieback, refrain from removing weeds from around the root zones of kauri.

Those who live in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area can dispose of invasive weeds free of charge at the community weed bins: www.ecomatters.org.nz/weed-bins

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

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Contents

Whole lot of love going on here........................... 4 Tītīrangi Primary turns 150....................................... 5 Gaining freedom through learning to read and write.................................................... 6 The Addams family is coming to Glen Eden....... 7 New public toilets to open this month................. 8 Keeping it local: first aid is important................... 9 Art and about with Naomi McCleary........ 10 – 11 Out and About in the West......................... 12 – 13 Rebecca’s Review; School Holidays at Tītīrangi Library...................... 14 Tītīrangi Theatre concerts

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in association with TFM......................................... 15 Local Government Elections – special feature.............................................. 16 – 18 Understanding our wetlands............................... 18 Naturally West with Fiona Drummond................ 19 Walk West with ‘The Rambler’............................. 20 Sustainable solutions with Fiona Drummond; Weather by the Moon.......................................... 21 Live @ the lounge ................................................ 22 Advertisers’ Directory............................................ 23 On our cover: Spring brings many surprises but this bee must have thought all its Christmases had come at once when it visited this kōwhai blossom. Thanks to Delwyn of ‘sunny Cornwallis’ for this special photo.

Every issue of The Fringe (and the Tītīrangi Tatler before it) since April 2011 is on-line at www.fringemedia.co.nz.

Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FringeWest) to hear when each issue is available and get other updates.

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www.fringemedia.co.nz Delivered free to letter boxes, post boxes, libraries and selected outlets throughout Tītīrangi, Glen Eden, Green Bay, New Lynn, Konini, Wood Bay, French Bay, Waima, Woodlands Park, Laingholm, Parau, Cornwallis, Huia, Oratia, and beyond.

Published by: Fringe Media Ltd, PO Box 60-469, Tītīrangi, Auckland 0642

Editor: Bevis England 817 8024, 027 494 0700 bevis@fringemedia.co.nz

Advertising:

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Writers and contributors: Moira Kennedy, David Thiele, Naomi McCleary, Fiona Drummond, Jade Reidy, John Goudge, Rebecca Manners, Karen McCarthy

Advertising deadline for November 2022: October 14

The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

3

Our place

Whole lot of love going on here When Tītīrangi mother, Novia Hoo, visits the West Auckland Community Toy Library to check out toys, books and puzzles for her little girl, she gets so excited she has to limit herself in her choices.

Novia and husband Thomas Matthews visit the library every couple of weeks with 16-month old Ciana and say they love the whole concept of the library.

Recently returned to Tītīrangi from Taiwan and living with her parents, Novia says her overseas friends are envious of the choices the library offers. “I posted photos on Instagram and they think 16-month old Ciana Hoo-Matthews it’s an amazing idea – and trying a new toy. it is. We just love it.

“When we visit to get new toys, Ciana gets really overwhelmed and I do too. I have to limit myself and narrow down what we can take home each time.”

But it’s not just the choice of toys and games that thrills Novia. “I’m a first-time Mum and I’ve learnt so much about playing with my little girl and stimulating her.

“At first we thought it was a great place to get a toy and be lazy; just let her play. And then we realised that’s not the right way. You have to play with your child, show her the way to discover different things about the toy, different ways of playing,” she says.

“It’s really important for parents to learn and bond with their children and this is a great way to do it. We got some Lego last time and Thomas was really into it as well. It was a lovely time for dad and daughter to play together and have such fun.

“We say we’ll only come in to the toy library for 10 minutes and then we’ll be here for an hour. Ciana is now actually selecting her own toys so it’s a learning thing for all of us. We love it.”

Ciana’s granddad, Marco Hu, loves the place too, so much so he volunteers his time to mend toys that need to be repaired.

Many of them are classic wooden toys and those are top of the ‘want list’ for parents and children alike.

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

Librarian Nat Oliver-Pegrum says toys that are solid like kitchen sets and busy-boards (with knobs, handles, old phones and other attached odds and ends; made by her father) are much in demand. “Dad just loves creating them. They move and are so tactile. Little children are fascinated by them. Hours of fun and learning,” she says.

Nat’s been in her role at the not-for-profit library for more than five years and loves the busyness of meeting the many children and their families who use the service every week.

Nat Oliver-Pegrum: loving “It’s constantly changing. Toys every minute of her job. come in and toys go out. Yes, a lot of them are plastic but we are reusing them. If they were thrown away, they’d be sitting in the landfill for hundreds of years as plastic just doesn’t break down,” she says.

The library is aimed at parents of children from six months of age to five years, but Nat says older children are welcome.

It’s affordable too with Busy-boards are much in demand for a yearly membership of busy little minds and fingers. $80 (with a $10 credit if a parent does a volunteer shift in the library), $45 for six months and a three-month trial period for $30. Most of the toys cost $1 to rent for two weeks and puzzles are 50 cents each.

The library receives funding through various community grants and donations and volunteers are always welcome, especially on very busy Saturdays.

Nat’s own daughter, Iris, is nearly 10 “and has been through the toy system” in previous years. And yes, she’s been known to help her mum out in the library during holidays.

“We constantly have new families join. It’s very dynamic,” says Nat. “I love meeting new people and watching the kids grow up.”

You can find the toy library at 229 Portage Road, Green Bay; email: westaucktl@gmail.com. Opening Hours: Tuesday: 09:30am - 12:30pm; Wednesday: 09:30am - 12:30pm; Thursday: 1:30pm - 4:00pm; Friday: 1:30pm - 4:00pm Saturday: 09:30am - 1:00pm – Moira Kennedy Advertise with The Fringe – It’s who we are.

Our place

Tītīrangi Primary turns 150

It’s been 150 years since Tītīrangi Primary School began educating local children and a celebration of this took place late last month.

With speakers from the school and the student body beginning the event there were also performances from the school’s Kapa Haka, Pasifika and dance groups.

This was followed by a special cake cutting ceremony with the school’s oldest surviving past student and its newest student.

Other events included a tour of the 2022 student art trail, an exhibition of historical photos and movies in the school hall and a special screening of Looking Back, Moving Forward, a documentary and stop-motion animated movie created by school students.

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

5

Our place

Gaining freedom through learning to read and write A recently published series of books written by students at Literacy Waitākere, in conjunction with Auckland Libraries, has been so successful it is likely to be followed by another set before the end of the year.

The adult reader books include The Big Wave, Working at Crown Lynn and The Islands.

Literacy Waitākere, a not-for-profit organisation based in New Lynn, has been helping adults with reading and writing for more than 45 years, helping thousands of people build self-confidence as they build their literacy.

There is no direct cost to the learner and the service is aimed at adults (16+ who are not in full time learning) who are New Zealand citizens or residents and who need help with literacy and numeracy, especially reading, writing and spelling.

The organisation also works with learners who are speakers of other languages but do not read and write in their mother tongue, and with some who are literate but want to improve their English.

Project coordinator Tooki Proctor says the book series is a reflection of what the teachers have known for years: beginner readers like to read true stories.

“They often feel that made-up stories are for kids. It takes a higher level of literacy to appreciate the joys of fiction as an adult. But they don’t want to read books written for kids,” Tooki says.

“We also know that readers need to see themselves represented in what they read, and the material available for beginner adult readers is nearly all from overseas. So we were delighted when Auckland Libraries approached us to talk about creating a series of books for New Zealanders that would fill the gap in the market,” she says.

“Learners see it as very empowering to see their own work in print, especially if they had bad learning experiences in the past.

“Maybe they don’t learn the way school teaches, maybe they had a difficult childhood and couldn’t attend school regularly or were not able to learn when they could attend.

“They enter adulthood ashamed of their low literacy, and it takes a great deal of courage to ask for help. When they get the help they need to understand how they learn, many want to write their own stories as a way of putting the past behind them,” says Tooki.

In her story about growing up in Rotorua, Rose Hunt, author of the new Crown Lynn book, wrote “I’m so thrilled that everything is Miriam James-Scotter, ex out in the open, after so Literacy Waitākere tutor, many years. The pain that reading from her book The it caused my life, so much Big Wave. anger. One day hopefully, now it’s out in the open, I will be able to hold my head up high.” Sadly, Rose passed away just before the books were published.

Tooki says that Pacifika learners often want to share stories of their homeland’s culture, hence stories about fishing in Tuvalu and Samoa, for the generation growing up here and disconnected from their heritage.

Other students say Literacy Waitākere has ‘unlocked their minds to the learning tree of knowledge’, giving their mind freedom.

“You have given me more confidence. I am more positive.

I feel better about myself and I feel better prepared for my future. You have helped me see the ability I have within my mind and my heart. Thanks for helping me believe in myself,” says Keith.

And from Leanne: “I’ve been to other places for learning, but I didn’t feel comfortable, I didn’t fit in. As soon as I walked into Literacy Waitākere I felt welcome, I felt like I belonged.” www.literacywaitakere.org.nz – Moira Kennedy

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

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Places to go – Things to do

The Addams family is coming to Glen Eden Your favourite, creepy family has arrived just in time for Halloween! The Tael Solutions Ltd season of The Addams Family will be performed at the historic Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre in October.

The show brings a new twist to the familiar family, the Addams, who are facing a new challenge.

Wednesday, who is now a young adult, is engaged to Lucas Beineke, who comes from a respectable, very ‘normal’ family from Ohio.

The worst part about it is that no one but Gomez knows about the engagement and now Gomez Addams must do something he has never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia.

In an attempt to have the families meet, Wednesday hopes for one normal night with dinner followed by the engagement announcement. However, nothing with the Addams family ever goes to plan. The wrong secrets are revealed, and chaos breaks out.

Introducing the creative team of Jack Hanrahan as director, James Robert as choreographer and Jo Kelsey as music director, The Addams Family promises laughs, tears and happy-ever-afters. Join the cast on this kooky, creepy and comical adventure and find out if love truly triumphs.

The Addams Family is on at The Playhouse Theatre, Glen Eden, October 15 – 29. Tickets are available from Eventfinda or http://www.playhousetheatreinc. com.

The Fringe has three double passes for Friday October 21 to give away.

To go in the draw to win one, write your name, address and phone number on the back of an envelope and post it to Addams, PO Box 60-469, Titirangi 0642 or email your details to info@fringemedia.co.nz with Addams in the subject line. All entries must be received by October 14.

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

7

Our place

New public toilets to open this month Relief is in sight. Tītīrangi’s long-awaited new public toilets are about to be back in business. (All puns intended.)

After three and a half years without amenities in the Village, the plush new public loos are finally finished after a burst of activity in recent weeks, with a planned opening early this month.

The old ablutions block on the corner of Tītīrangi and South Tītīrangi roads disappeared in April 2019, ahead of the development of the new commercial building and food court known as ‘The Rise’.

As we went to press the new Since then, the main drag public toilets in Tītīrangi were still a bit of a mess ... of the Village has offered no relief to anyone needing to answer the call of nature, with the nearest public toilets at Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall or Te Uru Gallery.

This might have been helpful for locals who knew where they could go – as long as the call came when the hall or gallery was open – but it wasn’t much use to the hordes of visitors who descend on the Village at weekends for their brunches, café stops, art gallery visits or bush walks … or on their way to and from the west coast beaches.

But now, you can’t miss the new loos – a double Permaloo structure – right beside the bus-stop as you arrive in Tītīrangi, from the east. The compact, grey building, nestled under the big rimu Among the finishing touches: a stone tree, features a pitched fascia to match the bus stop and surrounding walls. timber shingle roof.

Early reaction from locals and local business-owners is mixed although everybody is agreed it’s about time Tītīrangi had its public toilets back.

Maia, a manager at Iti bar and restaurant, directly across the road, says “it looks really tidy, and it will be good, just in time for summer.”

However she thought the location could be better, a view shared by others. “I feel quite bad for Ambrosia, it’s right

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

outside their restaurant. But it’s good for the bus-stop, people coming and going. And you want it well-lit. You do not want it in the back alleys or anything. You want to be able to see it to use it.”

Proximity to parking and public transport was a key consideration for Council when choosing the new site.

Linda, florist at the Fairy Flowers shop, says she wasn’t sure where else the toilets could have gone, with space at a premium in the Village. She’s not a fan of how the new loos look, and thinks the Council has missed an opportunity to do something different.

“They’re the ugliest-looking thing. Design-wise, they could’ve done something really great. So many artists, creative people live around here.”

Perhaps that’s down to cost.

The place to spend a penny has already cost a pretty penny.

Auckland Council’s Head of Area Operations, Oliver Kunzendorff, says the cost for the Tītīrangi toilet project came to $757,129.66.

“That includes the demolition of the old toilet block, feasibility investigations and site analysis along with a notified consent, building and resource consent, specialist reports such as a land visual assessment and arboriculture, landscape and design development, water connections and construction of the new block, including bespoke landscaping features.“ Additional planting is planned for the site.

The new construction has also meant the loss of one of the smallest but sunniest public seats/park benches in the Village; perhaps a small price to pay considering the long overdue and welcome return of Tītīrangi’s smallest but arguably most important public building.

NB: Unlike the old public toilets which were open all hours, a sign on the lockable doors of the new amenities says “Opening Hours, 7am to 9pm.” It might pay to keep that in mind in case you are caught short outside of those times!

– Karen McCarthy

Tītīrangi Classics Classic cars, music, food, drinks and all to raise money for charity.

Conrad and Cheryl Stewart founded Isometric in 2007 and it has grown to become a national IT support company based in The Rise. “We are so grateful to already be a part of a community that is known to be connected and supportive are bringing the classic cars out to raise funds to support Prostate Cancer research,” writes Cheryl.

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer for Kiwi men with over 4000 men diagnosed each year.

The Rise, 490 South Titirangi Road. October 23, 10am-2pm. https://titirangiclassics.nz/.

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Keeping it Local

Knowing first aid is important Knowing how to do first aid is beneficial to the community – the higher the number of people qualified in first aid, the safer that community becomes. And courses, offered by Meditrain, are now available locally.

MediTrain has been providing professional first aid training courses for over 30 years, throughout New Zealand.

First aid skills and qualifications are necessary in many industries, and the company is keen to increase the number of qualified people for safer workplaces and communities.

The company is registered with NZQA as a Private Training Establishment (PTE) and has eight regional offices throughout New Zealand, with its head office in Onehunga. (The other offices are in Tauranga, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Taihape, Palmerston North, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.) All its first aid courses are assessed against NZQA credits and are recognised by the Ministry of Education and WorkSafe NZ. All of Meditrain’s highly qualified and friendly instructors meet the CMR and NZRC requirements sent out by NZQA. And they are all enthusiastic about providing first aid and sharing their knowledge and experience with the community.

Meditrain’s courses can be booked online at www.meditrain.

co.nz and First Aid kits, AEDs and other first aid related products can also be purchased online.

Courses are held throughout Auckland but are now also available at the Tītīrangi Community House, adjacent to the Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall, off South Tītīrangi Road.

To find out more visit www. meditrain.co.nz or phone 0800 084 543.

The company promises that you will enjoy its fun, interactive and informative training while gaining the essential skills needed to help your family and colleagues and keep home and workplaces safe.

The Fringe makes space on these pages available for current advertisers and non-commercial organisations.

To be included in our next issue, email info@ fringemedia.co.nz before October 14.

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The Fringe OCTOBER 9 13/09/222022 5:54 PM

Art & About with Naomi McCleary

Patience Rewarded At 10.35 am on August 25th I sat, along with colleagues from the Going West Trust and the Waitākere Ranges Local Board, in the Auckland Council meeting room to speak to, and witness, an agenda report to the 'governing body' to approve the transfer of Maurice Shadbolt's house in Arapito Road, Tītīrangi, to the Going West Trust.

It had been a long time coming, and yet we sat there in a state of nervousness, not absolutely sure how this would be received. I spoke, as a Going West trustee, as did Saffron Toms and Sandra Coney as Local Board members. And, after such a long and sometimes arduous journey, we were greeted with an avalanche of warmth and positivity! The resolution was unanimously approved. It was a 'pinch me' moment.

So what do you do at 11.00 in the morning to celebrate such a momentous occasion? After a (very) little hesitation, we headed to the cafe/bar across at the Aotea Centre and splashed out on a bottle of bubbly and some pastries; and laughed and talked our way through the implications of this breakthrough.

So what comes next?

I wrote about this extensively in the June Fringe (look back online if you are interested). But there is a different feel to it all now that we have jumped that final hoop. So we have found ourselves down there sweeping and cleaning 'our house'. There has been a community planting day when 350 native plants and trees were put in the ground, following a weed eradication programme that will continue for years.

Like so much of Tītīrangi, it is the weed capital of the world.

But the bigger picture is the need to raise several hundred thousand dollars to replace and strengthen the foundations.

Your local MP Dr Deborah Russell MP for New Lynn New Lynn Electorate Office 09 820 6245 newlynn.mp@parliament.govt.nz 1885 Great North Rd, Avondale, Auckland

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

Artist of the Month: Renee Boyd

If you have even a fleeting interest in ceramics, this is a name you will most probably know. For years Renee has been creating, from her studio in Glen Eden, domestic ware with the most refined and deceptively simple aesthetic. Her work looks delicate but is robustly functional; it is timeless but very contemporary; has character and presence.

She works with a palette of soft pastels (with an occasional flash of black) and eggshell speckling, but with such a restrained hand; bowls, vases, mugs and jugs! I own two of her jugs. They sit close to hand on a window sill where they give me daily pleasure.

They are unusual in that they have no handles, which enhances the streamlined form, and yet they are easy to hold and completely usable. Over the years her work has been featured in design magazines and she has been a finalist in the Portage Ceramic Awards.

A trusted and knowledgeable friend, who shares my passion for New Zealand ceramics, gave me his rule of thumb for judging ceramic ware, as follows: Focus on a piece and get a visceral sense of what it would weigh in your hand; FRINGEADLTD.pdf 1 15/11/16 16:33 imagine you are holding it. Then pick it up and see whether it

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Authorised by Deborah Russell MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

The first application has already been submitted. No funding body would touch this project without that pesky approval.

At a point when we can afford to be ambitious, I would like to think that a writer could be in a supported residency by sometime in 2024. There is more work to be done to bring the interior up to 'comfort standard'. It was never a flash house, but it is roomy and looks down and out to a peerless view of the Manukau. It is quiet and full of the song of Maurice's 'loud-mouthed birds'. What more could a writer with a mission in mind want?

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Art & About with Naomi McCleary

matches what your mind and gut told you. If it does, you are probably holding something of quality. Renee's work passes this, entirely subjective, test hands down.

As I write, there is a parallel story about this still young and talented woman. Renee has brain cancer and openly shares with me that time is limited. When I met her at the Oratia Market a couple of months ago, she had walked from her home in Glen Eden, an arresting figure in her 'cancer hat' and a stick (more of a staff than a walking stick). Her explanation that day, which left me speechless: 'I am walking to my death'.

To go back: Renee was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and was appropriately treated. In August of last year a seizure revealed it had metastasised to her brain and was inoperable. Right now a final round of chemotherapy is giving her some level of stability, on good days, and some time.

She was once a runner and is now a walker; daily and for long distances; often on bush tracks where she can concentrate on walking without the distraction of conversation; but at other times out in the community talking to strangers and feeling the warmth of empathy and friendship. I sense that walking has become a meditation; a way through this tragically defined period of time left.

Right now she has returned to her studio for a couple of hours on good days to work with the clay that has always fascinated her; exploring again surface, scale and volume.

There may be a small showing.

I struggle to find words to describe Renee; the sheer courage of this woman and the dignity she brings to her story.

If you go to Renee Boyd's website, you will find a link to a givealittle page. As always, daily life can be tough in this circumstance. You may wish to help.

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

11

Places to go – Things to do

Out and About in the West Event organisers: Do you have an upcoming event you’d like listed in The Fringe? Send the details, including a contact person and number, to info@fringemedia.co.nz.

Readers: While we take care to ensure listings are

correct, errors may occur. Check with the contact person wherever possible.

Covid precautions: All events and gatherings in these listings

will require full compliance with relevant Covid regulations.

October w – 9, Focus, an exploration of the patterns and shapes of the living world

through drawing, painting, photography and collage by Grace Thresher; Upstairs Gallery, Level 1, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 4278.

2, 1pm, The Gardener, $10; 3pm, Whetu Marama-Bright Star, $10; 5pm, The Rose Maker, $10; 7.30pm, Roma, $10.

Tickets from eventfinda and Tītīrangi Pharmacy. Phone 09 817 2583.

w 2, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.

w 5 – 7, Hansel and Gretel, a theatre show for kids; Browne St Cafe, 50 Rosebank Rd Avondale; 10.30am and 1pm; Tickets $12 or four for $40 through iTicket or cash at the door. Phone Lucy McCammon 021 181 8130.

w 8, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Martin Curtis, songsmith from

the South Island. Floorsingers in first half; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $12, members $8, under 18 free. www. titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289. Vaccination Pass and mask required.

w 8, Tītīrangi Poets with a guest poet and readings by members; Tītīrangi

War Memorial Hall, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 2-4pm. Phone Ron Riddell

w – 30, Forgotten Vessels – Waiting for the Early Dawn, a collaboration 021 181 6698. between Nature’s Gentleman (Numa Mackenzie) and Sistar S’pacific (Rosanna Raymond); Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, w 9, Blessing of the Pets, bring your pet to be blessed; Sty Francis Church, Henderson; 10am-4.30pm daily. Phone 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz.

w – December 4, Cellular memory: Elizabeth Thomson engages with

science, imagination, culture, and fundamental questions about humanity, its place in nature and what citizenship means within this expanded realm; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.

corner Park and Tītīrangi Beach Roads; 10am. Phone Christine 027 242 4772.

w 9, Spring Festival with plants, stalls, crafts, activities, entertainment,

food and drinks. Also collecting used sports gear and gardening hand tools for charity; West Lynn Garden, 73 Parker Ave, New Lynn; 10am-3pm.

w – February 26, Gonville Gothic, photographer Tia Ranginui puts her own w 11, West Auckland Historical Society Family History Group meeting; spin on patupaiarehe, sometimes described as Māori fairy folk; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.

Henderson Central Library West Auckland Research Centre; 10-11.30am.

Phone Gary Snow 832 5098, 021 618 434 or email gary@snofam.co.nz.

w 12, Flicks presents Hit the Road (M) (TBC), a new release; Tītīrangi w Lopdell Film Festival, Tītīrangi Theatre, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi theatre, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road; 6pm and 8.15pm; Tickets Road.

1, 10.30am and 11.30am, Archive Hour, Free; 1pm, ’Ainbow-Spirit of the Amazon, $5; 4pm, Girls Can’t Surf, $10; 6pm, Love of Fire, $10; 8pm, Redemption of a Rogue, $10.

12

The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

$15/$12 from eventfinda or on door. TEXT bookings to 0210 222 5558.

w 14, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club, guest speaker and morning tea;

Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12noon. Phone Laurie 820 2234.

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Places to go – Things to do

w 14, Ladies’ Probus Club, fellowship, fun, speakers, and a monthly day Community Centre, Totara Avenue, New Lynn; 11am - 2pm; Koha. Enquiries trip; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatū South; 9.45am-Noon.

Phone Betty 09 832 0484.

to shi@doughnuteconomicsnz.com.

w 30, Tītīrangi Village Market: art, craft, produce and music; Tītīrangi

w 14 – November 6, Emerging Artist Award 2022: The Joy in Art; Upstairs War Memorial Hall; 10am-2pm. Contact Tess on tvm.manager@gmail.com Gallery, Level 1, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 4278.

w 15, New Lynn Lions Book Sale: books, CDs, DVDs, LPs and jigsaw puzzles for $1; New Lynn Friendship Club Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn (down the driveway by the traffic lights); 8am-4pm.

17, Henderson Falls Combined Friendship Club – fun, friendship and fellowship with monthly speakers and frequent outings; Henderson Bowling Clubrooms, 2/20 Alderman Drive, Henderson; 10am-noon. Contact Joy 837 4646 or 021 267 3544.

w

w 18, SeniorNet West Auckland, speaker, morning tea and chatting about

computers; RSA Henderson, Poppy Restaurant, 66-70 Railside Avenue, Henderson; 10am. Phone June 021 179 3635.

w 19, Combined Waitākere Rebus Club; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatu South; 10am-Noon. Contact Philis on 838 5361.

w 25, Tītīrangi U3A – informal learning for people 60-years plus, guest

speakers, study groups; West Lynn Garden, 73 Parker Avenue, New Lynn; 1pm. Contact 818 8809, 027 699 5480 or heathertanguay@slingshot.co.nz. www.u3a.nz.

w 26, Flicks presents The Good Boss (M)2, a newly released drama/comedy

or phone 022 631 9436.

November

w November 6, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.

w November 8, West Auckland Historical Society Family History Group

meeting; Henderson Central Library West Auckland Research Centre; 10-11.30am. Phone Gary Snow 832 5098, 021 618 434 or email gary@ snofam.co.nz.

w November 11, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club, guest speaker

and morning tea; Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12noon. Phone Laurie 820 2234.

There is so much happening in and around our community, including many weekly events, that we can’t fit everything into these listings. If you can’t see the event you’re interested in, visit:

www.fringemedia.co.nz/ourplace

from Spain; Tītīrangi Theatre, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road; 6pm and 8.15pm; Tickets $15/$12 from eventfinda or on door. TEXT bookings to 0210 222 5558.

w 28, Glen Eden Combined Probus Club: company and fellowship,

interesting speakers, morning tea and monthly outings; Ceramco Park Function Centre, 120 Glendale Road, Kaurilands; 9.45am. Phone Brian Holt 838 5857.

w 28, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Friday Folk, an informal gathering of musicians and singers; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $5. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289.

Vaccination Pass and mask required.

w 29, New Lynn Repair Cafe organised and run by DEANZ (Doughnut

Economics Advocates NZ) with funding from Whau Local Board, New Lynn PLAYHOUSE THEATRE INC PRESENTS THE

SEASON OF

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15th - 29th October Book tickets at Eventfinda

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13

Rebecca’s Review

Going West, by Maurice Gee I have yet to read a book written by Maurice Gee which I have not enjoyed.

From hiding under the bed-covers as a child with Under the Mountain (featuring the diabolical Wilberforces) to the murder mystery brilliance of In My Father’s Den, I have never been disappointed. More eminent reviewers than I have waxed lyrical about Gee’s writing talents, and rightly so, but for me it is also the relatedness I feel reading his novels, so intrinsically New Zealand, that I delight in.

Going West, as the title suggests, features many parts of West Auckland which are as satisfying to identify with as the book is to read. Considered one of the most autobiographical of his novels, the main protagonist is from the fictional West Auckland town of Loomis. See if you can guess which West Auckland town this is based on!

On the second page, Skeat (or Gee?) speaks of “Territories, places. West of Auckland, out towards the ranges. Purple evening hills with a sunset like an open wound. We both knew the margin to our world, Rex from New Lynn, I from Loomis.”

And then, “Westward, the ranges. Naked beaches on the other side, mile-long combers crashing in. Auckland city lay in the east; opulence and commerce, bright lights, sin.”

Skeat goes on to describe the three ways to get to Auckland

School Holiday Fun at Tītīrangi Library

Tuesday, October 4, 10.30-11.30am – Wiggles Party – Tītīrangi Library and Lopdell Precinct. Get ready to wiggle on the roof! We will be dancing to all your favourite Wiggles tunes on the Lopdell Rooftop Terrace followed by a BYO picnic while enjoying the best view in Tītīrangi.

The rain location will be the Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall adjacent to Tītīrangi Library.

Wednesday, October 5, 10-11am – DIY Yarn Monsters.

Create crazy, zany monster friends at this special craft event. Suitable 5+ Thursday, October 6, 10.00-11.30am – Forensic Science. Tītīrangi Library is excited to be hosting the popular Mad Science Show with Robert. Trainee detectives apply now! Use scientific methods to help solve the crime.

14

The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

from the West, proving, to me at least, that as much as things change, they stay the same.

The story, told in the third person through Jack Skeat, and in the first person via Jack’s notebooks, is of Jack and Rex Petley, his friend since childhood and celebrated poet. Rex dies at sea in mysterious circumstances. Is it suicide?

Following Jack in his quest for the truth, we learn as much about Jack and his life – the frustrated writer, the unloved son, his relationships with friends and lovers – as we do about Rex, the tortured artist.

Find yourself a good hot drink, curl up in a sunny spot, and enjoy “... one of the finest writers at work, not only in New Zealand ... but in the English speaking world.” (The Sunday Times’ reviewer Andro Linklater) Did you know that the name for the local annual Going West Writers Festival was inspired by this novel?

Maurice Gee was born in Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, and brought up in Henderson, a location that frequently features in his writing. Gee attended Henderson Primary School and Avondale College, and completed BA and MA degrees at the University of Auckland, which subsequently recognised him with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998, and an honorary Doctorate of Literature in 2004.

– Rebecca Manners Suitable 7+. Bookings required. Email Titirangi.library@ aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

Tuesday, October 11, 10-11am – Butterfly Craft.

Feeling creative? Want to get crafty? Join this fun spring art session creating wooden spoon butterflies. Suitable 5+ Wednesday, October 12, 2-4pm – Lego Challenge with BrickScene. Calling all brick builders! Take on the challenges of creating, building, and playing at our Lego challenge stations. Suitable 5+ Thursday, October 13, 2-4pm – Harry Potter Magic.

Dress up in your finest wizarding robes and join the crew at the library for magical Harry Potter fun and activities.

Make your own wand, cast spells, brew potions, write secret messages and take part in our Harry Potter quiz to be in to win a prize. Suitable 5+.

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Places to go – Things to do

Tītīrangi Theatre concerts in association with TFM Tītīrangi Festival of Music is bringing two special concerts to Tītīrangi Theatre.

In the first event Armchair Insomniacs are presenting a multimedia electro-rock show featuring songs from their new selftitled album. Expect the band to take you on a journey through their universe of futuristic electronic sound, accompanied by a synchronised video show with surreal visuals.

The band consists of lead singer Chris Balm, local studio whizz and musician Louis Bernstone, and the rhythm section of Jonny Webster and the amazing JayP on drums. All multi-instrumentalists, they work together to create a vast soundscape. From rock tracks to chilled out grooves and straight-ahead pop, there is something for everyone.

October 28, 7.30 pm. Tickets are available through www. armchairinsomniacs.com/.

In the second event the Auckland Jazz Orchestra with Caitlin Smith celebrate the release of their album East of The Sun. Caitlin Smith is perhaps the most unsung heroine of New Zealand singers. As a performer and vocal coach, she is renowned for her clarity and vocal range.

The AJO are thrilled to have finally recorded tunes they have previously performed with her.

Along with conductor and composer Tim Atkinson, Mike

Booth founded the AJO in 2009, with the goal of playing only music that is composed or arranged by New Zealand musicians. Beside their two previous albums of instrumental compositions, they collaborated with Annie Crummer, Bella Kalolo, Aaradhna and Esther Stephens on a sell-out Auckland Arts Festival show, Respect – The Music of Aretha Franklin, and backed international artists like saxophonists Bennie Maupin and Dick Oatts, trumpeter Allen Vizzuti and flautist Holly Hoffman.

AJO saxophonist Ben McNicoll says ”it’s always a pleasure to come back and play in Tītīrangi, where I grew up. The locals seem to have kept their enthusiasm for live music in whatever genre.”

November 11, 8pm. Tickets are available from Eventfinda or the band's website www.ajo.co.nz.

Labour Day Market Day at Huia

The annual Labour Day Market is on again at the Huia Hall on Monday, October 24 from 10am. Featuring an eclectic mix of art and craft, bric a brac, and surprise stalls, the market is a great place for bargains and early Christmas presents.

Huia Settlers Museum volunteers will be selling morning teas and sandwiches. The museum also runs an annual fruit cake competition for the market day.

Anyone can enter (including men for the first time) and the winner receives the coveted Ivy Hinge award.

The cakes are sold in slabs afterwards to raise money for the museum. To enter, bring your cake (no icing) to the museum before 10.30am on the day. The museum will remain open during the market, with a butter maker turning butter, and raw honey for sale. General opening hours are from 1.30-4pm on weekends or by arrangement for groups.

A limited number of tables are available for stallholders, at $10 each. To book one, text Pam Goddard on 0210 270 3488 or call her on 09 811 8628.

You Shop We Deliver

Shopping delivered to your door

Titirangi Supermarket 429 Titirangi Rd, Auckland, 0604

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15

Local Government Elections - special feature The Fringe offered all election candidates free editorial space to complement their campaign advertising.

The Labour team for the Whau The Labour team for Whau Local Board stands for strong, safe communities, a sustainable environment and is family/whanau friendly. One of our priorities is to retain assets and services.

We will fight to retain local services, such as our community hubs and libraries and to prevent our assets and facilities being sold. To reduce its budget deficit, Auckland Council has been selling assets, or what they term asset recycling and disinvestment. Most of the assets put up for sale have been parks and reserves. Fighting these asset sales is a lengthy process but concerned residents and local board members can win such battles, as our 18-month battle to prevent the sale of Davern Reserve in New Lynn showed.

To build strong, safe communities we will liaise with the police and community organisations around community safety and build stronger business communities through an economic broker. Because community centres and hubs strengthen our social fabric, funding for these will be maintained. We will also continue to fund the cultural celebrations of our diverse communities.

To build a sustainable environment in the Whau, we need to increase our green spaces and reserves, grow our tree canopy cover and expand opportunities for sustainable food production. We are committed to improving the health of the Manukau Harbour and the Whau river and its tributaries.

Support for environmental organisations and volunteers will continue.

The Whau Labour team will also advocate for increased public transport services with regular feeder buses to outlying areas. More opportunities for cycling and walking will require advocacy for safer, better quality footpaths and roads.

To ensure that the Whau area is family friendly, we will continue funding community initiatives that benefit people of all ages. This includes providing support for our seniors but also liaising with schools and community organisations

to provide more training and career opportunities for youth.

We will work to increase accessibility, shade and playground renewals in Whau parks and reserves.

The Whau Labour team is proud of what the local board has achieved despite budget cuts and we are ready to continue serving the Whau community.

Noel Watson, Independent

As the great grandson of Abraham Routley, my connection to Glen Eden and the Waitākere Ranges is rooted in local pioneering history. I have lived here for 23 years and brought my family up here. I have run my own business for 25 years and work as a professional skipper.

A key to running a successful business is the understanding of your financial position, every dollar earned has to be spent well. Auckland Council is carrying a debt of over $10 billion, there needs to be a plan to reduce this debt burden.

Where do I stand on issues?

We need to reassess council-preferred contractor agreements to get better value from ratepayer-sourced funds. Let’s make more use of smaller local contractors where possible.

A big concern on people’s mind is crime. I will strongly advocate community solutions, especially with youth-based programs.

And we need to make it easier for community engagement with open meetings and local board pop up events in places like shopping malls, town centres, and even local beaches – events where you can easily meet your local board members.

On some issues local boards have little influence especially in relation to Auckland Transport. Local Boards across the city need to collaborate for a stronger voice in decision

INDEPENDENT

JANET CLEWS 4 PORTAGE LICENSING TRUST

GLEN EDEN Authorised by J. Clews, 09 818 7262.

16 The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

Advertise with The Fringe – It’s who we are.

Local Government Elections - special feature The Fringe offered all election candidates free editorial space to complement their campaign advertising. making. With Waitākere Ranges being so spread out we need smarter options like mini-bus connections from Piha and Huia. We must prioritise road and footpath maintenance funding over speed bumps and unnecessary road painting.

I’m also focused on tree protection and ongoing stream restoration.

Please vote Noel Watson for your independent voice.

Janet Clews – Independent for Portage Trust

Think of a group starting a new community enterprise with not one cent. Then note that it is now a business worth millions. That is the story of 50 years in the life of the Portage Licensing Trust.

Even in its very early days, the Trust’s elected members made a conscious decision to return a small percentage of turn over to the community.

Now, the money returned comes from genuine profits from a successful business which has survived the crash of 1987 and more recently, the Covid pandemic.

I have represented Glen Eden as an independent on the Trust for many years: you have entrusted me with your •

Community Engagement

•

Financial Responsibility

•

Environment & Heritage Protection

•

No Party Politics

vote and now I am reporting back after what has been a challenging period.

Portage Trust, along with most businesses, was hit badly in the hospitality area by lockdowns and challenged severely in retail, where it was classed as an essential service. As one of your representatives, I know about the exhaustion staff felt in pressured circumstances and how committed to Covid protocols they were. Management and elected members supported them all the way.

Prudent savings over recent years meant there was an opportunity to protect the very fabric of our wider community from serious disruption. After the first lockdown, money was given to organisations with direct community links to food banks and essential services. I feel privileged to have chaired that committee on behalf of both Portage and Waitākere Trusts.

Then in this last financial year, almost $2millon was returned to a variety of groups through sponsorship or donations. Many of these groups were prevented from raising even their fixed operating costs because of lockdowns. Firm but clear criteria were set for each round and the money was spread widely across the west.

Continued on page 18 >>

Noel Watson

Independent – Waitākere Ranges Local Board Authorised by Noel Watson. Phone 0217 476 1956

Authorised by Linda Cooper 41 Renoir St, West Harbour 021 992 910

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17

Local Government Elections The Fringe offered all election candidates free editorial space to complement their campaign advertising. >> Janet

Clews – Independent Continued from page 17

Extraordinary circumstances required a quick response.

That happened. The long-term strategy meant money was available immediately.

The Trusts’ website has full information about where the surplus profits went. Check the website to see what your Trust has done for the community recently. Then you can decide whether you want to elect “builders” or naysayers. I am a builder but there is always room for improvement in any organisation.

While you may disagree with the Trusts’ model, there is a specific legal process to follow to achieve major change. It is a costly exercise, which should not begin at the board table: board members have a fiduciary duty to the organisation on behalf of the community.

The Trusts is your business and your community benefits.

Profits are invested back into the business, invested for the future and invested in our community in the present. Please trust me to see that this situation remains for the future.

I am proud that in its 50th year, Portage is still serving our community and that I was responsible for leading its return to profitability when no one else would.

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The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

Understanding our wetlands We have destroyed 90 per cent of our wetlands and the race is on to preserve the remainder, according to the authors of the new Massey University Press book Life in the Shallows.

This work is also critical to our climate change response: Aotearoa New Zealand’s wetlands sequester more carbon than our forests and can mitigate the worst effects of extreme weather events.

Life in the Shallows brings these wetlands into the limelight.

All proceeds from book sales (through bookstores nationwide) go to the National Wetland Trust to further its wetland advocacy work.

Matuku Link, on Bethells Road, is one of the largest local wetlands and more volunteers are needed to continue its restoration work. Visit www.matukulink. org.nz to find our more.

The Fringe has a copy of Life in the Shallows to give away. To go in the WIN draw to win it, write your name, address and phone number on the back of an envelope and post it to Shallows, PO Box 60-469, Tītīrangi, 0642 or email your details to info@fringemedia.co.nz with Shallows in the subject line. Entries must be received

by October 14.

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Naturally West with Fiona Drummond

Puawānanga, our native spirit flower Clematis Paniculata or puawānanga flowers are evident now in our local native forests, the vine twining up to the top of the forest canopy where the starry white flowers make a magnificent lace veil shroud, contrasting with the many shades of green in our native tree foliages, and heralding springtime.

Most continents and many countries have native clematis but New Zealand's clematis are special and different. Ours have male and female flowers on different plants, known as dioecious. Male vines and flowers are large and more showy, but females have the added bonus of fluffy, decorative seed heads which are dispersed by the wind.

There are actually nine endemic species of clematis in New Zealand, with white or greenish/yellow flowers and all are dioecious.

The woody leaf climber vine needs a good light source to provide sufficient energy to make leaves, flowers and fruit, so they naturally strive for an optimum position in the forest canopy.

Puawānanga means “spirit flower”. Puawānanga was said to be the child of the stars Puanga (Rigel in Orion) and Rehua (Antares in Scorpio). In some traditions, the appearance of Puanga signalled winter and Rehua summer – puawānanga flowered in the months between them.

It was traditionally a harbinger of spring to Maori, alerting them to another spring event, the harvesting of eels.

Puawānanga is also much loved as a garden plant, as are a large range of other exotic clematis species.

They all enjoy a good deep soil that does not dry out. Let the vine head for the sun on a shrub, tree or wooden fence. It doesn’t like wire or metal supports.

Climbing clematis can be propagated by taking internodal

cuttings. Clematis cuttings strike roots taken halfway along the stem between the clusters of leaves. Put the cuttings in a deep pot of sand or perlite, perhaps mixed in with peat.

Put a plastic bag over the top to ensure the leaves don't wilt and place it in a shady place.

Then wait patiently. Plant out deeply, up to the node. Another set of roots will form.

What all clematis have in common is the need for their roots to be in cool, shaded moist soil, preferably rich in leaf mould, where they can climb up to have their heads in the sun. One way to achieve this is to place a large flat stone or paver over the root area after planting.

All are rich feeders, the quantity of blooms directly relating to the amount of nourishment supplied. One specialist grower advises the application of blood and bone in early autumn, horse manure, homemade compost or Nitrophoska Blue in spring, then chicken or sheep pellets every following three weeks. Liquid seaweed is also effective.

The important thing is not to let clematis dry out at the roots in our long hot summers. A hint here is to sink a length of pipe vertically into the ground at planting time. Leave a little above ground, into which you can pour water, to reach the root area more effectively.

As a general guide, most clematis do well if pruned directly after flowering.

Got something on your mind or know of a good story?

Let The Fringe know

Email us on info@fringemedia.co.nz

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19

Walk West with ‘The Rambler’

Rambling both day and night The Waitākere bush at night is a mysterious and hushed place. It is quite exhilarating. That’s what I banked on more than 20 years ago when, on our second date, I took my girlfriend into the bush to see glow-worms. It was deliciously romantic, and it must have worked: we are still together.

With spring having sprung, I set off to see whether the glow-worms are still illuminating on Exhibition Drive in Tītīrangi. The difference this time is the girlfriend is tucked up in bed and in no need of a walk at 9 o’clock at night.

So off with torch and jacket I go, parking by the old water pumping station at Waima, and along Exhibition Drive with camera in hand. It’s basically a road in the bush for Watercare to access the Lower Nihotupu reservoir and the water pipeline that runs alongside, so I knew the going would be easy in the dark.

Within a few hundred metres the first glow-worms dimly make themselves known. The right side is a massive bank or rock face, ideal for glowing things to lure insect prey with their lights. As I get further in, more and more appear, making their own constellations mirroring those above on the clear night. I’m sure I see a glow-worm Matariki.

There are hundreds of light dots, scattered, peeking out though the foliage, but not as many as I remember from my past visit. I’m not disappointed. Each is a little gift, sometimes in groups, sometimes more solitary, waiting to be discovered as I pass. I am entirely alone the whole time.

Glow-worm hunting is great fun, and I’d recommend it to any families or couples. It’s still a bit chilly, but as the spring warms up, I reckon so will the glow-worms.

Then began the debacle of trying to photograph them. I realised I would have to ramble again in daytime to get some photographs that weren’t entirely black.

I returned to Arataki in the morning, setting out to take the Beveridge Track towards Tītīrangi and link with Exhibition Drive. This is one of the routes designed for mountain bikes, people walking their dogs, and those ultra-fit gym types who like to run when walking is perfectly adequate. But being a

213 – 215 Woodlands Park Road, Titirangi, Auckland 0604 Phone: 09 817 8495 or 09 817 6188 www.kenturnermotors.co.nz

week-day morning, the track is almost deserted. Normally I prefer tracks with a little more adventure, but if you are short on time, and want to find something really accessible that’s not too far away, this is perfect. The track is well-made and has stood up well to recent storms.

It starts flat from the visitor centre, and goes through plantings and regenerating bush with identification signs – great for the kids and those of us wanting to learn more names in Te Reo Maori. The track gradually drops down, offering views over the Lower Nihotupu reservoir and Manukau Harbour. This ridge line track is elevated enough that further along you can uniquely see both the Manukau and Waitematā Harbours from the same lookout.

The trees have spring flowers, including the kōwhai, with a bunch of enthusiastic tūī scrabbling among the yellow bells against the blue sky. In posing for a photo however, the tūī are about as cooperative as the glow-worms. I’m drawn to small details in the foliage, such as tiny flower pods growing out of the moss like antennae (top).

Sale on now at Te Uru Gallery, Titirangi

New Designs Embossed Lights

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Sustainable solutions with Fiona Drummond

Battery recycling

On my journey, signs educate me on Bill Beveridge, a Parau man and Chief Ranger for the Waitākere Ranges from 19701990.

The bush becomes more mature as I drop down, much more steeply now – kānuka, rimu and kahikatea. On this section mountain bikers are asked to dismount.

The track continues above Waima, now with some kauri appearing in small clusters, and the sound of the road and air-traffic strangely soothing, muffled into waves by the trees. Before long I reach the end of the Beveridge Track at Mackies Rest. A sign tells how Mackie was a trader in the late 1800s who would stop there on his way west. A small shelter was erected there in 1912, and a bench seat in 1913.

The shelter is long gone but a new seat was built in 2012 for walkers to admire the view. I did.

This is where the Beveridge Track meets Exhibition Drive. The walk then follows the old water pipeline, and passes tunnels for water pipes and tramways, the longest being 527 metres. I think of the people who chiselled it with picks and shovels.

I reach the end of Exhibition Drive, having passed all those glow-worms with unlit candles, waiting for their chance at nightfall. I turn around and do the whole thing again in reverse, arriving at my car at Arataki feeling quite expended.

But I still have enough energy to admire the great pou outside the visitor centre, with the ancestors of the Te Kawerau iwi – Tiriwa, Hape, Hoturoa, Maki, Te Kawerau ā Maki, and Te Hawiti (left) at the base.

A good day.

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Bunnings Warehouse now has a battery recycling programme in all their stores. I had previously been saving our batteries and paying to recycle them through Ecomatters so having a no-cost drop-off option is a great alternative.

This is product stewardship in action. Bunnings sells a wide range of batteries including power tool batteries, and 95% of battery components can be reused.

Simply deposit used batteries in the collection unit at the store and Bunnings’ recycling partner Envirostream will manage the collection and recycling process.

It's recommended to tape the terminals of your batteries before placing them in the unit, as used batteries may still contain residual charge that can create a spark, leading to a potential fire hazard. Prevent this by using clear sticky tape, non-conductive electrical tape, or duct tape over the exposed battery terminal, or on the top and bottom face for button cell batteries. Please be mindful to keep the battery label information visible if you're not using clear tape.

The recycling units are designed to accept all household single use and rechargeable batteries but not lead acid batteries, car batteries, products with embedded batteries or other batteries that do not fit into the battery collection unit slot.

Ken Ring’s Weather by the Moon

Expect above average rain this October with below average sunshine and lower temperatures than normal.

The first week may be sunniest but showery, the second week has coolest nights and highest pressures, the third week has lowest pressures, and the fourth week is driest but is the cloudiest. Two significant rain events may occur: around or near the 6th and the 19th. Atmospheric pressures may average 1014mbs. The best weekend for outdoor activities may be the 22nd/23rd.

For fishermen, highest tides are around the 10th. Best fishing bite-times in the West are around noon on the 9th–11th and 24th–26th. Bite-chances are also good for dusk of 2nd–4th, 17th–19th and the 31st.

For gardeners, planting is best (waxing moon ascending) on the 1st, and 25th–29th; and pruning is best on the 10th–15th, (waning moon descending). For preserving and longer shelf-life, pick crops or flowers around neap tides of the 4th and 19th.

Allow 24 hour error for all forecasting. For future weather for any date, visit www.predictweather.com. © Ken Ring 2022.

The Fringe OCTOBER 2022

21

Live @ the lounge

Put the jug on, Shaz Yeah gidday. Lizard here.

Well, I guess y’all have guessed I’ve been up north for a bit?

By bit, I mean a bit of 'sorting out my head'. Dusting myself off. Sometimes we have to reach the bottom, in this instance, of the bottle, to eventually lift ourselves up off the floor.

The particular floor I was lifting myself up off included a toilet brush and holder leaning on my left cheek. With understandable confusion, as ordinarily I don’t wake up with an ablution scrubbing implement on the side of my face, I gave it a swift swipe.

Damn it. I whacked my knuckles really hard on the underside of the toilet bowl. The immediate pain causing me to roll over, smacking my shin into the pedestal basin. Not waiting to be told, the Palmolive Gold had dislodged itself from the soap dish landing exactly where I was placing my foot as I stood up. With flailing arms and legs I skidded across the lino, out of the dunny, right into the kitchen.

It was the astonished looks on the B&B owner's faces that made me silently thank my old Mum for advising me to always wear clean underpants. I had a vague recollection of discarding my Levi’s in the lounge the previous night, when opening a bottle of Lion Red on my belt buckle. This had resulted in a full-on spray all down my jeans and possibly into the face of the B&B owners ‘Emo’ son.

We had been doing shots with his ‘Goth’ girlfriend while I was turning them on to some righteous punk tunes. They were sadly under the impression that dark music began with Wrong’s The Soft Moon.

With dignity intact, I backed out of the kitchen into the lounge.

But my nightmare morning had not finished with me yet. As I flopped onto the couch to pull on my jeans, I landed on the aforementioned Emo’s iPod that was lying under the crochet

blanket. The iPod exploded at full volume with Dropkick Murphys’ Let’s finish these drinks and be gone for the night Cos I’m more than a handful you’ll see.

So kiss me, I’m shitfaced…

Definitely time to thank my hosts, settle the bill and leave.

I’m not sure if it was my beer-soaked jeans or the ratty old Ford Falcon but one of us was more whiffy than Western Road when the tide’s out. Deciding to get some nice fragrant flowers to throw on the dash board, I pulled over at a flower shop in Kamo. As I entered, I was struck by the lack of flowery smells. When I mentioned this, the pleasant lady said the current ‘trend’ for flowers was their structure and colour.

Trend? None have any scent? None!

Smell is my third favourite sense. No smell is like eating apricot halves without cream. Telling a joke with no punchline. The world has got far, far too superficial. Hell, girls would kiss an ugly bloke way before pashing a stinker.

Across the road was a neat wee cottage with a border of freesia along the picket fence. I nipped over the road and grabbed a handful. Of course, this being my Day of the Dead, an old man immediately popped his head above a hydrangea.

“Oi.” “Sorry. My pants stink,” I said.

I jumped back into the Falcon. Better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission I figured. I was kind of heading southwest wondering what Shaz would be doing. I whacked in a John Prine CD. He always knew what to say.

I’d like to drive a Cadillac The colour of her long black hair.

She goes everywhere.

Put the jug on, Shaz, I thought. I’m coming home.

Later, Lizard.

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