Members of the group Love Opua take part in a beach clean last year. Now they are pursuing much bigger plans. PHOTO / SUPPLIED
Members of the group Love Opua take part in a beach clean last year. Now they are pursuing much bigger plans. PHOTO / SUPPLIED
A weekly round-up of news snippets, events and oddities from the Bay of Islands and around the Mid North
One giant leap for Opua
Opua hopes to be the next Northland town to transform itself for the better by tapping into people-power and unifying behind a common set of goals.
Paihia has been lauded nationally for the way its community spirit and appearance have been transformed in recent years. The changes have been led by volunteers of the Focus Paihia trust with the council only lending a hand or occasionally turning a blind eye when beautification projects didn't quite meet the rules.
Now Paihia's smaller neighbour, Opua, is embarking on a similar path.
A group called Love Opua has brought together a wide range of groups to come up with an Opua Masterplan, setting out their vision for the town's future.
Those involved include iwi, Far North District Council, police, Opua Business Association, Opua School, Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust, Opua Community Hall and Opua Cruising Club. Crucially, council-owned company Far North Holdings, which controls a large chunk of the waterfront, is also on board.
Love Opua finalised the masterplan last month. It will be presented at a public meeting in Opua hall from 7pm on June 10.
Love Opua members say they have gone a step further than Paihia because their plan has the full backing of the town's businesses. Focus Paihia has struggled to get everyone in its notoriously fractious business community on board.
Among the announcements at the meeting will be a neighbourhood support network to combat crime; updates on Far North Holdings' marina expansion plans following its historic accord with iwi; a fitness trail to be developed with the pupils of Opua School; and the railway trust's plans for the cycleway and a new railway station.
Love Opua members will explain how the masterplan will be implemented and how townsfolk can get involved.
Rare treat for photography buffs
Photography buffs are in for a rare treat when one of New Zealand's leading photographers holds a Northland-themed exhibition at Kerikeri's Kaan Zamaan Gallery later this month.
Northland: Gone and Going will be Laurence Aberhart's first comprehensive exhibition in Northland, even though he lives in Russell and has been one of the country's top photographers since the 1970s.
The show will feature images of Northland's iconic churches, marae, cemeteries and Masonic lodges, taken with a 100-year-old camera using exposures ranging from seconds to hours.
One of the images in the upcoming Laurence Aberhart exhibition, Northland: Gone and Going, at Kerikeri's Kaan Zamaan gallery. PHOTO / Laurence Aberhart
According to arts writer Gregory O'Brien, Mr Aberhart "tends his images of Northland architecture in a manner not unlike that of the devout parishioner who polishes the interior of Rawene church each week, or the marae committee bestowing order in Te Rapunga wharenui and environs. The photos are more about continuity and the persistence of certain attitudes than first appears".
The show opens with a preview from 4-6pm on June 12 and runs until July 5. Daniel Unverricht is the guest artist. Kaan Zamaan is on Hobson Ave opposite Cathay Cinemas. Mr Aberhart will give a presentation at a time and date to be announced.
In the pink
A family Pink Ribbon Breakfast held at Kerikeri Bowling Club raised a whopping $1550 for breast cancer research.
For the past three years Kerikeri's Maureen Hudspith has hosted Pink Ribbon breakfasts at her home, but this year she and her sisters - Beth Kerr, Christine Sheffield and Janet Vujcich, plus sister-in-law Lila Guerin - decided to go one bigger and better.
IN THE PINK: Onesie-wearers Jean Dunn and daughter-in-law Catherine Dunn won the best-dressed prize at a Pink Ribbon Breakfast in Kerikeri. PHOTO / SUPPLIED
When the bowling club offered its rooms the sisters invited all their friends, with 51 ladies showing up on the day. The best-dressed prize went to Jean Dunn and daughter-in-law Catherine Dunn, who were resplendent in pink print onesies.
An anonymous donation covered the cost of the food, which meant 100 per cent of the proceeds went to the cause. Local businesses donated items for the raffle.
Bay Beach Clean
A volunteer group dedicated to cleaning up Bay of Islands beaches meets every second Sunday with the next clean-up scheduled for June 7. They don't want donations, they just want you to lend a hand as often or as seldom as you like. Go to www.baybeachclean.org.nz for more information.
Biographer/historian Jennifer Ashton will give a talk on her new book, At the Margin of Empire, at Village Arts in Kohukohu, North Hokianga, from 2pm on June 13.
Dr Ashton's book follows the exploits of pioneer John Webster in the Hokianga, using his life to explore the wider changes in the relationship between Maori and Pakeha between 1842 and 1900.
RSVP to by emailing gallery@villagearts.co.nz or calling (09) 405 5827. Refreshments will be available afterwards at the Koke Cafe.
Heroes converge on Karetu
St John is holding a "hero day" at Karetu Marae, east of Kawakawa, from 9am today. Children from Motatau, Karetu and Waikare schools have been invited to learn about the emergency services - St John, police and fire - with the aim of giving the kids new skills and convincing them emergency service workers aren't anything to be scared of.
The kids will be split up by age with the youngest learning, among other things, when and how to call for help, how to cross the road safely or why playing with matches is a bad idea, while the oldest will find out about dressing wounds and the dangers of alcohol and drugs. The kids have been invited to dress as their favourite heroes.
Paihia Kids Music Club is held every Friday (except school and public holidays) from 10-11.30am at the Uniting Parish on 35 Kings Rd. It's a chance for parents to interact musically with their children and watch them interact with others. Bring a small plate and $2 koha per family.
