Waimea Weekly
03 548 2770
41 Nile Street East, Nelson
03 548 2770 03 548East, 2770 41 Nelson 41 Nile Nile Street Street East, Nelson
Locally Owned and Operated
41 Nile Street East, Nelson
Wednesday 6 September 2023
Budding Einsteins
Skaters on a roll
Page 8
Page 21
Silvan Steps Ampitheatre springs to life SARA HOLLYMAN A vision years in the making will this month celebrate the opening of the region’s hilltop with the official opening of Silvan Steps Amitheatre in Richmond’s hills. Bo Ade-Simpson, the visionary
behind the outdoor project, partnered with Matt Griffin, whose family owns a chunk of land in the Richmond Hills, to bring Nelson’s newest festival venue that has arguably the best view in town. “Matt is this absolute golden guy
who said ‘pine’s old news, so he’s been planting their family property in native and has turned a chunk of the property into a mountainbike park for the community,” Bo says. Some time ago, when Bo, who is well-known as one part of Kiwi
duo Genre Fluid, was playing at one of Matt’s partys when Matt came up with the suggestion of building an ampitheatre at the top of the hill. Fast-forward to February, and the pair, armed with a team of like-minded, passionate locals,
were throwing a private party for 200 to test out the space, which looks out over Nelson, Richmond and the Tasman Bay, before surging forward with council consents to bring it into the public
SEE PAGE 2
Whitebaiters head to the water ANNE HARDIE
The whitebaiting season is underway and Len Davenport has already enjoyed a catch. Photo: Anne Hardie.
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED
Len Davenport has been a regular whitebaiter since he retired six years ago and in the opening days of the season he had already scooped a meal for two. The Richmond whitebaiter is one of many enthusiasts who have headed to the region’s streams and rivers since the season opened at the beginning of September, intent on catching the juvenile fish that make their way upstream from the sea through spring. “I said to a joker, when I retire I’m going to take up whitebaiting and he said I wouldn’t have the patience. But I really enjoy the peace and quiet and just being on your own. And you have the view with the reflection all around you of the snow on the mountains.” So far, he had not witnessed a ‘run’ of whitebait but says he “can’t complain”. “I got enough for a meal for two of us when one big shoal came down.” The season runs until October 30 and whitebaiters need to comply with the Department of Conservation’s whitebaiting fishing guidelines.
waimeaweekly.co.nz