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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A roughly 2 metre drop as at 21 October 2023. Note: the telephoto lens makes things look closer together — the chain and cones are further away than they seem. Published on 24 October 2023: Waikawa Newsletter October 2023. The monthly newsletter is based on posts I’ve written during the month, with added sprinkles. If you’d like to automatically receive posts by email as they are published subscribe. If you know of Waikawa Beach things that would interest others or if you have comments on this newsletter or the websites please let me know at kiaora@waikawanews. -
HDC Rates Remission Policy — give your feedback
Horowhenua District Council are looking for feedback on their proposed Rates Remission & Postponement Policy. If you have trouble paying your Rates then this policy will affect you. Visit letskorero.horowhenua.govt.nz/RRPP to learn more and make a submission. Abbreviated info below. Consultation opened on Monday 20 October 2023 and closes at 5pm on 20 November 2023. Submissions will be heard on 29 November and Council will prepare to adopt the final Rates Remission & Postponement Policy on 13 December 2023. -
Delays soon at the Waikawa Beach Road intersection with SH1
I received an email today from the Ō2NL Project Team, O2NL@nzta.govt.nz about works to begin Wednesday 25 October at the intersection of Waikawa Beach Road and SH1. Downer will soon extend the side barrier between the Manakau Store and Waikawa Beach Road and install a footpath behind the side barrier which will extend to the store. They will also install a new concrete island in the northbound shoulder and widen the road north of Waikawa Beach Road, in preparation for the median barriers that will be installed at a later date. -
Legal and illegal vehicle access to Waikawa Beach
Tire marks from a quad on the north track off Reay Mackay Grove where motor vehicles are forbidden by law. Wednesday 18 October 2023. A report in the NZ Herald on 18 October 2023 about vehicle access at Waikawa Beach: Horowhenua District Council considers Waikawa Beach vehicle access options: For more than 50 years, through the goodwill of a private landowner, the sole public entrance to the beach is at the end of Manga Pirau St. -
Have your say on HDC Long Term Plan
Early engagement for the Horowhenua District Council's Long Term Plan 2024-2044 (LTP) is now officially open … This is the community's opportunity to actively mould our district's future and influence Council's focus and budget for the next two decades before we draft the next Long Term Plan. Now is your chance to help influence the LTP early in the process, before the Plan has been drafted. In this way, we can ensure the community's voice helps shape the LTP from the beginning and determine the key issues we ask you about during formal community consultation. -
Wrybills vs Dotterels
One wonderful feature of spring is that the birds start coming back. on Tuesday 17 October 2023 I saw a dozen Ngutuparore | Wrybills. Back on 30 September 2023 I spotted Pohowera | Banded dotterels at the edge of the estuary. See The birds are returning to the shore. These birds are confusing though: Banded Dotterel, Tūturiwhatu | New Zealand dotterel and Wrybill. We get them all, and they're all similar: small birds that dash about feeding in the sand. -
New power pole on Monday 16 October 2023
There was a slight traffic delay on Monday 16 October 2023 as Electra replaced a power pole on Waikawa Beach Road near the start of the village. If you experienced a power cut, that would be the reason. -
Tim Costley for National will be the new MP for Ōtaki
In the election on Saturday 14 October 2023 the results on the night show that Tim Costley for National will be the new MP for Ōtaki. Check official results at Ōtaki Electorate Status. Preliminary results give Tim Costley (National) 19,546 votes. Terisa Ngobi (Labour) gained 13,795 votes. With a margin of 5,751 votes the candidate is unlikely to change with the final result. Party results also gave National a clear lead — 14,416, with Labour at 11,811. -
Waikawa Beach median house value $677,050 in October 2023
According to Mapping the Market | CoreLogic New Zealand, the current median house value at Waikawa Beach in October 2023 is $677,050. That’s come down a bit since a high in March 2022. June 2023 : $707,350. March 2022 : $783,950 January 2022 : $756,350 See also: Median Waikawa Beach house value $707,350 in June 2023. -
Spinifex planting report and photos, October 2023
Marked up planting areas on a map. (ArcGIS Aerial at GPS Visualizer) Weather on the weekend of 07 and 08 October 2023 was a bit dicey which may have led to a lower turnout than usual. A huge thanks though to the 8 or 10 diligent locals and several Council workers who planted something like 4,000 plants (at $3 each) on the day.
I was out of town at the time, but can see a huge area (approx 12,000 square metres or 3+ acres) was covered and subsequently taped off. The northbound branch of the north track off Reay Mackay Grove has been extended by a good 50 metres.
I’ve gathered photos and text from Stephen Betts, a resident, and from Craig Kidd, Horowhenua District Council Parks and Property Officer | Āpiha Papa Rēhia, Rawa.
Above is a map I’ve finally been able to mark up. It shows where this year’s spinifex was planted and the area of driftwood where birds nest.
Note: lots of photos below. The page may be slow to load and use up to 5 MB of data.
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Vehicle access, next steps and a small correction
The digger arrived at dawn on 12 June 2019 to reshape the rock groyne. Correction At their recent meeting the Horowhenua District Council voted on options for public consultation about vehicle access to Waikawa Beach. See HDC will consult public on options for Miratana Track vehicle access and no access. There was a small but inconsequential error in that post, to do with Significance and Standing Orders and whether a motion is carried or lost. -
HDC will consult public on options for Miratana Track vehicle access and no access
In November 2021 a petition sparked Horowhenua District Council to set up an investigation into vehicle access to Waikawa Beach. See Petition for vehicle access to Waikawa Beach. Petitioners had specifically asked that the pedestrian walkway at 10 Reay Mackay Grove be turned into a vehicle access. At the HDC general meeting on Wednesday 11 October 2023 Councillors voted on options arising from that investigation. See Presentation on Waikawa Beach Vehicle Access, 06 September 2023 and HDC Beach Access vote on 11 October 2023. -
Spinifex planting postponed to Sunday 08 October 2023
Rows of newly-planted spinifex. I received the following info: The conditions are a bit more than mildly moist, so we are going to initially delay the planting until tomorrow 8/10/2023. To be reviewed same time tomorrow morning. See: Help us protect the beach 07 October 2023 — spinifex planting. -
Miratana Track update, 06 October 2023 — no thoroughfare
Last week’s big tides and big swells, along with gales, brought the usual erosion to the Miratana Track used by vehicles to access the beach. See also: Big tide and big swell on 29 September 2023. The track has been chained off with a locked padlock so vehicles can't get through. The raging tides scoured out sand from beneath and behind the sandbags and driftwood barrier at the bottom of the track, exposing buried driftwood and large rocks. -
Freedom Camping would be prohibited at Waikawa Beach under draft Bylaw
Horowhenua District Council has drafted a Freedom Camping Bylaw, as can be seen at Agenda of Council - Wednesday, 11 October 2023. This draft will go out for public consultation. This report is to provide a draft of the Freedom Camping Bylaw, and seek approval from Council to undertake a public consultation on this document, with the aim of reviewing all feedback provided in order to adopt this bylaw by 31 December 2023. -
Help us protect the beach 07 October 2023 — spinifex planting
Rows of newly-planted spinifex. Please help for an hour on Saturday 07 October 2023. Community volunteers are planting spinifex. Meet at 9 am near the north track off Reay Mackay Grove. Bring gloves. Craig Kidd from Horowhenua District Council will bring 3,500 spinifex plants for us to plant. Volunteers will be digging holes. All we have to do is take the plants from the root trainers and tuck them in. -
Second hand clothing sale 26 November 2023
Come along to the Second-hand Clothing Sale fundraiser for Wild Cats of Waikawa. Sunday 26 November 2023, 10 am - 2pm at Hank Edwards Reserve. Clothes, shoes and hats available and other accessories too! Bring $22 if you still don’t have the gorgeous book Wild Cats of Waikawa Beach. Copies will be available. The previous Wild Cats of Waikawa yard sale was very popular and raised funds important for dealing with Waikawa Beach’s feral and wild cat problem. -
Waikawa Beach Get Together 25 November 2023
Waikawa Beach Get Together on Saturday 25 November 2023 from 3pm to 5pm at Hank Edwards Reserve. BYO drinks, a small plate to share and a chair. Some drinks and food provided. All welcome, this is a casual event. 😀 -
HDC Beach Access vote on 11 October 2023
At 1 pm on 11 October 2023 Horowhenua District Council will start a meeting whose Agenda includes: 7 Waikawa Beach Vehicle Access. Councillors will be voting on whether or not to go out to the wider public for consultations on vehicle access to Waikawa Beach. This follows on from the Presentation on Waikawa Beach Vehicle Access, 06 September 2023. There’s a great deal of information in the Agenda. Following are some key points, extracted from the Agenda materials. -
For sale: 41 Walkers Lane
For sale: 41 Walkers Lane. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garages, 209 m² floor area, 2 garages, 1.55 Ha land area, RV $950,000. Deadline Sale closing Thursday, 26 October 2023, 2.00pm (unless sold prior). -
For sale: 24 Strathnaver Drive
For sale: 24 Strathnaver Drive. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 100 m² more or less floor area, 2 garages, 4637 m² land area, RV $980,000. Deadline Sale closing 11am, Thursday 26th October (unless sold prior). -
All Terrain Mobility Aids available for free hire
All terrain mobility aids. Photo from HDC web page. All Terrain Mobility Aids - Horowhenua District Council: Mobility aids are available free to hire to help people with disabilities explore hard to access areas in Horowhenua. The equipment, which was funded by a Lottery Community Grant, includes two Hippocampe all terrain beach wheelchairs, two Sandcruiser beach wheelchairs and two WheelEEZ® all terrain rollators. The all-terrain wheelchairs are suited to people of all ages, and are able to be used on surfaces which other wheelchairs can’t – sand, hiking trails, gravel, grass/turf, snow and cobblestones. -
Toxic Sea Spurge signs at Waikawa Beach
Signs have gone up at several of the Waikawa Beach entrances asking us to watch out for the dangerous and toxic invasive pest plant called sea spurge. (My emphasis below): Have you seen this weed on our coast? A serious threat to New Zealand's beaches Sea spurge is an unwanted organism. This introduced pest could damage our sand dunes and harm our coastal environments. It's likely to have arrived on ocean currents from Australia and may also be at other beaches in the area. -
The birds are returning to the shore
Seasonal birds are starting to show up again at last. Down on the beach recently we've seen not only the usual Tōrea pango | Variable Oystercatcher, Tōrea | South Island Pied Oystercatcher and gulls but yesterday I also spotted: Kuaka | Godwit, Spur-winged Plover and Tuturiwhatu | Banded dotterel. 3 Godwits patrol the sand looking for food. Conservation status: Declining. Eastern bar-tailed godwits breed on upland and coastal tundra on the western rim of Alaska … Juveniles arrive in New Zealand after their first trans-Pacific flight when barely four months old. -
Miratana Track cut off by tides, 30 September 2023
Big tides and heavy swell the last few days have taken their toll on the beach track used by vehicles. It's now cut off and a chain has gone up across the entrance. See Big tide and big swell on 29 September 2023. Because the river has moved towards the entrance there's no access for vehicles. A few more big tides are expected too. The tides have undercut the driftwood that had been piled by the exit onto the sand and it's now partly unsupported.
