Mayor John Carter carries out a ceremonial inspection of the Royal New Zealand Navy at Paihia's Village Green. PHOTO/LIZ INCH
New playground for Moerewa
Moerewa kids will soon have a new playground featuring a swing called Epic, the highest in Northland.
The Far North District Council is replacing outdated play equipment at Nisbet Park with a new playground it says will be safer, more stimulating and better suited to the 21st century.
Former Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board member Margaret Wikaire presented concepts to the community, which then chose a design. Locals liked it because it was robust, looked modern and catered to the town's early teens.
Board chairman Terry Greening said many youngsters spent a lot of time on their phones.
"The council hopes the new playground will encourage kids to become more active and spend more time playing with their friends."
The new playground, which is aimed at children aged 5-15, is supplied by Platinum Play and cost $44,000. It will be officially opened by Mr Greening and councillor Willow-Jean Prime.
Railway concert
This Sunday the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway hosts its annual Concert at the Station, in which the platform at Kawakawa Railway Station becomes a stage and the audience is seated among the tracks and carriages.
This year's lineup features the Windjammers, Jireh May, Spellbound, a group from Bay of Islands College, Kawakawa hiphop dancers Junior Legion, and Whangarei country singer Carleen Still. Police from Kaikohe and Kerikeri will perform as the rock covers band Late Night Meat Sandwich and Mayor John Carter will be the MC.
The show runs from 3-6pm; bring a chair or take a seat in a carriage. Entry $10 for adults, $5 children (under 5s free). A family pass costs $25. The station cafe will be open throughout. The concert is one of the railway's biggest fundraisers of the year.
Navy gets Northland charter
The Royal New Zealand Navy seized the chance offered by its biggest presence in the Bay for many years to hold a Naval Charter Parade in Paihia.
The sailors marched from the Treaty Grounds to Paihia's Village Green where Far North Mayor John Carter addressed the parade and conducted a ceremonial inspection.
Mr Carter - along with Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai and Kaipara Commissioner John Robertson - granted the Navy a charter conferring the right to march "with drums beating, band playing, colours flying, bayonets fixed and swords drawn" through the streets of Whangarei, Kaipara and the Far North.
The Waitangi Day event was part of a long-running military tradition.
Paihia meeting
The New Zealand Transport Agency is holding a public meeting in Paihia tomorrow, February 12, to inform townsfolk of its plans to rebuild a section of Marsden Rd in the centre of town.
The project will start after Easter and require traffic to be diverted away from the waterfront while work is under way. It is understood to involve a change in the colour of the road surface and other measures to reduce traffic speed. The meeting starts at 6pm in the Paihia War Memorial Hall.
Picnic with a cause
An event at Matauri Bay this Saturday aims to combine a day of family fun with a show of opposition to exploitation of fossil fuels.
Families are encouraged to bring kites, decorated banners and a picnic for the Big Beach Picnic-Kids Against Fossil Fuels event.
February 14 is Global Divestment Day, an international day of action against fossil fuels and climate change in which people are urged to pull their money from banks or companies that invest in coal mining or oil drilling.
Sculptor speaks
One of New Zealand's best known sculptors will be the speaker at next Monday's meeting of U3A (University of the Third Age) in Kerikeri.
Chris Booth's sculptures can be seen around the world. They include his 2011 Wurrungwuri sculpture at the Sydney Botanic Gardens, the biggest public artwork commissioned in Australia, and a major work at the renowned Kroller-Muller outdoor museum in the Netherlands.
In Northland his works include the Rainbow Warrior Memorial at Matauri Bay, the sculpture at Kerikeri Domain and Whangarei's Wave and Waka (with Te Warahi Hetaraka).
Mr Booth's talk, from 10.30am on February 16 at the St John Hall on Kerikeri Rd, will trace the development of his land art over the past 40 years. Free entry; light lunch provided.
Chief's descendants gather
Descendants of the Ngati Manu chief Pomare II are gathering at Karetu Marae, east of Kawakawa, on February 17 to celebrate his signing of the Treaty of Waitangi exactly 175 years earlier.
The annual hui attracts descendants from around New Zealand and Australia. This year's event will honour two young achievers, Ihipera Painting (medicine) and Monita Skipworth (manu korero), along with four MPs of Ngati Manu descent.
Modern Maoris sing
The Modern Maori Quartet, described as a fresh take on classic Maori showbands, is performing at Kerikeri's Turner Centre from 7.30pm this Saturday.
They promise a trip down memory lane through Aotearoa's musical past as well as modern-day international hits. Talented Kerikeri singer/actor Troy Kingi will open the show.
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