Kelly Wilson, of Keeping up with the Kaimanawas fame, is one of the guests at this weekend's Storylines Festival in Kerikeri. PHOTO / Michael Cunningham
Kelly Wilson, of Keeping up with the Kaimanawas fame, is one of the guests at this weekend's Storylines Festival in Kerikeri. PHOTO / Michael Cunningham
A weekly round-up of news snippets, events and oddities from the Bay of Islands and around the Mid North
Storylines returns to Kerikeri
A celebration of children's literature is returning to Kerikeri this Saturday with a plethora of activities, authors and illustrators to share the joy of reading with Bay of Islands kids.
The Storylines Family Day will run from 10am to 2pm in the Turner Centre Plaza, offering a chance to meet (and get creative with) well-known authors and illustrators, as well as games, live performances, and lots of books.
Authors taking part include Tessa Duder, Stacy Gregg (of Pony Club Secrets fame), Kelly Wilson (from the TV series Keeping up with the Kaimanawas), Di Menefy and Janine McVeagh.
Alice Calnan from Kerikeri had her face painted at the last Storylines Festival in Kerikeri.
Storyteller Michael Joyce will bring his tales to life while Waikarere Gergory will tell Maori creation stories in English and te reo.
Activities will include illustration and short story competitions, mural painting, book making, design your own league jersey or wrestler's mask, a book quiz, face painting and quick-draw cartoons.
Kids can dress as their favourite book character, sporting hero or pirate, or even in their PJs. Entry is free but donations welcome.
The festival is organised by the Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust to promote reading and literature for children, to ensure kids have access to quality literature, and to support children's writers and illustrators.
It is held in a different Northland town each year. It was last in Kerikeri in 2011.
New op shop in town
Local charity Finkk (Families in Need of Kindness Kerikeri) has opened an op shop just off Mill Lane in Kerikeri's industrial area.
Selling a range of clothing, furniture, books, plants and knick-knacks, its current hours are 10am-4pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9am-1pm on Saturdays. It will open six days a week in the near future.
Monika Welch, hiding behind an art print, and Christine Atkinson in the new Finkk (Families in Need of Kindness Kerikeri) op shop on Norfolk Place.
Its aims are to provide low-cost goods to the public while raising money for Finkk, which helps needy families from Kaeo to Moerewa.
It can be found at 8 Norfolk Place in an industrial unit which had been used for storage and garage sales. Owner Christine Atkinson, a Finkk supporter, has made the space available without charge.
Her vision is to eventually turn the op shop into a space where people can drop in to have a coffee, knit, work on crafts, get a cheap haircut, or buy low-cost, quality food. It opened on August 20.
Finkk was established by artist Monika Welch two years ago. Since then it has come to the rescue of a needy family every week, helping them into homes and jobs or providing emergency food, furniture, bedding, school uniforms and connections to the right social services.
Families are referred by Winz and other agencies, or find her directly via Facebook.
Hundreds of budding young scientists will show off their discoveries in the Top Energy Far North Regional Science and Technology Fair this week.
The event, at the Turner Centre Plaza in Kerikeri, brings together the district's 140 best science projects by Year 7-13 students.
Young scholars taking part in this week's science fair at the Turner Centre include Trowyn Frost, left, and Rico Botma, who investigated the ideal air-water ratio for a submarine.
Judging is due to take place today followed by an open day from 9.30am-1.30pm tomorrow. The winners will be announced at 5pm on Friday.
The top students can win places on Realise the Dream, a prestigious, week-long science road trip calling in at research institutes around the North Island.
This year's entries include projects examining the effects of earthquakes, comparing biofuels made from grain, bananas, lemons and potatoes, finding the perfect tee height in golf, and comparing the strength of various types of flax.
Okaihau Volunteer Fire Brigade is holding a golf tournament next month to raise money for a thermal imaging camera.
The Ambrose-style event is open to teams of four at Okaihau Golf Course on September 19 with a 10am shotgun start.
Tickets cost $25 and include a hot meal, a large prize table, novelty prizes and a lucky draw.
The emphasis will be on having fun; competitors don't have to be great at golf to win a prize.
To enter call Jack Winwood on (09) 401 9338 or email karen.mudgway@fire.org.nz.
Thermal imaging cameras are used to detect hotspots where a fire might look like it has been put out but is in fact ready to flare up again the moment the brigade goes home.
The last of a month-long series of film and literature sessions is being held at Kings Theatre Creative, in Kawakawa's historic move theatre, this Sunday.
The 1-4pm even features Toby Mills (of Tawaerea Productions) and Karen Sidney (Channel North) sharing a selection of short films and documentaries, as well as their experiences and inspiration.
Quartet in Kerikeri
The New Zealand String Quartet will perform in Kerikeri next week as part of a nationwide concert tour called Russian Icons.
The show will incorporate the works of 19th century composers Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Borodin alongside icons of the 20th century, Stravinsky and Shostakovich.
En route to Kerikeri the quartet will give a free workshop to young string players in Sistema Whangarei-Toi Akorangi.
The concert is on Thursday, September 3, in the Turner Centre. Door open at 7.30. Tickets from the venue.
Ballet sells out
If you haven't yet got a ticket to Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky's classic tale of good versus evil as performed by the Russian National Ballet, you are alas too late. The September 2 show at the Turner Centre sold out several weeks ago.
Epilepsy seminar
The Epilepsy Association is holding a seminar on Wednesday, September 2, from 10am to noon at the St John Ambulance Station in Kerikeri.
The seminar will cover the causes of epilepsy, seizure types, first aid, seizure triggers, medication and life style issues. Call (09) 438 5498 or 027 291 6869 for more information.
Trading places
Paihia restaurant 35 Degrees South is holding a "swap-over night" on Tuesday, September 8, to raise money for the Waitangi Mountain Bike Park. The event will see kitchen staff trade places with the front of house staff for the night.
Tickets cost $60 and include a choice of entree, main and dessert, plus a welcome drink. Tickets are available at the restaurant or by emailing catherine@35south.co.nz.
Possum poison training
Mid Northerners, including senior secondary students, are being offered free possum poison training early next month as part of Project Possum.
About 350 mainly young Northlanders have so far gained hands-on knowledge of possum trapping, fur and pelt recovery over the past five years via Project Possum. The programme is run under the Enviroschools banner, supported by Northland Regional Council biosecurity staff and training consultant Geoff Allinson.
Three years ago the project was extended to include separate Controlled Substance Licence (CSL) training for people aged 17-plus, subject to a police check.
The council is seeking registrations for three day-long CSL courses at Trefoil Park near Kaikohe.
The first, on September 1, is aimed at students seeking a CSL for cyanide only. The second and third courses, on September 3 and 4, will be offered to adults and encompass training for several toxins.
Contact Susan Karels at the NRC on (0800) 002 004 or email susank@nrc.govt.nz.
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.
