The Carrea, skippered by John Meadowcroft, in action hard on the wind during the 2024 Bay of Islands Sailing Week. Photo / Jacob Fewtrell Media
In 2003, the first-ever sailing week was held in the Bay of Islands. It has continued consistently for the past 23 years.
When the regatta was new, a total of 39 boats competed across four divisions. This week there are 96 boats entered, which means more than 500 people will participate in the regatta at some point over the four days of competition, which started on Tuesday.
The idea for the regatta came from Ōpua couple Tony and Nina Kiff. Originally from England, they arrived in New Zealand on their yacht with their four children in 1992, and made the Bay of Islands home.
They wondered why there was no premier sailing event in the Bay of Islands, given its spectacular location. Their concept became a reality with a $500 loan from each of the four local yacht clubs – Ōpua, Kerikeri, Russell and the Bay of Islands.
They established an incorporated society in 2002 and received a $5000 grant from the Far North District Council in the first year.
Nina Kiff said they applied for a grant but right up until the date of the regatta starting, they still hadn’t received any notification.
“We didn’t know if it was going to go ahead or not and it was only after the first race had started that we finally heard we’d been granted some funding.”
The sailing week is run almost entirely by a group of around 60 volunteers and funded by sponsors and supporters.
Organisers work with the Sailors for the Sea organisation, which chose the regatta as a recipient of Platinum Clean Regatta status – the highest level of sustainability certification.
Volunteers from the Resilient Russell Charitable Trust help with recycling and sorting waste.
The Friday night wrap party will be held at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island.
‘Nurse Sadie’ recognised with Fred Hollows Humanity Award
Ten-year-old Sadie Rehm from the Bay of Islands International Academy in Kerikeri has been recognised as a finalist in the Fred Hollows Foundation NZ’s Humanity Awards 2024.
The winner will be announced early in the new year.
Sadie’s care and compassion is demonstrated through her support for her peers, assisting people to get off the bus or put their bags away, making cards and pictures for the school office, and helping with the Breakfast Club.
School office manager Toni Taylor nominated Sadie for the award, describing her compassionate nature towards other students as well as going the extra mile to contribute to school activities.
Now in their sixth year, the awards are inspired by legendary New Zealander and founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, the late Professor Fred Hollows.
They were created to recognise Year 5 or 6 students who strive to make the world around them better, and embody the values of compassion, integrity, and kindness.
“Sadie is a very caring student and every day she shows manaakitangi and kotahitanga at school,” Taylor said.
“She always helps others and is very caring and willing.
“She is always asking me if she can help. I call her doctor or nurse Sadie as she likes to help others when they’re hurt.”
Eight other young Kiwis from across the country were also selected as Fred Hollows Humanity Awards finalists, each receiving certificates and goodie bags, while Isabelle Evans from Te Rapa Primary School in Hamilton was announced as the Fred Hollows Humanity Award’s Junior Ambassador.
Fred Hollows Foundation NZ chief executive officer Dr Audrey Aumua said Hollows would have been very proud of the younger generation and what they are achieving.
“It was encouraging to read about the young humanitarians across Aotearoa who are showing compassion and kindness through their care and support for their classmates and younger peers.”
A marae as gallery
The Haratu Marae in Kororāreka-Russell has become an art gallery for a few weeks, specialising in the works of local artists.
The exhibition was curated by local identity Sue Fitzmaurice.
“The vibe is so good,” she said, “and it shows what wonderful artists we have from Tapeka to Ōkiato.
“It’s been an idea for a long time and I’m especially pleased we can accommodate several pieces of furniture and we’ve even managed to fit in a two-and-a-half-metre table.”
The exhibition opened just before Christmas with a full house of locals attending. Many of the artists exhibiting spoke.
They included former motoring journalist Jacqui Madelin, who paints on pieces of old wood – some from the recent demolition of the old Masonic Hotel in Rāwene – or on driftwood.
Darina Denali, originally from Czechia, said she had a dream about painting by the sea when she was living there.
“Everyone in my family said don’t be silly, we aren’t by the sea and you live in an apartment.
“I came to Russell in 2012 and I can’t escape the sea, it is part of me and it is what I paint,” she said.
Val Marshall Smith is part of a group called Wicked Weavers. She has been weaving for around 30 years and has worked with everything from local flax to palm fronds from Baja, California.
Some of Smith’s local work (which is blue, there’s something in the soil) was on show.
Terri Cottier is another Wicked Weaver “who does a bit of carving”.
“I have spent most of my life at sea and in working with my hands, I realised I could do carving and I have done some wood turning as well.”
There were pieces of carved swamp kauri (the more contemporary name is ancient kauri) from the Kauri Vault in Ōpua owned by Karin Venator and Patti Whelan.
The darker pieces are 60,000 years old, the lighter ones 20,000 years old and the lightest a “mere” 3000 years old.
The marae-gallery at 5-7 Pitt St, Russell will be open from 10am to 3pm daily but closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The exhibition is open until the end of February.
Puketi Forest Kauri Challenge back again for 2025
The Puketī Forest Kauri Challenge is an annual fundraising event organised by the Puketī Forest Trust.
It takes place on January 25, with a back-up date of January 26.
Participants can choose to complete a full 21km tramp or the shorter 12km tramp, both through some of the most spectacular parts of the forest.
The route passes through a diverse range of forest types, includes varied terrain and stunning views, and ends with a picnic reception at Forest Pools.
It’s called a challenge walk for a reason. Some of the walk can be quite tough and includes a river crossing and some steep areas.
A good level of fitness and some tramping experience is needed.
The 21km walk follows Pirau Ridge Rd for around 9kms. For the 12km option, trampers will be transported down this section in 4WD vehicles.
At the 9km mark, trampers head down Pukatea Ridge which descends to the Waipapa River.
There are some spectacular views of the forest, including mature kauri.
At the river, competitors can either walk in or follow an adjacent track.
After around 2.5km, the track widens to become what was intended to be a road from Hokianga to Kāeo but which was abandoned in the 1930s.
Walk along this old road for around 5.5km to pass the remains of historic bridges and finish at Forest Ponds.
The challenge encompasses some of the best day walks in New Zealand.
Participants are expected to carry their own gear and sustain up to nine hours of tramping for the 21km option and seven hours for the shorter option.
'At what point do we say enough is enough?'