Waikino Whisper March 2022

WAIKINO WHISPER

VITAL HARVEST NATURE'S POETRY LOCAL SWIMMING SPOTS WHAT'S ON

HIDDEN IN THE HILLS ISSUE 163

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MARCH 2022

GARDEN LOVE HOW TO BRING MORE GROWTH TO YOUR LIFE

Kia Ora

Welcome to our March edition, and a change of season.

Maybe it's the awe of nature's colours, or the act of letting go, but I find there's something special about autumn. After a hot and somewhat dry summer, it's a nice change to feel a chill in the air again. With the human tendency to want what we don't have, and to think the grass is greener on the other side, it's rather nice to live somewhere with changing seasons.

As Vanessa and I muddle our way through keeping the Whisper alive, we want to thank you for the feedback on our first issue. It was a bit daunting coming out with a big change for such a well-loved and long-running newsletter.

Your support means a lot, and we're really keen to keep up the conversations. Please contact us, or grab me in the school pick up line if you have something you want us to cover in the Whisper.

You might notice a nature theme in this issue, although we didn't plan it that way. I suppose it's hard to overlook lush gardens and beautiful flowers when they're at their peak!

In this issue we also have a little poetry for you, and Vanessa has shared her experience from Cylone Dovi. It was heartening to see community come together when it was needed. The fire siren in town didn't stop much on that Sunday, and I know the Powerco team didn't get much rest either.

I'm grateful for those who make the sacrifice to help others during these events. It doesn't go unnoticed, and your work makes a difference to so many.

I hope we can continue the kindness as we see COVID-19 case numbers increasing substantially.

It's never been a more important time to look out for our neighbours.

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ISSUES & DEADLINES We publish twice each quarter, on the first Friday of the month. This means we won't be publishing in April. Our next issue is due on 6 May 2022. If you have an article or piece you'd like to publish, please see our deadlines below.

Bookings : 15 April 2022

EDITORIAL • SARAH HOLMES PHOTO BY NICKI MURRAY-ORR

Sarah

Cancellations : 22 April 2022 Final content due : 5pm, 29 April 2022

RURAL LIFE BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER

WILD WEATHER Words by Vanessa McHardy Sunday the 13th of February saw NZ battered by Cyclone Dovi, and the Waikato wasn't spared from the wild weather. The first I knew about it was Saturday night about 9:15, as I noticed gusts of wind around our place, which is unusual as it is very sheltered. My thought was 'wow, it must be windy everywhere else' . The next morning is when it really kicked off. At 9:15am while I was on a Zoom call to Australia, the power went. I jumped in the car to head towards town, so I could get phone signal to hotspot the rest of the meeting. Here I came across a tree blocking half the road, and thought: maybe this isn't a good idea. On the drive home the wind and rain had picked up a notch, and just as I went around the corner this tree (picture top right ) was fully blocking the road and access to my driveway.

That is when the Waikino community comes into its own, shout out to those who helped out on the day!

My first point of call was the wonderful Hidden in the Hills Facebook group, and within minutes someone has responded with what to do. We ended up with no power or phone for three days, like many people the realisation of how much we rely on power especially for communication and food storage came sharply into focus.

With any force of nature it is responded to with the outpouring of care, love, community, selflessness the coming together for one purpose. It reminds me of a victim of the London underground bombing, who shared "on that day love won, before the bomb we were individuals consumed with our thoughts, our lives, in a second that changed and strangers became loved ones, you would do anything to ensure their survival; take care and love them until they were safe" Always makes me well up when I remember it. This love and community is the core of all of us.

Images from top to bottom:

Tree down - one of hundreds in the Waikino/ Waihi areas Iron fence ripped and flattened in Waihi Making lemonade

SCHOOL LIFE Words and images by Catherine Cookson What’s new: In 2022 we've introduced Cohort Days for our year 4, 5 and 6 students in the Waihou Senior Hub. What does this mean? Once a week each year group will spend a day with just their age group peers.

They will embark on teambuilding activities, focused learning, project design, wellbeing, and giving things a go!

For the year 6 students we have implemented a leadership program that helps them navigate their leader roles within the community, work out what they want to achieve in 2022 and support their wellbeing journey.

School life at Red: 2022 has seen our tamariki return to school under the red level, for our senior students and teachers this has meant masks to be worn.

It has been an adjustment, but the Waikino kids have taken it in their stride, mastered the art of staying outside, heading into te ngāhere and having a kōrero under a tree. For the teachers it has meant fine tuning their taringa’s to hear through a mask!

He’s home: All Waikino students are extremely happy that Mr Wheway/Dan, or as some people call him Bob, is home and back to being present in everyday school life. Mr Wheway is loved by our students and staff, whether it’s playing hide and seek in the bush with our younger tamariki or helping out around the grounds, he was truly missed. Welcome back to school Dan!

What’s hot: We were experiencing some scorching hot days at school this summer and the swimming pool has been a great place to be. Our junior and senior students loved the opportunity to jump in the water, get cool and up-skill their swimming techniques.

fun in the pool

A huge thank you to Tessa Hennessy, who works at Waikino School but also is an amazing swim coach for Waihi Swimming. We are very lucky that our tamariki get swimming lessons as part of their day in Term 1 at Waikino School.

LOCAL ACTIVITY

WHAT'S ON WORKSHOPS FALLS RETREAT Sat 12th March Pickling, Preserving & Fermenting "Full Monty" Organic Gardening Workshop Sunday 27th March Fish - Cooking, Curing & Smoking The Educated Gardener

Book online: www.fallsretreat.co.nz

SAVE THE DATE! The WARARA Annual General Meeting is scheduled for the 21st of April 2022, 6.30pm, Waikino Victoria Hall. Nominations are open for people to join the WARARA Leadership Group Committee; that consists of a Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and a minimum of three other voting committee members. Please email your nominations to warara.committee@gmail.com and these will be tabled at the AGM. If you'd prefer to help out in practical ways, let us know, we will make sure you are kept in the loop.

WHAT'S ON

COUNCIL UPDATE KERBSIDE COLLECTION CHANGES APPROVED FROM 2023

After asking for feedback last year, the Hauraki District Council will move to landfill bins in September 2023. "That’s just one of the positive outcomes from our recent community engagement on our plan No Time to Waste | Tiakina a Papa! Mimiti te Para!", said Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams. “Our aim is to reduce our landfill waste by 41% in the next 6 years.”

A big portion of that will be food waste, with a weekly kerbside collection being introduced from September 2023. An audit of Council’s kerbside bags last year showed that nearly half of landfill collected was food waste.

There’ll be no change to the mixed recycling and glass crate fortnightly collection.

Since the Council started consulting, they've seen contamination of recycling at the kerbside drop from 55% in September to 6% in January.

“We had a massive community response to our plan, and it’s really shown how much our people care about our environment. Shining a light on the topic really improves recycling behaviour, and we want that to continue.”

Read more at https://weneedtotalk.haurakidc.govt.nz/no-time-to-waste/

February 2022 | pg 8 February 2022 | pg 5

"You become the nurturer of your land... learning from the ultimate expert, nature herself"

HI DDEN GOLD

EDI BLE LANDSCAPE DESI GN CONSULTANTS AND EDUCATORS

VITAL HARVEST

The Vital Harvest team knows good soil, and they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a complete rookie, Nicki Murray-Orr and Shane Rush have a wealth of experience to be shared, with a genuine desire to connect and help people build resilience. As we see bare supermarket shelves, price hikes, and crops destroyed by rogue weather patterns, there’s never been a better time to grow your own food.

Shane & Nicki Nicki and Shane first moved to Waihi to start a family and simplify their lives following the hustle and bustle of the corporate world. After detouring for a couple of years to learn first hand about regenerative living on a 600 hectare farm in the Hawke’s Bay, they ultimately settled back in Waihi. Regenerative living goes beyond the ‘sustainability’ buzzword, living not only to sustain, but to give more than you take. Shane says he’s always had a strong desire to be self-sufficient and self-reliant, and there’s a sense of security in growing your own food.

Their Hawke's Bay experience provided rich learning opportunities and really cemented their love for the land.

In 2015 they were able to secure the land in Waikino to put their dreams into action. Now a lush property full of fruit trees, gardens, and happy livestock, their home is enough to see how a good plan comes together. A lifestyle block, often jokingly called a ‘life sentence block’, requires daily attention and can be much more complicated than planting a few fruit trees and hoping for the best. That’s where Nicki and Shane come in.

HIDDEN GOLD * VITAL HARVEST By Sarah Holmes Photos by Nicki Murray-Orr and Sarah Holmes

"there’s a sense of security in growing your own food" 7 years ago Nicki and Shane started Vital Harvest, and now share their wealth of experience and knowledge through workshops, and how to become self-sufficient on your own lifestyle block. They provide full consultation and design services, whether you’re planning a garden on 500m2 or have dreams of your own lifestyle block. For bigger properties, this includes where to build for the best light and energy use, garden and food forest locations, and the best place for water or roads. Shane says there are systems you can put in place that create a closed loop with little impact on the environment, with low inputs and high yield. He is contracted by AgriSea as a soil health and fertility consultant, which sees him providing soil consultations, and even applying the product for you, taking the stress out of soil health.

Upcoming Workshops 2 April - Edible Gardening 30 April - Self Sufficiency on the Home Block

For those on a small property Nicki can design the right garden to get a high yield. As well as the consultation, design, and gardening services, she runs workshops on edible gardening. Her down to earth approach and non-judgemental advice sets her students at ease – whether they’re seasoned gardeners or complete novices. You may have seen her toiling the soil in the garden at the Falls Retreat where she manages the kitchen garden. One bite of a Falls garden salad and a stroll through the kitchen garden is enough to revel in her talent for growing nutrient dense food. Nicki works on permaculture principles and uses spray free gardening techniques. She knows just where to plant those companion plants, and what you need for beneficial bugs.

Tap into this wealth of knowledge and live the dream, it tastes so much better!

To book or find out more Email: info@vitalharvest.co.nz Instagram: @vitalharvestpermaculture Facebook: @vitalharvestNZ February 2022 | pg 7

Written and Photographs by Vanessa McHardy

L O C A L

C R E A T I V E

ART

Originating from the UK, Art Johnstone and his wife are wellknown Waikino residents. As well as being a regular contributor to the Waikino Whisper, Art's passion for poetry has led him to collaborate with a designer to bring together the visual and poetic feast, Albatross & Moonbeams (pictured). A classic 'coffee table' book.

His poetry records his thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and is primarily recorded for his children. Growing up, he wasn't let in to the inner thoughts of his parents, and now he wants share transparently what makes him tick. You could say he's an open book, and his newly published poetic works, The Evergreen has a different feel. The Evergreen shares more deeply who the people in his life are, and his connection to them. It takes courage to be open with our hearts and show the world who we are at the core, and Art does so with a sweetness and playful honesty that is very enjoyable to read, reflect and connect to.

People can order both poetry books by emailing Art at artjohnstone@hotmail.co.uk or order online at www.artjohnstone.com Hot tip - if you're local, it's cheaper if ordered via email as you can pick up or Art will deliver locally.

Poetry is a way of capturing a time in space, it offers meaning and attempts to capture the uncapturable... love

swimming holes

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

EXPLORING LOCAL Words and Photographs by Vanessa McHardy

WONDERFUL WATERHOLES

I've swum more this summer than ever in my adult life – no need for dancing around bracing myself to take the plunge, because the sea was 2° warmer than usual, and so were our water-holes. One of my great pleasures this summer was discovering our local swimming holes. Wow! How lucky are we to live somewhere you can jump off the rocks into clean water?

Dickey Flat Well known is the large swimming hole just as you arrive at the carpark, but a 20 min walk into the bush trail and through the tunnel takes you to the other water hole called Paradise. Aptly named.

Owharoa Falls Probably famous now with its location off SH2 and opposite our fabulous Falls Retreat restaurant and accommodation. You can sit My local spot is so local, that if I tell under the waterfall, stuff the movies you I may be taken out, I'm sure you are made of. A great spot for a all have a secret spot like that! But picnic. there are local swimming holes that we can happily share that you may Coffey's Creek (Waihi) not have visited yet. Perhaps you Accessed from the end of could get a quick dip in while it is Wellington Street, Waihi, this still warm enough, or 'note to self' waterhole has an epic rope swing. for November.

From there you can follow the easy

Plunging into cold water has surprising health benefits; there’s evidence that cold water therapy can stimulate your body’s immune system and help with reducing depression. Whilst living in the UK, I have did two cold water dives into the sea. it was incredibly invigorating and I can see why people get hooked! These water holes should be a breeze compared to the Irish Sea, so go explore, take the plunge. I'm psyching myself up too - I will if you will!

Source: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ ninetonoon/audio/2018810401/dive-in-thebenefits-of-cold-water-swimming

walk along the Ohinemuri back around to Riverbank Terrace, and even to Gilmour Lake if you like.

Taylor's Memorial Reserve (Mackaytown) This one's a little hidden, but definitely a gem, surely only locals know about it: 7812 State Highway 2, Karangahake.

As always, water is to be respected.

Don't jump off anything until you know there are no logs or debris hidden in the deep water. Be sensible before you take the plunge, we want you home safe.

February 2022 | pg 9

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE O'Hagan Vision Care Main Office, Willoughby Street PO Box 106 | Paeroa 3600 T 07 862 8978 F 0800 666 717 E info@ohaganvisioncare.co.nz

no job too small domestic and commercial repairs, alterations, renovations, indoors and out, simple pricing, reliable and on time

Rod Hawkins

021 979 221

NEW WAIKINO BASED ELECTRICIAN Matt is an experienced commercial, industrial and residential electrician, now based in Waikino.

COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • RESIDENTIAL

Matt Good 021841189

Brooke Edwards Residential & Lifestyle Sales 07 863 2288 • 027 435 5905 EVES Real Estate (Waihi), 42 Seddon Street

Need Whiteware? Need a TV? Need a Heat Pump?

Need any home appliances?

....then contact your locally owned and operated 100% store for all you appliance needs

WAIHI 24-26 Rosemont Road, Waihi Phone 07 863 8207. Fax 07 863 7070 Email waihi100@xtra.co.nz

WAIHI PLUMBERS KELWYN GARRETT Plumbing • Drainlaying • Roofing HYNDS Lifestyle Wastewater Systems Mobile 0274 975 580

A/Hrs 07 863 7153

PAEROAvets PAEROA Veterinary Hospital & Pet Supplies Farm Services & Supplies 07 862 7295 3 Puke Road, Paeroa 3600 paeroa@fvs.co.nz www.franklinvets.co.nz a division of Franklin Veterinary Services (1977) Ltd

HIDDEN GOLD * LOCAL PEOPLE

FOR THE LOVE OF...

WILD FLOWERS WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR UNEXPLAINED LOVES? SHARE THEM WITH US ON FACEBOOK & SEE IT HERE!