Scene & Heard

 

Tsunami siren not heard
Marje would like to know if anyone else in Mangawhai has trouble hearing the tsunami sirens. She lives in Kedge Drive right beside the school and cannot hear the siren when tested. Double glazing could be at fault but her windows were open at the time of testing and she insiste she is not hard of hearing in case anyone wondered. We would be interesed to know if there have been any complaints.

We have also heard from people in Langs Beach, close to the siren box, who haven’t been able to hear it either.

Tall stories…
…and true. Brian Styles of Black Swamp Rd has just published another book, his third, called Priceless Bullshit – rural stories short and tall! But the big thing is, he has been giving proceeds to the cancer Make A Wish Foundation, over $3000 already. The call is out, with his latest publication, for people to support him and add to the the total.

The Village GAS has all his books in the Post Shop, as has Books & Gifts in Wood St.

Navy history book launch
Local author Roy Vaughan is about to launch a book of appeal to all seafarers. The Last of a Salty Breed is a history of the British and New Zealand Merchant Navies, much of it from first hand experience. The book charts the rise and fall of the Merchant Navy from Viking times, to the introduction of large container ships in the 1970s.

The emphasis is not just on ships, but also tells the stories of the sailors, funny, tragic and heroic and covers the huge changes since the heydays of the Empire when merchant ships engaged in slavery and convict voyages to Australia and the United States from Britain.

It recounts the transshipment of tens of thousands of Indians as indentured labourers to the West Indies, Mauritius and Fiji. The Last of a Salty Breed also includes a number of Mangawhai stories of international note and a re-examination of some of New Zealand’s ship disasters.

The book will be launched at a special function at Mangawhai Museum at 1.30pm on Sunday 18th October.

Garden need a freshen up?
Need new ideas? Be the first in your neighborhood to get your Palmers Planet Mangawhai Garden Ramble ticket. Early Bird tickets are just $15! With 21 properties open to you over the weekend of November 14&15. That's great value! Head into one of the following retailers to purchase yours today and feel good about supporting two very worthy causes.

Tickets at Fresh, Mangawhai Books & Gifts, Jaques 4 Square Kaiwaka, Woody’s Wellsford, Warkworth info Centre, Waipu Hammer Hardware or contact Mangawhai Kindy 431 4333.

Wood St Free house
Evan King and his team are busy putting a new façade on the old Sail Rock restaurant. Evan is busy organising staff, loves the welcome he is getting from the locals and is doing all he can to have the new eatery up and running in time for Rugby World Cup semi-finals. Keep an eye out!

Art buffs paint the town
Weather Gods smiled on an Art Trail weekend which was ‘the best yet’ we hear. Maybe a little lighter in numbers of visitors but a different group and many considered more discerning. We’re yet to hear of any artisans who were unhappy with the result. It appears the stand alone event is forging a place of it’s own. More in-depth next issue.

Website confusion
Some confusion is mounting in the accommodation sector over emails our people are getting inviting or invoicing advertising on a www.mangawhaiaccommodation.co.nz. site.

This is a website run from Te Awamutu set up to advertise accommodation all over the country and while accommodation owners are free to advertise wherever, this should not be confused with our own www.mangawhai.co.nz which is run through the Mangawhai Business Development Association.