The kids of Kawakawa Primary School celebrate their town's history in a previous Christmas parade. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF
Kawakawa is celebrating Christmas this Saturday with a parade down the main street followed by an afternoon of stalls, rides and entertainment.
The fun will start at 10am with the parade due to take place at noon, led by Gabriel the steam engine. This year's theme is elves and everything Christmassy. There will be trophies for the best floats and prizes for the best dressed participants.
After the parade festivities will shift to Johnson Park. State Highway 1/Gillies St will be closed from 10.30am to 1pm but diversions will be in place.
Calling all fashionistas
The Focus Paihia Op Shop is holdings its annual fashion show at Alongside, on the Paihia waterfront, from 7pm this evening, December 7.
As in previous years a line-up of local beauties will strut the catwalk modelling high-fashion garments donated to the op shop. All clothing will be for sale after the show.
Tickets cost $15 from the op shop on Selwyn Rd or at the door if it hasn't sold out prior. The ticket price includes a drink, nibbles and lots of laughs.
Kawakawa's arts incubator
An innovative new exhibition at Kings Theatre Creative features 300 works by 30 Northland artists who took part in an arts incubator project.
As part of the project the artists, who hail from Kaitaia to Kaiwaka, were challenged to make 10 works based on themes visitors wanted to connect with such as Northland's natural environment, native flora and fauna, and Maori culture.
The idea was to help the artists make a living from their work while meeting demand for quality, authentic artworks hand-made in Northland.
Successful graphic artist Shane Hansen, who has previously had exhibitions at Kings Creative, was a mentor throughout the project.
The exhibition, called Whakatupu Ake, runs at Kings Creative in Kawakawa's old picture theatre until December 20. The artworks will be available online and in the foyer gallery all summer. The show also features 30 striking photographic portraits of the artists taken around Kawakawa by Virginia Guy.
Carols by candlelight
If you feel like a bit of Christmas spirit don't forget the multicultural carols by candlelight at the Waitangi Marae campgrounds tonight, December 7.
Organised by the Ngati Rahiri Maori Komiti the event will start at 5pm with a hangi followed by a talent quest for under-15-year-olds at 6pm and carol singing from 7-9.30pm.
People are encouraged to bring anything reflecting their own culture, such as traditional costume, food or music. A group from Vanuatu is among those planning to attend. The MC will be "Miss Kihi" Ririnui of Maori Television fame. BYO candles and a picnic blanket or seats.
Bald Angels calendar
Looking for a present with a bit of heart? Do you want to help a Kerikeri charity while you tick off your Christmas shopping list?
If you answered yes you could do a lot worse than forking out $20 for the Bald Angels 2017 Calendar, which is packed with photos of the group's many fundraising and community projects - not least its world-record-smashing Big Shave, when 462 people had their heads shaved in an hour and raised more than $65,000 for disadvantaged Northland kids. With the Bay of Islands being such a small place you'll almost certainly recognise a few faces here.
The calendars are available from Cinema Cafe on Hobson Ave, Kerikeri, with other outlets to come.
Waitangi Wahine
A ground-breaking new exhibition called Waitangi Wahine will open at Museum of Waitangi this Saturday.
The show will feature five female Maori artists - Robyn Kahukiwa, Linda Munn, Suzanne Tamaki, Tracey Tawhiao and Andrea Hopkins - with reputations for pushing boundaries. Their artworks are responses to the Treaty and its effect on Maori today, along with its significance, intention, spirit and principles.
The exhibition, in the museum's upstairs gallery, has been developed by Expressions Whirinaki Arts and Entertainment Centre in Upper Hutt and will run until April.
Treaty Grounds chief executive Greg McManus said one of the museum's goals was to bring significant art exhibitions to the Far North.
"It's exciting to host the work of such prominent Maori women artists and I'm sure our visitors will find the exhibition challenging, refreshing and inspiring."
Roland's Wood expands
You can help community group Friends of Roland's Wood celebrate their purchase of another 5ha of land - more than doubling the size of the popular dog-walking park on Kerikeri's Inlet Rd - when "Lavender's Land" is officially opened by Mayor John Carter at 2pm this Friday, December 9.
Roland's Wood is an English-style woodland left to the people and dogs of Kerikeri when owner Roland Sansom died in 2001. He left the rest of his property to his UK-based sister Lavender but when she died earlier this year it was in danger of being chopped up for a 14-house subdivision.
Instead the Friends raised and borrowed $500,000 to buy the property, and will use it expand the adjoining Roland's Wood and develop better access and parking. The group has so far raised $84,000 and is hatching plans of how to raise the rest before the loan is due in two years time.
All dogs and humans are welcome at the opening, which will take place at the end of Heron Hill (off Inlet Rd, opposite Reinga Rd.)
Get your tree today
St John Kerikeri is selling Christmas trees at the ambulance station on Kerikeri Rd from noon until 6pm or until they run out. Trees cost $40, cash only. This annual fundraiser is tree-mendously popular so you'll have to hurry. They may have run out even by the time you read this...
Raft race winners
In case you missed the photos in Monday's paper, Kerikeri High School's 42nd annual Year 7 and 8 raft race was won in emphatic fashion by a team called Turbo paddling a Christmas-themed raft. You can also check out the photos online
here.
Fundraiser for kiwi
Russell Kiwi Protection is holding an open day at Haratu-Kororareka Marae on The Strand, Russell, from 10am to noon this Sunday, December 11.
The guest speakers will be Ngarie Tyson, biodiversity co-ordinator for New Zealand Landcare Trust, and Kiwi North educator Shirley Peterson.
Russell Kiwi Protection was formed in 2003 to control introduced predators such as rats, stoats and possums and clear the bush of noxious weeds. Spokesman Tom Pasco said Russell Peninsula was one of the few places in New Zealand where wild kiwi and weka lived side by side with people.
The group also promotes the use of locally-built kiwi nesting boxes. Earlier this year, in what is possibly a world first, Russell couple Eoin Harwood and Lisette Collins from Russell Nature Walks used a motion-sensitive infrared camera to film a wild two-week-old kiwi and its parents emerging from a nesting box at night.
On Sunday evening Russell Kiwi Protection is hosting an invitation-only fundraising dinner at Omata Estate near Okiato.
Village Arts talk
Acclaimed graphic artist and cartoonist Chris Grosz will give a talk about his at Village Arts in Kohukohu this Sunday, December 11.
The talk starts at noon and will be followed by food and music. Everyone is welcome to bring an instrument and join in. The event marks the closing of an exhibition of Mr Grosz' paintings, posters and political cartoons.
Council's Kaikoura fundraiser
Council staff and elected members across the Far North raised $1221 for Kaikoura District Council's earthquake relief fund by wearing red and black last Friday.
They donned Canterbury rugby colours for a day to support Kaikoura colleagues who are working hard to resurrect vital infrastructure and services damaged by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the region on 14 November.
Acting chief executive Colin Dale said his staff were acutely aware of the stress their southern colleagues would be feeling, as they worked to get their devastated community back on its feet while also dealing with damage to their own homes.
Staff efforts were boosted by a $2000 donation from the council's Civil Defence budget, bringing the total to $3221.
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