Texans are coming to town

 

Most of Mangawhai knows Richard Te Haara. He’s the guy who had the funny little rhyming ditty on local radio, the guy who is loved by so many locals for his TV prowess because there are few things worse than a TV not doing what it's meant to do. Richard's always been the 'go to' man.

He's also very supportive of all things Mangawhai. Fiercely protective you might say? Well, almost exactly the opposite. Richard is undeniably proud of the uniqueness of Mangawhai, the Kaipara and Northland. In fact, the whole of New Zealand, but rather than be protective he wants, more than anything, to share Kiwi Pride with others.

Two pohutukawa are native to New Zealand: mainland pohutukawa which blooms during summer, and Kermadec Island pohutukawa which blooms year round, even though they are the same trees, says Richard. Their root systems and the environment they live in dictates flowering. "Like the pohutukawa, people can be different as to when they bloom in their lives," says Richard. "We in essence need to understand our own root system and environment in order to understand what makes us different and why. So when we meet other people living in different parts of the world we can begin to learn about who they are, if we keep these two things mind."

Richard was invited by a fellow Kiwi living in Texas to take part in a customised 'Taste of Texas Tour' for eight days in August this year, which he gladly accepted. He had never been there before but Texas was a place that he could not wait to visit for two reasons. One was the opportunity to learn about another culture and the other was because Texas was the home of his childhood hero Davey Crockett! He said that he experienced “southern hospitality” at its best in Texas while visiting all five major cities.

Richard discovered that Texans and Kiwis had so much in common with each other. “Texans and Kiwis are friends that have just not met yet,” he said. A great way he said to make this introduction would be to reciprocate the invitation he had received in a fun way that would extend Southern Hemisphere hospitality to the Texan friends he made on his journey there.

Earlier in December Richard chaperoned and hosted a Texan visitor from Austin in Mangawhai and introduced him to Kaipara Mayor Peter Wethey, because he knew they both shared an interest in local politics and he hoped a new relationship would be formed. Richard has now partnered with a company based out of Texas to create an opportunity for more Texans to visit Magical Mangawhai and the stunning regions of the Northland. So stay tuned “Y’all - The Texans are Coming Down Over.”