Riley Hathaway and her dad Steve, hosts of the TV series Young Ocean Explorers, will give a talk in Paihia today aimed at getting kids passionate about the ocean. PHOTO / RICHARD ROBINSON
Riley Hathaway and her dad Steve, hosts of the TV series Young Ocean Explorers, will give a talk in Paihia today aimed at getting kids passionate about the ocean. PHOTO / RICHARD ROBINSON
A weekly round-up of news snippets, events and oddities from the Bay of Islands and around the Mid North
Teenage TV presenter spreads passion for the ocean
A 14-year-old TV presenter and her dad will be the stars of the latest talk in a series exploring the Bay of Islands' natural environment.
Riley Hathaway and her father Steve host the TV series Young Ocean Explorers. They will be theguest speakers this evening, December 17, at the Scenic Hotel on Seaview Rd, Paihia.
The pair's mission is to tell stories that inspire kids to love the ocean. As well as fronting the TV series they have published a book called Love Our Ocean and gave a copy to every school in New Zealand and the Cook Islands - that's more than 2500 schools.
Riley is a passionate advocate for the oceans who also keeps her dad on his toes. The doors open at 6pm; the talk, called Kids Inspiring Kids, starts at 6.30pm. Their show screens on TV2's What Now.
The Voices of Land and Sea talks are organised by conservation groups Fish Forever and Living Waters.
Thursday's event will double as the launch of a summer-long Festival of Exploration.
The event aims to encourage Northlanders, and families in particular, to explore their natural environment. It is billed as part exploration, part celebration, part science, and part art. More details to come.
Christmas will be celebrated in Kaeo this Friday, December 18, with a free whanau event on the grounds of the Union Church from 5.30-9pm.
A stage will be set up in the hollow in front of the church for performances by local dancers, musicians and the newly formed Whangaroa ukulele band. Food stalls and a barbecue will keep the audience from going hungry.
After a warm-up with some old-time songs the candles and glow sticks will emerge and the evening will be wrapped up with a community carol singing session.
If you are heading to Kaeo for the event be sure to check out the new mural on the side of the Four Square. It was painted by Whangaroa College students and depicts the area's stories and natural beauty.
Carols at Pompallier
Russell's historic Pompallier Mission is once again hosting an evening of Christmas music featuring local groups and soloists, as well as a chance for guests to sing along to their favourite carols.
The annual Carols@Pompallier takes place this Saturday, December 19, from 6pm and is organised by Heritage New Zealand and Russell's Christ Church, New Zealand's oldest church.
Admission free; bring a picnic and a rug. The concert will be held in the mission gardens or, in case of wet weather, in nearby Christ Church.
Pompallier Mission manager Scott Elliffe said it was a chance for families to enjoy a pleasant evening of festive entertainment in a beautiful historic setting.
The Excite Christian Centre is hosting a Christmas concert, with a glow in the dark theme for kids and a bouncy castle, from 10am to noon on Sunday, December 20.
Santa will be waiting in his grotto and every child will receive a gift. The event, called Let there be Light, will be in the Turner Centre Plaza in Kerikeri. Free entry.
Santa's final call
Santa will make one last pre-Christmas visit to the Far North this Saturday, December 19, when he is expected to give his reindeer a break by hitching a ride in a vintage fire truck.
Santa will make a last pre-Christmas appearance in the Far North on Saturday when he joins Russell's Christmas parade. This is the big man hitching a ride in Russell's 1955 Ford fire truck.
Russell's Christmas parade will start at 3pm and make its way through town to the Duke of Marlborough Tavern, where kids will be able to visit Santa's grotto and pass on those last-minute present requests in person. Eighteen floats took part last year.
The winning floats in Last Saturday's Kaeo Christmas parade and festival were... Best community float: Whangaroa Health Services. Best school float: Kaeo Primary School (Charlotte's Web). Best junior float: Kaeo Playcentre (A Bug's Life). Best float overall was a tie between Creative Minds and Totara North Early Childhood Centre.
Paihia superheroes
The overall winner of Paihia's Christmas parade on December 4 was Paihia School with its school for superheroes float. The other results were... Best community float: 1= Paihia Kids Music Club and Paihia-Waitangi Kindergarten; 3 Opua School. Best business float: 1 Paihia Early Childhood Centre; 2 Blah Blah Marketing; 3 Kebabulous. Highly commended: Bay of Islands Auto Electrical, Bay of Islands Rotary Club. This year's theme was 'a town full of superheroes'.
New beach clean times
Bay Beach Clean - a volunteer group dedicated to keeping the shore around Paihia rubbish-free - has changed its regular clean-up days.
Instead of meeting during the weekends, when many of the volunteers have conflicting commitments, they will now meet every second Thursdays at 5.30pm. One team will meet at Waitangi Bridge and the other on beach opposite Alfrescos, eventually meeting somewhere in the middle.
Do you have news or an upcoming event you'd like to see in this column? Send it to us, including your full contact details, to baynews@northernadvocate.co.nz.
