The Hobson January-February 2019

january/february 2019

hello summer! holidays at home & away local news, views & informed opinions

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“At Auckland Obstetric Centre we understand that pregnancy and childbirth is the most important time of your life and that you and baby should have the highest standard of care.”

– Jane Patten, Clinic Manager

Auckland Obstetric Centre is a unique practice in Parnell made up of six leading specialist obstetricians and support staff.

Together we have many years of experience and feel privileged to be able to share in the care of women during their pregnancy.

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The January/February Issue, No. 55

8

30

36

the editor’s letter

the politicians

the sport

10

MPs David Seymour and Paul Goldsmith share updates

Summertime, and SUPing (Stand Up Paddleboarding) is calling your name . . .

31

37

the suburbanist

the journey

Escape the madding crowds by staying put this summer, advises Tommy Honey

Join our contributing writers on voyages close to home, and far away. From the Galapagos to Singaporean sophistication to a ramble taking in New Plymouth’s Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, above, these are the places we love

the columnists

13 the village An Erebus memorial planned for a Parnell park, a new pathway around the Hobson Bay shoreline, plenty of Local Board neighbourhood news, plus a call for local kids to make Chinese New Year lanterns in The Village Voice

18 the hobson + boathouse bay The Boathouse Bay neighbourhood at Snells Beach is just the place to kick back and relax

21 the prizewinners Our annual celebration of local school students recognised for service, academic and sporting success

Travellight/shutterstock

26 the councillors News from the Ōrākei ward Councillor, Desley Simpson, and Waitematā’s Councillor, Mike Lee

32 the investment Warren Couillault marks his annual selfreporting card on his market calls and assessments

33 the hobson + waikōpua Peace, privacy and a short ferry hop to the city — Whitford’s Waikōpua boutique development has many attractions

34

50 the magpie It’s finally the holidays and you have time to browse the galleries — the Magpie’s flown ahead of you to check them out

52 the diary What’s happening in January and February

the plan Hamish Firth suggests off-peak tourism for Auckland needs a lot more consideration

54 the cryptic Our puzzle, by Māyā, is a bumper edition for the holidays

35 the second act Man Santa, lady Santa — Sandy Burgham suggests there’s a lot more to get worked up about than being ‘woke’ to Santa

the hobson 7

H

issue 55, january/february 2019 Editor & Publisher Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz Art Direction & Production Stephen Penny design@thehobson.co.nz

appy holiday season to all — while this issue was delivered to letterboxes just before Christmas, we know many readers put it aside to enjoy when the festivities are over and your feet are up.

This year, we’re continuing our tradition of offering a decent chunk of reading in this issue. Given it’s “the holidays” for many, we thought stories about some of our writers’ favourite destinations would fit the prevailing mood. Anthony Browne found people weren’t quite as interested/jealous when he said he was taking the family to New Plymouth, rather than Europe — we have previously published his story about a family holiday in Copenhagen. But defying the sceptics, he found lots of activities, great food and lots to love in Taranaki. From the ’Naki to the deep south, and to warmer climes too, we’ve got it covered. Wherever this summer finds you, have a happy time, and we’ll catch up again with our March issue.

News Editor Mary Fitzgerald maryfitzgerald.thehobson@gmail.com Writers This Issue Anthony Browne, Kirsty Cameron, Mary Fitzgerald, Paul Goldsmith, Peter Grace, Stacy Gregg, Victoria Stuart, Wayne Thompson, Justine Williams

Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz 0275 326 424 Facebook: The Hobson magazine Instagram: TheHobson

Sub-editor Fiona Wilson Columnists Sandy Burgham, Warren Couillault, Hamish Firth, Paul Goldsmith, Tommy Honey, Mike Lee, Māyā, David Seymour, Desley Simpson Photographers Anthony Browne, Mary Fitzgerald, Paul Goldsmith, Peter Grace, Stephen Penny, Wayne Thompson Cover Relaxing on Auckland’s west coast.

Photo by Paul Goldsmith. See his story in The Journey, which starts on page 37

A good reporter goes that extra mile for a story, but a great reporter rows the photographer there too!

Our correspondent Wayne Thompson transported Stephen Penny around Hobson Bay to get the right pictures for his story on the new pathway which will edge Hobson Bay. See Wayne’s story, which begins on page 16, and also enjoy his tribute to Ohope, on page 38.

THE HOBSON is published 10 times a year by The Hobson Limited, PO Box 37490 Parnell, Auckland 1151. www.thehobson.co.nz F: TheHobsonMagazine I: @TheHobson Ideas, suggestions, advertising inquiries welcome. editor@thehobson.co.nz

THE HOBSON is Remuera, Parnell and Ōrākei’s community magazine. We deliver into letterboxes in these neighbourhoods, and copies are also at local libraries, cafes, and at businesses including the Vicky Ave and White Heron dairies, and Paper Plus Parnell. For more about us, see TheHobsonMagazine on Facebook.

The content of THE HOBSON is copyright. Our words, our pictures.

Don’t steal, and don’t borrow without checking with us first.

We aim for accuracy but cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies that do occur. The views of our contributors are their own and not necessarily those of THE HOBSON. We don’t favour unsolicited contributions but do welcome you getting in touch via editor@thehobson.co.nz to discuss ideas.

The Hobson Ltd is a member of the Magazine Publishers Association This publication uses environmentally responsible papers.

To protect against Auckland’s weather, home delivered copies are bagged in food-grade film, which can be recycled in ‘soft plastics’ bins.

Congratulations to all who have won prizes in our recent reader giveaways.

Enjoying cooking from Lauraine Jacobs’ Always Delicious are Graham Hendry, Megan Too and Charley Shand; while Madam Sass pinot rose was happily received by J. Gray, Marvin Simpson, Kim Wickstead and M Yang.

Coco Byfield received a signed copy of Stacy Gregg’s Mini Whinny and Sharon Sweeney Lauder won Stacy’s The Fire Stallion.

ICG Logo CMYK.pdf 1 05/08/2015 6:19:01 AM

Distribution by

The Columnists

Left to right from top row: Sandy Burgham (The Second Act) is a brand strategist and an executive coach with a special interest in midlife change and transformational behaviours. She runs a central Auckland practice. www.playclc.com Remuera resident Warren Couillault (The Investment) is an executive director and the major shareholder of Hobson Wealth Partners, a private wealth advisory group. He is a shareholder and director of Generate Investment Management Ltd; and manager of a registered Kiwisaver scheme.

Andrew Dickens (The Sound) is the host of the afternoon show on Newstalk ZB. For 13 years he was the breakfast host on Classic Hits. He grew up in Remuera, and will return to our pages in the March issue.

Hamish Firth (The Plan) lives and works in Parnell and is principal of the Mt Hobson Group, a specialist urban planning consultancy. www.mthobsonproperties.co.nz Mary Fitzgerald is The Hobson’s News Editor. A Mainlander who transplanted to Remuera 14 years ago, she is passionate about hearing and telling our stories.

Urban design critic Tommy Honey (The Suburbanist) is a former architect. The Remuera resident is a regular guest on RNZ National, discussing the built environment.

Judi Paape (The Teacher) is a parent, grandparent and highly-experienced teacher and junior school principal.

A Parnell resident, her column appears bi-monthly.

Contributing writer Wayne Thompson is a former The New Zealand Herald journalist, covering Auckland news. He has been a resident of Parnell for 34 years.

Contributing editor Justine Williams is an interiors stylist, writer and fashion editor. The Remuera resident has been the editor of Simply You and Simply You Living.

the hobson 10

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the hobson + the remuera village voice

YEAR W E N YEAR INESE H W C E A N MUER INESE E H R C A EMUER

O N I T N I I O E T T P I M T P E C O M O C PIG F THE O R A YE

HE PIG T F O YEAR

Calling all local primary and intermediate school children to get creative!

Remuera’s annual Chinese New Year Lantern competition is back, with great prizes for winners and their Create your very best lantern and enter it inschools. our

est lantern and enter it in our Pick up an entry form from Year the Remuera Library, and make a lantern to be awesome hung in Remuera during the Chinese New Chinese New competition to win prizes! competition to win awesome prizes!

Year festivities, leading up to the special festival night on Friday February 8. You can make and enter your lantern

before Christmas, or up until the final hand-in date of January 25. Please deliver your finished lantern to the Remuera

• Lanterns must be at least m Business Association office,10cm Level 1, 349 Remuera Rd, between 8.30am and 4.30pm, Mondays to Thursdays.

• Lanterns must be least 10cm high • Your lantern can be it made of ANYTHING! • Just Your lantern canitbe made ANYTHING! Just keep in mind needs to be hung and lit ANYTHING! keep in mind needs toof beat hung and lit • Just keep in mind that it needs to be hung and lit.

• The will have theirdisplayed lantern Remuera windows leading up to theof ntern displayed in finalists Remuera shop windows leading up to the inleading Finalists will have their lanterns indisplayed shop windows up to shop the Remuera Chinese New Year.

Courtesy estival, Feb 8,Remuera 2019 ChineseRemuera, New Year Festival, Febmost 8, 2019 Barfoot & Thompson the school with the finalists will win $500, and there’s cash prizes for five place-

org.nz

getters in the two categories: Year 1 - 3, and Year 4 and over. Watch our Facebook page, Remuera Live Life Local, for updates about the Remuera Chinese New Year festival.

For full details visit www.remuera.org.nz For full details visit www.remuera.org.nz or email info@remuera.org.nz Remuera Remuera Remuera

ew Year Lantern Competition Entry Form Remuera Chinese New Year Lantern Competition Entry Form

the village

Town & Around

EREBUS REMEMBERED IN PARNELL Parnell’s Dove-Myer Robinson Park has been chosen as the site of a new national memorial to those killed in the Erebus tragedy.

November 28 of this year will mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster, which claimed 257 lives, all of those on board a sightseeing tour to Antarctica.

The memorial project is being sponsored and led by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, which has selected Dove-Myer Robinson Park as the preferred location from a short list of five sites recommended by Auckland Council. A national design competition for the memorial will begin once the actual site within the park (pictured, looking towards Judges Bay) has been confirmed.

Erebus is New Zealand’s worst civil accident in terms of loss of life. On the morning of 28 November, 1979, Air New Zealand flight TE901 left Auckland for an 11-hour return flight to Antarctica. At 12.49pm, the DC-10 aircraft crashed into the lower slopes of Mt Erebus on Ross Is in Antarctica, killing all 257 passengers and crew.

The National Erebus Memorial will be in place in the first half of 2020, with the 40th anniversary on November 28 to be marked in some way connected with the creation of the memorial. “The Government is committed to getting a National Erebus Memorial in place and involving family members and Operation Overdue workers in the process,” the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said in a statement.

As well as being home to the Parnell Rose Gardens, Dove-Myer Robinson Park, on edge of the Waitematā Harbour and running down to Judges Bay, has open green space, specimen trees, ecological bush areas and both Māori and European history. The memorial is planned to be not just a fitting tribute to those who died in the disaster, but will speak universally to visitors as a place of peaceful contemplation and reflection, and one that enhances the values of the site as a recreation reserve, said Auckland Council in its release about the project. The park is also the place of memorials to honour those lost in the Korean War, and one by the Dutch community recognising lives lost in wars (see page 16).

Acting minister for arts, culture and heritage, Carmel Sepuloni,

said a survey on the planned memorial has gone to family members of those who died in the Erebus accident, and to the workers involved in the recovery operations.

“The views of family members and the Operation Overdue workers are vital in helping to shape the memorial. We will be asking questions including what a National Erebus Memorial should feel like; the activities and events that should happen at the memorial, and whether it is best placed in a busy or quiet location,” Sepuloni said.

“We’re looking forward to receiving this valuable input. It will provide important guidance for the National Erebus Memorial design. If you are a family member and haven’t received the survey please get in touch at erebus@mch.govt.nz as soon as possible, so you can have your say.”

The costs including design are estimated at $3 million. This cost and those associated with future maintenance of the memorial will be funded by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

— Mary Fitzgerald p

REMUERA PARKING UPDATE As we went to press with our December issue, the Remuera Business Association revised its plans to offer parking at the Remuera Club in Ohinerau St, while the top level of the Clonbern Rd shopper carpark remains out of action. Instead, the RBA secured 37, 90-minute, spaces on top of the ANZ Bank and was able to offer them free of charge in December. Now, the spaces are metered again, but the RBA is keen that shoppers and visitors are aware they can be used — access is via the ramp beside the post office, on Vicky Ave. Likewise, there is parking on top of the building on the corner of Remuera and Garden roads.

In addition, RBA general manager Cecilia Ngo says there is free P60 street parking available at the top of Norana Ave, and St Vincent Ave. There is also pay-and-display parking along Remuera Rd, and

the hobson 13

the village

in front of the Remuera Library.

The loss of the 77 Clonbern Rd spaces could not have been worse timing for the Christmas retail rush. Auckland Transport closed the top deck of the publicly-owned carpark in November, following advice from an independent engineer. The structure had been monitored for some time, and weight restrictions on the top level were in place. The closure allows for more detailed inspections. Testing showed there was water ingress to five out of 14 slab beams tested within the parking deck. AT says the carpark closure is precautionary and that there are no immediate safety concerns. The lower level, some of which is leased by New World for its supermarket shoppers, remains unaffected.

— Mary Fitzgerald p

A CHRISTMAS PRESENT?

EST 1980

Enjoyers of the Ōrākei Basin boardwalk may get a nice Christmas present in the form of a revised design to replace the contentious metal railings now installed. The NZ Transport Authority was due to make its final selection on the replacement design of the Ōrākei Basin boardwalk balustrade on December 21. More than 450 submissions were received during public consultation on the designs in October, with more consultation on proposed replacement designs happening in November.

The $4.9 million project to widen the current pathway from 2.7m to 4.5m, to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists, is one stage in the four-stage Glen Innes to Tamaki Dr Shared Pathway, a project partnership between the NZTA and Auckland Transport.

Outcry and local upset over the installation in June of a 1.4m galvanised metal balustrade, replacing the former wooden palings, led eventually to the public consultation.

NZTA director of regional relationships, Steve Mutton, told The Hobson there were 453 submissions received during the first public consultation, held jointly with AT. “We received a strong message from the community that they believe a 1.2 metre high balustrade is appropriate for this section of boardwalk, and we are pleased we will now be able to build this. However the feedback shows there is a wide range of views about the design and materials of the balustrade.”

Mutton says that some people were keen to see the most ‘see through’ option possible, and this lends well to a metal design. He says others are keen for an entirely wooden design that is more in keeping with other boardwalks in the area. “This is an important community asset and will be one of the most picturesque shared paths in the country, so we’re working hard to try to meet the wide ranging expectations people have about what is most appropriate in this area.

“Once the final decision on the balustrade design is made, we will accelerate the manufacture and installation of the new balustrade on both sides of the boardwalk. In the meantime, we will continue to install the new decking on the boardwalk so we can open the full width of the path for public use as soon as possible. We will finish installation of the new metal handrail on the seaward side to make this safe while the new balustrade is manufactured. The existing wooden handrail will remain in place to ensure public safety until the new balustrade is ready.”

“The Orākei Basin Shared Pathway development has presented many challenges for the local community,” says ward councillor Desley Simpson. “On a positive note, the height of the balustrade is definitely going to be lower. That was the biggest concern and I thank NZTA for delivering on that. On the balustrade design, the first public consultation was not conclusive and I think if a second consultation provides clarity around which of the two balustrade options is preferred, that can only be a good thing.”

One of the most vehement critics of the metal railing, local resident Roy Champtaloup, is happy with where the consultation

has led. “I’m delighted that either way the replacement balustrade will look and feel ten times more appropriate than the current 1.4 metre metal wall.” — Mary Fitzgerald p

LOCAL BOARD NEWS The Orākei Local Board’s next round of local grants opens on February 18, closing off on March 29. Grants are available for projects that fall into a number of categories, including arts, community, environment, heritage and sports and recreation.

Local board grants support groups like the Meadowbank Pony Club. The not-for-profit club has been operating since 1965, grazing up to 45 horses each year with a membership of around 40 families. Members participate in monthly working bees to repair fences, trim trees, clear gorse and paint jumps. In the last round of grants, the OLB allotted $10,000 to go toward the development of a new training arena to support the club’s riding programme for children with disabilities. The arena opened in October, and the board grant has helped fund a watering system. “The new watering system will suppress dust in the arena, which is particularly important for riders with disabilities, who sometimes struggle to cope with wearing goggles,” says OLB chair Kit Parkinson.

“We’re so fortunate to have this inner-city riding club in our area, and we’re pleased to have been able to support them in this way.” For more on local board grants and how to apply, go to aucklandcouncil.govt.nz The Ōrākei and Waitematā local boards are collaborating with locals to restore the Newmarket Stream. Restoration efforts include getting rid of invasive weeds and replanting the stream banks with native plants. “A clean stream environment works to enhance native biodiversity, support water quality and also create beautiful spaces for our communities to enjoy,” says Waitematā Local Board environment portfolio lead Rob Thomas. “This will be a long-term project but I’m blown away by the commitment of the residents to restore the stream.” The Newmarket stream is home to endemic ornate skinks, diving beetles, water snails and banded kōkopu, a rare native whitebait species. The stream’s bed is made of gravel and cobble which, along with shading from nearby trees and plants, makes a good habitat for invertebrates and fish. “It’s extraordinary that such special native species can be found in the stream despite its degradation,” says Orākei Local Board deputy chair Carmel Claridge. “Its restoration will strengthen populations of these species and is an important contributing factor toward our goal of a swimmable harbour.” The restoration work is a collaboration between the boards, Conservation Volunteers NZ, Te Ngahere and the local resident group which started the ball rolling, From the Deck. Member Carole Davies says there’s plenty of tasks at upcoming working bees to suit all ages. “If you can’t physically weed, there’s plenty of fetching and carrying to be done. There’s also a great community morning tea!” For information about activities over the summer, contact carolejdavies@gmail.com Auckland Transport has temporarily put on hold its proposal to introduce speed limits of 30kph in the CBD, and roads including parts of Tamaki Dr, and Broadway. The changes in speed limits requires a bylaw to be passed, and AT did plan to have this approved by March, but has now put off any decision to an unspecified date. The lower speeds being proposed are a part of a safety programme to reduce the number of Auckland road deaths by 18 per cent over the next three years. “We have asked for evidence that there is an issue in Mission Bay and St Heliers and have yet to receive it,” says Ōrākei Local Board chair Kit Parkinson. “If lowering the speeds stops death and injury then it would be hard to argue against it, but perhaps there has to be some education with pedestrians so they do not jaywalk in front

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the village

A new pathway connection between Parnell Train Station and the Carlaw Park precinct has opened, funded by the Waitematā Local Board. The path links the station by walkway to Stanley St, for access to the university. “We’re really pleased to make this contribution to the development of Parnell Station,” says WLB chair Pippa Coom. “There’s still more work to be done to make the station fully accessible but this is a good step in the right direction.” Also happy is the Parnell Business Association. “Parnell Station needs to become a key transport venue for large events that take place in the Domain such as ASB Tennis and Auckland Lantern Festival,” says general manager Cheryl Adamson.

The Eastern Suburbs Football Club will hold consultation meetings about new clubrooms at their home ground of Madills Farm. “Our current facilities are well past their use-by-date, and no longer capable of meeting the growing needs of our members,” says club president Tom Street. With more than 2500 players in the club, “we regard our organisation as being part of the fabric of the eastern suburbs’ community,” says Street. The consultation will canvas feedback on how the club could tailor new rooms to meet the needs of the wider community. “A new build is a significant undertaking, a project of this magnitude is obviously a long-term commitment,” says Street. “It’s likely to take two to four years to come to fruition, but we are firmly committed to providing a building and facilities fit for the growing needs of our members, and our community.” Consultation meetings open to all are scheduled at Madills Farm on February 12 and March 12. Go to easternsuburbs.org.nz for more.

— Local board reporting by Mary Fitzgerald p

THE STORY OF . . . THE DUTCH WAR MEMORIAL SEAT In our series looking at commemorative plaques in our community, Mary Fitzgerald visits Dove-Myer Robinson Park The Netherlands Veterans League War Memorial seat is located on Campbell’s Point, a short stroll from the Parnell Rose Gardens in Dove-Myer Robinson Park. Flanked by an expansive pohutukawa, it offers a shady place to sit and reflect, with views out across Judges Bay and to the harbour. Stairs lead up to a deck that includes the plaque and a long bench seat. The staircase is bordered with a wrought-iron fence inset with the badges of the Dutch service units.

The bronze plaque beside the seat reads, “The Netherlands community in New Zealand dedicates this seat to the sacred memory of 38,000 Netherlands servicemen, resistance fighters and seamen who laid down their lives for the freedom of their country for the Allied cause and for the restoration of order and peace. Western war theatres 1940 – 1945, Eastern war theatres 1941 – 1945, Indonesia 1945 – 1950, Korea 1951 – 1953. While a bright future beckoned they freely gave their lives and fondest hopes for us and our Allies that we might learn from them the courage in peace to spend our lives making a better world for others”.

Mary Fitzgerald

of vehicles, and use approved pedestrian crossings to cross roads.

Waitematā Local Board chair Pippa Coom says the board supports slower speeds in town centres. “We agree with the Newmarket Business Association that a 30kph speed limit will be good for business and create a safer shopping environment. The proposal prioritises people shopping and visiting Newmarket. There will be very little impact on drivers with a speed limit of 30kph. Driving will be safer and only seconds will be added to the journey.

Most delays for drivers are caused by other traffic and intersections.”

Unveiled in 1963, the memorial was built by volunteers and paid for by donations from New Zealand’s Dutch community. p

A NEW SCENIC GEM By summer 2021, walkers and cyclists could be enjoying one of Hobson Bay’s hidden gems — a place of beauty and tranquillity that is seen only by people from kayaks and paddleboards.

Currently hidden in bush below Ōrākei’s busy Ngapipi Rd and difficult to access, this curvaceous stretch of rocky and muddy shoreline is proposed to host a new boardwalk which will be a delightful part of the future walking and cycling path linking the Waitematā Harbour to Eastern Auckland via Ōrākei Basin and Purewa Creek.

Officially called Section 4 of the Glen Innes - Tamaki Dr Shared Path, the boardwalk over the water is intended to entice pedestrians and cyclists from Ngapipi Rd, which has narrow footpaths and bends and is hammered by trucks hauling containers from the eastern industrial area to the port. Section 4 will start with a clip-on path on the harbour side of the Orakei Rd Bridge and will avoid the roundabout on Ngapipi Rd. The boardwalk became the favoured way to link Tamaki Dr with the Ōrākei Basin after complaints about alternatives commanded a site visit from the Minister of Transport, accompanied by local MPs. Bike Auckland had safety concerns with a suggestion that a shared path would cross Hobson Bay by running alongside the northern side of the railway line and emerging near Lilliput Minigolf on Tamaki Dr. This option also meant blazing a public path down the middle of the Outboard Boating Club’s land, thus denying it the rent from 130 parking spaces for members’ boats.

The club suggested having a route on the Ngapipi Rd shore, across the bay from its land.

However, an aim of the NZ Transport Agency-funded project is to encourage the use of alternatives to private cars, and the shore-hugging boardwalk makes the route 750m longer than the discarded one cutting across the bay from Ōrākei Station. This displeased cyclists commuting to the CBD who preferred the shorter and more direct option that avoided crossing the bridge near the intersection of Tamaki Dr and Ngapipi Rd. Although the boardwalk route adds to the CBD trip time, it offers the consolation to cyclists and walkers of a more pleasant experience than having a dreary weed-infested railway embankment on one side and a high fence and mudflat on the other.

the hobson 16

From the water, it seems that boardwalk users will be in for a similar treat to those who use the Waikowhai Boardwalk, a 450m long structure on the Onehunga foreshore which opened in early 2017, at a cost to Auckland Council of $1.1 million.

The longer Hobson Bay version will pass the grassy Whakatakataka Bay Reserve, which is being developed by the Ōrākei Local Board and features an exposed remnant of the former sewer pipeline kept for history’s sake. Rounding a headland of mature coastal forest on the west-facing cliff, the public path route skirts the drooping limbs of a giant pohutukawa inhabited by pied shags (karuhiruhi) while in tidal pools below, the white-faced heron fishes for sprats.

A striking feature as you float by the bushy slopes is how calm this stretch of water is compared with other parts of the bay which are exposed to raking south-westerly winds. The shelter is afforded by a mantle of pohutukawa on a peninsula across the water, which was a pā site above the tuff cone of the Ōrākei Basin volcano. The only sound is a hum of traffic noise from the road above.

The feeling of tranquillity continues on the approach to the tall legs of the Ōrākei Bridge, with a peek of Purewa Creek ahead bringing the hope that, in time, the boardwalk will benefit from a group following the lead of the Friends of Kepa Bush in ridding the remnant bush of its weeds and pests. — Wayne Thompson p

DECEMBER CRYPTIC CROSSWORD ANSWERS Across: 1 Talk turkey, 6 Take, 9 Pine kernel, 10 Lake, 11 Patio, 12 Lave, 17 Animals, 18 Solicit, 19 Integer, 21 Red deer, 22 Gent, 23 Stomp, 27 Lint, 28 Orange lily, 29/26 Genotype, 30 Private eye Down: 1 Typo, 2 Line, 3 Tyke, 4 Rereads, 5 Elegies, 7 Avalanched, 8 Elementary, 13 Racing flag, 14 Listen in on, 15 Mange, 16 Blade, 20 Retirer, 21 Romanov, 24 Lent, 25 Live

the hobson 17

the hobson + boathouse bay

Idyllic Beachside Living at Boathouse Bay Located on the coastline of Auckland’s Mahurangi Peninsula, Boathouse Bay, a new residential development at Snells Beach designed by award winning architect Ken Crosson, has garnered plenty of interest. Purchasers of Boathouse Bay love the beachside location, while being just a short drive to Warkworth and Matakana. Future residents are looking forward to enjoying the quintessential Kiwi bach lifestyle in this boutique beachside community.

W

ith over 50 per cent of homes sold and construction of infrastructure underway, purchasers of Boathouse Bay have had opportunities to meet the development team to be kept in the loop on progress, and many are looking forward to moving in upon completion.

Boathouse Bay purchasers David Charnin and Erris Scott love the modern twist on the classic boatshed design, the location and close proximity to the beach all contained in a private, community setting.

“We love what Crosson Architects have achieved, and the Boffa Miskell landscape design will give the small neighbourhood a distinct character,” says David, pictured below with Erris.

Fellow purchasers at Boathouse Bay, Mitch and Sue Hutchings, found that Boathouse Bay ticked a lot of boxes on their wish list. “The amazing environment – bush backdrop, beautiful beach and views,” says Sue Hutchings. “And the houses, which are stylish, modern and efficient and of modest proportions, which suits our lifestyle.”

“It is unique and different, and we searched for a long time before we discovered Boathouse Bay. It’s everything we ever dreamed of!”

“We love what Crosson Architects have achieved, and the Boffa Miskell landscape design will give the small neighbourhood a distinct character” Boathouse Bay purchasers, Erris Scott and David Charnin, taking a walk at Snells Beach

the hobson 18

Boathouse Bay will be set amongst landscaped sand dunes and native bush.

The houses will range from single level, to double storey and three-storey tower homes, providing diversity instead of a uniform design.

Architect Ken Crosson says Boathouse Bay is set to challenge the way that Kiwis think about coastal living. Crosson says that although contemporary, the homes have a sense of historical reference that is rooted in the design as well as the building materials chosen. Inspiration was taken from the boatsheds seen around our coastal margins, like Oriental Parade in Wellington, and closer to home, in Hobson Bay, as well as the original bach communities with modest houses.

Boathouse Bay purchasers are excited about residing in the architecturallydesigned homes on a beachfront site, at more affordable prices than if they had purchased a large beachfront home on a larger site.

Boathouse Bay purchasers have the choice of beachfront homes or a native bush backdrop

Renowned landscape architect Rachel de Lambert and her team at Boffa Miskell have created a thoughtful landscape design that will restore native planting to the area, and reestablish the sand dunes.

“Boathouse Bay has been designed so that residents feel as if they’re part of the magnificent beachside environment, “ says Rachel. “It’s a very desirable opportunity to live in a smallscale community at Snells Beach.”

The integrated architectural and landscape design concept has certainly resonated with purchasers, as Mitch and Sue Hutchings observe. “It will allow us to live in a way we never thought possible. We love the concept of a small community living by the beach in a setting that is quite different from the usual suburban development, while being just a short drive to Warkworth and the surrounding areas.

There is so much to choose from.”

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Architecture by Ken Crosson 33 two and three-bedroom designs A 50 minute drive from central Auckland (off-peak) Vaulted ceilings with captivating sea views Sheltered native bush setting from $849,000 Absolute beachfront available from $1,349,000

Boathouse Bay is located at 59 Arabella Lane, Snells Beach.

To find out more, contact Claire Boggiss, 027 505 5250, or email claire.boggiss@colliers.com.

Boathousebay.co.nz

Licensed REAA 2008

the hobson 19

'So pleased we visited the Dental Lounge the results are amazing!'

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King’s School

Open Day Thurs FEB 21 9.00am-10.30am Register at kings.school.nz

FOCUSED ON BOYS

the prizewinners

The Honours Board Congratulations to all students who received recognition in subject, service and sports awards at end-of-year prizegiving ceremonies. Here are some of the senior winners at schools attended by our local students

ACG PARNELL COLLEGE Sir John Graham Cup for Outstanding Service to the School: Shani Gimblett Service to Drama: Isabella Creemers Service to Music: Caleb Probine Service to Sport: Shivani Patel Dux: Kevin Wu Proxime Accessit: Caleb Probine ACG Founders’ Scholarship: Alex Pentchev 2019 Leaders Head Girl and Boy: Tessa Barker, Jack Carden Deputy Head Girl and Boy: Maia Szecket, Travis Manning

ACG Parnell principal Russell Brooke with scholarship winner Alex Pentchev and school co-founder, Dawn Jones OBE, CNZM. ACG 2019 leaders, from left, Tessa Barker, Jack Carden, Maia Szecket, Travis Manning

AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL Dux: Lintao Wang Proxime Accessit: Bosco Yue Sportsman of the Year: Dominic Overend Radford Memorial Cup (individual sports): Benet Kumeroa Burroughs Cup (all-round effort in sport): Oliver Parkinson Douglas Cup (most outstanding performance in any sport): Oliver White Ian Turner Cup (all-round participation in school activities): Ben Deeley Ian MacKinley Memorial Scholarship (commitment and dedication in school activities): David Zhu Torch of Tradition: Felix Marcon Swadel Rope Cup (best all-round young man): Sam Rainger

BARADENE COLLEGE OF THE SACRED HEART Dux: Annie Ho Proxime Accessit: Melissa Yan Taumoepeau Cup Supreme Leadership Award: Emma Burggraaf Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat Cup and Medallion: Gemma Norgate The Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne Pendant: Hannah Fuller Te Taonga o te Manawa Tapu - the Trophy of the Sacred Heart: Ataria MacDonald Chan Cup for Outstanding All-Round Achievement: Bryanna Tamilo Dedicatio Diligentiaque Trophy: Zoe Holdcroft Pinto Cup for celebration of diversity and inclusiveness of all cultures: Helena White

All photographs supplied by the schools

the hobson 21

Baradene dux Annie Ho

Becky Sorenson Memorial Cup (for maturity of thought and generosity of spirit): Charley Rose-Zondag

the prizewinners

Baradene’s proxime accessit Melissa Yan, and above, prize recipients Gemma Norgate and Emma Burggraaf

DILWORTH Dilworth Trust Board Prize, the Don Gray Medal, the Dudley Berryman Row Memorial Award and the Dilworth Old Boys’ Centennial Foundation Prize for Dux: Liam Ottley Dilworth Trust Board Prize for Proxime Accessit: Guneesh Jubal Gordon Campbell Cup for Senior Sportsman of the Year: Tevita Hala Irish Cup for Performer of the Year: Samuel Brown Ludbrook Cup for the Best All-Round Senior Student: Israel Grant Senior Satherley Cup for Good Sportsmanship: Andrew Gleeson Bill and Lynsie Cotter Achievement Award: Samuel Brown and Jai Selkirk Nicolas Cup and Prize for Integrity, Loyalty and Responsibility and an interest in the field of Business Studies: Jonathan Haydon Callwell Memorial Trophy, Old Boys Centennial Foundation Prize: Jacob Hughes Gibson Cup for the Head Prefect, Conolly Prize for Loyal and Outstanding Service: Harrison Dudley-Rode John Bushe Memorial Prize (for Ability): Faafetai Tino

Dilworth men, from left, Guneesh Jubal, Samuel Brown, Liam Ottley, Harrison Dudley-Rode, Tevita Hala, Israel Grant

Rural Campus Award for Outstanding Personal Growth: Ofa Topeni, Abe Whare Award for Brotherhood: Sila Hifo, Henry Teutau, Hohaia Whiu Junior Campus Dux: Byron Speir

DIOCESAN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS Dux NCEA: Conor Tarrant Dux International Baccalaureate: Joy Kang Proxime Accessit to the Dux: Emma Uren the hobson 22

Sportsperson of the Year: Gina Galloway Arts Honours Award: Emma Uren (Poetry and Writing), Georgia Brokenshire (Dance) The Hassall Head Prefect Cup for Leadership: Zoe Tinkler Eliza Edwards Memorial Award: Olivia Couillault 2019 Leaders Head Prefect: Katie Pearce Deputy Head Prefect: Jemma Couillault

Harry Maisey Prize (all-round ability): George Cory-Wright Stan Empson Prize (all-round ability, boarder): Claudia Marris Philip Bird Prize (all-round ability): Emily Danesh-Meyer Lloyd Seabrook Memorial Prize for the Arts: Te Arawa Matua 2019 Leaders Head Boy and Head Girl: James Hancock, Evie Clatworthy Deputy Head Prefects: Charles Cave, Tiffany Horton, James Mead, Waiora Morris

Walker Trophy for Preparatory School Fixtures: Anthony Wong Kay Award for Sportsmanship: Liam Denny Worsp Citizenship Cup: William Meredith Hsu Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to Music: Brian Ng J S Lazarus Trophy: Aidan Hyland King’s School Old Boy’s Cup for Outstanding Contribution to King’s School: Owen Toms Hellaby Cup for All Round Performance: Oliver Hatch

Dio duces Conor Tarrant and Joy Kang

EPSOM GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL Kathleen Mandeno Scholarship, Te Kaitaka Cup for fostering Encouragement and Community Spirit (joint), Emens-Spencer Physics Prize: Vivien Whyte Hilda Chenery Scholarship: Zoe Millar Woolf Fisher Memorial Scholarship, Verna Dowdle Award for participation and leadership in Arts and Culture, Prize for Proxime Accessit (donated by PTA Committee): Isabella Muirhead John Williamson Scholarship, Mary Melrose Scholarship for excellence in Biology and Physics Penny Le Couteur Prize for Chemistry, Einstein Award for the top science student, Prize for Dux (donated by Miss M.F.E. Adams): Binudi Senanayake

KING’S COLLEGE Old Collegians’ Prize for Dux of the College: Harsh Talathi Taylor Cups for Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year: Stella Rollo, Sam Cummins Foster Prize (best all-round ability, male student): Hari Kukreja Lawry Prize (best all-round ability, female student): Harriet Butt

King’s head boy 2018, Ethan Henderson, at the school prizegiving

KING’S SCHOOL Foster Cup for Loyalty to the Ideals of King’s School (Y6): Benjamin Stuart Glenie Cup for All Round Performance (Y6): Varnan Pasupati Baker Cup for Commitment to King’s School (Y7): Morgan Wright DGE Brown Plate and Award for All Round Performance in Y7: Dylan Hawkesby Major Memorial Cup: Henry Barrell Greg Whitecliffe Memorial Cup for Supreme Art: Martin Moattar

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Victor Ludorum Trophy for Top Sportsman: Louie Ballan Headmaster’s Prize for Head Boy: Ethan Henderson The Pengelly Trophy for Dux: Nicholas Stuart

ST CUTHBERT’S COLLEGE MIDDLE SCHOOL Year 8 Prize for Academic Excellence, Sydney Old Girls’ Award for Citizenship and All-Round Excellence: Grace Merrilees Outstanding Achievement in Sport: Sasha Situe

the prizewinners

SENIOR SCHOOL Duces: Naushiha Aravinthan and Annie Sun Old Girls’ Award for Citizenship: Ruby Cadman Award for Outstanding International Sports Performance: Maia Fishwick, Charlotte Ryan, Bernadette Doyle Student Council Award for Support and Dedication to the College: Georgia Maoate Cup for Y13 student most respected by her year group: Cindy Cao, Elise Pertab Gow Langsford Special Art Award for Painting: Emily Wang Gow Langsford Special Art Award for Design: Helen Xiong Special Award for Head Girl: Tiana Willis-Baker 2019 Leaders: Head Girl: Johanna Setefano Deputy Head Girls: Mandy Ross, Angela Xu

Saint Kentigern College duces, Ben Creemers, Ebba Olsen, Andrew Chen

SAINT KENTIGERN BOYS’ SCHOOL Foundation Pupil Cup for Dux: Jamie Hilliam Jubilee Cup for Proxime Accessit: Ferguson Muthu Senior Citizenship Cup for Outstanding Service and Leadership: Austin McKegg

Poole Cup for Outstanding Service and Leadership: James Hiddleston Brian Matthew’s Citizenship Cup for the Junior School: Boston Chester

OPEN EVENING 6.30pm Thursday 7 March 2019 Baradene Auditorium, Gate 2 Baradene College of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic girl’s school providing educational excellence for students in Years 7 - 13. Baradene is part of a global network of over 140 international colleges of the Sacred Heart.

Applications for Year 7 2020 are being accepted now and will close 3pm Friday 15 March 2019 Academic and Special Character Scholarships available | For enrolment information visit www.baradene.school.nz/enrol For an enrolment pack please contact Felicity Lister - flister@baradene.school.nz - phone 524-6019 ext 713.

“Our education is not meant to turn the children out small and finished but seriously begun on a wide basis” 237 Victoria Ave, Remuera | www.baradenecollege.school.nz | ph 09-524-6019

Janet Erskine Stuart rscJ

Rex Hooton Cup for School Spirit: Jamie Mora Joel Campbell Memorial Trophy – For Service to Others: Joe Berman Knox Cup – Grit and Spirit (Sport), Ross Perry Senior School Sportsman: Brodey Warren

SAINT KENTIGERN COLLEGE Duces, NCEA: Ben Creemers, Ebba Olsen Dux, International Baccalaureate: Andrew Chen First in Year 12: Misaki Chen First in Year 11: Heeju Rho Dux Ludorum: Mahina Paul College Sport Young Sportswoman of the Year: Hannah Blake Performing Arts Senior College Performer of the Year: Amelia Elliot Hall Memorial Prize for Service: Lizzie Elliot Clements Family Endeavour Cup for Excellence in Leadership, Academics and Sports: Olivia Dodd Kepa-Strang Cup for Leadership Contribution: Hannah Williams Rotary Senior College Service Award: Kenya Ashcroft Michael Lonsdale-Cooper Memorial Cup for Citizenship: Henry Ewan

Years 1–13

Open Day Saturday 9 March 10.30am–2.30pm 2 Titoki Street, Parnell | 0800 222 877 parnellcollege.acgedu.com

St Kents College Dux Ludorum, Mahina Paul, and Performer of the Year, Amelia Elliot

Finn Family Cup for Participation and Commitment in Academic, Cultural, Sporting and Spiritual Facets of College Life: Liam Scott-Russell Dux of the Middle College: Isabeau Pan The Birch Cup For a Year 10 Girl showing All Round Ability: Hannah Riley The Kururangi Cup For a Year 10 Boy showing All Round Ability: Harry Lowe The Year 7 and 8 Menzies Cup for Citizenship: Josh Evangelidakis Y10 Sportswoman of the Year: Sophie Spencer Y10 Sportsman of the Year: Harry Lower Performing Arts Performer of the Year: Chloe Haerewa

SAINT KENTIGERN GIRLS’ SCHOOL Dux: Katherine Thibaud Proxime Accessit: Millie Paris Dr Sandra K Hastie Cup for School Spirit: Zoe Wong The Roberts Trophy for Resilience And Perseverance: Amy Skidmore The Lightfoot Cup for Citizenship: Danielle Levy Gold Service Awards: Grace Gilbert, Tiffany Thompson Gaudeamus Cup for making a difference: Grace Gilbert Sportswoman of the Year: Alexandra Campion

the councillors

Mike Lee

T

here will be a number of reasons for the Labour-led coalition government being unexpectedly overtaken by National in the latest opinion polls, but here in Auckland, Minister Phil Twyford’s unpopular light rail to the airport and his proposed Urban Development Authority will have a lot to do with it. In a recent NZ Herald online poll of 13,300 people, 82 per cent indicated they would prefer to take a train to the airport, 9 per cent preferred to ‘drive and park,’ while only 6 per cent opted for light rail (trams).

This is an extraordinarily resounding ‘No’ from the public, and should be giving the Government pause.

Twyford’s proposed 24km tram line to the airport (or to Mangere, as it has been rebranded) via Dominion Rd, while even now still not having a business case, is estimated to cost $3.7b. While it is accepted that building the tram line will be lengthy and disruptive, the finished product is likely to come with another set of impacts.

This is because Mr Twyford is not only predicting light rail on Dominion Rd will carry ‘as many people as a four-lane motorway’ but furthermore, is now selling it as a catalyst for intensive development in that corridor. However, the minister’s plans to shut down public opposition by overriding the Unitary Plan (and therefore the Resource Management Act) by setting up an Urban Development Authority with dictatorial powers, has not gone down well in Auckland.

People are starting to view Twyford’s plans as a threat to their heritage neighbourhoods, their property rights, indeed their civil rights. His light rail service, with eight tram stops along the Dominion Rd corridor instead of the present 20 bus stops, is clearly not designed for the convenience of public transport users — whether they are airport passengers (too slow) or local residents (not enough stops). The problem is Twyford’s scheme is trying to deal with two separate transport problems at the same time: serving Auckland Airport, which is predicted to grow to 40m passenger movements by 2030; and growing congestion on the isthmus.

However you look at it, it’s a suboptimal solution for both.

Given the minister’s heavy reliance on ‘experts,’ (he refers to them constantly in his announcements), it is only fair to ask who are these experts? Light rail experts are not to be found where NZ transport ministers usually get their technical advice, not in the Ministry of Transport, nor the NZ Transport Authority (despite NZTA being charged with delivering the project). And as a former director of Auckland Transport, I can attest to the dearth of light rail experts in that organisation. In 2016, AT suddenly changed course, rejecting the 2011 South-Western Airport Multi-Modal Corridor Project (which was supported at the time by AT, Council, Auckland International Airport Ltd, NZTA and KiwiRail) and its recommendations for a heavy rail link to the airport.

AT is itself heavily reliant on outside consultants, especially Jacobs NZ. The other sources of advice to the minister, and his associate minister, Julie-Anne Genter, appear to be the Australianbased consulting firm MRCagney and the bloggers of the advocacy group Greater Auckland (some are the same individuals, one of whom is Genter’s partner, Peter Nunns). Despite the minister’s airy references to ‘experts,’ it is the worrying lack of contestable advice that is his scheme’s greatest weakness. Remarkable too is the lack of any government interest or curiosity about Melbourne, which has the biggest light rail system in the world, yet is building a heavy rail connection to Melbourne International Airport.

Time was when transport projects of this cost and scale were the subject of widespread public debate and input, but in recent years the statutory Regional Land Transport Plan and the Regional Public Transport Management Plan, with its public input processes, have been marginalised by the informal Auckland Transport Alignment Process. ATAP has become the means by which the government-ofthe-day imposes on Auckland what it wants – with no opportunity for ratepayer, taxpayer or travelling public input. Twyford’s tram line to Mangere is the outcome of a ‘refreshed’ ATAP, replacing the previous government’s 2016 ATAP. But Twyford needs to be reminded we live in a democratic society. Unless the minister stops acting as some sort of transport/development czar, then the 94 per cent of Aucklanders opposed to his light rail scheme are likely to stay opposed. And as we are beginning to see with the latest polls, his deeply unpopular city to Mangere light rail and Urban Development Authority are having damaging political consequences.

Mike Lee is the Councillor for Auckland representing the Waitematā and Gulf ward

Desley Simpson

O

ver the summer break I hope you all have an opportunity to relax, enjoy some sunshine, spend time with your loved ones and recharge yourselves ready for a success-filled 2019.

This summer is the second swimming season that we have had the enhanced Safeswim website, safeswim.org.nz, which gives you an up-to-date forecast of the water quality at any given beach. Auckland’s struggle with water quality is well documented.

Combined stormwater and sewerage in older parts of Auckland, many of which are in the Ōrākei ward, cause overflows into the harbour when it rains. We also have problems with dry weather sewerage overflows, which are usually caused by blockages in the pipes due to things like fats, oils and wet wipes being tipped down the sink or flushed down the toilet. All of this conspires to reduce the quality of our water and create a health risk to swimmers.

Last summer, about 10 per cent of readings taken at beaches along Tamaki Dr showed that the water failed to meet national water quality guidelines, with a further 5 per cent unsafe for children and the elderly.

Having been given a mandate by you to support the water targeted rate, I’ve been working hard to confirm projects in our ward to address this problem. These include suburban Ōrākei’s stormwater separation and outlet upgrades at Okahu Bay, along with dredging of the Portland Rd creek prior to the road raising.

Further to this, we will be conducting detailed investigations of the networks in the Judges Bay, Mission Bay and St Heliers areas to identify and eliminate sources of contamination.

Staying with the summer theme, some of our visitors to Auckland over summer are ‘campers’ who use our parks and public spaces to overnight while they enjoy the city. Whilst we welcome people to explore the many beaches, parks and tourist spots in this way, we also need to ensure that their presence doesn’t prevent others from also enjoying these places. The proposed bylaw out for consultation includes preventing freedom campers in such areas as the Michael Joseph Savage memorial and Selwyn Reserve in Mission Bay, while

allowing self-contained campervans to park at Ōrākei Domain and Churchill Park. Starting on December 3, we will be asking for your views on the proposed bylaw and locations. Consultation will be open through to February 18, 2019, with the decision making scheduled for April. As always, I will be closely following the feedback from the Ōrākei ward and supporting your views. Please visit aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and search ‘have your say’ to read more and make a submission.

Auckland Transport are also consulting in February on their desire to reduce speed limits to 30kph in the CBD and the town centres of Mission Bay and St Heliers. The ‘driver’ (pardon the pun) is the fact that a car hitting a pedestrian at 50kph will be fatal 80 per cent of the time, whereas a car hitting a pedestrian at 30kph will be fatal 10 per cent of the time. Whilst I agree with efforts to make our streets safer, I am also very interested in your thoughts as to whether slowing traffic down is the best way to do this, when vehicle congestion is such a problem for the 33,000-plus cars and buses entering the city from the east. At time of writing, specific dates for consultation are not known so please keep an eye out on my Facebook page or website for further details.

All aspects of road safety are important and none more so than getting children safely to school. Recently I’ve taken transport staff to Sacred Heart College to hear their concerns about crossings near the school. To assist, AT have proposed to put approximately an extra $1m for our community on top of the extra $500,000 that myself and other councillors supported for local transport projects, into each local board area. However, even with improved transport solutions, everyone needs to be mindful when driving past schools, especially before and after school. AT’s safety focus means that we can expect to see new zebra crossings, pedestrian refuges and an upgrade to the intersection of Tamaki Dr and Watene Cres this financial year. AT will also be working to add to the 20 Travelwise schools and 14 walking school buses in the Ōrākei ward – if you know of a school that has concerns, please let me know.

Finally, 2018 ended with some interesting media stories on the relationship the mayor has with councillors and how that is reflected in voting at Council meetings. I give you my assurance that my voting is and always has been, issues based. I do not follow ‘the leader’ or subscribe to any A or B team group vote. I am there to do the best I can for you, the communities and ratepayers of Ōrākei.

Desley Simpson is the Councillor for Auckland representing the Ōrākei ward

Girls’ School

Open Day TUESDAY 12 MARCH

We love learning

REGISTER TO ATTEND saintkentigern.com

BR-j10056

Simply Matching Pe

www.remuerareale

Perfect harmony of ho

30 Westbourne Rd, Remuera In order to understand the feeling that architect Leo van Veenendaal has achieved in this unique property, you have to visit it. From the moment you enter a sense of peace and calm surrounds you.

Designed with flexible use in mind it could be ideal as a home for smaller families, with excellent separation of areas; a home with office areas; a home with great spaces for visitors to come and stay without interrupting your everyday way of life; as a home for another generation to share with you; as a large lock-up-and-leave.

The top floor master suite consists of a large bedroom with a balcony, dressing room, bathroom plus study or sitting room. The views are magical, and the sun and light wonderfully dappled.

On the entry level the kitchen adjoins the family sitting room, which has windows on three sides and decks to the north. There are also two other rooms that can be used as a dining room or another sitting room, a study, office or fourth bedroom. A guest’s bathroom, laundry and double garage. Below, there is another living room or library, two more bedrooms, another study plus two bathrooms.

The quality of build is evident everywhere you look - brick and copper cladding, copper spouting and downpipes, wooden joinery and shutters. The sheer peace, tranquillity and calm that the architecture, in harmony with the environment, has created; we have never before experienced anything like it.

For Sale. Floor 419m2, Land 791m2

4

3

4

2

Terry King 021 484 332 terry.king@remueraregister.co.nz

Telephone: 0

Remuera Real Estate Register

eople with Property

estateregister.co.nz

ome and environment

Main entrance foyer

Dining room/second sitting room

Family sitting room

Kitchen looking through to butler’s pantry

Additional living room/library

Stunning bagged brick and copper exterior

Properties for sale... if you are thinking of buying or selling over the holiday period, please give us a call. As well as the properties on www.remuerarealestateregister.co.nz we have access to a number of others that are not publicly listed. Tell us what you are looking for, and chances are we will be able to find it for you ...call Terry or Diana now Diana King 021 613 884 diana.king@remueraregister.co.nz

09 520 6624

Limited licensed REAA 2008

the politicians

David Seymour

A

Paul Goldsmith

T

nother year has drawn to a close and I hope you’ve found these updates on the political scene in our community and beyond informative. It’s an honour to represent you going into a fifth year as the MP for Epsom, and I wish you all the best for the break.

Here is a short tour of the hits and misses of 2018. Paradoxically, a lot of local politics goes unreported to protect the confidentiality of local residents. If you come to my electorate office, your business is confidential, except for the occasional high profile cases that make headlines. I estimate nearly 1000 people per year approach my Newmarket office for help with immigration, Council, health, education, commerce and crime, to name a few categories. If you feel that a government department has given you a raw deal, my team and I will ensure that you are represented vigorously in the political system.

Locally, we continue to face tension between growth of the city and its transport corridors on the one hand, and preservation of the places people want to get to on the other. The Banff Ave Housing NZ development, Mt Eden busways, Parnell cycleways, and coming developments of transit corridors on Remuera Rd make the point.

There will be more of this, and our archipelago of communities spread across central Auckland’s major arterial routes will have to keep making the case for preserving our communities.

In Parliament, the Government continues to roll out its agenda.

Whether you agree with it or not, and I disagree with most of it, it is an interventionist agenda in housing, foreign investment, the environment, education, welfare and transport, to address the problems they believe they were elected to solve. They are masters of signaling good intentions. Sadly, a lot of it will be counterproductive, even measured by those good intentions. Kiwibuild amounts to funneling existing developments to those who fit the Government’s criteria, with the help of taxpayer subsidies. The oil and gas exploration ban will not reduce carbon emissions, it may even reduce us to using fuels that are more polluting in future. What it has done is shock the business community with the revelation that Government policy can turn on a dime, and without even a Cabinet paper.

Fees-free tertiary education has not helped those who never get to tertiary education at all, while underpaid teachers would love a share of the policy’s fiscal cost. Foreign investment restrictions won’t stop those determined to park their money in NZ through a variety of legal devices, but it will make life more bureaucratic. Proposed new labour laws won’t make anyone more productive, but they will make it more difficult to be an employer and, by extension, an employee.

Informed tenants will rue the day that the Government declared war on landlords with whom they have a symbiotic relationship.

I couldn’t finish without lamenting the termination of ACT’s charter schools. It is bittersweet that the existing schools will continue as state schools, their staff with union contracts, but the overall thrust of liberating the education system from crushing monopoly has been cruelly stopped. For now. It is not all bad. In some countries a party that suffered a defeat like ACT’s last year would have to go into exile. The truth is ACT and National lost because 53 per cent of voters elected one of the three parties currently in government, but we get another chance. With my other hat on as leader of ACT, my new year’s resolution is to return with a sincerer promise of a better tomorrow than the current government is delivering New Zealanders.

he last time I organised a public meeting in the Epsom electorate around 40 people turned up and we had to call the police. Some very vocal protestors leapt to their feet a few minutes into my guest’s presentation and started bellowing, cursing and threatening, in a church hall. The crowd scattered to the winds until the cops arrived. It was a fiasco.

So it was with some trepidation that I arranged another.

This time, with our leader Simon Bridges in Remuera. Readers might have seen our signs around the neighbourhood or received a note.

Remuera-ites are notoriously fickle in attending such meetings. During his regional tour, Bridges attracted big crowds in places like Matamata and Cambridge. So I was worried that a meeting on a Wednesday afternoon in Ohinerau St might draw only a sparse crowd and earn me a rebuke from my leader.

I shouldn’t have worried. A whopping crowd filled the room – approaching 250. This I took as a good sign. People want to know more about Simon, to make a more informed judgment than is possible during the snippets allowed by a fast-paced media. And, frankly, there’s much anxiety about what the Labour/Greens/NZ First government is up to.

Most of the hour and a half was devoted to questions from the floor – where was he going to find a coalition partner, how much immigration is the right amount, what’s he going to do about housing affordability, striking teachers, rehabilitating prisoners and a rising China? People told stories about their struggles to stay in business while paying an ever-higher minimum wage. About an hour into the session someone raised Jami-Lee Ross and offered some advice on what he should do next.

It was all pretty good-natured, respectful and I hope useful for the people who came along.

Of course, Simon knows the area well, having studied at Auckland University and lived for a while in Parnell. But it was good for him to hear directly a slice of opinion from this area.

Because there are striking differences around the country.

The sharpest contrast is over the pace of immigration. Many at the meeting in Remuera were worried about the pressures of rapid immigration in Auckland – on housing, transport, the local schools – and want some relief. The message is very different in most regions outside of Auckland, where people are desperate for workers. In Ashburton, for example, 500 job vacancies remain unfilled. Work isn’t done, opportunities aren’t taken, simply because the workers can’t be found.

What about the unemployed, you say? Well when we’re below 4 per cent unemployment, below 2 per cent in places like Ashburton, many of the people on benefits have serious challenges before them. The long-term solutions include targeted skills training and a compassionate but firm nudge from the welfare system back to work. It’s a pity, therefore, this government has wasted so much of its tertiary budget on free fees for the middle classes and is proposing to axe sanctions in the welfare system against people who refuse to work.

We’ll do it again next year.

David Seymour is the MP for Epsom

Paul Goldsmith is a National list MP based in Epsom the hobson 30

the suburbanist

Stay Right Where You Are

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on’t move. Stay right where you are. Seriously. It’s chaos out there. If you’re reading this before Christmas, you’ve either done all your shopping, your feet are up, the kids are down, you’ve a glass in hand and you’re wondering what The Hobson could possibly tell you that you haven’t already worked out . . . or, you’re in a blind panic.

Here’s a tip: the blind don’t panic; it is the sighted who can’t see what’s right in front of them. So, you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping? Maybe you haven’t even started. You forgot to order the turkey. You ordered it but forgot to pick it up. You picked it up but forgot to take it out of the boot. You took it out of the boot but don’t know where you put it (wait 12 hours, it will identify its location).

You do know where you put it – in the fridge. It’s in the fridge but it’s rock solid, and the first guests are arriving. You managed to thaw it but it won’t fit in the oven, so you take to it with a jigsaw to clip its wings and make it legless. It fits in the oven and the top looks beautiful and crisp but the bottom half looks, I don’t know, kind of . . . fleshy. After five hours with the oven on grill. Now where did you put that jigsaw . . ? You find it, finally. In the fridge. You turn up the Christmas carols to mask the sound of fowl dismemberment. “We’re having pulled turkey everyone!”

You find out your daughter’s new boyfriend is vegan. You’re all out of tofu (admit it, you were never in tofu . . .).

It starts to rain. Inside. Water pouring through the ceiling.

You race upstairs. The grandchildren are in the spa bath in a sea of bubbles with the tap running. Wait. You don’t have any grandchildren. “Honey, where did these kids come from?” The police are at the door. They’re looking for three small children.

You usher the police into the kitchen out of sight of the guests.

“Excuse me sir, you seem to have a leak . . .” Don’t move. Stay right where you are.

Worse things happen at sea. And that is because to go to sea, you have to move. Don’t move. Don’t go on holiday. Perhaps you are reading this after Christmas and getting ready to pack the car for the Coromandel. Along with the rest of Auckland, half of Tauranga and a smattering of Wellington. Take pity on the latter, they have nowhere else closer to go except Taupo, which is overflowing with people from the Hawkes Bay. Think of those poor Wellingtonians prepared to sit in a hot car for eight hours just to reach Coromandel. Nearly as long as the trip from the North Shore.

They say that a volcanic eruption is different to an earthquake because they can predict it coming and you can have up to 48 hours to evacuate. If everyone in Auckland gets the alert at the same time, after two days you’ll be fried, queuing at the Greenlane roundabout.

Stay home this year, I dare you. Pack an overnight bag, put a bottle of gin in an old duty-free bag and head out to the airport.

Go to the baggage claim area and put your bag on the conveyor.

Let it go around a couple of times, then pick it up and return to your car. Drive home and pretend that you’ve just rented your house on Airbnb and have a holiday in your own backyard. Pick a lemon. “Honey, they have ice!”

Feet up, kids down, glass, The Hobson. Cheap as chips and twice as tasty.

Don’t move. Stay right where you are. — Tommy Honey

the investment

The Forecast, Revisited

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s I do each year for this edition, I look into the coming year and provide a set of predictions for what we expect to happen in the financial markets. Some forecasts and their rationale below. But first, let me self-check on how my predictions were from this time last year.

First, exchange rates. Last year I predicted: “. . . I think we will see it (NZ dollar) slip down toward 0.60 during 2018 as NZ’s political difficulties weigh and the realisation of NZ’s deteriorating fiscal position takes effect. Adding further pressure will be continued US economic growth and consequently rising US interest rates and the strengthening US dollar.”

Yes, a good call with the Kiwi going as low as 0.644 during the year largely because of the reasons I mentioned. However, at the moment the NZ dollar has bumped back up into the high 0.60s on the back of a purveying view that world interest rates outside of the US will stay low and, importantly, lower than those in NZ for the foreseeable future. For the next 12 months, I think we will see the NZ dollar test the lows of 2018, primarily because I think current uncertainty concerning the US economy (higher interest rates plus China trade wars) will dissipate and see her GDP resurge and support the US dollar.

Inflation. For the past few years I have steadfastly predicted “forget about it!” and, for 2018 at least, this remained a good call. I wrote last year “I now think we will see inflation lift slightly as the tax-and-transfer policies of the Labour-led coalition Government (including rising minimum wages, “free tertiary courses” etc) will drive cost-led inflation.”

And that was bang on! NZ registered an annual CPI increase of 1.9 per cent for the for the year ended 30 September 2018, which does still look quite low. The bulk of this increase was because of higher excise taxes including tobacco, alcohol and petrol, as well as local authority rates. The common thread? All items influenced by local and central government charges! My 2017 prediction for inflation was “Continue to forget about it!” and I’m inclined to leave that as is. BUT, we must continue to watch out for these “tax-and-transfer policies of the Labour-led coalition” which may contribute to higher inflation.

Interest-rates here in NZ. An OK call last year: “. . . we [will] begin to see low-quality Government policy effected and the aforementioned rise in inflation and more importantly inflation expectations: Again, our interest rates are likely to lift from today’s levels throughout the next year – but not by much.”

Actually that was probably a bit better than an OK call. Some tick-up in wholesale interest rates across the curve but nothing significant and certainly nothing like the rates we saw ten and even five years ago. Interestingly home mortgage rates, both floating and fixed, remain at truly record lows with one bank quoting its lowest rate of all time! For 2019, more of the same: low interest rates.

Stock markets. Last year I said, “But all good things must come to an end and I do see choppy waters ahead with concern of Government policies building, economic growth slowing and inflation and interest rates rising (albeit slowly.) So for 2018 a brave call, but I think the NZ stock market will struggle to push on much further from current levels.”

The NZX50 started 2018 at a shade under 8500 and wobbled around there for much of the first half of the year. Things were really good for a few months with the index surging around 12 per cent to reach a record high before a global sell-off (USChina trade wars and rising US interest rates) in October took the NZX50 back down to around levels at the start of the year.

Thankfully (for those like me who are employed in financial markets-related businesses) stocks have recovered and at this stage look to be closing out the year in positive territory. So, a good call of mine a year ago.

Over the next year, I’d anticipate sideways to positive (sub10 per cent) for the NZX50 for much of the same reasons as I raised last year, but stronger US market gains. I think the uncertainties regarding the US outlook mentioned earlier will not come to fruition and her strong underlying GDP growth will drive earnings and stock prices. (Incidentally the Hobson Wealth Partners NZ equities model portfolio has considerably outperformed the NZX50 over each of the past few years – well done to the Hobson Wealth investments team!).

Residential property prices. For the past three years I have monotonously predicted “. . . the conditions for further price increase in 2016/2017 and beyond remain . . . strong inward migration flows, population growth in Auckland, and nowhere near enough new dwellings being constructed.

Demand continues to exceed supply”.

Great calls if I may say so, and I don’t yet see a need to change the outlook for the coming year. The rate of price rises will wax and wane but overall the trend is and will remain upward.

And I have to requote this from last year because it has indeed been laughable: “When you hear Phil Twyford talking about the Government building or facilitating the building of an additional 10,000 houses per year, just laugh”. This reminded me of that famous line from one of the greatest US Presidents, Ronald Reagan: “Nine of the most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government and I’m here to help.”

So a mixed scorecard again with my 2018 predictions of financial markets. Now how about some more interesting predictions? All Blacks to retain the Rugby World Cup in Tokyo, the first country to do so three times in a row. Theresa May to be rolled, having failed to properly secure decent arrangements for Brexit – Boris Johnson? The ridiculous light rail concept in Auckland to be shelved as common sense prevails and a heavy rail link is established from Puhinui out to the airport.

Convicted drug smuggler Karel Sroubek will still be a NZ resident, but Ian Lees-Galloway won’t be a parliamentarian.

Arsenal to regain its spot in the top four of the English Premier League under new coach Unai Emery (please . . . !!).

But let’s forget about all this for the next month or two and enjoy the summer break. Safe and happy holidays.

— Warren Couillault

Disclaimer: This article does not consider the objectives or situation of any particular investor. It should not be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any security or product, or to engage in or refrain from engaging in any transaction.

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the hobson + waikōpua

Welcome Home to Waikōpua

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Simon Devitt

hen Michael Falconer looks at the gentle contours of his Whitford development, Waikōpua, he sees not only the sweeping views of the Hauraki Gulf, but also “New Zealand’s best residential subdivision”. From the extensive landscaping and concrete access ways across the 26ha site, to the walkway winding through a stand of mature native forest, every aspect has been carefully considered and executed to the highest standard. With two homes already underway, Michael says Waikōpua will be a lifestyle dream realised for its community of just 15 households.

Michael, your background is investment banking and business. How did you come to be involved in developing Waikōpua?

My business partners and I had been interested in investing in residential property, and looked for something high quality where we could add value. I’ve known Stephen Mason for almost 30 years, and he was working in property development in the Whitford area. We agreed this was a great opportunity, so we entered into a partnership.

Why did you choose this particular piece of land?

Because the location is fantastic - it’s close to rapidly growing Beachlands, with a new supermarket and a range of shops so everything you need is at your doorstep. The Pine Harbour ferry is a huge factor in providing easy access, only 35 minutes to the city. You can enjoy a truly Kiwi outdoor lifestyle with easy access to superb boating, golfing, mountain biking, walking and horse riding. And there are very few undeveloped blocks of this quality in the area, with the unique appeal of amazing views, native forest and relatively flat building platforms, which makes building a lot

more cost effective and easier. We also wanted a development that had privacy and seclusion, rather than houses on top of each other.

You say you are creating something unique. In what way?

Every one of the sections has world-class, panoramic views of the Gulf, the city and the surrounding rural area. Few developments offer this on every section. Our sections are the perfect size – space and privacy, but don’t take all your weekend to maintain. Property owners will share access to a beautiful valley of native bush, right on their doorstep.

Coastal views, recreation, native bush, city access – Waikōpua delivers on all of this and that’s why it’s unique.

Where are you up to in the development process?

Resource consent has been granted, six sections have sold, so we only have nine left. Two houses are in the final design phase with architects of the calibre of Ken Crosson (Crosson Architects home pictured). The internal infrastructure, including concrete roading, extensive planting and the entrance will be complete early in the New Year. It’s all moving to schedule.

You live in Remuera, Michael. What would draw you to the Whitford-Maraetai area?

The lifestyle is fantastic – no need to drive miles to go mountain biking, and the marina is a 5-minute drive. Facilities in Beachlands are developing rapidly and the ferry makes it easy to get into town.

You can build something special and still have money in the bank.

For further information or to arrange a site tour, please call Stephen Mason, 0800 4 HEAVEN or visit waikopua.nz

Only

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the plan

Running Away with Good Ideas

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e are heading into the busy season for tourists and events throughout Auckland, and the country. You know that through January and February it will not be unusual to see two cruise ships laden with 4000-plus people, just waiting to be bussed to see the gannets at Muriwai or a Māori cultural performance at the Auckland Museum. The tourist shops will be flicking off tiki, cuddly kiwis and sheepskin by the dozen. Hotels will be full, charging top rate, and the ‘gone fishing’ sign will be Blu-tacked to the window of every car rental company. We will be overflowing with tourists. The tills will be ringing and the locals grumpy — think of how the locals at Whangamata feel when every bloody Aucklander and their boogie boards invade their village.

I visit the far north on a regular basis and the Mangonui Fish Shop is world famous, with it being located over the harbour, with a 100-plus seating capacity and beautifully cooked fresh fish. In the middle of summer, you cannot get a carpark and the wait just to order can be 20 minutes. Come the middle of winter, as we passed through at 7pm on a Friday night, it was closing and not a person was to be seen.

I have written previously about the potential the Auckland Convention Centre will have once it is finally complete. That was when I was in Nashville and turned up to the wrong event at a convention centre, to find thousands of people waxing lyrical over tractors and other farm machinery. Auckland’s will be late in opening but it will be an asset worth waiting for once all the hooha and blame game has died down.

Auckland is now a region which uses its weight, size and location to bring events and activity to the city. The amount of concerts we now pull over summer to Western Springs and Mt Smart means every taste is catered for, and then some. Concert fatigue and that dreaded drudge along soulless industrial roads can take its toll.

However, Auckland also has its quieter times and shoulder seasons — or periods of lower tourism activity sandwiched between the busiest times. Does that mean that autumn and spring are less desirable times to plan a holiday in Auckland? I don’t think so, but it is then about harnessing the power of an event, an unforgettable experience, to bring people to the region.

We work with tournament director Karl Budge as he puts together the two international tennis tournaments each year in

January at the Auckland Tennis Centre in Stanley St. Karl does not have the big budget of other tournaments, and spends more time with an umbrella talking the rain away than he would like. But the tennis stars keep coming back year after year. He provides the players and officials with an experience — not just another stadium and another pay cheque. The players are pampered and shown the very best of what Auckland has to offer. It may be a helicopter ride and lunch at Waiheke, or the more infamous karaoke machine for Serena Williams. By setting himself and the ASB Classic tournaments apart, the players talk about it and that is contagious.

Karl is looking to do other events in Auckland, but wants to use the tourist shoulder season to host them. This will mean there is more availability of everything, from venues to staff and equipment.

It will make Auckland a more vibrant city year round. It also means more people can afford to come to these events as hotel and travel costs are less than at peak times.

I am not long back from the Queenstown International Marathon. Somehow I hauled my not-quite-built-for-running body around the picturesque half-marathon course. The organisers describe it as flat. My body, especially my hips, will tell you it was undulating. It took all my willpower to complete the last 3 kms around the edge of Lake Wakatipu. There were over 6000 people doing the event, 4500 of them from out of town. Now Queenstown no longer seems to have a downtime, but this event was spaced between the snow-time and the sun-time. Not two days after the run, which was completed in bright warm sunshine, it was snowing. Now that event brought people and their spending power to the town. There was a 20-minute wait for a taxi from the airport.

Air New Zealand (a main sponsor) put on additional flights. And to ensure they captured the entire run-walk market for the marathon, there were a range of running and walking events to cater for all shapes and sizes. The event was well organised and something I would do again. I did not stay on, but a lot of people did, using the event as an opportunity for a longer visit. A visit they would not have made unless the event had been put on.

So as we look to make Auckland an even better place to visit and live in, we need to back people like Karl Budge, who are passionate about making things happen to fill in the gaps so that Auckland is a year-round destination. — Hamish Firth

the second act

Christmas Disruption

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had a passing interest in the most recent Farmers’ Santa Parade as not only did it pass by our apartment, but because Santa had entered into the gender debate. The usual man in the jolly red suit had been pushed aside after commenting that Santa could not be played by a female, as children might be confused that Santa had “boobs”. That’s odd, I thought, since Santa-as-envisioned-byCoca Cola is overweight and so I suspect has moobs (man boobs).

And anyway, as some have pointed out, in real life, Santa is usually played by Mum anyway as she plans, buys, wraps, and cooks for Christmas not only for her own family but often for her partner’s side too. (Shout out to my husband, who in a bizarre turn of events, actually sorted the kids this time).

We do of course prefer Santa to resemble the big jolly man he has looked like through our lifetime of consumerism. Because Christmas is “for the kids” and we don’t want their hopes and dreams crushed by a female Santa. For goodness sake, this is just another example of “PC gone too far,” said Simon Bridges, echoing the masses. What next? A young, female Prime Minister breastfeeding at the UN? . . . Oh. This Second Act column arose after a close friend passed away at 50, which I was soon to be. It was a sobering experience which lead to me declaring, somewhat optimistically, that 50 was the midway point in life where one crossed the threshold into their ‘second act’. If my first act was about ‘being successful’, my second act was about ‘being conscious’ as to what I gave my time and energy. My own 50s have ended up being a game of two halves. For the first part, I plunged into understanding gender as thoroughly as I could, through studying both gender and history at university, while absorbing myself in every aspect of that hackneyed term “diversity and inclusion”. This has morphed into a deep interest into how gender works within systems of power, how it’s used and misused, and how it’s fundamentally changed the direction of both my working life, and how my life works.

So my ears pricked up when Santa waded into the gender debate with odd comments about boobs, but helpfully, that the ladies could be Santa’s helpers, dancing around in little skirts and tops (I checked out the dancing helpers in the Farmers’ parade, and yes,

they would certainly have been revealing in the 1930s when Coca Cola Santa was invented).

In the gender debate there are usually two positions. The majority are in the “PC gone mad” brigade. They don’t like change. In the other corner are those that tend to be very “woke” on issues. I use “woke” in air quotes as it’s a current slang term about being very socially aware, so as not to exclude anybody. (Here’s an experiment for over-40s: casually use the term “woke” and watch millennials cringe). This lot talk a big game, but don’t want to do change either as it risks them being unpopular. So the trust committee overseeing the Farmers’ parade wanting to appear all “woke” and “with the times” wildly overcorrected one way, and then the other when they reinstated ‘sexist Santa’ after a week of headlines and talkback chatter. (Phew, status quo!).

How disappointing. What a lack of imagination. If you want to make a statement about being non-discriminatory, or whatever the complaint was, then lead with some fresh thinking and new action.

In his 1963 ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’, Martin Luther King wrote, “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice” .

The irony in all of this is that Santa represents the consumerism that Christmas has been reduced to in the eyes of most children and parents, and that is rapidly ruining the planet and thus the future of our kids — the very ones who we are trying to protect from the horror of a female Santa (or as in Nelson, one wearing a korowai but no jaunty red hat). If Christmas is truly “for the kids” we would take some responsibility, stop buying them so much unnecessary crap and avoid fizzy drinks. But we are too addicted to fitting into the status quo and popular opinion of the masses, the ones who are ruining the planet. The gender debate unfortunately is complex and the solution is not to be found in usual, binary thinking. So what would I have done if I was on that Farmers’ parade committee?

Begged Lynda and Jools Topp to play Santa and his/her favourite elf.

Disrupt Christmas. Wake up. We are living in a different world.

— Sandy Burgham

Yes, even Mahé needs a navigator.

J U S T N O T O N T H E W AT E R

GUIDING, GROWING, AND P R O T E C T I N G YO U R W E A LT H

H O B S O N W E A LT H .C O. N Z | 0 8 0 0 74 2 7 3 7 Hobson Wealth Partners Limited (FSP29782), is an NZX Advising Firm. The disclosure statement for Hobson Wealth Partners is available upon request, free of charge.

the hobson 35

the sport

Hands Up for Stand Up Photo: Scott Sinton

Stand up paddleboarding is fun, relaxation and fitness for all, say local paddlers Victoria Stuart and Helen Blair, who are on a mission to convert more to the growing pastime, as Victoria writes

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ave you watched the stand up paddleboarders on Hobson Bay or local beaches, thinking ‘that looks like fun’? And then had the following thought, “but it must be hard”?

Banish that second thought!

As well as being easy to learn, whatever your level of fitness or strength, there’s a lot of goodness for mind and body in stand up paddling (SUP). There’s being on the water for a start. Science tells us that being on the water makes us happier and healthier.

It quietens our brain’s ‘executive function’ and allows our more primal brain network to roam freely. As American marine biologist Wallace J Nicholls discovered, “Being in, on, under or simply near water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety and increase professional success”.

As much as we benefit from nature, we were also made to move.

That’s something many of us do less and less as we work more at desks and in offices. Learn some SUP techniques and you quickly discover that gliding along the water engages your whole body.

Arms are way less important than leg, back, shoulder and core muscles. And SUP can meet a range of needs: it can be gentle, flowing and relaxing, or vigorous and exhilarating. For those with an appetite for getting their heart rate up, that muscle can get a very good workout too with a higher stroke rate and interval training.

SUP is young though and not always a well-explained sport.

Views are often polarised between it being boring and easy, to it being impossibly hard. The truth is it’s neither. It’s a great way to keep or develop your balance, but you don’t need the balance of a cat to start with. With the right board for you and good coaching, it’s possible to experience gliding on water. From that starting point people of all ages, abilities and energy levels can learn to SUP and use it for a range of fitness and wellbeing purposes.

Auckland is an amazing city for stand up paddling too, with the possible exception of a lack of waves (SUPs are fun in surf). We have so many beautiful water spaces just minutes from home and they offer a variety of environments and conditions. From flat water at Judges Bay and Ōrākei Basin, to bigger expanses of water like

Hobson Bay and the sometimes flat, sometimes bumpy, water of the Eastern Bays beaches. And there are the little tucked away gems like the Purewa and Ōrākei Basin creeks.

Both Helen — in the pink top, pictured right, and I (in the blue) — are obviously passionate advocates. I have three children and have been SUP’ing for a decade and passing on my skills for five years.

Helen is newer to SUP and loved the calming effect of moving on the water after demanding days in corporate human resources.

Combining her HR coaching skills with a sport and environment she’d grown to love, Helen said ‘bye’ to office life, and we combined forces to start SUPWell. Between us, we’ve taught hundreds of people to SUP and have been involved in many community events, including the Paddle for Hope, that fundraises for the Pinc & Steel Cancer Rehabilitation Trust (we coach special PaddleOn classes for men and women affected by cancer).

Here are a few of our favourite routes around Hobson Bay you might like to try out during the holidays. For beginner paddlers, Ōrākei Basin is great. From the pontoon at the carpark, keep to the left of the yellow buoys to the far end of the Basin. Once there, Ōrākei Creek opens up and you can paddle into a peaceful oasis of bird song. Meander around the creek for a while and return along the walkway to the pontoon.

For those who can paddle further, searching for kingfishers among the pohutukawa of Hobson Bay is a treat. Leave from Judges Bay at high tide and paddle alongside the railway, under the footbridge at Parnell Baths and out into Hobson Bay. Keep to the right and follow the Parnell section of the Hobson Bay Coastal walkway. If you reach St Stephens Ave and want to go further, keep going towards Victoria Ave and Ōrākei. If not, turn around and follow your route back. Be mindful of the oyster beds in Judges Bay and, to avoid current at the Pt Resolution Bridge, keep right and close to the trees in Hobson Bay. Happy festive paddling!

For more info on SUPWell’s individual, class coaching and community events, see supwell.co.nz

the hobson 36

the journey

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery Len Lye Centre, New Plymouth: Patrick Reynolds; Galapagos flamingos: Mary Fitzgerald; Little Huia: mychillybin/Matt Van Der Linden; University of Otago, Dunedin: Dmitry Naumov/shutterstock

From infinity pools to infinite views, wildnerness to wildlife, in the following pages our contributing writers offer you a world of contrasts to explore

Clockwise from top, Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel, the facade of New Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster Gallery, Ohope Beach, flamingos in the Galapagos, a view to Jackie’s Peak Little Huia, Dunedin’s gothic charm, White Island

the hobson 37

Taking the Holiday Cure at Ohope Summer after summer, writer Wayne Thompson returns to his favourite part of the Bay of Plenty

Boats moored in the Ohiwa Harbour estuary. Photo: Wayne Thompson. Opposite, sunset over Ohope looking out to Whale Island, photographed by Susan Axford

the journey

O

ne word explains my love of holidaying at Ohope Beach in the Bay of Plenty: choice.

As a holiday base within a comfortable four hours’ drive of Auckland city it offers a semi-rural contrast to urban life, yet a big variety of pleasing things to do.

The water person has a sandy surf beach stretching for 11km. For some distance, nature lovers and those seeking a peaceful walk may not see a house or another human — only flying gulls deliberately dropping juicy cockles onto the hard sand to be ruptured and devoured.

High above the beach, from an old Māori fortress, the scenery buff has 360˚ vistas of sea and countryside. More is revealed about the constant companions on the beach walk, the smoking volcano of White Island/Whakaari, the organic mounds of Whale Island/Moutohora and some 40km of the hook of mountainous land that bears the coastal highway to East Cape.

Turning to face the cool southerly wind, you see the shining dimple in the land that is Ohiwa Harbour and, spreading upwards, the pine plantations that eventually merge with the indigenous forest of Te Urewera National Park. That promises the real back country, moody and remote, but looking to the west the view is more of the works of man: the fertile Rangitaiki Plains and its rivers and farms run from the bushy hills cradling the lakes of Rotorua to the dunes of the bay. Back to the bay, the eye follows a curve of sand pointing towards Tauranga, 100km from the lookout.

Adventure awaits. A day trip out to White Is to walk among its bubbling mud pools, cracks in the ground venting gas and steam and right up to the rim of its acidic crater lake — monitored for possible eruptions of ash and rock. A shorter boat excursion to Whale Is sanctuary brings you a beach where hot water bubbles out of the sand, fur seals bask on rocks and the song of rare birds treats walkers on the uphill bush trail. Both of these adventures are possible only through licensed companies, but they give good value and an unforgettable experience.

There is plenty of free stuff to do, apart from playing in clean surf or taking a kid sprat fishing at a wharf, that make the happy memories which have won Ohope a place in the AA’s 101 “MustDo’s This Summer List” and always one of New Zealand’s “most loved” beaches. This reputation swells Ohope’s usual population of 2760, but as to how it detracts from my notion of a relaxed village I can’t say, because I’m not there over Christmas.

At the times I know, there is always a free table in the cafes, though I do book for my favourite restaurant, Fisherman’s Wharf, at Ohiwa Harbour. The competition comes from visiting business people and affluent tourists and residents who have moved from cities to build new homes. However, while the gentrification of a surf village heads at an alarming pace towards becoming a mini Mt Maunganui, there is still enough sign of the old style New Zealand to offer an effective antidote to city pressure.

The 5 o’clock rush of residents driving from work in Whakatane town, 7km over the hill, restricts the movement at intersections for only 10 minutes. Not a traffic light in sight. Shopping in the sun at the market day is relaxing and interesting, with chatty vendors from the rural hinterland offering produce of a variety and quality not to be seen in Auckland equivalents. Ohope is off the mass tourism grid which means no smelly tour coaches and pressure on amenities. I have walked for two hours on one of the bush tracks into Whakatane and not seen another person. The DOC reserve tracks are so quiet that brown kiwi live alongside - and their night calls can be heard in the town.

Part of my Ohope therapy is floating on Ohiwa Harbour — a body of clear tidal water protected by 7km of sandspit — where people in kayaks and paddle boards can explore islands and bush-clad bays in peaceful, wide open spaces. If it’s too wet and windy on the harbour, then it’s time to seek the shelter of the bush reserves or bike trails for some exercise, or alternatively find some company and buzzy music at a café fashioned from shipping containers.

Any bout of restlessness in camp is quickly dispelled by a short drive into the countryside to a berry garden’s icecream dispenser or, sticking with the eco tourism theme, taking a 120km round-trip to see the Tarawera Falls, near Kawerau. On each visit, the falls are unfailingly impressive. You walk an even, short path to a towering rock face where the Tarawera River bursts with a thunderous roar out through two gaps in the rock wall. You are in isolation tucked away in a forested canyon, soaking in the oxygen of this pure atmosphere. Somebody may block your view to take a picture but what the . . . Yep, the Ohope holiday cure is working. p the hobson 39

A bird’s eye view of the Marina Bay Sands complex, top, and below, its spectacular, selfie-worthy rooftop infinity pool. Photos courtesy Marina Bay Sands

the journey

Sling Shots When Crazy Rich Asians hit cinemas, the real star was Singapore, dominated by the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

Author Stacy Gregg dips her toe in the infinity pool of the world’s hottest hotel right now

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hree buildings erected to a staggering 55 storeys above Singapore, topped off with a platform that houses the world’s largest elevated infinity pool, Marina Bay Sands is literally the height of luxury.

And luxury can be yours. The hotel is such a destination if you’re doing a Singapore stopover, tourists can come here and pay an entry to come to the top of the towers and use the observatory platform and walk the rooftop gardens. The infinity pool however is another story. The rule is hard and fast. You must be a guest of the Marina Bay Sands to swim here.

Now that I’m in the water however, which is deliciously warm and waist-deep, I’m beginning to realise that no-one actually swims in the pool at Marina Bay Sands. What they do is stand and preen, sporting their best bikini and full noise hair and make-up, and pout like mad as they precariously balance their iPhone Xs on selfie sticks. Because being in the moment is a thing of the past. Obsessively recording your life has become far more important than living it, and in this sense the Marina Bay Sands is the apex of everything a social influencer could want. If your career consists entirely of taking photos of your food, your view, your cocktail, and possibly your arse, then this is the hotel destination for you.

Once you push your way through the water clogged with social influencers you have to admit the view from the top is pretty spectacular. You look down on Raffles which, as always, is under renovation. And the Merlion in the harbour. At night, off this side of the building there is a fireworks spectacular every night of the week at 8pm. Over the other side of the building, there is a botanical garden that features skyscraper towers all lit up with a million starry lights in brilliant colours, perfectly groomed and gigantic mushrooms sprouting out of the verdant green in that naturally-unnatural way that Singaporeans love.

But back to the MBS itself. At 142m, the infinity pool is the longest elevated pool in the world. It rests on a cantilevered platform 650m high, jutting out 67m from the northern tower of the three-pronged buildings that make up the hotel. Below, in the hotel itself are 2500 rooms, some of them bigger than my house. You’ll recognise the exterior of course from the numerous aerial shots that set the glamorous scene for Crazy Rich Asians, or if you want to be more high-brow you could say you’ve seen the hotel in the recent BBC documentary which featured the MBS, along with five other world-

class luxury destinations, in Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby.

“We get a lot of journalists here,” the PR woman admits as she gives me my tour. She’s one of a dozen PR staff at MBS – just handling the media interest in this hotel is a business in itself. I’m given a tour of the grander rooms, including one that Katy Perry stayed in while she was here. This one is definitely bigger than my house and has its own cinema. The room I’m staying in is a club room – slightly more expensive than the basic queen size suite, but worth the upgrade as it gives you access to the hotel’s club rooms for breakfast. There are three breakfast restaurants here that throw out a spectacular morning buffet. Singaporeans love it too – it’s kind of their thing.

A club room, depending on rack rates at the time you book, is typically between NZ$750-$1250 a night. Pocket change compared to the $20,000 it will cost you for a night in the presidential suite. The prices are almost as vertigo inducing as the views from the pool but clearly this doesn’t put anyone off, as the hotel has nearly complete 99 per cent occupancy year round.

Putting Marina Bay Sands’ room rates in context, Singapore accommodation is pricey full stop. With two days to kill on my way to the UK, I had cruised the booking sites umming and ahhing about whether to stay elsewhere, but MBS was not that much more expensive than hotels that are, well, simply not Marina Bay Sands.

Crazy rich Asians, not the local rich variety but the Japanese and the Chinese, are the main tourist streams that keep things pumping here at the hotel. They come for the pool selfies, they stay for the shopping. The mall that’s attached at the ground level has every luxury brand you can imagine, from Yves St Laurent to Prada and Celine, Balenciaga and Burberry. All the big names, like utterly all of them, are here. And not little kiosks, but big flagship stores brimming with rare and exclusive stock. Singapore’s two major sports are shopping and eating. The food at the hotel includes everything from Michelin star restaurants to $7 bowl-of-noodles food halls.

And of course, there are drinks. Specifically the Singapore Sling, which is a wickedly easy to drink concoction involving gin, pineapple juice and grenadine, and in the Singapore midday heat seems like a really, really good idea. I lie by the infinity pool and have a couple, and by the time I’m nibbling on my third maraschino cherry I am almost ready to get in the pool and take a selfie. p

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the journey

Dunedin: You’ll be Moved Writer and academic Peter Grace swapped Parnell for Dunedin five years ago. He lives in a heritage former Masonic Lodge in the inner-city and lectures on NZ foreign policy at the University of Otago, where he has begun his PhD studies

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f you are anything like me, you will find it difficult to travel anywhere without wondering what it would be like to live there. As the chances of you being a tourist to Dunedin are perhaps low, let’s instead take a tour around the city from the perspective of being a future resident.

What features of the city would make you want to move there?

Can you imagine waking up to these every day?

Coming from the airport, you can enter the city along the hills, turning left at the brick fire station at Lookout Point, and driving through Balaclava and Maryhill: suburbs that look very like Auckland 40 years ago. Wooden power lines, welltrimmed rhododendron bushes, little dair-ies that sell ice creams in a cone. If you turn towards the city at Mornington, and past the Mornington Tavern (taxi drivers buying dinner get plates twice the size of other diners) you come to High St, a row of slightly down-at-heel brick villas mixed with arts and crafts period gems.

Drive down High St and then make your way back up the way you came, turning right into Queen’s Dr. You snake your way through the green belt for a couple of kilometres. It’s a narrow leafy lane that takes you along above the city, past Otago Boys’ and eventually to the glorious houses around Royal Terrace and Heriot Row. You’re ready for a coffee now.

Originally from Devonport, Jay runs Daily Coffee on Princes St (closed Sundays).There’s a Miller’s coffee sign on the wall: Jay worked at Serious Espresso for some years.

Across the road is one of New Zealand’s great second-hand bookshops: Dead Souls. We have a great choice for old books — Scribes, Hard to Find and the famous Regent and Dunedin Library book fairs. It’s a university town and people like to read.

If you’re into vintage clothes, Two Squirrels on Stuart St is worth a visit. Vanessa and Warren have returned to Dunedin after a few cold winters out in Waitahuna. Before that they had the vintage store in Cashel St, Christchurch, which came to a horrible end during the 2010 earthquake. They have a quirky eye and find some nice surprises. Violet’s Preservation Society on Moray Pl is another treasure. Dunedin is an odd place for vintage. The locals spend money on good warm coats (fashion doyen daughter bought a beautiful cashmere coat for $20 at the op shop on Carroll St). And visiting professors bring unusual labels with them when they come. It’s not like Auckland,

where there are racks and racks of unwanted, unworn clothes.

You will either find mean-assed Scots-blooded Dunedinite threadbares, or beautiful period pieces that would cost a fortune new.

If it’s a weekday during semester, head over to the campus.

Even if you’re not a student, there are plenty of events on during the year you’re welcome to attend. They’re advertised every week in the Otago Daily Times. The geology department museum in the old quad is a Wes Anderson walk back in time, and the Quad 1 lecture theatre still has the names of 1940s and 50s students etched into the desktops.

If it’s a Saturday, then a trip to the farmers’ market down at the railway station lets you compare notes with the Parnell Farmers’ Market you know and love. The Otago version is mostly fruit and vegetables, although the Tart Tin caravan sells very good cakes and desserts, and Afifie runs a wonderful homemade Lebanese food stall. Dunedin doesn’t have a Farro, but we do exceptionally well for fresh produce: summer berries are huge and sweet, there’s a hundred different varieties of potato, and salmon is plentiful and cheap. You eat seasonally here.

Apples are like those you used to eat off the tree as a kid.

A drive out to the peninsula won’t go amiss. The harbour is lined with old boathouses and a winding road the locals sometimes drive their utes off, pitching themselves into the icy waters for a good sobering up. The peninsula begins with the rather ’70s architecture of the Cove, and then gradually dissipates to old tramcars converted into holiday cribs or low rent retreats from reality. If you head up the hill, you can take the road that’s lined with the stone walls of some of New Zealand’s original farms back to the city again.

Stock up on some good Otago wines to take home with you.

Meenans on Great King St has been a family business for over 100 years. Think of Hancocks in the late 70s. Or see Paul at Wine Freedom. Returning home from years in London, Paul’s now doing tastings from his sunny store in Vogel St. It’s a good place to stop before you think about dinner and Paul is just the right person to ask about moving here.

There’s a choice between Moiety or Good Good, both relatively new and welcome additions to the city’s dining options. Moiety offers a five course degustation menu, which

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Favourite stops, books, coffee — scenes from a Dunedin life.

Photos: Peter Grace

changes fortnightly, for $65. Eclectic tasting dishes like ikejime fish with parsley, artichoke, yuzu and nigella seed.

The atmosphere is relaxed, with none of the theatrics of chefs and waiters who take their food too seriously. Good Good is a hamburger joint inside an old garage in the historic warehouse district. The kitchen is a caravan hooked up to an old muscle car. Get a Parrotdog beer and a bowl of vegetarian chilli (closed Mon-Tues).

The Brothers Boutique Hotel is a short walk from the Octagon. It’s right across the road from the Catholic cathedral and in a part of town that feels more like old St Marys Bay: little one way streets, with winding staircases like Jacob’s Ladder (but not as steep). It has a charming bedroom in the old chapel.

But the real value is to get away from the main street and get a taste for waking up unstressed and a little disorientated.

Dunedin is a most unusual city. A lot like Auckland used to be. If you can think that far back, to Swanson St and His Majesty’s Arcade and buying your winter wardrobe at Milne & Choyce, then maybe Dunedin’s easy lifestyle is for you.

If you need a little more caffeine in your coffee, stay where you are. Or order a quadruple long black at Daily Coffee. p

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the journey

Darwinian Dreaming The Hobson’s news editor, Mary Fitzgerald, found bliss for all ages in the Galapagos Islands

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I

am snorkelling over 900km off the coast of Ecuador, in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in the Galapagos Islands archipelago.

I intermittently glimpse my travel companions — my 82-year-old father and my 12-year-old son — swimming ahead of me as the chop of the ocean rises and subsides. As we swim, we are joined, passed, and mostly ignored, by the tropical fish, giant turtles, manta ray and white tip reef sharks gliding by. Thought provokingly, these waters are believed to have the highest concentrations of sharks anywhere on earth. Without question, this is the most exhilarating ocean swim of my life.

Two days prior to our deep ocean swim, we touched down on the Galapagos island of Baltra after a 90 minute flight from Guayaquil on Ecuador’s coastline, excited to be starting our four day island-hopping cruise. The islands — a province of Ecuador — are one of the most remarkable environments in the world to visit, home to some of the most beautiful animals and stunning surroundings.

The 19 islands, smaller islets and rocky outcrops that are the Galapagos lie nearly 1000km off the Ecuadorian coast and are the result of volcanic explosions, rising up out of the Pacific millions of years ago. The distance from the mainland means over time, birds, reptiles, insects, and plants that drifted or flew there, have adapted to the island environment, resulting in the development of species not found anywhere else in the world. There are over 2000 endemic species across the islands including fish, reptiles, birds, mammals and 1435 invertebrates. Charles Darwin formulated his Theory of Evolution after a visit there in 1835.

In our quest to follow Darwin’s footsteps around the islands, we, like most tourists, chose to travel by cruise-boat. The boats travel by night, making different island stops each day. Our boat carried 100 passengers with a crew of 60 people.

Of the land area of Galapagos, 97 per cent is the Galapagos National Park. Tourists can only visit the islands if accompanied by registered national park guides. Our guide, Valerio, was on the boat for the four days of our tour, and briefed us on the visitor rules that ensure this habitat remains pristine and the animals undisturbed. As an added measure to ensure that eco-tourism does not destroy the flora and fauna, Ecuador limits the number of tourists to the Galapagos to around 250,000 a year.

Travelling in groups with eight others from our boat, Valerio took us to five islands, his commentary providing excellent and informative local knowledge about the animals, plants and history. Over the four days we went from the extremes of volcanic cone walks to deep-sea snorkelling.

We saw blue-footed booby birds, land and marine iguanas, nesting frigates, fishing pelicans, the smallest penguin species in the world, giant tortoises, manta ray, tropical fish, flamingos and more. It was amazing to be able to walk so closely to the wildlife — the animals are not afraid of tourists, and it was as if we were not even there to them. the hobson 45

Opposite: marine iguana. Above: Mary, her father Norman and son Henry; Henry takes the measure of a giant tortoise; the frigate bird and blue-footed booby. Photos by Mary Fitzgerald.

We were delighted to be able to come into very close contact with the dome-shaped giant tortoises. As you might expect, these long-living, 400kg-plus beasts are slow moving, so easy to observe in a leisurely fashion.

We watched in wonder at the edge of a lagoon with higher amounts of salt than seawater, where flamingos, common stilts, and pintail ducks shifted around in the briny water. The flamingos were captivating to watch, balancing on a single leg, still and poised for many moments at a time. The number of birds on some of the islands was overwhelming – Nazca boobies soared overhead, frigate birds displayed their large red pouches while resting on nearby rocks, and mockingbirds scampered close to us across the sand. We watched Galapagos snakes, Sally Lightfoot crabs in majestic red shells and sleeping flyblown sealions with their pups on the shore. Marine iguanas, some the size of small dogs, basked on black rocky outcrops.

For the first time in my life, I felt as if I had arrived on a different planet – and I was the alien. While walking around the dusty pathways of the Galapagos, it was easy to imagine how Charles Darwin had been so inspired 200 years ago. p

the journey

Top: Destination in sight - Awakino coast, north east of New Plymouth, with Mt Taranaki rising out of the background (photo Rob Tucker).

Below, the sculptural facade of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery Len Lye Centre (photo Patrick Reynolds).

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The Brownes go West Brothers Beer and Ōrākei Bay Bistro owner Anthony Browne has holidayed in some spectacular places. Recently, he added New Plymouth to that list

W

ell I suppose you can’t go to Copenhagen on holiday every year.”

My mother’s wise words, and about as enthusiastic a response as I got when telling friends that we had decided to holiday closer to home this year and were off on a road trip to New Plymouth.

Gone were the groans of envy and playful gibes about how good the beer business must be, replaced by polite indifference. An occasional, “Oh I hear it’s pretty nice down there,” was as much emotion as a mention of the mighty ‘Naki was able to muster. But hang on, wasn’t this region New Zealand’s secret paradise?

Ranked by Lonely Planet as Number 2 in the Top 10 Regions in The World?

Taranaki Yeah? Nah! sounded like a challenge for our intrepid team, so on a bright winter’s morning we packed up and began the trip south. I had been fearful of taking a five-hour car trip with my little darlings, but our two kids, aged 5 and 4 respectively, were remarkably well behaved. A highly recommended stop-off for those travelling with young ones is the Otorohanga Kiwi House, right at the trip’s halfway point. Or stretch your legs at Bosco Café just down the road in Te Kuiti, for good coffee and food while the kids run around their tropical garden.

On the road again, we bade farewell to the green plains of the Waikato and descended to the west coast via the ridiculously lush Awakino river gorge, with its one-lane tunnels and whitebaiting huts. The river widens and opens onto a rugged coastline of black sand beaches and white cliffs, and with all this beauty it seemed like no time before we had arrived at our destination.

There is a wide range of accommodation in New Plymouth, from seaside camping grounds and motels, to larger hotels and holiday home rentals. We had opted to book a bach and were pleased with our choice: a simple fibrolite shack just one block from East End Beach, the coastal walkway, and an easy 15-minute stroll to town.

It had been a busy time leading up to our trip, so with children now racing excitedly around ‘our new home,’ Fiona opened a bottle of wine and we took the time to flick through the comprehensive stock of tourist brochures. Our main holiday goal, as always, was keeping our little prince and princess happy and entertained. A close second was seeking out the regions much-vaunted scenery and outdoor lifestyle, and we had ambitiously packed both running shoes and hiking boots. For rainy days there was New Plymouth’s galleries and museum. And what is the point of all this activity without the reward: an excuse to over-indulge in Taranaki’s best food and drink.

I also had one holiday goal that was completely out of my control – I wanted to see Mt Taranaki. I had visited New Plymouth fairly regularly two decades ago in my sales repping days and had never once glimpsed its perfectly conical, snow-capped peak. Perpetually concealed behind cloud, it had remained in the realms of fables, brochures and postcards.

So how did we do?

Family Fun. Those with kids are spoilt for choice in New Plymouth. Rose and Isaak loved walking, running and scootering along the coastal walkway, dodging giant waves crashing around us, seals basking in the sun and scores of friendly walkers, joggers and cyclists. We traversed different sections of this 12km path over our weeklong stay, from the architectural curve of Te Rewa Rewa Bridge at its northern end, all the way south to the rocky coastal monoliths at Paritutu. We visited the Todd Aquatic Centre twice, our kids making new friends in the wave pool, whilst dad used his girth to full effect on the truly exhilarating water slides. We took a drive out to Inglewood to visit the Fun-Ho Toy Museum, a cool collection of vintage toys, and a sad tale of the decline of manufacturing in small town New Zealand. We spent an entire day in Pukekura Park, starting at the city end with its large playground and iconic terraced cricket ground, then meandering almost 2km through sub-tropical zones to a kids’ zoo, Chinese garden and the Brooklands Bowl. Our only bad parenting moment came here, when I encouraged Isaak to blast down the (deceptively) steep path that bisects the outdoor auditorium on his scooter. As he picked up speed, panic set in, causing him to forget his brake resulting in a terrifying end-over-end tumble onto the asphalt. the hobson 47

Top: The author with Rose and Isaak on the coastal walkway, below, kids in the city. Photos courtesy Anthony Browne

the journey

Issak eyeballs a seal from the coastal walkway, Rose and Isaak at Pukekura Park

With images of ambulances and hospitals rushing through our minds, we raced down the hill and picked our little boy up off the ground only to find that they really are quite tough little creatures.

With only a few grazes, he was otherwise in one piece and much to Fiona’s horror, was back on his scooter within minutes.

Food & Drink. Wow. Stand up New Plymouth hospo and take a bow! On our first night we headed to show the love to one of my wholesale customers – Ms White – who trade in pizza and craft beer. We ended up visiting on three occasions, enjoying both the excellent pizza and the attention of bar manager Jack, who enlisted our kids as wait-staff, putting them to work collecting beer glasses whilst mum and dad were left alone to empty them. Ms White is part of a high-flying hospitality group which seem to run every second joint in town. Sharing the stylishly redeveloped White Hart Hotel with the pizzeria is posh bakery Public Catering Co, the Asian-inspired Snug cocktail bar, and the precinct’s latest addition, Itch, a Spanish-style wine bar where we bumped into The Food Truck’s Michael Van de Elzen and enjoyed a late night of pinot noir and tapas, interrupted only by a regular stream of Food Truck fans seeking selfies. The same folk are responsible for what we considered the best coffee in town at Ozone Café and Roastery. And we loved our dinner at Social Kitchen, not only because we had left the kids with a babysitter, but for locally sourced meat and seafood cooked over a charcoal grill, in a seriously cool room that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Greenwich Village. We enjoyed a simple and delicious breakfast in the stylish pink and blonde oak dining room at Monicas, and loved the laid-back retro vibes at Federal Store. The quirky wood-panelled cavern of The Hour Glass is a personal favourite, with their excellent tap beer and wine selection, walk-in cellar and cosy courtyard. Unfortunately there is no weekly farmers’ market of note, and we felt a little underdone on the local produce side of things. In terms of craft beer the best is yet to come, with stalwart Mike’s Brewery moving from their original but somewhat tired site in Urenui, into a brand new brewery in New Plymouth proper. My sources tell me there is a second new downtown brewery in the offing this year.

Culture. You can’t talk arts and New Plymouth without getting straight onto Len Lye. A short walk from his famous Wind Wand sculpture on the waterfront is the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Its stunning mirror-wave exterior gives some clue as to the impressive

collection of Lye’s work it houses, pieces of incredible creativity, works using images, sound and vibration. Lye has no doubt inspired a new generation of artists to take up residence in this part of the world and there are many galleries scattered throughout the region, linked together on an arts trail. New Plymouth also has a vibrant performing arts scene – there were two shows on at the TSB Theatre and a sold-out comedy show at the Regent. For a fun look at the quirky history of this pioneering region, the free museum at Puke Ariki is well worth a visit.

The Great Outdoors. We were five days into our holiday and still hadn’t seen the hill. We’d climbed Paritutu hoping for a glimpse, stood at the spot where you can take a photo of the mountain framed by the arc of Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, and looked for that perfect shot of Taranaki mirrored in the lake at Pukekura Park. But with two days left, we only had white cloud as our backdrop. Then, as I headed out to get our morning coffees, there it was. So we decided that today was the day we would drive the Surf Highway.

With the impressive snow-capped mountain to the left and rugged coastline to our right, we meandered our way through green fields to Opunake, where we had a great lunch at the bohemian Sugar Juice Café, and browsed through second-hand stores which seem to be the mainstay of small-town retail nowadays. Back in the car we headed inland to the DOC base on the southern side of the mountain at Dawson Falls, where child-friendly tracks wind through impossibly lush primordial forest, across massive boulders to dozens of waterfalls large and small. So enamoured were we with our mountain experience, the following day when the sun shone once again we contacted our obliging local babysitter and set out for a true alpine experience, tramping up to the snowline from the second and main DOC base at North Egmont. Our days spent in the clear fresh air, both at altitude and tinged with sea-spray along the coast, were the unassailable highlights of our trip.

The Verdict. When travelling I have often been underwhelmed by those many locations that claim to be a ‘well-kept secret’ or ‘undiscovered’. Places are popular for a reason, right? Well New Plymouth is most definitely the best place you haven’t visited yet and didn’t know you wanted to. The kids had long faces as we loaded up the car to head home, not wanting to leave. We told them we would come back soon, knowing that this was one promise we would be most happy to keep. p

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the journey

Coasters Epsom-based MP Paul Goldsmith shares a place special to his family’s story

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round 140 years ago my great-great-grandfather bought a plot of land, without looking at it, at a place called Little Huia. It lies in a beautiful valley between the Waitakere Ranges and the Manukau Harbour, not far from its entrance to the Tasman Sea. He was fresh off the boat from England, with his young bride.

Starting a new life on the other side of the world. It emerged much later that, like many settlers, he was fleeing from something – the shame of leaving his first wife and large family behind. From that pain, anguish and exhilaration, grew a new, large family and a good sized business.

It’s now a 45-minute drive from central Auckland; back then it was a lengthy horse ride over rough tracks. He tried for a while to scratch a living from an orchard and small farm. My kids are now the sixth generation of our family spending time in that place.

Sections have been laid out in a strip up the road that crosses a ford and wends its way to Whatipu. We bought one 15 years ago from a distant relative. The old, corrugated iron bach was cobbled together from spare materials by my great-grandfather’s elder brother. It’s basic, but it has great views and I love it.

I can look down through the trees to my grandparents’ bach, and in another direction to my great-grandparents’ bach. In autumn, we wander down the hill and pick pears from trees planted in the 1880s by my great-great-grandfather. The taste is not dissimilar to wood, but they stew beautifully. They’re good on Weetbix.

Most of the surrounding hills were clear-felled more than a century ago in the kauri rush. Parts were farmed for a while, but most of it has been quietly regenerating since. Every year, without anyone doing anything, it just gets better. The young kauri march down the ridges in their hundreds; kanuka and kahikatea are everywhere; big puriri emerge from the canopy in places; a couple of pohutukawa planted by my grandfather down by the road are now colossal. It’s nice to think that the forest will be amazing when my great-grandkids wander through.

And with the trees come the birds. Kereru and tui are

everywhere. One summer a morepork chick sat on a branch above a popular track. If we approached silently, we’d see it. There are rumours that someone saw a kaka recently. I hope I get the chance.

At high tide on a calm day the water is crystal clear; another massive improvement in the 40 years I’ve been coming here.

When I was young, the Mangere sewage ponds and other industrial effluent from around Onehunga seriously reduced the water quality. It’s now better, though still to be avoided after heavy rain thanks to the leaky septic tanks over in big Huia.

At low tide we walk across the mudflats to big Huia, for an ice cream, wondering if we’ll get a generous scooper.

I love the environment, but it’s the long-term connection with the land that adds something extra. Most of us move through multiple houses in a couple of generations. It is rather nice and special for a place to run a thread through many generations.

Memories lie everywhere. Of my great-grandparents in the late 1970s, when the orange juice at family picnics came in large 1-litre cans; of my grandmother’s terrifying corgi; of talking to a great-uncle who’d flown Lancaster bombers, barely aged 20, in the war – first telling us he’d only dropped pamphlets and much later confessing he’d dropped much more.

Of another distant cousin driving his bulldozer through an ancient, borer infested bach next door, to the delight of everyone; of my infant son dancing naked around the massive bonfire that followed for days. Of countless great dinners with my parents and my family – so many sheep have perished! Of the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, and Mamma Mia! watched so many times on rainy days.

Of endless recent complains about the lack of wifi. Of managing to have four fires going at once: one in a chip heater to heat the hot water; one in a refashioned 44-gallon drum to create embers; one comprised of embers to cook meat; and another just for fun. Of expeditions up the creek with the kids; getting lost on runs over to Karekare; of wasp stings and tears.

I just hope that one day soon the Council folk will let us back onto the walking tracks, so that once more we can enjoy the forest. p

Views from Camp Goldsmith on the hill of Litlte Huia, summer days in the hammock. Photos courtesy of Paul Goldsmith

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the magpie

Art Appreciation The Mapgie enhances her nest with works of art 1. Stanley Palmer Study for Karamea – Beside the Road 2018.

Oil on linen on board, framed, 420 x 610mm. $6000, Melanie Roger Gallery, 444 Karangahape Rd, Newton. melanierogergallery.com 2. Reuben Paterson Love You, Love You More 2017. Edition 2 of 6, screenprint and glitter on Fabriano Artistico 420gsm, 800 x 645mm framed. $4050, Gow Langsford, 26 Lorne St, CBD. gowlangsfordgallery.co.nz 3. Pamela Wolfe Dahlias in Jar. Oil on canvas, 1050 x 1700mm. $17,000, ARTIS Gallery, 280 Parnell Rd. artisgallery.co.nz 4. Lorraine Rastorfer Obsidian.

Acrylic on board, 1100 x 980mm. $4500, or to rent at $100 per month.

Mobile Art Gallery, 23 Edwin St, Mt Eden. mobileart.co.nz 5 Piera McArthur Flowers. Oil on paper on board, 1170 x 810mm. $10,500, Jonathan Grant Galleries, 280 Parnell Rd. jgg.co.nz 6. Peter Miller The Little Milk Jug. Oil on board, 600mm diameter. $3500, NKB Gallery, 455 Mt Eden Rd. nkbgallery.co.nz

520 x 360mm. $7500, Warwick Henderson Gallery, 255 Broadway. warwickhenderson.co.nz 8. Di Tocker Reflection on the Steps.

Hand-cast glass, 140mm. $520, Black Door Gallery, 251 Parnell Rd. blackdoorgallery.co.nz 9 Layla Walter Fulton Camellia.

Edition #2, cast gold and amethyst glass, 120 x 125mm. $2500, Masterworks Gallery, 71 Upper Queen St. masterworksgallery.co.nz

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10. Greer Clayton Mountains Fading, mixed media on canvas, 1100mm diameter. $4400, Parnell Gallery, 263 Parnell Rd. parnellgallery.co.nz 11. Virginia Leonard You Lead and I Will Not Follow 2018. Clay and lustre, 810 x 400 x 400mm. $10,000, Two Rooms, 16 Putiki St, Newton. tworooms.co.nz 12. Hamish Allan Seratonia and the Pleasure Garden. Acrylic on canvas, 660 x 660mm. $7000, NKB Gallery, 455 Mt Eden Rd. nkbgallery.co.nz 13. Michael Hight Plateau II 2012.

Oil on canvas, 1050 x 1050mm. $15,000, Gow Langsford, 26 Lorne St, CBD. gowlangsfordgallery.co.nz

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7. Rozi Demant Portrait with Chains 2018. Acrylic on board, 4 1

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the district diary

January/February 2019 JANUARY 1 Through till Sunday 6 for the women’s events, then from Jan 7-12 for the men’s, the ASB Classic tennis is a sensational summer social event. Watch the action up close, enjoy popup restaurants and bars and live music. ASB Tennis Centre, Stanley St, ticketek.co.nz for schedule of events 10 Straight from the Melbourne Arts Festival, and from the same creators as last year’s incredibly popular House of Mirrors, comes 1000 Doors. Come and lose yourself; every entrance will begin at the same door, but no two visitors will leave the same as they entered - this artwork is not about the doors themselves, but the spaces between. Aotea Square, $10 at door, 8am-10pm, to Feb 6

sparkling Waitematā Harbour; tall ships, gaff riggers, sloops, racing keelers, waka ama, vintage tugboats and many more For arts and crafts, paintings, giftware, clothing, jewellery, gourmet food and more, head to the Mission Bay Art and Craft Market, held every Anniversary Day. By the fountain, Tamaki Dr, 10am-4pm It’s the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival’s 10th birthday and Florence + the Machine are returning after performing at the first Auckland Laneway back in 2010. Albert Park, 11.25am-10.30pm, auckland. lanewayfestival.com/tickets

and more. Ellerslie Racecourse, 2pm-10pm, eventbrite.co.nz for tickets 7 Come and be dazzled by acts of burlesque, circus, theatre, song, music and dance at the popular Night of The Queer. TAPAC, 100 Motions Rd, Western Springs, till Fri 15th. Tickets at tapac.org.nz, 7pm-8.15pm, R16 event 8

29 Schools start to reopen, welcoming pupils to Term 1

24 Kids — finish your special Chinese New Year lantern and drop it in to the Remuera Business Association’s office, Level 1, 349 Remuera Rd. Tomorrow is the last day to hand them in for judging. There’s great cash prizes for individuals and schools!

1 The Accidental Astronauts is a space adventure movie for all ages. Explore the earth, sun and moon system with Sy, Annie, Armstrong the dog and a wise-cracking starship computer. Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Rd, 10am-11am, tickets from stardome.org.nz Make a rainbow connection.

Auckland Pride 2019 (to Feb 17) offers galas, festivals, parties, garden tours. aucklandpride.org. nz for event details

25-28 The Auckland International Buskers Festival 2019 promises a line-up including breakdancing, music, fire stunts, acrobatics and more. Viaduct Harbour, the waterfront and around the CBD, see aucklandbuskersfestival. co.nz for locations and times

2 Welcoming the Year of the Pig, the Chinese New Year Festival and Market Day will have over 200 specialist stalls, cultural songs and dances, games and rides. ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane West, free entry, 9.30am-4pm

28 Auckland Anniversay Day

With only one stage — so no clashes — Electric Gardens is crossing the Tasman to play here for the first time, bringing Fatboy Slim, Underworld, Bag Raiders, Dick Johnson, Eastern Bloc, K2K,

The glorious spectacle that is the Anniversary Day Regatta attracts a huge flotilla of vessels on the

16 The Society of Beer Advocates presents City of Ales, with over 20 beers from around the country, tasty food offerings, and grand views from below the harbour bridge. Ticket includes entry plus three beer tokens, additional tokens available on the day. R20 event, Ponsonby Cruising Club, Westhaven Marina, 12pm-3pm and 4pm7pm, eventfinda.co.nz 19 The Auckland Fringe Festival starts today and runs till March 3. Celebrate inclusivity and otherness, see the best of Auckland’s art scene. aucklandfringe.co.nz

FEBRUARY 12 Fresh fruit, veges, meat, flowers, bakery and deli produce, rain or shine at the Parnell Farmers’ Market. Behind the Jubilee Building, 545 Parnell Rd, 8am12pm

a paintbrush in one hand and a glass of vino in the other, create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece to take home. $47 includes all materials, complimentary wine/ beer. Little Easy, 198 Ponsonby Rd, 7pm, mixingitup.co.nz for tickets

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Remuera celebrates Chinese New Year and welcomes the Year of the Pig. See Facebook: Remuera Live Life Local for festival details and events

21 Come and see what a King’s School education looks like, at the Remuera boys’ school’s first open day of the year. 9-10.30am, register at kings.school.nz

9 Parnell Community Centre’s Community Jumble Sale is a great reason to declutter and recycle your pre-loved goods.

Alongside the Farmers’ Market, 545 Parnell Rd. For more info call Lucy on 555 5154 or farmersmarket@parnell.org.nz, 8am-11.45am

24 The Chelsea Sugar Cross Harbour Swim starts at Pt Erin Park (by the pool) at 11am and finishes 2.4km away at the Chelsea Sugar refinery.

Prizegiving and after-swim picnic in the refinery grounds.

Final registration Thur 21, see aucklandharbourswims.org.nz

14 Happy Valentine’s Day — take a romantic stroll amongst the lanterns in the Domain this evening. It’s the first night of the annual Lantern Festival.

Tonight is just the lanterns; the food, cultural shows and entertainment runs from tomorrow to Sunday 17.

28 On yer bike! For one night only, cycling fans can ride into The Big Bike Film Night; a screening of the NZ cycling doco One Day Ahead. It follows eight Kiwis as they take on all 21 stages of the tough Tour de France, to raise money and awareness for the Mental Health Foundation.

Academy Cinemas, 44 Lorne St, 6pm. Tickets from trybooking. com or at the door

Billed as ‘fun art – not fine art’ Mixing It Up painting events are a perfect mix of fun, creativity and, in this case, wine too. With

the hobson 52

PAUL GOLDSMITH

NATIONAL LIST MP BASED IN EPSOM A

107 Great South Road, Greenlane PO Box 26 153 Epsom, Auckland 1344

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09 524 4930

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paul.goldsmith@parliament.govt.nz

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www.paulgoldsmith.co.nz facebook.com/PaulGoldsmithNZ

Funded by Parliamentary Service and authorised by Paul Goldsmith 107 Great South Rd Auckland

Councillor Desley Simpson I wish you & your family a Happy New Year.

May each day of 2019 bring you luck, joy, happiness and prosperity. desley.co.nz/newsletter desley.co.nz/facebook This ad is at no cost to ratepayers.

The exquisitely original wallpapers & fabrics from House of Hackney have now arrived.

Shop online or in store.

31a Normanby Road, Mt Eden. Auckland artisancollective.co.nz/wallpaper

the cryptic by mĀyĀ

An important note to the solver - you may like to see how many answers you can find relating to 1 across 50.

Set by Māyā. Answers will appear in our next issue (March 2019). Can’t wait, or need help? Visit https://thehobsoncrossword.wordpress.com ACROSS 1 Derek has the edge on Ian, a free spirit (8) 5 Zee bubble’s burst for “Lord of the Flies” (9) 11 Lawyer stomach? It’s a fact! (5) 12 Travel by runners to the banks of the Euphrates? Heavens above! (5) 13/16 Manifestation of 7’s anger comes from the 12 (11) 14 “Aduration” led back to prison for heavenly body once thought to lie in the cis-30 region (6) 15 Divine being, into fruit (7) 16 See 13 20 What is about a middle thing? Yes (7) 21 Leaves out old gloves, say (5) 23 Farrow University of Otago, leading to “The Call of the Tame”? (5) 24 Half-hearted 19 taking in mixed-up youth leader is a creeping grass! (6) 26 Astronomer’s female: a sign... (7) 30 . . . of copper detected in jovial planet (7) 31 Help idiot to sit unfomfortably (6) 35 Outcast sank beneath the waves, I hear (5) 36 Secretly push a magpie-robin? (5) 38 Chill and stay around? In your dreams! (7) 39 Frank is yawning (4) 40 A partner in crime might initially, for example - LOL (7)

42 Take off point to turn out (4,2) 45 Fashionable bird who puts a sheet of material into a surface? (7) 47 Church contains grass container (5) 48 Strict, sending good fellow east to artist (5) 49 Slip and slither after 50 (9) 50 Composition for harp and Dyson? Not quite (8) DOWN 1 One who leaves the board taken in by worker who threw weapon into lake? (8) 2 The Spanish chap’s sexy in front of innkeeper (8) 3 Musical is largely reversible, inter alia (5,3!)

4 Further from the prodigal son (4) 5 Windows, for example, with smears, perch before instruments played by Deacon (4,7) 6 Praise divorcee and man whose wife turned, turned . . . (5) 7 . . . turned Egyptian city to God (4) 8 Jackson’s work could be better (3) 9 Rub up the wrong way, drink, upset the Foreign Office, and leave in a rush (5,3,2) 10 Work out nothing 17 for one to be married in four acts (6) 17 Told of no improvement (6) 18 Do 8 things on male ‘umans, say? - Same

the hobson 54

meaning, different words (8) 19 Virtual distance to Zola (5) 22 Stops broadcasting autocues, perhaps? (8) 25 Before noon, a cry of pain in panic for boastful coward (11) 27 Brought up the Italian one with capital, 2001 being long past (10) 28 Cider mixed with unknown ingredient CO2? (3,3) 29 Unusual detail attached to northern ruler (5) 32 Keep urge in, or you may need waders!

(4-4) 33 Dare to follow admirer to go to dance (8) 34 Smirk audibly at your old fellow feeling (8) 37 How the wind blows in 1 across 50, regardless (6) 41 Wow! A soldier owned by 29? (5) 43 Viewers are a quarter positive (4) 44 Unite me and her, almost (4) 46 Lye can be extracted from propylene glycol (3)

December cryptic crossword answers are on page 17

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FOR SALE

LOT 282 BON ACCORD HARBOUR, KAWAU ISLAND

2

nzsothebysrealty.com/NZE10979

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Island Lifestyle with Development Upside Slightly elevated above Smelting House Bay this classic Kiwi Bach comes with over 27 hectares of land, with consent for subdivision into seven new lots. This private bay is one of the most protected coves on Kawau Island and an easy walk to the Kawau Boat Club and shop complete with a restaurant and bar.

The property includes a deep water mooring with consent for a ten berth marina. This waterfront island haven delivers a great family lifestyle with potential to unlock value going forward.

Price by Negotiation.

Ross Hawkins M +64 274 720 577 ross.hawkins@nzsir.com

National Top Performing Licensee 2013 - 2018

Debbie Jones M +64 21 412 530 debbie.jones@nzsir.com

Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.