Ed Said: A Summer to Remember

This must be a summer to remember and, as the almost perfect curtain drop, Easter Weekend delivered just what the people ordered – firstly people!

Though some activities are going to need attention in the future due to congestion, I can’t recall seeing Mangawhai so busy as was the case on Easter Saturday. Waipu was similar, their third Easter gala attracting visitors from far and wide.

However Saturday dawned anything but bright and clear with hours of steady rain replenishing tanks, creating puddles, generating smiles and reminding avid gardeners what the weekend has traditionally been about. By midday the rain had gone so golf, fishing, boating, sandcastles and cool drinks became the order of the day. Several shopkeepers had developed a decidedly frazzled look by sundown but not one was unhappy with their trading efforts in what has been a fairly long, hot, dry summer.

Locally the number of ratepayers (people who are paying their rates) is steadily increasing so it seems more are getting tired of the bickering or realise that any legal action will be long and expensive (paid for by mostly their own members but also partially by all Kaipara ratepayers). Any decision in their favour would be a hollow one as council costs would be paid from council coffers (read ratepayers) and the chances of getting one red cent repaid by anyone previously in office is absolutely nil.

I’m not saying lie down, roll over and accept whatever your ruling body rains upon you. Lord knows, communities need watchdogs prepared to ask the hard questions in defence of those who can’t or wont but, having made one’s point, is it not time to accept, not defeat, but that further haranguing, vitriol and abuse tends to become like the proverbial broken record so even some of the most ardent supporters now prefer to move on with their lives.

According to real estate agents there are a number of people who want to ‘move on with their lives’ in Mangawhai as there is a steady trickle of sales in and around Mangawhai, and also in that ‘hard to move’ price bracket,  indicating the pluses are again outweighing the minuses all things considered.

With winter almost upon us our coastal haven will again have to hunker down to trade (or tread) through the traditional ‘flat line’ period, but history tells us this is nothing new and despite the odds Mangawhai continues to grow and prosper. It’s just not a straight line between point A and point B.

Remember, if you’re pressed for time, the Focus is available online or you can voice your opinion on our Facebook page. We’re now having one of our three week breaks – next issue out on April 29.