I S S U E 1 6 7 • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 P U T A N G A 1 6 7 • H E P E T E M A 2 0 2 2 W A I K I N O W H I S P E R MEET YOUR SUPERHOSTS G A R D E N G U I D E E X P L O R E L O C A L G O O D S A M A R I T A N S HIDDEN IN THE HILLS BEVAN MCDUFF REMEMBERING WAIKINO'S MUSIC MAESTRO Ngā kohimu o Waikino Kei ngā puke e huna ana
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MATUA • SARAH HOLMES
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EDITORIAL KAIWHAKAPUTA
ISSUES & DEADLINES
Spring has sprung! Although it came a little early, it's wonderful to see the life come back after what was 'a heck of a lot of rain '
Bookings: 14 October 2022 Cancellations: 21 October 2022 Final content due: 5pm, 28 October 2022 We have a limited number of copies available for collection from the Waikino School community sharing stand We also distribute to: Waikino Hotel, Waikino Station Cafe, Falls Retreat, Waikino Books & Coffee, Ti Tree Cafe, and Secret Garden Waihī Beach, with more locations being added each month.
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KEI TE HIA
Contact us at waikinowhisper@gmail.com or find us on Facebook: 'Waikino Whisper' September is one of my favourite times of year, as the skeleton trees begin to green up and blossom, and the lambs start to prance It's a great time to get into the garden and get sowing this issue we have advice from Nicki Murray Orr on what to sow now. As the weather improves, so come the events with it. We'll see a bustle of runners and walkers in our area with the Trail Trilogy being held on 11th of September I've entered the 9km run/walk which includes a train ride to the Waikino Station from Waihi What a great way to show some of what we have to offer here in Waikino October marks the end of our usual 'public holiday drought' which was thankfully eased with the first Matariki public holiday this year Our first long weekend since June is from the 21st to 24th of October, and you know what that means ART WAIKINO is back, a great chance to nab yourself some awesome art and support local creatives in our area Don't forget, as we find our feet we're only publishing twice quarterly We'll be taking a break for October Your next issue will be available on the 4th of November. The great news is, that from 2023 we will be moving back to monthly issues. Thanks to our contributors this month if you have anything you want to see in the Waikino Whisper, please get in touch we don't know what we don't know! Ngā mihi mo te panui! Thanks for reading!
BEVAN MCDUFF
You may have come across him as the man in overalls at the Waterlily Gardens In Waikino lived a great musician, sportsman, visionary, amateur inventor, ex school Principal, Poppa to many, husband to Jenny and a great man; Bevan McDuff Bevan had called Waitawheta and more lately Waikino home for 18 years, becoming familiar with the area whilst running Great Escape Walks hosting many walking groups in and around the Kaimai area In 2004 he and his former partner and her children took over Waihī Waterlily Gardens and inherited quite a large restoration job with it Bevan took to it with gusto, hand making pavers for a floor for the marquee which would be the location for many a wedding reception over the years They resurrected the cafe, spent years trawling the lily ponds for invasive weeds and Bevan renovated the 1960’s house with his impressive DIY skills I’m his daughter and I don’t think I lived in a completely finished house in my years growing up, he loved building/moving old houses onto land and giving them new life Words and images supplied by Nina McDuff Our Waikino community has seen the loss of some treasured residents recently. We're taking a moment to remember those who have touched our lives and helped build our community. If you have someone you would like to remember here, please get in touch. I
I N M E M O R I A M
te
whakamaharatanga
Always with a project on the go, tools at the ready and while simultaneously running schools and classrooms he insisted on finishing things off himself, which he usually did a great job of Bevan was an inspirational school teacher As Principal at Pahoia school in the mid late 1980’s, he wove music into his teaching wherever possible Music was part of his being it was never an arduous task Back in the 60’s he’d played at the Carousel Dance Hall every weekend and with Joe Brown for the Miss New Zealand Pageants He’d be found in bliss behind his trusty Roland keyboard at the Waterlily Gardens Spring Fair, and at numerous gigs over recent years When he re united with old friend Jenny and they were married at the Lily gardens they both set about giving it a new shine and then right when Bevan had his heart op (and discovered he wasn’t immortal after all) they started the two year handover process to the now current owners Rachael & Evan Bevan frequented the Wednesday locals night at the Waikino Tavern He enjoyed a good yarn with the locals Last November he passed at home at Melody Lane, after an arduous run in with Cancer, which, after several ‘Great McDuff Comebacks’ as Jenny termed them, in the end he lost But putting his feet up and growing old in a rest home never seemed like the right fit for Bevan anyway Bevan tended to relate to people who could make things, making him quite at home in Waikino The house they were making their own wasn’t quite finished, but he spent a day metal forging coming up with the door knocker which was to be his parting gift to the place He left his mark, wowed us all with his musical genius, many a time left us wondering with his curly wit and made some good friends in the area I know he appreciated the assistance particularly of neighbours Rod & Carol, Harvey & Rosalind Barraclough, Christine & Robin Burne and several others in the Waikino area during his last year He was the beloved cheeky brother to Rosemary and Lesley He left behind Jenny, his four children Julie, Greg, Nina and Ingrid and many grandchildren Rest up, Bevan you made us all proud (John) Bevan McDuff, music maestro, teacher, inventor 2/6/1942 11/11/2021
Junior Hub Taniwha
Te ao o te kura
Waitāwheta and Arawhata had a visitor, Lenny from Zero Waste Learning all about what to recycle and what not to, looking at the numbers of plastics, and investigating what different things are made from She brought her tōroa puppet, and her tiger worms even came out to play She told us about an awesome initiative called The Chip Packet Project NZ, check it out on Facebook: https://www facebook com/chippacketprojectnz Thank you Lenny, our tamariki are pretty enthusiastic and inspired about zero waste!
Zero Waste with Lenny
Our Junior Hub are making a taniwha, one of their main goals is to not buy any materials and use what they can source from around the school, community or from home.
The shell is made from wire that used to be a fence, it was taken down, now our students are using it It is really starting to take shape and one of the students said, “we want to make one as we watched videos about taniwha, and we would like to make one ” When asked what it meant to them, they said, “a connection to whenua, people from all around us.” They have been building it since the end of term 2 and it will be available to see at the Art Waikino School display on labour weekend
The wonderful local Nola Boldy is coming into school and teaching us Te Reo, pronunciation, games, and lots of fun things We have learnt waiata, how to say our class names correctly and been supported in singing our school songs Nola is teaching us lots of counting games, with actions, they get faster and faster, we have a lot of fun Thank you Nola, we can’t wait to see what we learn each week!
At kura there has been a lot of changes in te ngāhere It is now open everyday for our students to self manage and choose when they need some time to connect to Papatūānuku We've also had numerous re planting and restoration projects happening Our tamariki and kaiako have been working hard to give back to an amazing space that offers our students imaginative play, fun in the mud, areas to whittle, chop wood and learn all about taking care of our environment The school’s guardianship role of te ngāhere has just begun, ongoing and a large part of the local curriculum at Waikino School and we feel very lucy to have it
Te ngāhere at Waikino School
T e R e o L e s s o n s
SCHOOL LIFE
Check out Emily's Facebook group, The Neighbourhood Project (Waihī) to see what they get up to To donate hygiene essentials, pop in to Diamonds on Seddon or contact via the shop on (07) 863 7127 or Diamonds on Seddon Facebook page You can also read the glowing news at this link
It's nearly election time, and in the Paeroa Ward (includes Karangahake and Mackaytown) there are four available spots, with six people are standing: Michael Bennett, Carole Daley, Paul Milner, Melba Pakinga, Jo Tilsley, Rino WIlkinson In the Waihī Ward (includes Waikino) there are five available spots, with seven people standing: Sarah Holmes, Sara Ann Howell, Josh Martyn, Bhavesh Ranchhod, Austin Rattray, Amanda Ryan, Anne Marie Spicer The Plains Ward has seven people standing for four seats The Mayor, Toby Adams, has been re elected unopposed View all candidates at https://www hauraki dc govt nz/our council/elections/candidates 2022/ voting papers will be posted to you, and voting day is Saturday, 8th of October
Some of our well known locals have caught media attention, with their good deeds not going unnoticed. Delwyn (in white), from Diamonds on Seddon in Waihī, has been taking donations of hygiene essentials and giving them to those in need Sandra Fisher (in black) from Waihī Free Meals has been cooking meals, and Emily and her son Tamahau have been delivering leftover meals from Waihī College lunches Nga mihi nui team, we are so proud to have you as part of our community!
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Photo NZ Herald Alison Smith 'Good on ya' Don't let your community hero or group go unsung. Nominations close 4pm on Monday, 19 September. Nominate someone at: https://forms hauraki dc govt nz/onya award/ Bring the family to Paeroa on Saturday, 17 September for Paeroa Rotary's Vintage & Classic Car Show Enjoy food, entertainment, classic cars, and more, at Railway St in Paeroa CLASSIC CAR SHOW Public entry is $5, kids free, 10am start. The swap meet is from 7am, $15 per site. Phone 021936450 or 0275334328 for info by Jill Wilkinson
WHAT'S ONhe aha te ana? L O C A L A C T I V I T Y
GOOD SAMARITANS OF WAIHĪ & WAIKINO
Nominations are now open for the Council's 2022 ONYA awards The awards are the community's way of saying ARTWAIKINO is back again this Labour Weekend The Victoria Hall in Waikino will be open from Friday to Monday inclusive, so the lovely locals and passing holidaymakers can drop in and see the amazing art the Hauraki area produces. (We do take work from outside the area but most is Hauraki crested!) All works of art are there to be enjoyed, but even more importantly sold The proceeds of sales help the Victoria Hall maintenance and help our incredible artists to continue being so creative GOOD ON YA, MATE Each sold item is to be taken away immediately to its new home, leaving space for new items A good excuse to visit several times over the weekend The Falls Retreat will be hosting the larger statues, a great opportunity to drop in there for lunch and to admire the works. Kate and her beautiful books will be open in the small hall, so please pop in to say hello Entries are still being taken, so start your masterpiece today and enter at: https://waikinohall.org.nz/artw aikino/registration/
HIDDEN
Armed with a clear vision, the ambitious new owners thought they would renovate it, but when the walls started to be stripped away, it was clear that it wasn’t a light remodel
He kura huna * Meet Your Super Hosts by Sarah Holmes
Three years ago, Kevin Arnold was perusing the newspaper when he saw an advertisement for a cute little cottage in need of some renovation He was volunteering for the Waihī Beach Coastguard service at the time, and the cottage was listed as being in Waikino, a place he’d never heard of
The cottage sits on the hill opposite Waikino School, with stunning views of both the rising and setting sun Kevin and Sarah were told that in its heyday it housed the chef from the Victoria Battery, however this hasn’t been confirmed the Hauraki District Council’s records go back to 1915, when property records started being kept
MEET YOUR SUPER HOSTS GOLD
When renovating, they found an assortment of bottles, some mid century, and some handmade, dating before the 1900s The cottage was full of character and perhaps too cosy, as the wood borer had truly made themselves at home
He kura huna
Little did he know that three weeks later, he and his wife Sarah would have the keys to their new project.
Modern living with historical charm
They saved all materials they could, keeping like for like, and putting it back together meticulously There were times during the near two year renovation when they thought “what have we got ourselves into?” and the jury’s still out on whether they’d be brave enough to do it again The result, however, is one to admire It is essentially a brand new home with a historical front, providing modern living with historical charm
That old charm is what draws in eager visitors.
Luxury Historic Miners Cottage Lower Coromandel
HEPETEMA SEPTEMBER 2022 | pg 7
That old charm is what draws in eager visitors, searching for a luxury couples retreat hidden in the hills For a year now, Sarah and Kevin have been offering the front side of the cottage to visitors via Airbnb Their consistent 5 star reviews from guests have earned them the coveted ‘Superhost’ badge. The Superhost status is reviewed every three months, and is set by Airbnb Sarah and Kevin are originally from the United Kingdom (UK), where they lived in London After spending 5 years in New Zealand between 2003 and 2008 building a business and becoming legal residents, they returned to the UK for another 10 years. Today, all four of their children live in either Mount Maunganui or Auckland, and the couple are grateful to have their family on this side of the world While they’ve only lived in Waikino for a year and a half, Sarah and Kevin love the local community and support others when they can As well as managing their accommodation, during summer Kevin works for the Harbourmaster team in Tauranga He is a trained barista, and is currently spending a few days a week manning the Falls Retreat pop up trailer in Paeroa Sarah worked in the fitness industry, administration, and real estate in the UK After arriving back in NZ in 2018, she worked in administration before deciding to do a real estate course She now works for Tall Poppy and is helping people buy and sell from Paeroa to Waihī, with Kevin trudging along behind her, hammering up the signs
The luxury cottage is best suited to couples, and is available for booking through www airbnb co nz accommodates 2 guests | 1 bed | 1 bath | 4.98 based on 53 reviews $199 per night Book on Airbnb
fennel, parsley and spinach. If you have a glasshouse or heatpad, sow beans, capsicum, chillies, tomatoes, cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon and zucchini Flowers include sweet peas, cornflowers, cosmos, poppies, nasturtium, French marigold, viola, calendula, snapdragon, sunflowers (in warmer areas) and zinnia
T h e g a r d e n i s s t a r t i n tg o c o m e t o l i f e . E n j o y !
Sow leafy greens, salads and root crops Be cautious with heat loving varieties such as tomatoes, chillies and peppers they need a warm indoor spot or a heat pad to germinate they definitely won't want to be out in the garden until the air temp is above 10°C (that is at night too) and the soil is at least 16°C Tomatoes despise temperature fluctuations and will sulk This will impact their resilience and productivity all season. There is no urgency in getting them into the garden, they can successfully be planted out when they are more mature, so we are best served moving seedlings into larger pots and keeping them tucked up until temperatures outside stabilise. When a direct sown dwarf bean germinates outside, this is the first signal that it's okay to start planting other summer crops. Let's forget the traditional Labour Weekend starting line to get summer crops in the ground, and run with our own observations and common sense instead. Plant seed potatoes now if you’re wanting fresh new potatoes for Christmas and sprout your kumara tipu (in a damp sandbox or suspended in a glass of water) Divide herbs and perennials to encourage fresh growth and keep plants healthy. This month you can sow and plant peas, lettuce, bok choi, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, spring onions, beetroot, carrots, radish, coriander, mizuna, rocket, Nicki Murray Orr from Vital Harvest Plant seed potatoes now if you ’ re fwanting resh new potatoes for Christmas
SEPTEMBER IN THE GARDEN
Ngā mahi māra
Feed fruit trees with fresh layers of compost, seaweed, leaf litter, or mulch around the base
Spring may have kicked off a little early this year, but beware, it could still have a sting in its tail It is a great time to start sowing your summer seedlings, but take caution when planting them out in the garden We are still experiencing large fluctuations between day and night temperatures and there is still a chance for a late frost, our soils are really only just starting to warm up.
Upcoming Workshops Edible Garden on the Home Block 3rd Sept, 1st Oct & 5th Nov Self Sufficiency on the Home Block 25th Sept, 29th Oct Email nicki@vitalharvest co nz to register your interest Facebook: www facebook com/vitalharvestNZ/ Instagram: @vitalharvestpermaculture wwwoceanorganicsconz I N T H E G A R D E N
Better yet, plant a living mulch, such as herbs (eg sage, chamomile), flowers (calendula, cosmos, cornflowers) and comfrey Combining plants improves the overall health of your trees with natural pest control, bringing in the pollinators and pushing out the weeds. Incorporating flowers and herbs into your vege patch performs the same function French marigolds for example, release a smelly chemical compound that repels root eating nematodes Colourful flowers bring in the bees and the beneficial insects, such as ladybugs who are aphid eating machines
As a general rule, plant the seeds twice as deep as the width of the seed I tend to plant most things into trays first (except root crops like carrots and radish, which I direct sow), so that I can select only the sturdiest seedlings. It is critical to ‘harden off’ seedlings before you plant them outside Get them ready for life in the real world by popping your trays outside for 4 7 days before transferring them into the garden to reduce the transplant shock Regular morning watering, rather than night, and remaining vigilant with slug and snail protection is also key. Oh, and don't sow everything at once! Staggered plantings and continuous harvests make for a steady supply
by Nicki Murray Orr
Owharoa Hideaway situated in Karangahake Gorge, and as the name says, a short walk or drive to the roaring Owharoa waterfall Neil is our final Superhost and the location of this bedroom studio space is spectacular It is very clean and modern with a gorgeous looking bath that would be very enjoyable after a days walking or cycling. We will have more, (yes there are more!) great local accommodation next year If you want to feature, please let us know! McHardy
T H E U L T I M A T E G U I D E T O
1930s Cottage Superhosts Mike and Lesley take great care of this historic cottage, it is very cute and beautifully put together
a c c o m m o d a t i o n
The walking tracks, river swimming holes and cycleways are all minutes way, and it's only a 3 min walk to the Talisman Cafe. This is a three bedroom cottage with room for six guests. It has a hot tub which is always a wonderful gift for your body, especially after a day of activity Firewood is provided in the winter for the wood burner
Wonderful place for a girls weekend away The Studio Charade is also a Superhost and has another gorgeous modern studio space. This is for a couple to enjoy or for a lovely weekend of solitude, enjoying your own company amongst all the birds and beauty on offer Here you are a short drive away from walking, tramping and cycling the Hauraki Rail Trail to explore If you need some time out, or a creative retreat, this one looks like your style.
Tirotiro ā-rohe The Studio, Karangahake Gorge 1930s Cottage, Karangahake Gorge Owharoa Hideaway, Karangahake Gorge Falls Retreat"Leftfeelingrelaxed after " a lovelyweekend withfamily" HEMPTEMA SEPTEMBER 2022 | pg 9 by Vanessa
/ Images: Airbnb
EXPLORING LOCAL
Following on from our August issue, we have more local accommodation to showcase. How incredibly rich our area is so much gold. We're featuring another three Airbnbs this month as well as our cover story. Consider these for your visitors or even a 'staycation' for some local time out This time around we are looking at the Karangahake area, known for its walks and cycling tracks.
LOCAL AIR BNB SUPERHOSTS
0 2 1 1 4 3 4 9 8 9 l i g h t u p n z 1 0 0 @ g m a i l c o m Waihī 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 24-26 Rosemont Road, Waihī 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 Lightup Electrical R e s i d e n t i a l & C o m m e r c i a l E l e c t r i c a l S e r v i c e s C o n t a c t C l i v e L T D
Rod Hawkins 021 979 221 PROPERTY MAINTENANCE no job too small domestic and commercial repairs, alterations, renovations, indoors and out, simple pricing, reliable and on time 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 NEWWAIKINOBASEDELECTRICIAN Mattisanexperiencedcommercial,industrial andresidentialelectrician,nowbasedinWaikino COMMERCIAL•INDUSTRIAL•RESIDENTIAL MattGood 021841189 Brooke Edwards Residential & Lifestyle Sales 07 863 2288 • 027 435 5905 EVES Real Estate (Waihī), 42 Seddon Street
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