Notices
Waikawa News has ceased updates. The archive of posts is still available.
Pedestrian access onto Waikawa Beach as at May 2024
Recently updated the Big List of Birds, now with 63 birds. Have you managed to see them all?
Recycling: collected every 2 weeks.
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Step outside on any dark clear night then look up and south. You should be able to see the Clouds of Magellan, two galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. Magellanic Clouds. Photo by European Southern Observatory (ESO). These and all the other stars we can see from Waikawa Beach are a treasure not available to many people on this planet. For a start, the Clouds of Magellan are only visible from the southern hemisphere. -
Sea Spurge
Toxic pest plant, Sea Spurge. Do NOT touch. In 2021 a dangerous plant called Sea Spurge was found at Waikawa Beach in the dunes north of the river. It has established in an area 10 metres by 10 metres. Do not touch this plant as it is toxic. Sea Spurge closeup. Horizons Regional Council says: Sea spurge is a pest plant we have recently found in the dunes at Waikawa Beach. -
Sand scarab larva
Seen those funny little narrow double tracks on the beach? It's a Sand scarab beetle larva: Pericoptus truncatus is the largest of the New Zealand native scarab beetles. … The larvae, pupae and adults are common amongst the roots of marram grass and under or within driftwood. -
Ngutuparore | Wrybill spotted 06 March 2023
As usual, I thought I was watching Dotterels. But as I took photo after photo I came to realise the three birds were in fact Ngutuparore | Wrybill. That curved beak is so distinctive, and they’re more grey and less brown on top. I think there were 2 adults and a young one. They were fearless. I sat on the sand and they busied themselves nearby looking for food. -
Ferret
Ferret in a cage. Photo by Tom Renais, a visitor to Waikawa Beach, and used with permission. Fluffy, and kept as pets by some folks in other countries, the Ferret is a pest animal in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ferrets are small predators and are members of the mustelid family, along with stoats, weasels, badgers, mink and otters. Stoats, weasels and ferrets, the only mustelids present in New Zealand, pose a serious threat to our threatened wildlife. -
Road resealing near 178 Waikawa Beach Road
Workers on 01 March 2023 were resealing both sides of the road for a few dozen metres in the vicinity of Numbers 178 and 180 Waikawa Beach Road. That's a little bit west of the Blueberry Farm. -
For sale: 7 James Street
For sale: 7 James Street. Enquiries over $545,000. 1 Bed, 1 Bath, 50m² Floor, 822m² Land. -
A terrible state of confusion, in 1855
On 23 January 1855 at about a quarter past nine in the evening a massive earthquake around magnitude 8.2 on the Richter scale struck the Wellington region. It wrecked many buildings, raised the seabed by about 1.5 metres, and lifted up a huge area of land. Thomas Bevan talks about the 1855 earthquake. The full force was also felt in the Wairarapa and Manawatu, as this report from Waikawa Beach reveals — The day the earth shifted | New Zealand Geographic says: Thomas Bevan, owner of an accommodation house at Waikawa, was seated by a large double-brick chimney with a child on his knee. -
If the Hikurangi fault ruptures we could be in trouble
In Could Waikawa Beach flood disastrously? I wrote about the possibility of Waikawa Beach suffering a flood and how and whether we should plan for such a possibility. This article from The Spinoff published 27 February 2023 talks about models for a magnitude 9 earthquake on the Hikurangi subduction zone just off the east coast of the North Island. It is a very interesting read, but one point in particular caught my attention — For safe places to live, look to the land: Wetlands or estuaries that have been drained will liquefy in earthquakes because they were made from wet mud. -
Could Waikawa Beach flood disastrously?
What would we do?
Summary
The worst could happen at Waikawa Beach — we could be flooded and isolated. Here’s why that’s now an actual possibility, even if, with any luck, remote, and some questions that arise.
What can you contribute in response to this article?
Intro
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Cuppa with a Councillor
Next date: Thursday, March 09, 2023 | 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM Join us for a cuppa and a chat about local topics that matter to you. We’ll be boiling the kettle for anyone who wants to come along and discuss Council-related topics that are important to them. Come along to Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom or Shannon Library from 10.30am - 12.30pm on the second Thursday of each month. -
Community Grants and Funding applications close 12 March 2023
Do you need funding for your community organisation or a programme, project or event that will benefit and enrich the lives of our community? If you’re a Horowhenua-based not-for-profit or voluntary organisation, get your application in before midnight on Sunday 12 March 2023. The following grants are open: Creative Communities Scheme: Got an exciting idea for an art project to take place in the Horowhenua? Both individuals and organisations can apply. -
How might slower and wetter storms affect Waikawa Beach?
Originally published on the now defunct Love Waikawa Beach website, 07 June 2018. The globe’s hurricanes have seen a striking slowdown in their speed of movement across landscapes and seascapes over the past 65 years, a finding that suggests rising rainfall and storm-surge risks … Slower-moving storms will rain more over a given area, batter that area longer with their winds and pile up more water ahead of them as they approach shorelines, said Jim Kossin, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the study’s author. -
Bike stands update, February 2023
The HDC gave us bike stands by the footbridge in June 2022. They’ve been well-used over the summer. However, the Roading Manager at the time promised road markings to make it clear to cars where not to park by the bike stands, and also further stands on Reay Mackay Grove and Manga Pirau Street. Time has gone by, so I recently followed up, and received this response from the HDC Enquiries desk: -
Don't gather kai moana after storms
A reminder from Ministry for Primary Industries: Collecting kai moana Avoid collecting live seafood from the ocean straight after any large-storm events due to the increased risk of contamination from stormwater runoff or overflows from sewerage systems. Do not gather any dead fish or shellfish that have washed up on beaches, no matter how fresh they may look, as they can contain harmful bacteria. See also Food safety in the home. -
A big shake on 15 February 2023
Waikawa Beach was very lucky indeed this month as while others suffered extreme hardship with Cyclone Gabrielle we got off with an unremarkable rainy, windy day. On 15 February 2023 though Nature decided to remind us not to be too complacent with a good M6 earthquake. At one point it was ranked as a 6.3, but it seems to have settled at 6.0. The quake began with an enormous cracking sound, followed moments later by such strong shaking I got out of our house and friends nearby headed for a sturdy doorway in their place. -
Like to join us to look at stars in late March 2023?
Who here enjoys looking up at the stars occasionally? Thinking of organising a little casual stargazing hour for maybe around Friday 24 or Saturday 25 March (just after equinox). Probably around 8.30 pm when it’s actually dark. Naked eye or binoculars. Anyone interested? Email admin@wow-waikawa.nz if you want to make sure to be updated on date, time and where to meet. -
HRC want to know where the freshwater mussels are
Horizons Regional Council are trying to find where freshwater mussels live. Let them know if you've found them in the Waikawa River or other spots around here. Help wanted in the hunt for hidden kākahi: Horizons Regional Council is on the hunt for kākahi and wants help finding where the important freshwater species lives. Horizons checks sites across the region each summer for kākahi (freshwater mussels), looking at a mixture of known habitats and places where kākahi may live. -
The Strathnaver Bittern
Matuku-hūrepo | Australasian bittern are severely threatened, facing an immediate high risk of extinction, and yet today [30 January 2023] one was strolling around in the vicinity of 171 Strathnaver Drive, a breeding area. These birds stay hidden so it was a real treat to actually see it. 🐦 Update, 07 February 2023, I've recently been informed that an expert on Bitterns visited this area and said the foliage in this spot isn't right for it to be a breeding area. -
HDC have sought expressions of interest for a new beach access
Update: after some reflection I suspect the expressions of interest were to hire someone to run consultation meetings. Horowhenua District Council are having an ordinary Meeting on 01 February 2023. Interesting to note these two report items in the agenda at Minutes & Agendas - Horowhenua District Council (emphasis mine): Page 166: “Council Actions Monitoring Report 2023 as at 25 January 2023 — ”Reference: 21/502 Resolution/Action: That the Chief Executive provide a full report on all options in respect of vehicular beach access at Waikawa Beach. -
New water safety signs installed
I noticed today two similar but different water safety signs Horizons Regional Council have put up. One at the footbridge has advice about swimming in estuaries. The other was by the south track to the beach off Reay Mackay Grove and has advice about swimming in the sea. Signs include a warning about bacteria — seldom a problem at our beach, but an ongoing problem in the river. There are warnings about currents, driftwood and keeping children within arm’s length, and also the advice to not swim within 72 hours of heavy or prolonged rainfall. -
Strathnaver Drive street sign replaced
A recent visitor drew my attention to the broken street sign at the intersection of Sarah Street and Strathnaver Drive. I reported it to Horowhenua District Council and the sign has now been replaced. Unfortunately a rather large tree on the berm obscures the sign until you’re on top of it… -
Balanced beaches: birds, babies, bikes, boats
Our community is in for a big discussion soon about vehicle access to Waikawa Beach. The article below is longer than usual but covers quite a bit: what the law says, what different Councils allow, some of the concerns. The article is intended to bring together factual and useful information to enable a helpful discussion. Also take a look at the now frequently updated post Articles about vehicles causing problems on beaches. -
Toilet block closed for repair, 24 January 2023
Update, Wednesday 25 January 2023: the toilet block has been reopened. Unfortunately sometime overnight thieves broke into the toilet block at Hank Edwards Reserve, stole crucial plumbing items and damaged the main power supply. This means the toilets cannot be used until repairs have been made. Cleaners discovered the problem on the morning of 24 January 2023 and alerted Horowhenua District Council. The toilets are locked overnight and the damage was done in an area not accessible to the general public, whether the toilets are locked or not. -
Articles about vehicles causing problems on beaches
These news articles below have recently come to my attention. Three of them were published in the last few weeks. We may have had a problem here at Waikawa Beach when in January 2023 two lads in a dune buggy type vehicle were harassing a Pied Stilt and its chicks. The boys apologised and promised not to do it again, but the Stilts disappeared soon after. One local reported to me privately a few days ago that:
