One of the carved pou standing sentinel on Ōpononi Beach. Photo / Denis Orme
Ōpononi schools recently collaborated in “planting” several carved pou to rejuvenate the Freeze Park playground and foreshore area.
The purpose behind each of the tamariki planting the pou was to give back to Papatūānuku.
Sheena Ross, kaikōrero of the Ngāti KoroKoro Hāpu trust, thanked the Far North District Council and Far North Holdings in making it happen for all of the kura, and tamariki of the area.
“The morning started out with a little bit of drizzle, a beautiful karakia and waiata opening was held with around 80 tamariki and supporters from Te Kura Takiwa Ōpononi, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hokianga, Rāwene School, Te Kura a Iwi Ōmanaia, Te Kura o Waimā, Ōmāpere Volunteer Fire Brigade, local and hapū representatives who all took part to plant over 1400 shrubs to finish the beautiful land scaping in and around the park area.
“Four beautiful taonga [pou] were carved by tane in whakairo at Northland Region Corrections Facility and were gifted to each school as a recognition of the tamariki who helped on this special mahi.
“The taonga stand proudly overlooking the playground and each have significant meanings and what they signify to these tamariki and kura.
“As each pou were unveiled a kōrero from Boyd Davis was given of each meaning, Rosina Wikaira gave the kōrero of Te Kura Takiwa Ōpononi, and the tamariki would unveil their taonga.
“This was a unique experience and was an opportunity for all the tamariki and supporters to gather and be involved on such a beautiful occasion.
“The day ended to be a warm sunny afternoon with a kai (food), laughter and karakia shared amongst our whānau and hapū from all over our community.”
Waimā School’s pou was acknowledged on October 31 after a carving delay due to a fault with a “slab”.
To celebrate 60 years of vocal harmonies, the Bay of Islands Singers are putting on a concert described as “all sorts”.
It all began in 1964 with a choral group performing Christmas and Easter concerts in Kaikohe. Later it became a year-round community choir based at Waimate North.
In 1981 the choir became incorporated as the Waimate North Music Society and in 1991 moved its base to Kerikeri and took on the name The Bay of Islands Singers. Its current director, John Jackets, was appointed in 2009.
The group is known for its professionalism over a wide variety of musical genres.
Most of the three performances a year are accompanied by musical ensembles and often feature talented young and established soloists.
The final concert of the year is on November 24 and it reflects the wide range of musical styles the choir has performed over the years.
It includes the orchestral sonorities of Brahms’ Nänie to the delicate simplicity of Gjeilo’s The Rose with piano and string quartet. From Broadway comes Gilbert and Sullivan (featuring a Mikado medley) and popular songs of World War I to Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, which was a Victorian favourite.
Half of the 27-strong orchestra come from Whangarei or Kerikeri, which reflects the increasing strength of the local musical scene.
Sunday November 24, 2.30pm at the Turner Centre. Tickets from iTicket or the Turner Centre. $40 and $15 for 18 and under - free for Community Services Card holders
Roland’s Wood, just a few kilometres from Kerikeri’s centre, is a year-long paradise for dogs and their walkers. It was bequeathed by local man, the late Roland Sansom, to the people and dogs of Kerikeri in 2001.
It’s a little piece of England, complete with English beech trees but with a Northland twist. Originally it was four hectares but more land acquired in 2020 from Sansom’s sister Lavendar doubled the area.
Dogs are allowed off-lead and they make the most of it, roaming freely across the expansive, securely fenced area with a series of tracks criss-crossing the lot.
The English woodland on Kerikeri Inlet Road is well-known for its bluebells and daffodils which flower in September but it has been planted with all types of flowering trees and shrubs so there is something for everyone. The grassy paths wind through groves of oaks, elms, and other deciduous trees – it’s a serene spot for a leisurely stroll.
The Friends of Rolands Wood Charitable Trust, the organisation that administers the woods, recently held a fundraising barbeque and raffle to help keep the Trust afloat.
They approached Lily Hagen, a Year 13 student from Kerikeri High School, to design a large sign that shows the tracks within the woods. Sue Richards, the secretary of the trust, said she did an outstanding job.
“The design ... is a little like a London Tube map and we’re hoping her work with us will help her on her journey to an amazing design career.”
On the first Sunday in November, they were joined for the barbeque by about 140 people and their kids and 60 or so dogs of all shapes and sizes who, when not racing unfettered through the woods, were scoping out the sausages.
There’s a new art gallery in town. Called simply The Gallery, it opened in Cass Street, Russell, with a collection of Shane Cotton’s paintings.
Cotton is established at the forefront of a renaissance of Māori art and his career now spans over three decades.
He was born in 1964 in Upper Hutt and his iwi affiliations are Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Rangai, Ngāti Hine and Te Uri Taniwha.
In 2008 he received a Laureate Award from the New Zealand Arts Foundation and in 2012 was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the visual arts.
He draws on both European and Māori historical sources for his art and studies complex issues of colonisation, bicultural exchange and identity. His work frequently makes reference to Māori folk art.
He has an extensive international exhibition history and his works are held in major public collections in New Zealand and Australia.
It’s hardly surprising his work is the first to feature at The Gallery. His daughter, Mika, is running the enterprise. She is studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and is hoping to expand her own practice.
The venue will showcase a number of artists from Russell and other parts of New Zealand.
“Our goal is to host new exhibitions roughly every four weeks with each exhibition featuring different artists,” she says.
When she’s away studying, her parents and her sister will help to run The Gallery.
They whakapapa to Ngāwhā, she and her sister have spent time at the marae and her parents have lived in Russell for five years.
“The location is both inspiring and meaningful to us with a strong supportive community, so we felt it was the perfect place to create a gallery.”
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