Aroha island manager Hayden Hokianga, trustee Yvonne Sharp, island manager Laura Richie, student Ella Birch, artist Darina Cincurova and trustee Kerry Walshe.
Aroha island manager Hayden Hokianga, trustee Yvonne Sharp, island manager Laura Richie, student Ella Birch, artist Darina Cincurova and trustee Kerry Walshe.
A weekly round-up of news snippets, events and oddities from the Bay of Islands and around the Mid North
Another kiwi has moved into Aroha Island, a nature sanctuary in Kerikeri Inlet.
This kiwi, however, is not the feathered variety, but a donation box sculpture created by students at Springbank School as part of an enterprise project.
The Year 9 students hope an eye-catching donation box will boost visitor donations, helping Aroha Island Eco Centre reach its goal of setting up an advocacy and preservation centre for North Island brown kiwi.
The sculpture was made by 14-year-olds Ella Birch, of Russell, and Jasmine Singh, of Kawakawa, with help from Czech-born Russell artist Darina Cincurova and boatbuilder Brett Avery.
They raised the money needed by running the bouncy castle at Springbank School's market day last August and collecting donations from Russell residents.
The artwork was handed over at Aroha Island last week at a ceremony attended by the Birch family, Aroha Island managers Hayden Hokianga and Laura Richie, trustees Yvonne Sharp and Kerry Walshe, and Springbank School representatives.
Teacher Michelle Chapman said enterprise projects not only helped local charity organisations but also allowed students develop a range of life-long skills including communication, perseverance, team work, leadership, creativity, meeting deadlines and self-responsibility.
Aroha Island Eco Centre is open from 9.30am-5.30pm daily at 177 Rangitane Rd, Kerikeri.
Russell's infamous past as the Hellhole of the Pacific is coming back to life this weekend as locals dress as women of ill repute, missionaries, a misbehaving mayor, the participants in New Zealand's first duel, gamblers and various other (mostly unsavoury) characters who lived in what was then known as Kororareka.
Strumpets Lorraine Mecca, left, and Robin Blomfield accompany Governor Hobson (community board chair Terry Greening) and Rev Pious (Brian Waller) down Russell Wharf in a previous Hellhole.
Visitors will be able to take part in a tart contest (to create the most delectable dessert, not what you're thinking) or enjoy a specialty grog between performances, but should beware of finable offences such as spitting in public or undue loitering.
Skits will take place at various locations around central Russell on January 24-25 and again on February 7-8.
The Hellhole actors are all local residents. The event started in 2011 in a bid to inject more life into Russell by recreating the whaling era of 1830-47.
Sailing week returns
Bay of Islands Sailing Week is on again with more than 80 boats (well up on last year) registered for three days of racing in ten divisions.
Among the new races this year will be the South Pacific Annual 52 Championship Trophy, held on general handicap, while the multihull division will return after a few years' absence.
The event, which runs from January 21-13, will include the 2015 Tornado national championship and the spectacle of super yachts competing in the NZ Millennium Cup.
Tonight's band at race headquarters on Opua wharf is Soulshine from Doubtless Bay while tomorrow and Friday Ohaeawai's Johnny Pedro and JPG will entertain.
An eye-catching exhibition of concrete breasts, cast from latex moulds made from the real thing, is running until the end of the month at the Boatshed Cafe in Rawene.
Called Busted at the Boatshed, the show is a breast cancer fundraiser organised by Kaikohe artist Jill Reilly. Every pair is decorated in a different way.
Next month's exhibition is woodcut prints by Hokianga artist Alan Gale, who is also known for his wearable art.
The newly founded Kerikeri Ukulele Club is looking for members ranging from beginners to virtuosos.
The club plans a monthly practice session/social at the Bay of Islands Golf Club with musicians Marketa Umbers and John Drake as musical directors. Non-players and supporters welcome.
A small fee per get-together will cover the cost of snacks and other expenses. Email Bob Wolff at bobwolff@xtra.co.nz for more information.
Fishos compete for $35k
Doubtless Bay's annual fishing contest is returning this Anniversary Weekend with a prize pool of $35,000 for the closest to average weight snapper, kingfish and crayfish.
The weigh-in and prizegiving will be held at Mangonui Fire Station, with fish auctions at 4pm on both days of the contest, January 24 and 25. Registration is $60 or $10 for juniors (13 and under).
All proceeds go to community projects. See farnorthitm.co.nz for more information.
Holiday fun continues
A free school holiday programme is into its last few days in Paihia and Waitangi. Tomorrow and Friday singer Emma Paki is taking a two-day workshop on Te Tii Marae's field for kids keen to learn how to make a music video (11am-12pm for kids 5 and under; 12.30-3.30pm for age 6 and up); while Saturday sees Pahia's Village Green taken over from 11am-4pm for an all-ages messy art day.
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