Brian Shaw from Kaikohe with his archaeology certificate from the Young Archaeologists Workshop held at Te Waimate Mission in early May.
Young archaeologists diggin’ the experience
A group of budding young archaeologists donned high-vis jackets, rolled up their sleeves and took part in an archaeological excavation recently at Te Tai Tokerau’s Te Waimate Mission in the Far North.
The mission was established as a model farming village, complete with a flour mill, blacksmiths, printery, carpenter’s shop, school and church as the fullest realisation of Samuel Marsden’s belief that spiritual and practical instruction should be combined.
It is New Zealand’s second-oldest surviving building. It is an elegant, two-storeyed structure with wide verandahs and a low-pitched, hipped roof complemented by Georgian-style dormer windows. It is registered as a Tohu Whenua cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
It also houses an impressive collection of period furniture and a range of original agricultural and carpentry tools, plus what’s left of the country’s first water-powered flour mill and relics from Bedggood’s Blacksmiths Shop.
The Young Archaeologists Workshop was held as part of New Zealand Archaeology Week from May 3-11.
The youngsters took part in a mini-excavation searching for hidden artefacts while learning about the tools and techniques used by archaeologists in the field.
They also had a go at cleaning, sorting and cataloguing the artefacts they found and then analysing them with a bit of guidance from Heritage New Zealand staff and volunteers.
Brian Shaw of Kaikohe, who wants to be a scientist when he’s older, gave the hands-on archaeology experience two thumbs up.
“We had a lot of fun and learned how archaeologists work,” he says. “It was great finding the objects and then learning more about them.”
Bay of Islands Singers back in concert mode
The Bay of Islands Singers can trace their roots back to 1964 when a choral group started performing Easter and Christmas concerts in Kaikohe. Various musical directors have been in charge over the years and the latest to take charge is John Jackets, who took over as musical director in 2009.
Audiences average from around 160 to 200 from the local community, Whangārei and Auckland. The choir officially changed its name to The Bay of Islands Singers Inc in 2012 and the singing group has continued to flourish, with concerts spanning a wide range of musical genres.
Although based at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri and rehearsing on Mondays from 6.30-9pm, the choir attract members from as far afield as the Hokianga, Doubtless Bay, Russell and Ōpua.
A feature of the concerts has been the inclusion of instrumental ensembles to accompany the choir.
Now the assembly of singers are back for their first concert for 2025. They will present a varied programme from baroque, romantic and contemporary eras but there’s also room for the familiar.
Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria and Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei are on the programme plus, for the first time, Franz Schubert’s Mass in G and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Regina Coeli.
The 44 singers have been rehearsing since February. Included are four soloists – Tania Priebs (Kerikeri), Claudia Evans (Whangārei), Scott Bezett (Hamilton), and Jarvis Dams (Auckland).
The orchestra is made up of players from Auckland and Northland, many of whom will be playing together for the first time. They are aided by Michael Bell on the organ to complete the line-up.
Everyone gets together to rehearse for the first time on the day before the concert. They will familiarise themselves with the surroundings, each other, the conductor’s style and the soloists need to gauge the acoustics of the venue.
It’s rare to hear a full-length choral work but the BOI Singers will happily interpret the music from the repertoire to deliver to audiences in the Far North.
Hone Heke Lodge wins again
Hone Heke Lodge has been named Tripadvisor Traveller’s “Choice Awards Winner” for 2025 and it is becoming something of a habit.
The accolade follows on from numerous Tripadvisor Awards the lodge has won for the past three years. That’s in addition to three Westpac Customer Service Awards, three Certificate of Excellence Awards and being a finalist in the ACC Safety Business Award in 2020.
The lodge was reopened on Valentine’s Day in 2014 by David and Victoria Howells and involves three generations of the family, including granddad Bob Kennedy and children Ella and Joe. It is styled as a “flashpackers”, which is a cross between dorm rooms and more upmarket motel-styled rooms.
Both David and Victoria Howells are eminently qualified to run an accommodation venue, with well-established credentials.
Victoria grew up in Northland, finished high school in Whangārei and spent a year as a Rotary student in the Netherlands and still speaks “fairly good” Dutch. She studied for a Bachelor of Arts majoring in politics at the University of Auckland, then Travel Studies at what was then Auckland Unitec, before moving on to English language teaching with Celta certification in London.
She spent three years teaching in Japan and was a tour guide in Europe, taking backpackers on trips around Europe.
After her European sojourns she moved to London, where she met and married David and inherited two stepkids, before the couple had twins of their own in 2005.
David is English and has lived in London most of his adult life. He first travelled independently in 1989 with his brand-new backpack and his round-the-world ticket and went on to make travel his career. He had completed an arts degree “years ago”.
The Tripadvisor award is based on feedback from anyone in the community who has visited the premises and left an authentic, first-hand review over a 12-month period. It is the world’s largest travel guidance platform, with more than one billion reviews.
Tripadvisor president Kristen Dalton sent her congratulations to Hone Heke Lodge Kerikeri on its recognition of the Travellers’ Choice Award for 2025.
“Ranking among the top percentage of businesses globally means you have made such a memorable impact on your visitors that many of them took time to go online and leave a glowing review about their experience. We hope this recognition continues to drive business to you in 2025 and beyond.”
Today, post-Covid lockdowns, the lodge welcomes mostly RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employers) from Vanuatu and Te Araroa Trail walkers.
Motorists have been advised to expect delays on State Highway 12 west of Gallie Rd.