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TheMercury Bay
Issue 676 - 17 February 2016 Circulation 6,500
Distributed throughout the Coromandel Peninsula, coast to coast from Thames to Colville - www.theinformer.co.nz
Phone 07 866 2090
LOCALS SUPPORTING
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One of the most
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see page 16.
Troy Hardy, Auckland Rugby League Sponsorship and Events Manager, and Sue Costello, TCDC’s Mercury Bay
Recreation Programme Coordinator, holding the rugby ball signed by the Melbourne Storm that the best-dressed person attending the
2016 Sportsafe Auckland Rugby League Nines Tournament in Whitianga will win.
AucklandRugbyLeagueNines
in Whitianga this monthBy Stephan Bosman
Following a successful inaugural Sportsafe
Auckland Rugby League Nines tournament
in Whitianga last year, the event is back
bigger and better this year.
“At least eight of Auckland’s top clubs
will participate in this year’s tournament,
including defending champions the Papakura
Sea Eagles,” says Troy Hardy, the Auckland
Rugby League Sponsorship and Events
Manager. “As the tournament is played only
at Lyon Park in Albert Street, the number
of teams we can accommodate is limited.
We’re keeping our eye on the Mercury Bay
Multisport Park. Once all the fields at the
park are ready to be played on, we expect the
tournament to become much bigger.”
Troy says there are a variety of reasons
why the tournament is played in Whitianga.
“The tournament itself is a great pre-season
opportunity for teams to see where they’re
at with their training, a bit of team building
can take place and the participating clubs can
showcase their talents outside of Auckland.
“With Whitianga only two and a half
hours from Auckland, it’s easy for families
to accompany the players and there’s a lot to
do in the area. Thames Coromandel District
Council, Mercury Bay Recreation Programme
Coordinator Sue Costello especially,
is always a pleasure to deal with. It’s really
easy to make things happen.”
On Friday 26 February and the early part of
Saturday 27 February, teams will play a series
of round-robin games against each other.
The Under 10 teams of the Mercury Bay
Boars and the Tairua Taniwhas Rugby League
Clubs will play a curtain raiser against
each other ahead of the grand final on
Saturday afternoon.
The Mercury Bay Boars will also act as
ball boys and girls and gatekeepers of the
scoreboard and will run the onsite food outlet.
The Mercury Bay Rugby Club bar will be
open and with music playing next to the field,
the atmosphere promises to be electric.
The action will kick off on Friday at
3:00pm. “Quite a few of the games on
Friday will happen under lights,” Troy says.
“On Saturday the first game will get underway
at 10:00am. The grand final is expected to
be played around 3:30pm. With games only
nine minutes each way, the action will be
non-stop.”
Troy says people are encouraged to dress
up. “We really think Whitianga can show
the Wellington Sevens crowd how it should
be done. We have a rugby ball signed by
the Melbourne Storm during the recent
National Rugby League Nines tournament
in Auckland to give away to the best-
dressed person.
“If you're after watching some of the best
domestic rugby league in the country, make
sure you get down to Lyon Park on 26 and
27 February.”

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz Issue 676 - 17 Febuary 2016Page 2
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Ninety years old and part of a very
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The Mercury Bay Informer is published weekly on Wednesdays and distributed
throughout the Coromandel Peninsula.
Readers’ contributions of articles and letters are welcome. Publication of
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Opinions expressed (especially in letters) are not necessarily those of the owner
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Owner - Mercury Bay Media Limited
Publisher - Petra Roodt
Editor - Stephan Bosman
Contributors - Len Salt, Gillian O’Neill, Meghan Hawkes, Cheyenne Walmsley,
Deli Connell and Jack Biddle
Ofﬁce - 14 Monk St, Whitianga 3510
Mail - PO Box 426, Whitianga 3542
Tel - (07) 866 2090, Fax - (07) 866 2092
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ONLINE POLL FOR FEBRUARY 2016
On 2 February this year Whitianga’s Shirley
O’Leary celebrated her 90th birthday. Over a
period of two weeks, from 29 January, all of
Shirley’s five children, eight grandchildren
and two great-grandchildren shared the
significant milestone with her. Family
members came from all over to Whitianga -
the Gold Coast, Sydney, Perth, Whanganui,
Auckland and Waihi.
“Some of us haven’t seen each other since
my Mum’s 80th birthday,” says Colleen
O’Learly, one of Shirley’s daughters.
“It was a wonderful family reunion.
“We visited virtually all the cafes and
restaurants in the area and even went to the
movies three times. That’s something my
Mum hasn’t done in ages. We also had a few
backyard barbeques and played Rummikub
many evenings until past midnight.”
Colleen says Shirley is a passionate
Rummikub player and taught all of them, and
their children, how to play. “My Mum used to
play Rummikub with a group of friends every
Saturday from 12:00 noon to exactly 5:00pm.
It was serious business. Unfortunately none of
the friends are around anymore and my Mum
loved playing with us the past two weeks.”
When Colleen grew up, they lived as a
family in South Auckland. Her father Harold
worked for Air New Zealand and Shirley
was a housewife, a full-time job with five
children. “My parents owned a bach in
Whitianga and we came here for holidays,”
Colleen says. “In 1980 my parents decided
to retire to Whitianga permanently. My Dad
became involved in the Mercury Bay Club
and dabbled a little bit in home brewing.
My Mum was very involved in St Patrick’s
Catholic Church. My Dad passed away in
1990. He and my Mum had 10 very good
years together in Whitianga.
“When my Dad died, we were amazed
by the support my Mum received from the
community.”
Last Wednesday (Ash Wednesday on the
Catholic Church calendar) was a highlight
in the two week-long celebration of Shirley’s
90th birthday when a potluck lunch was
held in her honour at St Patrick’s Church.
“I was surprised at the number of people who
attended the lunch,” says Colleen. “My Mum
loves people and clearly there are a lot of
people who love her. It’s heart-warming.
“As a family we want to say to the people of
Whitianga not only do you live in one of the
most beautiful places on earth, you are a very
special community. You made our parents
two very happy people. From the bottom of
our hearts we thank you.”
Shirley O’Leary (front left) with Father Leo Doyle of St Patrick’s Catholic Church
and her daughters Julie Bryant (back left) and Colleen O’Leary during the potluck lunch
held in her honour last Wednesday.

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz Page 3Issue 676 - 17 Febuary 2016Issue 676 - 17 Febuary 2016
One of the major St John Mercury Bay Area Committee fundraisers is their annual summer raffle.
The prizes are always of a significant value and this year’s raffle, with tickets having been sold
around the Mercury Bay area over the busy summer period, was no exception.
First prize was a travel voucher of $1,500, second prize a weekend at Sky City valued at $500
and third prize a grocery voucher sponsored by New World Whitianga to the value of $250.
“The raffle raised this year just under $20,000,” says Richard Vetter, chairman of the Area
Committee. “We are very pleased with the result. The money will be used to ensure all our
Mercury Bay ambulance officers are well equipped and part of it will also be allocated to the
building fund of our new Mercury Bay South ambulance station in Hahei.”
The raffle winners were drawn at the Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club on Wednesday last week
(using the club’s sophisticated “raffle draw technology”) under the watchful eye of Senior
Constable Don Edgecombe of the Whitianga Police.
The winners were Wendy Borren (first prize), Jared Hill (second prize) and Gwyn Howells
(third prize). All the winners are residents or part-time residents of Mercury Bay.
Present at the draw were, from left to right - St John Mercury Bay Area Committee members
Ken Robertson and Richard Vetter, Senior Constable Don Edgecombe, Area Committee member
Ian Beer, Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club manager Alan Proctor and Area Committee member
Ron Anderson.
Area Committee pleased
with St John raffle result

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The Whitianga Summer Concert on 31 January (featuring Melissa Etheridge, REO Speedwagon and Huey
Lewis and the News) was a hugely enjoyable event. For one lucky concert-goer more fun is on the horizon.
Stacey Semmens of Whitianga is the winner of The Informer Mid-Winter Breakaway competition. She was
one of more than 500 people who sent us proof that they attended the Summer Concert.
We will soon hand to Stacey vouchers for two nights’ luxury accommodation in Whitianga for two people,
two mornings’ breakfast for two people at two different Whitianga cafes, dinner for two at a top Whitianga
restaurant and two all day passes to The Lost Spring in Whitianga.
The vouchers all have to be redeemed during a winter weekend this year.
Stacey’s name was drawn by Nikyla Holmes (pictured left) and Jade Toma (pictured right), two Year 6
students at Mercury Bay Area School.
Once the formal draw was done, Nikyla and Jade couldn’t resist the encouragement they received from
The Informer team to throw the entries into the air.
Mid-Winter Breakaway
competiton winner drawn

What’s with the weather?By Deli Connell
You can be forgiven for scratching your
head in dismay over our “summer” this year.
As we swelter with the high humidity and
cloudy skies and the easterlies have sent
waves pounding our shorelines… we can
ponder… what on earth happened to El Nino?
We are meant to be experiencing an El
Niño summer when, “New Zealand typically
experiences stronger or more frequent winds
from the west in summer, leading to an
elevated risk of drier-than-normal conditions
in east coast areas and more rain than normal
in the west - due to the barrier effect of the
SouthernAlps and main North Island ranges.”
Definition from the National Institute of
Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
So… little to no surf and cooler south-
westerlies? Ummm, not that we’ve
noticed actually. We asked Lisa Murray,
Communications Meteorologist for
MetService to help us sort out this conundrum.
“It has been a summer of great variety for
many parts of New Zealand. The humidity
has been thanks to warm air masses being
dragged south by lows which come down
from the subtropics north of us. This warm
moist air has been lingering around causing
the humidity and it will still be around for at
least another week.”
From what Lisa tells us it appears that a
prevailing climatic condition can be greatly
affected by the immediate weather patterns
occurring in a localised area over the same
period. It’s a case of conflict between
“weather” and “climate.”
Lisa’s colleague and fellow meteorologist
Georgina Griffiths has been looking
more deeply into our summer conditions.
“If several climate/weather features are in
play at any one time, they can add together or
cancel each other out. Sometimes, the local
weather patterns in New Zealand will ‘trump’
the background global climate state as to how
much rain ends up in the gauge.”
Looking at the wider weather picture,
with a background El Nino, there have
actually been more highs over theTasman Sea,
which have extended over New Zealand, with
their southwest-favouring winds featuring in
many parts of the country.
So is this the way it’s going to continue
to be?
“In the short-term, that is during the rest
of February, further lows from the north
look likely. The warmer than normal sea
temperatures around northern New Zealand
should also continue to play their part, feeding
in useful moisture and warmth to incoming
rain bands. These sea temperatures are also
likely to influence our air temperatures over
the longer-term, with a mild autumn the
current thinking,” says Georgina.
Our current El Nino has passed its peak and
is in decline towards more neutral weather in
autumn, but evidently we still need to keep
an eye on the local weather patterns in play
as well.
We are still susceptible to Tasman Sea low
pressure systems, blocking high pressure
systems over the top of us or to the east and,
most definitely, can be influenced by what
is going on in Australia. When the big red
continent heats up, for example, the resultant
heat wave may well come our way.
In summary… we have an El Nino climate
trend, but we’re experiencing some moist,
humid, north-easterly weather systems sliding
down from the tropics and this humidity is
set to hang around for a little while longer.
Here at The Informer we’re predicting lots of
swims and cold showers! Stay cool!Summer in Mercury Bay this year seems to include many cloudy, humid days.

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Impressive things happening in artist
Charlotte Giblin’s lifeMercury Bay artist Charlotte Giblin will
launch her first book this Saturday and
Sunday 20 and 21 February at Mosaic Gallery
in Whitianga.
“The book is called ‘Wandering Under
Big Skies’ and is a collection of 90 paintings
in my ‘Big Skies’ series,” says Charlotte.
“Big Skies is made up of more than 120
paintings capturing the way I see the
Coromandel, from Whangamata up the east
coast of the Peninsula to Opito Bay, across to
Coromandel Town and down the west coast
to Thames.
“The figures and objects in the paintings
all have a black-out line around them,
which gives the artworks a very illustrative
feel and distinctive look. I also painted myself
into every picture, which clearly makes them
part of a series.” All the paintings included
in the book are accompanied by a few
paragraphs explaining Charlotte’s thoughts
when she worked on that specific artwork.
Charlotte started creating Big Skies about
two and a half years ago, after moving to
Whitianga. She was so impressed with
the variety of scenery on the Coromandel
and the individual character of each of
the towns and villages, that she decided
to capture as much of it as possible in
a series. “I’m still blown away by how
unbelievably clear the horizon is,” she says.
“Nothing gets lost in the haze, everything
is perfectly defined. The quality of the air
and the light on the Coromandel is unlike
anywhere I’ve been before.”
Tractors-on-beaches is a recurring theme
in Big Skies. “I came to the Coromandel
from England and seeing so many tractors on
the beaches of Mercury Bay was something
I found genuinely intriguing, especially
as the tractors were facing away from the
ocean,” Charlotte says. “It took me a while to
figure out what was going on. Once I got it,
I could see that the tractors all have different
personalities too and I tried to show that in
my paintings.”
Original Big Skies paintings and prints are
available for purchase at Mosaic Gallery.
To celebrate the launch of the her book,
Charlotte’s artwork will be sold at a significant
discount this Saturday and Sunday. Charlotte
will personally be at Mosaic Gallery each day
from 10:00am to 2:00pm to talk about her
book and her paintings.
The launch of her first book isn’t the only
impressive thing happening in Charlotte’s
life at the moment. She has also been chosen
as a finalist in the 2016 Adam Portraiture
Award. This is a big deal. Only 59 finalists
from around New Zealand have been chosen.
Their works will be exhibited in Wellington
at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery for a
period of three months and will thereafter tour
around New Zealand for the next 18 months .
“I entered a life-size self-portrait in the award
and am honoured to have been chosen as a
finalist,” Charlotte says. “It’s a wonderful
opportunity to gain name recognition on a
wider scale.”
The winner of the award will be announced
on 24 February.
Charlotte is also a member of the Mercury
Bay Art Escape and will open her studio
to the public during the Art Escape’s
Open Studio Tour the first two weekends
of March.
Mercury Bay artist Charlotte Giblin with her book “Wandering Under Big Skies.”

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New MBAS music teacher has much to offer
It’s the time of year when not just the school,
but the Whitianga community as a whole,
says welcome to a new group of teachers starting
their first term at Mercury Bay Area School.
Mercury Bay has a reputation for making
new people feel welcome and one of the ways
in which we try to make that happen is by
opening the doors to the various groups and
organisations that are active in the village.
Newcomers are welcomed with open arms.
The Mercury Bay Community Choir, Lions and
Lionesses and the Whitianga Art Group are just
some of these organisations, as well as the many
sports and leisure clubs with opportunities for
swimming, tennis, sailing, fishing, archery and
much more.
For new Mercury Bay Area School teacher
Yvette Audain the process has already started
and barely before the ink was dry on the cheque
to the movers, she had been whisked off to a
jam session at Flaxmill Bay’s Eggcentric Café
and found herself on stage playing clarinet
and whistle with some of the local musicians.
It’s a good start and with a 20 year history as
a professional musician, teaching and playing
with groups, orchestras and bands, Yvette will
be bringing a wealth of experience to her new
role as teacher of specialist music programmes
at MBAS.
The role is a full-time position and replaces
the services that Jani Dennis and Paul Lee had
provided to the school for more than 25 years
before they retired in December.
Yvette holds a Bachelor of Music in
composition and performance from the
University of Auckland and a Bachelor of
Music (First Class Honours) in composition and
ethnomusicology from Victoria University of
Wellington, where she subsequently completed
herMasterofMusic(withMerit)incomposition.
After being awarded these qualifications,
Yvette went on to complete a Graduate Diploma
in Teaching (Secondary) from the University
of Auckland.
“I should also tell you that I’ve been in both
the Army and the Navy,” says Yvette. “I went
along to a regular Wednesday night rehearsal
of the ‘Band of the Wellington and Hawkes
Bay Regiment' and that was it. I filled in the
paperwork and joined up. It was an Army
Territorial Regiment.”
That position opened the door for Yvette to
move to Auckland and a full-time position with
the Royal New Zealand Navy Band. “I lasted a
year and three months. It was going to be long
term, but I’m not sure I was military enough for
that to happen,” she laughs.
Yvette played clarinet, flute and saxophone
in both Army and Navy bands. “They’re my
primary instruments, but I’m thrilled to be able
to teach keyboards at MBAS as well.”
Yvette lived in Melbourne from 2012 to
2013, where was a member of the all-female
Dixieland jazz band “Frilly Knickers” and also
involved herself in smaller jazz combos. She
especially enjoyed Melbourne's thriving scene
of 'djammers' (so named after jazz guitarist
Django Reinhardt) - musicians devoted to the
“Hot Club de France” style of gypsy jazz.
“When I returned to New Zealand from
Australia, I had been commissioned to write
‘Loop City,’ a collaboration with Melbourne
poets Amanda Anastasi and Steve Smart.
It’s a substantial work that was first performed
by violinist Sarah Curro. Since then it has been
performed many times.”
Yvette has worked professionally in a
variety of genres - from classical (Auckland
Philharmonia, Auckland Chamber Orchestra
and the New Zealand Opera), Celtic-style
originals trio band “Doris,” and gypsy band
“Benka Boradovsky Bordello,” to a Cuban
salsa band. “I was also part of a jazz group,
‘Brett's New Internationals.’ Improvisation is
a very important element of the music for me.
Along with the classical training, the ability
to improvise in different genres is something I
enjoy a lot.”
The most recent years of Yvette’s career
have been spent in Auckland as an itinerant
music teacher. “I was travelling between as
many as ten schools every week,” she says.
“In Auckland that means you do a lot of miles
and spend a lot of time in the car.The opportunity
to come to Mercury Bay and be based in one
school, living close enough that I can walk to
work, is something that really appealed to me.”
The Mercury Bay lifestyle outside of school
also appeals, with beaches nearby and the
chance to explore some of the local walking
trails. “There are so many things to do here.
I might try kayaking, find people I can do some
tramping with.”
In 2014 her album Grooves Unspoken was
released in two highly successful launch events
in Auckland and Wellington. The album of
Yvette's original music was recorded live in
2011 for broadcast by Radio New Zealand
Concert, in association with the Auckland
Fringe Festival.
Certainly Mercury Bay will be seeing a lot
more of Yvette and her musical skills in the
future, both in school and in the community.
New Mercury Bay Area School music teacher Yvette Audain.

Ferry Landing - Hot Water Beach (Daily Service)
Save time book online: www.go-kiwi.co.nz
Beach Bus
Timetable
FERRY LANDING TO HOT WATER BEACH (Daily Service)
Ferry Landing 9.15 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15
Cooks Beach 9.20 11:20 13:20 15:20 17:20
Cooks Beach Resort 9.23 11:23 13:23 15:23 17:23
Hahei 9.37 11:37 13:37 15:37 17:37
Cathedral Cove 9.45 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45
Hot Water Beach
Holiday Park
9.57 11:57 13:57 15:57 17:57
**Hot Water Beach 10.00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00
HOT WATER BEACH TO FERRY LANDING (Daily Service)
**Hot Water Beach 10.15 12:15 14:15 16:15 18:15
Hot Water Beach
Holiday Park
10.18 12:18 14:18 16:18 18:18
Hahei 10.27 12:27 14:27 16:27 18:27
Cathedral Cove 10.35 12:35 14:35 16:35 18:35
Cooks Beach Resort 10.51 12:51 14:51 16:51 18:51
Cooks Beach 10.54 12:54 14:54 16:54 18:54
Ferry Landing 11.00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00
Fares:
Adults $10 (one way)
Children $6 (up to age 14)
Family Fare $22 (2 adults and 2 children one way)
Hahei to Cathedral Cove $5 (one way)
Single all day freedom pass $28
Family all day freedom pass $50
Spade Hire for Hot Water Beach $5 with $20
refundable deposit upon return of spade.
Commences 28th December 2015
*Mercury Bay and Purangi Winery on demand. **If Hot Water Beach low tide is outside these hours please check with driver for options.
Leadfoot Festival Shuttle service
For the 6th and 7th February the service will commence from 07:15
Ferry landing and operate on an hourly basis to help accommodate
passengers travelling to and from The Iconic Leadfoot Festival at
Leadfoot Ranch in Hahei. All transport to Leadfoot must be pre booked.
for transport to Auckland Airport and City please
go to www.go-kiwi.co.nz for some wicked deals.
Ferry Landing
Cooks Beach
Cooks Beach
Resort
Cathedral
Cove
Hahei
Hot Water
Beach
Whitianga
0800 44 65 49
www.go-kiwi.co.nz
FREE call
Visit us at
TheMercury Bay
Hot Water Beach Lifeguards
travel sponsored by
The Mercury Bay Informer
Published every Tuesday
and online at www.theinformer.co.nz
Local news for everyone.
Hot Water Beach
Holiday Park
Pre-purchasedtickets havepriority loadingduring peakseason
Wednesday
Locals supporting locals.
.
With Andrea Foster - Whitianga i-SITE team leader
News from the i-SITE
The Whitianga i-SITE building in Albert Street.
The Whitianga i-SITE had over 21,000
visitors through our doors over the December/
January holiday period, which has kept
us busy.
The weather has been a mixed bag for the
month of January. We have had a lot of days
with strong easterly winds and a fair bit of
rain, which has not been good for our local
scenic boat trips, kayak tours and fishing
charters. On the plus side, it has benefited
the movie theatre, The Lost Spring, the video
shop, the Mercury Bay Museum, the retail
shops and the many eateries.
On the fine days it has been good to see
people out and about enjoying our many
beautiful beaches and taking in a scenic boat
cruise, a kayak tour or even taking the water
taxi from Hahei to Cathedral Cove.
The other popular attractions over the last
few weeks have been the Driving Creek
Railway, New Chums Beach and Hot Water
Beach. The outdoor concert offerings over
the holiday season were also very popular.
There is a high volume of overseas visitors on
holiday in Mercury Bay and it is also nice to
see so many family groups around.
There have been several days when the
buses leaving town have been full and no
accommodation available that we knew of.
We invite anyone with accommodation that is
not associated with the i-SITE to pop in and
say hello. Every room we can sell helps all
businesses in the local economy.
The Mercury Bay Art Escape is once again
coming up over the first two weekends in
March. This popular event showcases a
diverse group of established and emerging
artists from a wide variety of disciplines,
including painters, sculptors, jewellers,
printmakers, ceramicists and weavers.
The self-drive tour of artists’ studios offers
a fantastic opportunity to interact with local
artists and understand their inspiration.
The tour launch will be held at Hot Waves
Cafe on Friday 4 March. Art Escape
guidebooks are available at the i-SITE.

The Spirit ChallengeOur readers will be familiar with the Spirit
of Adventure and Spirit of New Zealand
personal journeys that many of our Mercury
Bay youth have been privileged to participate
in over the years.
The Spirit of Adventure Trust was
established in 1972 as a unique vehicle for
personal development for youth in a maritime
environment. The focus for the trainees has
been on “team-work and developing skills of
communication, self-reliance, self-discipline,
self-esteem, resilience, confidence and
leadership. Learning to sail a tall ship is a
means to an end, rather than an end in itself.”
The original vessel, the topsail schooner
the “Spirit of Adventure,” was gifted to the
nation by Lou Fisher in 1973. She was in the
service of the adventure programme right up
to 1997 when she was sold to new owners to
ply Fijian waters as part of a tourist venture.
The new vessel, the “Spirit of New
Zealand,” was commissioned in 1986 and
has been averaging around 340 days at sea
per annum! Rumour has that the new “Spirit”
is the busiest youth development ship in the
world. Not bad for a small country like ours
and a real testament to the dedication of the
volunteers and supporters of the programme.
It’s hugely exciting and daunting,
in equal measures we are told, to embark on
a personal journey with the Spirit, but there
is also the opportunity for schools to submit
a team of Year 10 students, accompanied
by a teacher, for an inter-school challenge.
The prize of the challenge is the “5-Day
Spirit Trophy.”
Mercury Bay Area School has been drawn
in a ballot and will send a team to compete
in the challenge in May of this year. Aside
from the day to day running of a tall ship,
the team will engage in problem solving,
debate and aquatic sports in and on the water.
Teams will go ashore for a day and complete
a task against the other teams that will
involve ingenuity, leadership, excitement,
reward and fun.
At the end of 2015, students applied in
writing and went through an interview
process to establish who would represent
MBAS in the 2016 challenge.
“This is the 3rd time Mercury Bay Area
School students have had the opportunity
to compete in the Spirit of New Zealand
Challenge. The first time, with Mr Craig
Lidgard, we were successful in lifting the
team challenge trophy and came a close
second two years ago with Mr Lee Boswell.
Regardless of the results our students have all
developed skills to guide them in the future,”
says MBAS Year 10 Dean Heather Duerre.
“On the last voyage, our students were
on watch at 2:00am when they experienced
winds in excess of 60 knots. This is quite an
experience on dry land, let alone on a yacht!”
That’s character-building indeed. This new
team may well be wondering what conditions
they may encounter on their challenge.
“Interestingly, our school has an incredibly
high representation, relative to our size,
in the Spirit adventures. We regularly get
approached to fill last minute vacancies and
there is always a waiting list of our young
people keen to take up this challenge,”
says MBAS Principal John Wright. “Clearly
not everyone who applied or wanted to
go made the team, but they should not be
despondent about this as they can apply at
any age to join the Spirit. I would thoroughly
encourage all of our young people, and there
are adult challenges too by the way, to look
into this experience, to apply, raise the funds
necessary and go for it. It is life changing
and recognised as one of the most incredible
challenges young people can engage in.
Life-long skills, good character traits and
friendships are forged.”
The MBAS students who will compete
in the 2016 Spirit Challenge, along with
their families and supporters, have been
fundraising over the summer - washing cars,
selling chocolate and holding fish auctions
amongst other activities. So far they have
raised just over $1,000.00. It will cost the
team a total of $8,400.00 to attend and the
students will be working hard to raise more
money before they embark in May.
The team is extremely grateful to all those
who have supported their fundraising so far.
The Mercury Bay Area School Spirit Challenge team.
Back, from left to right - Kaya Farrell, Olivia Clague, Heather Duerre (Year 10 dean),
Jemma Laker, Katie Bartlett, Tate Lidgard and Usheni Fernando.
Front, from left to right - Gabriel Asquith, Harry Evans, Zeke Tiro, Ari Yiannoutsos and Rief Tee.
Maria Booker is absent from the photo.

LISTEN TO
JACQUI & ANDY
NOW IN COROMANDEL
Thames Coast 97.2 | Whangamata 89.9 | Coromandel 89.1 | Cooks Beach 90.3 |
Matarangi 94.0 | Coroglen 93.9 | Paeroa 93.2 | Waihi Beach 104.2 | Hahei Beach 90.3 | Whitianga
90.3 | Opito Bay 106.7 | Pauanui 93.9 | Tairua 93.9 | Waihi 90.6
Thumbs
Up
To Aaron
Peters and the
team at Wizardtech for
getting the water truck
of the Mercury Bay
Speedway Club working
again.
To the Editor
See page 2 for our requirements with regard to letters and contributions
Dear Editor - A “spud” story
With reference to The Informer of 16 December
2015, I too have a “spud” story.
In the 1940’s Harry borrowed three thousand
pounds from the rest of family to buy the largest
blackberry bush in the South Island. He called it
a farm. It did have a much neglected little house
on it. In the early days, in order to survive,
Harry did some deer culling, sheep shearing and
timber work.
I visited him in the late 1950’s. The giant
blackberry bush has diminished to lots of little
ones scattered amongst a fair number of lambs
and a few cows. We sat in the lonely little
cottage, listening to the rat chewing under the
sink. My immediate thought was, “We’ve got
to get a trap!”
“Oh no,” Harry said. “We’re mates, he and I.
He’s alright.”
During my visit, we went to a nearby town
with a bag of spuds. This was sold and then to
the local fish and chip shop, so Harry took us
back home with a feeling of satisfaction.
Fifty years and fifty potato crops on,
having taken on a wife, produced and educated
four children, enjoyed some grandchildren and
encouraged many Boy Scouts to mountaineer
over the years, a call went out from North
Cape to Bluff. “Come pick up a bag of spuds
for yourself, socialise for the weekend and take
them home.” Many of us did, and so went the
last of Harry’s potato crops.
Laurie H Griffiths
Whitianga Continuing Care
Dear Editor - A dog’s life
A letter in the Informer of 10 February reveals
how dog owners are being harassed by TCDC
for taking their dogs on beaches. In this case
at Otama.
Poor dogs, they are being threatened from
every quarter and a dog owner’s life is now full
of concern.
Because of DOC's regular poisoning, it is
no longer safe to walk dogs on DOC managed
public land where carcasses remain toxic as
much as a year later. DOC is planning to spread
1080 at Otama at the end of this winter so, for
Otama dog owners, the danger of poisoning will
be very close at hand.
Regardless of what kind of poison DOC
uses or whether the poison is delivered in bait
stations or from the air, toxic possums and
pigs inevitably escape from the poisoned areas
often wandering into people's back yards and
poisoning domestic animals.
Nowhere is now safe for dogs and,
thanks to our over-bearing authorities, it has
become absurdly stressful to own such a pet.
John Veysey
Coromandel Town
Thirty two classic and vintage cars from many different parts of the North Island gathered on the
Coromandel last weekend for the annual Goldrush Cruise.
The cruise started in Thames and travelled to Waihi, Whangamata and Tairua, where well-known
Whitianga local Harold Abrahamson, one of the organisers, met up with the participants.
From Tairua Harold acted as guide and took the cruise on a detour to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water
Beach, before carrying on to Whitianga.
In Whitianga Harold had organised a boat cruise of the Whitianga Waterway canals and a trip up to
Centennial Heights, where the cruise participants could take in the spectacular views over Mercury
Bay, Shakespeare Cliff and Wharekaho.
Saturday night a special dinner at the Mercury Bay Club was held. “Everybody had a great night out,”
Harold said afterwards. “The Mercury Bay Club did an excellent job.” On Sunday morning all the cars
lined up at Taylors Mistake and along Albert Street, giving Whitianga locals and visitors a chance to
take a look while the participants enjoyed breakfast.
After breakfast, the cruise moved on to Coromandel Town and lunch at the Mussel Kitchen.
“It was a very successful weekend,” Harold said. “We had organised some raffles and received
donations along the way. We had generous support from a variety of sponsors, including the Gull
Service Station in Whitianga, New World Whitianga, Stephenson’s Unichem Pharmacy, Whitianga
Self Storage, Tides Café, Placemakers, The Warehouse Whitianga, Carters Building Supplies,
Countdown Supermarket and the French Fig Café.
“All the funds raised will be donated to the Auckland and Coromandel Rescue Helicopter. And we
already have eight cars signed up for next year’s cruise!”
Pictured is Maxwell Reid of Rings Beach at his 1930 Model A Ford. Maxwell didn’t participate in the
cruise, but was one of several Mercury Bay car enthusiasts who helped Harold to make the cruise
participants feel right at home during their time in Whitianga.
Goldrush Cruise a hit

Car Talk With Jack Biddle
A question for Jack? Just email us or drop us a note.
Record new vehicle sales continue, but not expected to last
While the new vehicle industry kicked the
calendar year off with yet another month of
record sales, the industry as a whole is predicting
a general slowdown as the year progresses.
Total new vehicle registrations were a shade
under a two per cent increase on the January
2015 figures, with 8,899 passenger vehicles
and 2,994 commercial vehicles recorded.
January was, according to the Motor Industry
Association (MIA), also the strongest month on
record for commercial vehicle registrations and
the one of the reasons the total market appeared
to be so strong.
When separated out, registrations for passenger
vehicles were in fact down 1.2 per cent in
comparison to the January 2015 figures.
Helping bolster numbers was a very big month
for passenger car rental registrations.
The makeup of the fleet also continues to
evolve with the sports utility vehicles (SUV)
segment continuing to expand with 33 per cent
market share for January, followed by pick-ups/
chassis-cabs (18 per cent). At the other end
of the scale, the sale of small passenger cars
(16 per cent) were three per cent lower than the
corresponding 2015 month.
Overall Toyota maintained its significant margin
over the rest of the field with 19 per cent total
market share (2,243 units) followed by Ford
(1,444 units) and Holden (1,244 units).
In the passenger car market, Toyota also
remains dominant with 20 per cent market
share, followed by Holden (11 per cent) and
Mazda (ten per cent) making up the top three.
Once again it was the rental cars registrations
that made the top three selling passenger
models look good for the month with the Toyota
Corolla (719), Toyota RAV4 (391) and the
Holden Commodore (366) filling the podium.
Rental sales for all three were 492, 216 and 195
respectively.
Ford was totally dominant in the commercial
sector, however, with 23 per cent market share,
followed by Toyota and Holden.
The Ford Ranger retained its position as
the top selling commercial model for January
with a massive 22 per cent market share
(661 units), followed by the Toyota Hilux with
10 per cent (300 units) and the Holden Colorado
with nine per cent market share (266 units).
It will be interesting to watch registrations
over the coming months to see if the newly
released Toyota Hilux can claw back any of
the popularity swing currently enjoyed by the
rampaging Ranger.
BMW started the year strongly edging out
rival Mercedes-Benz, which took out the title of
best-selling premium brand in 2015.
The MIA’s chief executive officer David
Crawford was cautious in trying to predict
new vehicle registrations moving forward.
“While new vehicle sales for 2016 have started
where they left off in 2015, the remainder of
2016 is expected to slightly soften as the year
progresses,” he said.
Top 10 selling passenger cars for January -
Toyota Corolla (719)
Toyota RAV4 (391)
Holden Commodore (366)
Mazda 3 (293)
Mazda CX-5 (243)
Hyundai Santa Fe (227)
Nissan X-Trail (201)
Toyota Yaris (195)
Holden Barina (192)
Toyota Highlander (191)
Top ten commercial vehicles for January -
Ford Ranger (661)
Toyota Hilux (300)
Holden Colorado (266)
Nissan Navara (231)
Mitsubishi Triton (191)
Isuzu D-Max (166)
Toyota Hiace (157)
Mazda BT-50 (106)
SsangYong Actyon Sport (81)
VW Amarok (69)The Ford Ranger was once again the top commercial vehicle sold in New Zealand in January.

One of the most successful NZ-based
singer-songwriters you’ve never heard of
By Len Salt
Anita Prime is arguably one of the most
successful New Zealand-based singer-
songwriters that you’ve never heard of.
She’s an entrepreneur, successful
businesswoman, teacher of voice, piano and
guitar and best of all, she’s recently moved
to Whitianga.
It hard to know where to start when you’re
talking to Anita. There are so many facets to her
life that could easily standalone as fascinating
stories in their own right. As a musician and
performer, she has achieved success that most
Kiwi performers can only dream of. And even
though she has been based in New Zealand for
most of her life, most of her recognition and
success has been in other countries.
She looks like a glamorous pop star and
that’s exactly what she is when she steps out on
the stage in New York, Paris or Los Angeles.
But underneath all that is a down to earth,
smart, streetwise and talented lady who has
learned about the music business the hard way
and is ready and willing to help young people
who want to explore music as a career.
Anita’s Mercury Bay connections go back a
long way. “My grandparents Jess and Hoc Prime
lived at Wharekaho (Simpsons Beach) for many
years until they passed away. My parents live in
Mercury Bay and it’s a place I have been in love
with as long as I can remember.”
Anita’s father has two sisters, Sheryl and Ros,
who also live in Mercury Bay. “Ros was married
to Peter Tiki Johnston, who passed away not
long ago. Peter was an amazing musician, very
well known in Whitianga. Peter and Ros often
played and sang at the Mercury Bay Club.”
Anita is drawing a word picture which
comes full circle from those early days to her
own performance at the Mercury Bay Club a
week ago. “It was the first time I’d performed
in Whitianga since I came here as a young
performer on the Certain Sounds tour.”
She began learning piano from the age of five,
before starting to perform live at 13. Anita then
worked the New Zealand circuit and performed
as a featured artist in many community and
charity events. There were guest appearances
on TV3's “Nightline,” TV1’s “Good Morning,”
at the Wellington Regional Stadium (the “Cake
Tin”), Waitangi Day Celebrations and Christmas
in the Park Concerts.
Anita’s career reached a high point at the
2011 LAMA Los Angeles Music Awards,
where she won the Best Music Video Category
for the video supporting her first international
single “La La La” after being nominated for both
this and the Best International Artist categories.
Her third single "Complicated" went straight
to the number three position as breakout artist
on the US Billboard Charts in the Hot Dance/
Club Play category. It remained on the chart for
11 weeks.
Trying to crack international music success
is not easy when you’re based in “the bottom
right-hand corner of the world,” as musician
and record producer Ron Thaler says.
Meeting Grammy Award nominated record
producer Thaler at a music conference in
Wellington in 2010 was a pivotal and life-
changing moment for Anita. He said at the time
that, “Anita Prime came into my professional
world like a tornado hits a house.”
“I knew Ron Thaler was Alicia Keys’s
drummer and also a music producer, which is
something I knew nothing about,” says Anita.
“I was cheeky enough to ask him to listen to
my CD, but the only CD player we could find
was the one in my car. He agreed to listen to
one song, but ended up listening to four.”
After first hearing Anita’s music, Thaler said,
“She presented me with a voice so stellar that I
had to travel many times back to New Zealand
from New York.”
Thaler reworked the entire CD and
released Anita’s first album "Destiny" to
international acclaim.
Following the album release in 2011,
Anita began touring internationally in support
of “Destiny,” performing two tours through
Europe, Israel, and Canada. Other USA and
Canadian tours followed and she became the
first New Zealander since Split Enz to sing on
Canada AM, a television show on the CTV
network in Canada which has about 2.5 million
viewers per day.
Anita also became the first person in 30
years to sing at the Carlton Hotel Cote d'Azur
in Cannes, France, during the MIDEM Music
Festival. “That one was interesting, because
New Zealand had a stand at the festival,
but none of my music was on it.”
Although she is now based full time in
Whitianga, Anita remains as CEO of her own
music education business, with four studios in
Upper Hutt and two in Lower Hutt. “The vocal
coaching system that I’ve developed has become
recognised internationally. I’ve been flown
to New York and done Skype presentations to
Germany, Bali, Australia and other places.”
The ability to offer distance learning based
out of Whitianga is something that The Informer
has followed with interest and Anita Prime’s
music education business is another example
of how this can work. “Not everyone finds
the transition to Skype-based lessons easy,”
Anita says. “There are technology barriers,
but once those are overcome it becomes a great
alternative to travelling long distances.”
What could be better than living in Whitianga
with the rest of the world as your customer base?
Internationally acclaimed singer and performer Anita Prime (in the centre) is now permanently living in Whitianga.

71 Albert Street, WHITIANGA 07 866 4981
238 Main Road, TAIRUA 07 864 7822harcourts.co.nz
Affordable home on big section.
For Sale Sold
www.harcourts.co.nz/wi20976
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Larsen Realty Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REAA 2008
3 bedroom, 2 bathroom cottage.
With high stud garaging.
Section.
Across the road to reserve and beach.
For Sale Sold
Noelene Bellingham M 027 2808 447
120 Cook Drive 83 Buffalo Beach Road4 Moewai Park Road
107 Cook Drive U29 73 Stouh Highway116 Buffalo Beach Road
96B Buffalo Beach Road 4 Ringwood Place298A Cook Drive
Cute holiday bach.
Private fenced garden.
For Sale New List
Marie Osborn M 027 433 4027
Quality executive home. High stud, light and bright.
4 bedroom, 2 bathroom.
For Sale New List
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Facing beautiful beaches, rural and town.
Well presented, spacious and awesome views.
For Sale New List
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Section with fabulous building site and
breathtaking views
For Sale Sold
Peter MacGregor M 027 224 7332
201 Buffalo Beach Road 75 Tarapatiki Drive10 Acacia Court
3 bedroom 2 bathroom home across the road from the beach.
Beautifully remodelled and well worth viewing.
For Sale
Ann Hamilton M 027 488 6675
Two bedroom cottage.
On large fenced section
For Sale Sold
www.harcourts.co.nz
Ann Hamilton M 027 488 6675
3 bedroom beach home,
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Luxurious canal front.
2 bedroom, 2 bathroom. garaging
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Marie Osborn M 027 433 4027 Wayne Anderson M 021 963 354
3 bedroom 2 bathroom 2 living, study and double garage.
Quality home with 2 large storage sheds as bonus.
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Ann Hamilton M 027 488 6675 Marie Osborn M 027 433 4027

A tunneller for a fatherLast Friday 12 February, long-time Whitianga
residents Owen and Isabel Lloyd attended
a luncheon with Sir Jerry Mateparae,
the Governor-General of New Zealand,
at Gilmour Park in Waihi. The purpose of the
luncheon was to celebrate with the Governor-
General the dedication of the New Zealand
Engineers Tunnelling Company (NZETC)
memorial a few weeks earlier on 22 January.
Owen and Isabel received an invitation to
the luncheon as Owen’s father Charles was a
“tunneller” (as members of the NZETC were
affectionately referred to).
On request from the British government in
September 1915, New Zealand miners and
men qualified in digging tunnels enlisted
in the armed forces to form a tunnelling
company. Their job was to dig tunnels to
deliver troops behind enemy lines and also to
blow up, from below, enemy assets.
The tunnellers were the first New Zealand
troops to reach the Western Front on 10
March 1916. Initially they were deployed
in a counter-mining role at the foot of the
Vimy Ridge near the city of Arras in France.
They had to dig long shafts under the enemy
trenches, pack vast quantities of explosives,
retreat and detonate the explosives.
While digging, they constantly had to listen
to digging sounds of the enemy. When they
heard the enemy packing explosives and they
weren’t ready to blow their own explosives,
they knew that particular race was lost and
they had to retreat. The tunnellers lost only
one race.
It was underground warfare in the true
sense of the word.
In September 1916, the tunnellers were
instructed to search for old medieval quarries
under Arras. Their efforts were rewarded
with the discovery of several quarries.
This discovery gave rise to an ambitious plan
to gather a large body of troops underground
to break the German front line without
attracting the attention of the enemy.
By January 1917 all the quarries were
connected by tunnels and the tunnellers
started to install electrical cables and lighting
in the underground system.
TheArras offensive lasted from 9April to 16
May 1917. Following the battle, the tunnellers
lived an “underground life,” creating dugouts
and trench mortar emplacements and machine
gun nests.
Several tunnellers lost their lives during
the war.
The NZETC was dissolved on 24 April
1919 and the surviving tunnellers returned to
the jobs they held before they enlisted.
Charles Glenroy Lloyd was born on 30
July 1896 in Waihi. When he enlisted on
6 October 1915 as a 19-year-old, he was
working at the mine in Waihi and was
single. After a period of training, he departed
Auckland on 18 December 2015 on the SS
Ruapehu. He reached Plymouth, England on
3 February 1916 and only a few weeks later,
was deployed on the Western Front.
Charles was one of 12 men from Waihi who
enlisted. Of those 12, he was one of only two
who were born in Waihi and he was one of
only two who returned to Waihi.
Charles’s right hand and arm was severely
damaged during the war. He was offered the
option of amputation while on the Western
Front, but refused. Back in Waihi, he taught
himself to write with his left hand. He married
Owen’s mother, became a blacksmith at the
Waihi mine and had many happy years with
his wife and family in Waihi.
Charles joined the Waihi Federal band as
cornet player, but, as the band was in need
of trombone players, taught himself to play
the trombone. He was also heavily involved
in the Waihi RSA. He was instrumental in
acquiring the initial RSA building (bought
for 30 pounds in Auckland and relocated to
Waihi) and for many years administered as a
volunteer the pensions of World War One and
Two veterans who returned to New Zealand.
Charles was a King’s Empire Veteran and
in 1947 his name was added to the Special
Honours List of the RSA. Later in his life,
he became the patron of the Waihi RSA and
was awarded an RSA Gold Star Certificate.
He was small of stature, but with the memory
of an elephant carried the nickname “Jumbo.”
Owen says it was a real honour to have lunch
with Sir Jerry Mateparae. “The Governor-
General is without pretence. It’s clear that he
understands the sacrifices my father and the
other tunnellers made under the battlefields of
the First World War.
“Although my father seldom spoke of his
service in the war, we knew that it was always
on his mind. He was a great man. I’m very
proud of him.”
Whitianga’s Owen Lloyd with the certificate confirming that his father’s
name was added to the Special Honours List of the RSA.

Work on Mercury Bay Area School’s new Hei classroom block is well underway. The four new
classrooms will be state-of-the-art learning spaces.
Whitianga’s Peninsula Project Management is undertaking the construction and Richard
Oram, principal of the business, says he’s very happy with the progress made to date.
“Work is on schedule to be completed by late April.”
The MBAS roll is growing significantly and school principal John Wright says discussions
with the Ministry of Education have already started to add more classrooms to the Hei Block.
Work on Hei classroom
block well underway
The date for the 12th Whitianga Scallop Festival has been set. New Zealand’s leading seafood
festival will this year take place on 10 September.
The Scallop Festival Committee and Linda Simonsen, festival coordinator, were all very pleased
with the way last year’s festival turned out and look forward to an even better event this
year. “We’ll be making some exciting announcements regarding celebrity chefs and top class
entertainment in the not too distant future,” Linda says.
Early bird tickets for the 2016 Whitianga Scallop Festival will go on sale on 18 April and general
tickets will be available to purchase from early May.
2016 Scallop Festival
date announced

•
•
•
•
Ph 07 866 0937
Mob 021 063 8367
When Hahei’s Stephen Glucina (pictured) found this yellow zucchini in his garden a few days
ago, he immediately called into Hammer Hardware in Whitianga, where he bought the zucchini
plant, to “complain.”
“I bought a vegetable plant from Hammer Hardware,” he laughs. “Not something producing
seahorses.”
The size of the zucchini isn’t what caught Stephen’s eye. If left unharvested, they can easily
reach two feet in length and eight inches in diameter. In Stephen’s case it was more the unique
shape that convinced him to take the vegetable for a ferry ride to Hammer Hardware.
The staff at Hammer Hardware agreed that the vegetable was quite unique and something
worth showing to us. We appreciated Stephen’s visit to our office and can positively say this is
the first time ever we’ve published a yellow zucchini in the shape of a seahorse in The Informer.
Hahei’s uniquely shaped
yellow zucchini

• Spouting
• Roofing
• Water treatments systems
• Septic tanks
• Hot Water cylinders
• New Housing
• Alterations
• General Maintenance
• Solar water heating
• All LPG gas installation
Whitianga
07 866 0070
What’s On the next few weeks
Sponsored by Dive Zone Whitianga Tel (07) 867 1580
Op-Shops
Social Services Op-Shops - 2 Cook Drive, Whitianga. Open Monday to Friday, 9:00am - 4:30pm and Coghill Street
(west of Albert Street), Whitianga. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00am - 1:00pm.
The Church Op-Shop, at St Andrews by the Sea Community Church, Owen Street, Whitianga. Open Thursday to
Saturday 8:30am - 12:30pm.
St John Opportunity Shop, Coghill Street (east of Albert Street), Whitianga. Open Monday to Saturday,
10:00am - 4:00pm. Phone 869 5416.
Justice of the Peace
Every Monday 10:00am - 12:00 noon at Whitianga Social Services, 2 Cook Drive. Phone 866 4476 for more information.
Mercury Bay Community Bus
Available for transport to hospital, specialist or health related appointments outside of the Whitianga area.
Phone 866 4993 for information and bookings.
Road Cycling and Mountain Biking
Road cycling meet every Saturday at 8:00am at the Fire Station intersection, Whitianga. Phone Bryan on
022 155 8944 for more information. Mountain biking meet every Tuesday at 5:15pm and every Saturday at 7:30am at
the Fire Station intersection, Whitianga. Phone Paul on 021 605 230 for more information.
Social Cycling Group
Meet every Sunday at 9:00am at Taylor’s Mistake, Whitianga. Short 45 minute cycle and coffee. Phone Bryan on
022 155 8944 for more information.
Waka Ama “Have a Go” days
First and third Sunday of every month and Thursday afternoons. See Facebook.com/whitiangawakaama.
“Whitianga Movers and Losers” (the Old WW’s)
Wednesdays 5:00pm - 6:00pm at St Peters Anglican Church, Dundas St, Whitianga. $2 donation (to cover cost
of room rent). We promote a slow, steady weight loss based on eating well, nourishing foods and moving more -
towards maintaining our our ideal weight and optimal health. New members always welcome.
Whitianga Probus Club
Meet on the fourth Monday of every month at the Mercury Bay Bowling Club, 92 Cook Drive, Whitianga. Friendly club for
seniors. Visitors welcome. Phone Des Robinson on (07) 866 0960 for more information.
Social Darts
Every Tuesday at 7:30pm at the Mercury Bay Club. Contact Pauline Curtain at paulinecurtain@msn.com for
more information.
Mercury Bay Community Choir
Meets every Monday from 6:00pm - 8:00pm in the Mercury Bay Area School music room. Non-auditioned. New members
welcome. Contact Kate Nielsen on telephone 866 2573 or (027) 270 9058 for more information.
SeniorNet Whitianga Incorporated
Classes held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at various times. We give older adults an opportunity to demistify their
computers and to learn more about new communications and information technology. Contact Lorna Russell on
866 4215 for more information or to join.
Whitianga Toastmasters
Meet Tuesdays from 6:30pm - 8:00pm at the Whitianga Art Centre, School Road, Whitianga. Competent Leadership -
listening, critical thinking, giving feedback, time management, motivating people, mentoring and team building. Phone
Merle on 866 0240 or (021) 0241 9368 for more information.
Mercury Bay Table Tennis
Every Tuesday 9:30am - 11:30am at the Whitianga Town Hall. All welcome. Phone Pat or Neville on 867 1447 for
more information.
Mercury Bay Badminton
Every Wednesday 9:30am - 11:00am at the Whitianga Town Hall. All welcome. Phone Diane on 027 246 1915 for
more information.
St John Cadets
Meet every Monday from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the St John Ambulance Station, Cook Drive, Whitianga. Phone Beth on
(07) 869 5294 or (021) 241 9757 for more information.
Whitianga Senior Citizens Club
Meet Mondays in the Whitianga Town Hall, 1:00pm - 4:00pm. Bowls, scrabble, card games, housie etc. Afternoon tea,
55 plus age group. Phone Lance Hayson (president) on 866 5817 for more information.
Operation Cover-Up
Meet the last Wednesday of every month at Whitianga Social Services from 1:30pm - 3:30pm. An initiative knitting
clothing for Missions without Borders in the Ukraine and Moldova. Phone Brenda on 866 5814 for more information.
Whitianga Art Group
Meet everyThursday and Friday,10:00am - 4:00pm,at theArt Centre in School Road,Whitianga.New members welcome.
Phone Rose on 022 139 2968 or Maryanne on 866 4099 for more information.
Coroglen Farmers Market
Every Sunday, 9:30am - 1:00pm. Locally produced seasonal fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, jams, chutneys,
home-baking, handmade soap, coffee, hot snacks, art and craft, quality vintage items and much more. Phone Fiona on
866 3315 for more information.
Several Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club Tournaments
Billfish Classic - Saturday 20 to Monday 22 February.
Tristram Marine Open - Saturday 20 to Saturday 27 February.
Nationals - Saturday 20 to Saturday 27 February.
More information at www.gamebase.co.nz.
Sportsafe Auckland Rugby League Nines Tournament
Friday 26 (from 3:00pm) and Saturday 27 (from 10:00am) February at Lyon Park, Albert Street, Whitianga.
Cooks Beach Transfield Tri
Sunday 28 February. Start time 9:00am. Enter online at www.sportwaikato.org.nz.
Whitianga Art, Craft and Farmers Market
Saturday 20 February from 8:30am - 1:00pm at Soldiers Memorial Park,Whitianga. Locally produced fruit and vegetables
and art and craft. Phone Anne on 866 5550 or Doreen on 866 5237 for more information.
Weekly Church Services
Mercury Bay Co-Operating Parish
St Andrews by the Sea Community Church, 9:30am every Sunday worship service and kids friendly Bible sessions,
Albert Street, Whitianga.
Anglican Services
St Peter the Fisherman, 9:30am Sunday services. All are welcome, Dundas Street, Whitianga.
Crossroad Encounter Fellowship
10:00am every Sunday, cnr Joan Gaskell Drive and Cook Drive, Whitianga.
St Patrick’s Catholic Church
Weekend Mass Saturday 5:30pm and Sunday 8.30am, Monday - Friday 9:00am (except Tuesday no Mass,
Wednesday 12:00 noon). Tairua Sunday 10:30am, Tuesday 9:00am, tel 866 2189.
Whitianga Baptist Church
10:00am every Sunday, children’s programme, 112 Cook Drive, Whitianga, tel 866 4027.
C3 Whitianga
10:00am every Sunday, children’s programme, 23 Coghill Street, Whitianga,
email info@c3whitianga.org.nz.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Meet on Sundays 10:00am - 11:30am at the Whitianga Social Services building,
2 Cook Drive, Whitianga. Children’s programme. Phone 021 277 2126 for
more information.
Seventh Day Adventists
Home study group. Phone Laurie/Lois on 866 2808 for more information.

MERV GEORGE Plumbing
& Drainage Ltd
“Do it by George and you’ll be right”
PO Box 74 Whitianga
P: 07 866 5787
F: 07 866 5780
M: 0274 521 298
mjfgeorge@xtra.co.nz
Electrical installations and
maintenance
Phone: 07 866 2413
Mobile: 027 404 8941
E: paul@williselectrical.co.nz
W: www.williselectrical.co.nz
Paul Willis
Registered Electrician
DOMESTIC | COMMERCIAL | INDUSTRIAL
Willis Electrical
SavingourcoastalpohutukawasBy Cheyenne Walmsley - Year 12 student at Mercury Bay Area School and The Informer’s environmental issues contributor
“The pohutukawa tree signals the Christmas
holidays, sun, surf and beaches, as well as
coming together of life long memories,”
says Wiremu Davis a member of Mercury
Bay iwi Ngati Hei. Some concerns have been
raised about situations where people may
have taken action to damage or destroy these
trees in the Mercury Bay area.
Over the last few years anecdotal evidence
has emerged of native trees in prominent
coastal positions being drilled, poisoned,
or felled. An example is a 200 year old
pohutukawa that was allegedly poisoned
at Otama Beach last year. There are also
rumours of various native trees being felled
on Centennial Drive in Whitianga.
Last year the horticulture class at Mercury
Bay Area School had the opportunity to plant
pohutukawa trees in the beach reserve of
Taputapuatea Spit (Mother Brown’s Creek)
in Whitianga. This is, according to Wiremu,
“An area sacred to Ngati Hei/Tangata Whenua
and all Maori and Polynesian people in the
traditional and religious sense.”
Sadly within this area as many as 20
pohutukawa trees have already been
vandalised.
Several years ago approximately 200
pohutukawa trees were planted along Buffalo
Beach Reserve, intending to provide shade
for the public. These trees were all supported
with stakes. Despite this effort, few remain
today.
“Some property owners are concerned
that trees planted along the foreshore might
impact on coastal views in the longer term,”
says Dr Jim Dahm, a Mercury Bay-based
coastal scientist and one of the trustees of
the Dune Restoration Trust of New Zealand.
“As pohutukawa trees grow, they can be
actively pruned to open them up, maintaining
good sea views while gaining the advantage
of a shade tree. Sea views and a healthy
coastal environment can indeed happily co-
exist.”
Coastal dunes are identified as one of the
two most severely degraded ecosystems in
New Zealand.
We are already witnessing wildlife
flourishing as a result of the newly planted
back dune on Buffulo Beach. The return
of rare native plants has provided healthy
habitats for numerous native skinks and
invertebrates, including the copper butterfly.
As the dune further develops, it will also
benefit migratory birds.
It is true that no vegetation stops the natural,
fluctuating cycles of erosion we experience
on the Coromandel Peninsula. “Rather, the
key role of the vegetation is natural dune
repair following natural erosion cycles,”
says Jim. “Permanent erosion could occur
if there is no vegetation to repair the dunes
following natural erosion cycles.”
The pohutukawa may only be one plant
species, but it plays a crucial role to support a
healthy and functioning ecosystem.
Local ecologist Megan Graeme believes,
“It is time we as a community send a very
strong signal to people vandalising trees for
their own personal benefit. One suggestion is
to follow overseas examples where councils
and agencies put up large structures, or works
of art, to fill in the view of the vandalised
tree until a replacement tree establishes.
Once this technique is used a couple of
times I bet the rate of tree vandalism would
drop significantly.”
As things stand at the moment, Beachcare
groups (partnerships between Waikato
Regional Council, local communities, iwi and
district councils working to protect and restore
the beaches within the WRC boundaries)
are unlikely to conduct significant plantings
of native trees on coastal reserves without
community demand and agreement. This is
indeed a sad state of affairs.
TCDC compliance officers are constantly
on the lookout for tree vandals and encourage
the community to report suspicious activity.
“After all, we are the guardians of the
treasures of mother earth,” says Wiremu.
This recently taken photo indicates damage to a newly planted pohutukawa tree
to the left of the picnic table. The pohutukawa was planted between the Buffalo Beach
seawall and the footpath next to Buffalo Beach Road in Whitianga.

With Mavis Hicks
SeniorNet Update
Monday 1 February to Monday 8 February 2016
Police Report
With Sergeant Andrew Morrison
SeniorNet is about to start the classes for
this year. We have an interesting schedule
prepared and though registration day
has passed, there is still time to enrol
with SeniorNet and join in the learning
programme. We have some laptops to use
at classes, but you can bring your own
and use our (much improved) internet
connection. Phone Lorna on 866 4215 to
discuss options, during the day please.
Of interest to all readers using Windows
7, 8 and 10 could be the excellent tutorials
offered by Microsoft. Search for www.top-
windows-tutorials.com. The videos make
for easy understanding and subjects are
listed. You can sign in for the newsletter
as well. One tutorial of interest is setting
up different user accounts for each user
instead of all using the Administrator one.
A reminder that if you have a stay in
Waikato Hospital, there is Wi-Fi available
there for patients, so take your device
with you and of course the power cable
and out of consideration to other patients,
headphones are a good idea. It can be little
lonely for some of us, a long way from
visitors and a good way to keep in touch
with happenings at home. Also, register
with the local library and download and
read some of the books online you don’t
have time to read at home. Talk to the
librarian and she will advise you how to
register.
Many years ago I explored an animating
programme. This week I revisited the
latest edition and its improved and really
good. Search for www.pivotanimator.net
(version 4). It’s free and another way to
increase skill and thinking. The programme
has a good “help” section and it’s a start to
creating your own videos.
Now the festivities are over, please think
about joining SeniorNet and learn about
the enormous amount of programmes now
available to expand your device usage.
Your committee and tutors look forward
to seeing existing and new members.
Whitianga Social Services, where the members of SeniorNet meet every week.
GENERAL
A reminder that if you see offending or an
incident that you want Police to investigate and
the people involved aren’t known to you, then
we need as much information as possible to
identify them.
Vehicle registrations are a good start and then
as good a description of the people involved as
possible.
If you write details down at the time, you
will be more likely to be able to provide the
information to Police later on.
ARRESTS
6th - 1 x 28yr old Christchurch man for removing
his home detention bracelet and Burglary.
8th - 1 x 26yr old local man for being drunk
and disorderly.
OCCURRENCES
Two domestic incidents attended this week.
A brother and sister argued at a White Street
address on the 4th concerning money taken from
a wallet and also on the 4th a couple argued at
an Albert Street address after having drunk too
much alcohol.
On the 1st a cell phone was stolen from a
jacket at a licensed premises on Blacksmith
Lane, while also that day a wallet was stolen
when it was left unattended at the skate park.
On the 6th jewellery is suspected of
having been stolen during an open home at a
Cholmondeley Crescent address and a toolbox
was reported stolen from a shed at a Purangi
Road address.
As per the burglary arrest listed, two cell
phones were stolen from a South Highway
address on the 7th, while also that night a
woman was punched in the side of her face by a
man after an argument over video recording at
Brophy’s Beach.
TRAFFIC
No drunk drivers apprehended this week.
4th - A car was reported for dangerous
overtaking on the 309 Road and our enquiries
are continuing.

• Design and build new pools
• Renovations of existing pools
• Pool covers, auto or manual
• Quality portable spa pools
MERCURY BAY POOLS LTD
Concrete
Swimming Pool Builders
Contact Peter Thomas
M: 0274 806 288
A/h 07 866 4358
www.mercurybaypools.co.nz
Rolla-Tilta-Sectional
and custom made doors
Automatic Openers
We service all
makes and models
5 Year warranty on all
new doors and openers
Ph 07 866 5544 or 027 493 2691 71a Cook Drive, Whitianga
www.hoylandcontracting.co.nz
Garages
Sleepouts
Houses
Your design or ours
Licensed building practitioners
All concrete work
Tile & Grout restoration work
including cleaning, repair work
Grout clear/colour sealing,
re-colouring silicone work
Shower glass/glass cleaning/treatment
Phone/txt Jack 021 775 118
Polyurethane
coating & colouring
Timber & Cork Floor
Installation
www.mercurybayfloorsanders.co.nz
Call
chris mcKibbin
M: 021 046 7169
Waitangi Weekend was extra special for Cooks Beach bach owner Brett Mattson. On Friday
afternoon 5 February he reeled in a 21 pound (9.5kg) snapper while surfcasting not far from his
holiday home. “I’m happy with my surfcasting efforts this year,” says Brett. “I often went home
with two legal size snapper in the bag. I didn’t expect this beauty, though. It was quite easy to
bring in, not putting up much of a fight.
“I found the speed at which the news travels quite amazing. When the fish took the bait,
there were very few people around. When I ultimately brought the fish onto the beach,
there were probably 30 people watching. Where they came from, I don’t know. And not
long after that, the whole Cooks Beach was full of surfcasters. I guess I would have done the
exact same.”
Brett decided to have the fish smoked and to enjoy it with family and friends.“It was beautiful,”
he says.
Pictured is Brett with his 21 pound catch.
Surfcaster catches 21
pound beauty

ACROSS
1. Regular
7. Abandoned
8. N African nation
10. Protects
12. US Midwest state
14. Trim
16. Front of jaw
17. Imported illegally
20. Carnival site
23. Youthful
24. Levelled (series)
25. Encore!
DOWN
1. Invisible
2. Woe!
3. Eyelid inflammation
4. Dutch city, The ...
5. Lovingly
6. Tots up (4,2)
9. Of the nose
11. Unaware
13. Actress, ... Basinger
15. Great pain
16. Cappuccino or latte
18. Fire-breathing monster
19. Nimble
21. Stove
22. Deep bell sound
Last week’s solution
UK Puzzle 676
UK Style Crossword
© Lovatts Puzzles
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Last week’s winner - Tina North
Mobility equipment available for locals or visitors.
Walking frames, crutches, walking sticks and mobility scooters
Phone Roger on 07 867 1986 for more information
Win a $6 Wednesday Lotto ticket. Hand deliver or mail or scan and email your entry to
The Mercury Bay Informer, 14 Monk St, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga or
info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by 6:00pm Monday each week. The winner must please claim
his/her prize from the New World check out manager directly before the Wednesday of the week
following the issue in which he/she was announced the winner.

Squeaky Clean
Windows
Summer is here.
Time for a
clean!
We promise
you a superior
job at a
competitive
price.
Phone Nick on
866 4724
021 522 041
Thumbs
Up
To the crew of
the Auckland
and Coromandel
Rescue Helicopter for the
effort they made with the
Whitianga Sea Scouts Cubs
when the Cubs visited
the Whitianga base of the
helicopter last week.
When the Volvo Sailing... Have a Go!
trailer visited WhitiangaThe Mercury Bay Boating Club had a busy
week last week. In addition to the fourth race
of the club’s Steinlager Series on Wednesday
(see the race report of page 32 of this issue
of The Informer), the club hosted the
Yachting New Zealand Volvo Sailing…
Have a Go! trailer.
From Tuesday to Friday students from
Mercury Bay Area School had an opportunity
to experience the thrills and spills of sailing in
a safe and well-managed environment. It was
the first time the Volvo Sailing… Have a Go!
programme has visited Mercury Bay.
On top of that, last Saturday a very
successful open day was held at the club.
Hamish Hey, the Yachting New Zealand
Regional Support Officer responsible for the
Coromandel Peninsula, says there are three
Volvo Sailing… Have a Go! trailers travelling
around New Zealand. Each trailer contains
nine small yachts and a small inflatable boat
with an outboard engine. The Volvo Sailing…
Have a Go! programme aims to provide
school students from Year 4 to Year 8 with a
whole day on the water. “Our instructors do a
bit of theory in the morning and then it’s time
for fun on the ocean.
“My primary role is to help clubs to grow.
In the provincial centres it’s about making
people aware that a lot of pleasure can be
derived from sailing and that it’s never too
late to start, but also that you can achieve great
heights even if you belong to a smaller club.
Not all New Zealand’s top sailors started out
at the big clubs in the cities. Like all things,
it’s hard work and dedication that will get you
across the line.”
This is what a few of the MBAS Year 6
students who went sailing last week Thursday
had to say about the experience -
“I had an awesome day! My favourite part
was catching the wave in at the end. It was
also fun going out through the waves and one
wave crashed in on top of us! Reuben, Hamish
and Russel [the Yachting New Zealand staff
members who presented the Volvo Sailing…
Have a Go! programme last week] were
really fun. I really enjoyed my day of sailing.
It was great.” Olivia McDonald
“It was a blast! I had so much fun!
My favourite thing was surfing the boat in
on an enormous wave. Me and Olivia were
screaming our heads off when we saw the
wave sneaking up behind us. As we were
riding our wave in, there was water coming
out our centre board hole. It was spurting out
like a fountain. I would love to do it all over
again!” Emma Jones
“Here we go. It's now or never. ‘Go, go,
go!’ Reuben shouts. My heart is pounding.
Finally we have passed all the waves. Why is
the boat bobbing up and down? Oh my gosh,
look at that wave. Are we going to make it?
Phew!” Dave McGehan
The club open day last Saturday was held
as part of the 2016 Volvo Sailing and Boating
Week, a nationwide initiative from yachting
New Zealand to showcase and celebrate
sailing as a sport. The Volvo Sailing…
Have a Go! trailer was also at the day and with
the club’s own small yachts, a great number
of people of all ages had the opportunity to
experience why the participants in the club’s
regular sailing races keep on coming back
for more.
Mercury Bay Area School Year 6 students Tyrese Melde (on the left) and Jack Williams with
Yachting New Zealand’s Hamish Hey during the Volvo Sailing... Have a Go!
programme on Thursday last week.

Last week’s winner - Murray Hansen
Sudoku
3
2
1
5
6 8 7
9
4
Sponsored by H&M Pascoe Tel 0274 852 046
Fishing Report
Mercury Bay Service Station
5 Monk Street Whitianga
Phone : 07 866 5485
Fuel, LPG Refill, Bait, Tackle, Ice, Lubricants, Auto Parts
We also do Diesel delivery to Wharf and Farms
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Sudoku Puzzle 676
Fill in the boxes using the numbers 1 to 9. Every row and column, and every group of nine boxes
inside the thick lines, must contain each number only once. Deliver or mail or scan and email
your entry to The Mercury Bay Informer, 14 Monk St, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga
or info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by 6:00pm Monday each week. The weekly prize is one
butter chicken combo (including rice and a poppadom) from Hurry 4 Curry, Whitianga. The winner
must please claim his/her prize from Hurry 4 Curry directly.
With four days of near perfect sea
conditions, the boaties took to the water in
huge numbers and our weighmasters had an
extremely busy week.
To put things in perspective, at this stage
last year, our club had recorded 50 marlin
caught. Right now we are at 102 and there
are quite a few people who have tagged
marlin who haven’t yet had time to bring
their tags and fishing equipment to be
checked at the club, so this number is only
going to increase.
Whilst there doesn’t seem to be too
much of a shortage of marlin out there,
it has been more and more noticeable that
we have many younger fish here this year.
We have also still only weighed one blue
marlin, although there have been several
others hooked that have managed to set
themselves free. There is a 90kg minimum
weight for striped marlin that our club
actively promotes and for those who are
unable to gauge a fish’s weight with any
accuracy, taking the measurement from
lower jaw to the tail fork is the best option.
If this is less than 2,300mm, you are likely
to be going below the 90kg weight, unless
the fish is a fat one. With so many smaller
fish in our area, our tagging percentage is
sitting at nearly 60 per cent, which is really
high for this time of the year and bodes well
for us exceeding our 50 per cent target for
the year.
Marlin are being caught all over our
fishing grounds, with the best concentrations
tending to be the Footprint, anywhere
within a few miles of the Hook, in about
150m of water in the Middle Ground and
a few have been caught on and outside the
Alderman Pins. A few fishers searching for
the bigger blues have undertaken sorties
out to the south end of the Ammo Dump,
but this hasn’t really paid off yet.
There are quite a number of mahimahi in
our area as well, with these fish putting on a
good show jumping around the lures as they
troll past. A couple of days ago there was
a pending New Zealand women’s 37kg and
all tackle record fish caught when Counties
Manukau club member Serena Shine landed
a 20.44kg mahimahi on 37kg line just east
of Cuvier. We have also weighed several
short bill spearfish and yellow fin tuna in
the last week.
Closer to shore, fishers are having more
luck with snapper in the river or near the
river mouth than further out. The other area
that seems to be fishing well at dawn or
dusk is that region between Great Mercury
and Otama.
It appears that many anglers have been
getting the best of both worlds with the
thrill of a battle with a larger game fish out
wide, followed by a
successful snapper fish
for dinner on the way in.
Tight lines,
Alan

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E: rolly@smartbrokers.co.nz
M: 021 909 406
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Pony Club still going strong after more
than 50 yearsFor a pony club, simply being around for more than 50 years isn’t enough to ensure success
on the equestrian circuit.
The Mercury Bay Pony Club was established in 1963 and despite being celebrated as one of
the oldest clubs on the Coromandel, success still requires a dedicated committee working
hard to maintain and upgrade facilities when needed and to ensure that the club can offer
the best for its members.
The club currently has 21 riding members under 18 and has recently opened membership
to adults. “We have 22 adults enrolled, making a total of 43 riding members at the club.
There are another 19 non-riding club members,primarily parents supporting the under 18s,”
says club committee member Shelley Balsom.
A number of recent past and present club members are continuing to compete successfully
on the regional and national stage. Laura Bon, Amelia Lockhart, Rochelle Litherland,
Fenella Skelton, Baylee Wooldridge and Kalani Nicol all have stand-out performances to
their names.
Shelley says that, because not all members wish to go out of town and compete,
their club days are very popular and are focused on being fun,inclusive and family orientated
events. “Rally days are held every second Sunday at the Pony Club grounds on Wade Road
outside Whitianga, with an open invitation to members and non-members to come along
and see what happens. All are welcome.”
An accumulator show jumping series is at the moment in progress at the club. The first of
three meetings in the series was held last Wednesday. The second meeting will be held on
24 February and the final on 9 March.
The series is organised by 14-year-old Kalani Nicol, a champion Mercury Bay rider.
Kalani is judging all three the meetings and awarding the competitors with rosettes and
sashes that she once won herself. She proactively organised and sought sponsorship from
local businesses. The series is not only a fundraiser for her own aspirations as a young
equestrian rider, but a chance to give something back to her peers. Kalani also designed
and built the show jumping course used in the series.
“The Mercury Bay Pony Club has the ongoing support from many individuals and businesses.
It is very much appreciated.” says Shelley.
Pictured is some of the action at last Wednesday’s first accumulator series meeting.

Go in the draw to win a package of Mercury Bay delights (including restaurant, cafe and attraction
vouchers). Hand deliver or mail or scan and email your entry to The Mercury Bay Informer,
14 Monk Street, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga or info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by
6:00pm Monday each week. The winner will be drawn in July 2016 and will be notified by phone.
No correspondence will be entered into once the winner has been notified. Conditions apply.
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Observer Puzzle 676
Across
1 Tudor monarch keeping church in
English system (9)
6 Examine condition in street (4)
8 Sort booing diva ruined song (4,10)
10 Note element required for language (5)
11 Enclose phone receiver (4-5)
12 Crackpot free to obtain capital (6)
14 Erase ink, resolved to be more
furtive (8)
17 Noise men whipped up for
candidates (8)
18 Try and gamble about conclusion of
final in cup (6)
20 Heavenly messenger, in peculiar
change, lost (9)
22 Light chapter after revolutionary
nonsense (5)
24 Old man heads for power unopposed
again with sum of money for
nation (5,3,6)
25 Use writing machine in class (4)
26 Rigorous sequence connected with
area of medicine (9)
Everyman Cryptic Crossword
© The Observer
Down
1 One lusting for power with evil aim
came along (12)
2 Influence from chlorine revealed (5)
3 Fashionable outlet I love with name for
originality (9)
4 Board game’s ending with bishop in
spot (6)
5 Desire unknown quantity, being paid (8)
6 Small argument becoming difficult (5)
7 Panic badly, losing power in last of
money matters (9)
9 Judge, dry old man with skill in private
conversation (5-2-5)
13 Protest and shout about a cold form
of government (9)
15 Change of direction in contest dividing
planet without leader (5-4)
16 Stage performances including new
close-fitting trousers (8)
19 Bloom with force cut down (6)
21 Delight in the morning service (5)
23 Hurried, for example, climbing series
of hills (5)
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other days by phone
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Brain Teaser Puzzle 676
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Win a coffee and a muffin from Espy Cafe in Whitianga. Hand deliver or mail or scan and email
your entry to The Mercury Bay Informer, 14 Monk St, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga or
info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by 6:00pm Monday each week. The winner must please claim
his/her prize from Espy Cafe directly before the Wednesday of the week following the issue in which
he/she was announced the winner.
Vaki Puzzle Instructions -
The puzzle is solved when
there is a letter (A - D) and
a number (1 - 4) in each
cell and each letter and
each number appears once
in each row and once in
each column. Each pair
occurs once and only once
in a solved puzzle (A1 is the
same pair as 1A).
Last week’s solution - Calkuro
Last week’s winner - David Stott
Brain Teaser - Vaki
© Tamaki Education and Sports Society Inc (www.vakipuzzles.com)
Local schools benefitting from new-look
Swimming Waikato programme
Swimming Waikato has a new-look
swimming programme which they hope
will provide quality in-school swimming
lessons for students attending a rolling series
of targeted schools in the Waikato region.
The initiative is a KiwiSport programme and
is being delivered in conjunction with Sport
Waikato and Sport New Zealand.
For 2016 the focus is on the Coromandel,
with four schools flagged to benefit from
the new programme. Three of the schools
- Whenuakite, Coroglen and Tairua - are
situated in the wider Mercury Bay area.
Opoutere north of Whangamata is the fourth
school.
In each of the schools Swimming Waikato
is in the process of providing 10 in-school
lessons for students aged eight to 12 years,
followed by four extension classes (after
school) for identified talented swimmers,
which will focus on stroke development.
These swimmers will all be invited to attend
a technique clinic in Whangamata on 5
March, which will be run by Graeme Laing,
one of Swimming Waikato’s senior coaches.
Club swimmers from Coromandel Town,
Whitianga and Whangamata will also attend
the technique clinic.
The clinic will also provide an upskilling
opportunity for club coaches and school
teachers who would like to learn more about
delivering quality swimming lessons.
Talented swimmers identified through the
new-look swimming programme will have
the opportunity to attend club nights at the
Whangamata and Mercury Bay Swimming
Clubs and compete in the Peninsular
Carnival, which is a fun swim meet taking
place in Whangamata on Sunday 6 March,
the day after the technique clinic.
Teachers from each of the schools where
the new-look swimming programme is being
presented attended clinics run by Sport
Waikato’s Chris Jolly and Swimming For
Life swim teacher Aileen Corbett. The clinics
were held on 3 February at Whenuakite
School and on 4 February at Tairua School.
At these clinics, the school teachers hopped
into the pool so they could experience the
lessons from their students’ perspective.
The concept behind the new-look swimming
programme is to work with schools in the
Waikato region to ensure that in-school
swimming lessons are of a great quality.
“We have been delighted to see the
enthusiasm and commitment to swimming
shown by teachers at the Coromandel schools
where the programme is being rolled out,”
said Cherie McCleery, Swimming Waikato
Executive Officer. “The programme is also
designed to provide the students taking part
with an introduction and a pathway to club
swimming in an area which has well-run and
proactive swimming clubs.”
Once the in-school swimming programme
is complete, Swimming Waikato will talk
to staff at each of the four Coromandel
schools about the possibility of setting up a
satellite swim club (on the school grounds) to
enable students to continue their swimming
development. This would remove the rural
issues associated with travel, while still
allowing the students to become competitive
swimmers if interested.
Parent forums will also be held to provide
information for interested parents about
opportunities for their children to develop
their swimming and opportunities for the
parents to volunteer in club committee roles
or roles associated with running a satellite
swimming club.
Swimming for Life teacher Aileen Corbett working with Whenuakite School students
during a Swimming Waikato in-school swimming lesson last week.

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