The Bay of Islands Yacht Club is holding a "Foiling Week" in the bay from Thursday, March 2 to Sunday, March 7.
Foiling in the Bay
The Bay of Islands Yacht Club is holding a “Foiling Week” in the bay from Thursday, March 2 to Sunday, March 7. Calling it a week is generous, since the sailing actually lasts for four days.
It’s open to all sailors who have foils on their craft. The organisers would probably balk at a Team New Zealand boat turning up, even if they do have foils, since the event is primarily for windsurfers.
They are sticklers for safety. Helmets must be worn at all times while afloat. During long-distance races, each sailor could be asked to carry a signalling or tracking device, or at least a cellphone application. Presumably, the sailor would have to carry the phone as well, in a pocket of their wetsuit.
The entry fee is $180 for four days, or $150 for three days.
There are four days of racing around buoys, including the “famous” Island Race, which culminates with a supplied picnic lunch and a snack back at the clubhouse afterwards.
Then there’s the Friday night club barbecue and the “fabulous” Saturday feast.
It’s the fifth running of the event, and everyone who enters gets a T-shirt.
Kōrero on a name change
In late January, a series of public meetings were held at Haratu Marae in Russell to discuss the potential restoration of the town’s name to Kororāreka. Around 120 people attended the three meetings.
One man asked if a translation could be given for all Māori spoken, since neither he nor his wife were conversant in te reo Māori. One trustee of the Marae Committee said he wasn’t Māori, but he nonetheless gave his introduction in te reo Māori before translating it into English.
There were a variety of opinions expressed, but a slim majority seemed to favour reverting to Kororāreka and leaving out Russell altogether. However, one man said he didn’t want 183 years of history ignored, and the name should be double-barrelled as Kororāreka-Russell.
The Geographic Board of New Zealand has listed as its first option restoring the Kororāreka name, but makes it clear that submissions are open. That includes suggesting the other two options - keeping the name as Russell or using the dual name Russell-Kororāreka.
There were those who thought that ratepayers should vote on the issue. It was noted that around 70 per cent of the houses in Russell were holiday homes owned by “swallows” who come back from overseas for the New Zealand summer. It was further pointed out there are some who rent in Russell who would not get a vote, but have a vested interest nonetheless.
One woman suggested children be included in the discussion, since any name change would affect their future, while another wondered who would pay to change the name on brochures, fliers, shop literature and town signs.
One man went off-topic, saying his land was confiscated by colonisers.
One potentially persuasive point made was that 29 towns or cities around the world are called Russell, but there is only one Kororāreka.
Submissions to the Geographic Board on the name change can be made until April 18 at linz.govt.nz or by emailing nzgbsubmissions@linz.govt.nz.
Reflections on Waitangi Day 2023
Under so-called normal circumstances, the people of Russell would have to drive to Waitangi to celebrate the national day.
This year, Northland Ferries offered the Fast Ferry to Waitangi Wharf direct. The Happy Ferry was also in service to Waitangi Wharf, and was called into Paihia as well.
Both ferries were heavily patronised and saved numerous people from having to go by road, which is invariably nose-to-tail through Paihia.
The crowd for the 10am church service at the Treaty House, Te Whare Rūnunga, was not nearly as large as in more recent years despite the proliferation of speakers, which included representatives of all denominations, and the fact the Hātea choral group from Whangarei sang all four articles of the Treaty, in what was called “a unique occasion”. The four articles of the Treaty were also read aloud.
HMNZS Te Mana, the naval ship that delivered the 21-gun salute, was anchored in the bay offshore from the flagstaff, waiting for the noon start time to fire her guns. An SUV with i-Heart radio signage was positioned on the reserve near the flagstaff, sufficient to block the view of the ship for at least a quarter of the audience.
As if to compensate for that, and in a first, a large wide screen was positioned in a tree near Te Whare Rūnunga in the Upper Treaty grounds, from where HMNZS Te Mana could be seen firing. Earlier in the day, it had shown the fleet of waka displaying off Tii Beach.
The Hātea Kapa Haka group performed for around 15 minutes before the 21-gun salute, and the crowd began to form around them, a sizeable proportion of which had walked from the Lower Treaty Ground.
The Royal New Zealand Navy Guard marched onto the flagstaff grounds with the RNZN brass band as the crowd grew larger. The band was a pared-down version of the naval band that had performed in previous years.
Most of the crowd stayed on, possibly for the various shows on the main stage, which included performances by Mohi, Melodownz, Paige, Troy Kingi and The Promises and Don McGlashan and The Others.
On the Lower Treaty Ground, dozens of stalls were selling everything from pork buns, hot dogs, kawakawa balm and frozen icecream, blueberry icecream and various kete, while opposite the main entrance, there were a number of stalls and a variety of bouncy structures for children.
Another Waitangi Day had come to pass.
Youth theatre classes in Kerikeri
The Kerikeri Theatre Company is running youth theatre classes for Term One which are now open for enrolment.
Classes are designed to provide an opportunity for young people aged between seven and 18 to develop their acting skills and explore their creativity.
They will work towards a mid-year performance. The show they will perform is an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The show will be Kerikeri Theatre Company’s first youth-only show since the start of the pandemic.
The class tutor is Kylie Penn, who will help students hone their performance skills and grow their acting abilities through a variety of theatre games, script work and rehearsals.
Classes will be held every Monday of Term One, starting Monday, February 13.
Time (for ages seven to 10): 3.30pm to 4.30pm.
Time (for ages 11-plus): 4.45pm to 6.00pm.
Both classes will be held at the Black Box Theatre, 17 Sammaree Place, Kerikeri. The cost is $120 per term per student, plus a $15 annual membership fee. To find out more, visit: kerikeritheatrecompany.co.nz.
The House was suspended briefly after the haka disrupted voting.