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.

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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.

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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…

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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.

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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.

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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:

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Spinifex to Rebuild the Beach

On Sunday 22 January 2023 about a dozen people gathered to plant another 200 or so spinifex plants provided by the Horowhenua District Council. There’s an intensive effort going on to protect the area between the Miratana Track at the end of Manga Pirau Street and the rock groyne. That’s part of the area that was devastatingly eroded in February 2018 when ex-TC Gita passed through. Spinifex and large pieces of driftwood work together to help trap sand and keep it on the beach.

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We’re All Moving East Round Here

We’re moving east — about 4 cm so far this year. That’s thanks to a slow-slip earthquake on the Hikurangi subduction plate boundary offshore the North Island’s east coast. We tend to think of earthquakes as short sharp shocks, but: slow slip events are like earthquakes in slow motion, unfolding over weeks to months and cannot be felt by humans. The Hikurangi subduction zone – the boundary between the Australian and Pacific Plates – extends along the east coast and dives westward underneath the North Island.

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Learn About the Ō2NL Expressway

On Saturday 28 January 2023, Waka Kotahi are hosting presentations from technical specialists about the upcoming Ōtaki to North of Levin Expressway discussing: The RMA consents process Design of the proposed road, including local road connections Landscape and planting design Effects of Ō2NL and how these will be managed Speaker presentations run from 11.30am - 12.30 pm, or drop-in anytime from 11am to 2pm. The team will be available before and after, to answer any questions you may have.

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Watch Out for Baby Oystercatchers

That area between the two ends of the north track off Reay Mackay Grove, where all the new dunes are growing, is a very special spot. Pied stilts recently produced 3 chicks there. At the moment 3 pairs of Oystercatchers are nesting, with one chick evident so far! Update, 11 January 2023: this photo’s not quite in focus, but clearly shows there are 2 chicks now.

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Miratana Track Mulched for Summer

A thin layer of mulch has been added to the Miratana Track off Manga Pirau Street, presumably to help stabilise the sand and give better purchase for vehicles.

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Recycling Station in Place for December 2022

The Recycling Station has been placed in Hank Edwards Reserve again for a few weeks. After a few days some segments have already filled up! This year a sign has been added to try to relieve the noise disturbance to those who live nearby: RECYLING STATION CLOSED FROM 8:30PM to 7:30AM Closure due to noise reduction considerations Everyone deserves a good rest

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Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway Opens 23 December 2022

Waka Kotahi have finally said: The Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway will be fully open to traffic on Friday this week, 23 December [2022]! It’ll help alleviate holiday queues and delays on SH1. Of course, now northbound traffic will bunch up north of Ōtaki, but with any luck lots of people will filter off at Ōtaki so it won’t be as heavy as previously. They go on to say:

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Sold: 4 Sand Dune Grove

Listed around 13 October 2022 this property has now sold. That’s around 8 weeks on the market.

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Horowhenua Property Values Up by 52% Since 2019

Newly-released rating revaluations for the Horowhenua District are now available and have revealed a total capital value of $15 billion, a 52.8% increase since 2019. Source: New rateable valuations for properties available, December 08, 2022. Search Council’s rating information at ratesinformation.horowhenua.govt.nz.

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