Issue 928 - 15 December 2020 Phone (07) 866 2090 Circulation 8,000 Visiting students relish the delights of the Coromandel By Gillian O’Neill The student group from Māngere College who spent a week visiting the Coromandel with the support and assistance of the local community. Twenty-nine students and six staff from The activities for the week included the Tours, flax weaving, a boat trip with Sea Paul said the feedback from the young people Māngere College, Auckland have extended students planning, buying and cooking Cave Adventure and korero from Joe Davis, who participated in the trip was superb with their sincere thanks to the communities of their own food on a budget, hiking through a Ngāti Hei kaumātua, about the historic quotes like, “I got to see a lot of things I have the Coromandel Peninsula who hosted them gold mines, swimming, visiting Cathedral encounter between Māori and Europeans in never seen before in real life,” “I had so much recently for a week of adventure, hospitality Cove and Hot Water Beach, a tour of the 1769,” said Paul. fun learning history,” and “It taught me how and unique learning experiences. Martha Mine at Waihi and talks on local Shelley Balsom, the owner of Waka Tours, to work as a team, it also gave me the chance Thanks to the combined efforts of several environmental issues, including mining and said the students were an awesome group to to experience what most of our ancestors local businesses and community organisations, kauri dieback. “At Hot Water Beach the host. “They were so interested in everything, went through to get to their destination.” the group was able to experience the very best students learnt about water safety from surf they asked questions about all sorts of While Paul said the students would be of what the Coromandel has to offer while sharing their experience with the tamariki lifesaver, Taimania, and appreciated Carter, things,” she said. “They absolutely loved the learning about the history and the people at Bader Intermediate School and Māngere Joe and Holly, also from the Hot Water Beach waka ama and they worked so well together of the area, and all at a minimal cost to the Central School to inspire the next generation students, only one of whom had visited the Surf Lifesaving Club being on patrol to help as a team. It was a real pleasure having them. to visit the Coromandel, Shelley described Peninsula previously. ensure they were kept safe,” said Paul. “We know for a Decile 1 school, getting how their attitude throughout the visit was a “Māngere College would like to acknowledge Through Whitianga-based business, Waka this sort of a trip together and funding it is wonderful reminder of all that the Peninsula the contribution of the local community and Tours, the students also had the opportunity a big ask, so we were very happy to help out has to offer. “I think we sometimes take it a grant from the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local to connect with mana whenua and understand where we could and make sure the students for granted because it’s right here at our Board which meant that the students only had more about the first encounters with European really had a great experience.” backdoor, but when you see the enthusiasm to give a $20 contribution towards transport settlers in Mercury Bay. “A highlight for the The week was rounded off with a softball the kids had for everything, it really was a and accommodation for the trip,” said Paul week was forming a connection with Ngāti game against students from Mercury Bay great reminder of how lucky we are to live in Campbell, school guidance councillor. Hei which included waka ama with Waka Area School. this amazing place,” she said. Distributed throughout the Coromandel Peninsula, coast to coast from Thames to north of Colville - www.theinformer.co.nz Busy fundraising time for the Whitianga Lions The members of the Lions Club of Whitianga have been very busy with two fundraising campaigns substantial amount of money,” says Ian Robbie, Whitianga Lions president. “We’re very pleased with over the past few months. how the raffle went.” Firstly, in conjunction with the Coromandel Town Lions, they have collected 49kg of “old money” for The first raffle prize, New World vouchers to the value of $1,000, was won by Whitianga resident, the Heads Up for Kids programme of Lions Clubs New Zealand. Chris Kelly. “That was a great surprise and very welcome just before Christmas,” she says. Launched in July 2010, Heads Up for Kids asks New Zealanders to dig out and donate old decimal But that’s not the end of it. Keep an eye out for the Whitianga Lions over the next few weeks as and pre-decimal New Zealand currency, and all foreign money. The obsolete cash is then redeemed they will be selling raffle tickets for the Mercury Bay Seaside Carnival. Two great kayak packages for New Zealand dollars and used to fund education programmes for young New Zealanders that will donated by Dive Zone Whitianga are up for grabs. enable them to establish their goals in life and live their dream. In the photo on the left is Lions zone chairman, Gordon Barnaby (left), and Ian Robbie with the “old In the second instance, the Whitianga Lions have been selling tickets for their annual raffle to raise money” collected for the Heads Up for Kids programme. In the photo on the right is Ian with Chris money for the Whitianga Bike Park and top up their club reserves from which they support other Kelly (centre) and Manisha Matthews, organiser of the Whitianga Lions’ annual raffle. community projects. “We’ve had great support from local businesses with raffle prizes and raised a What’s happening in the night sky? Night sky information provided and sponsored by Week of Wednesday, 16 December to Wednesday, 23 December - Monday, 21 December is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year, but also the day when Jupiter and Saturn have their “Great Conjunction.” They will be the closest together in the sky that they have been since 1623 when Galileo was watching. However for us in the southern hemisphere they will be quite hard to spot as they will be very low on the southwestern horizon at sunset, so the sky will still be quite bright. Jupiter will be the brighter of the two with Saturn just to the right and quite a bit fainter as it is twice as far away from us. Both should be clearly visible with binoculars or a small telescope just after the sun has disappeared below the horizon. Wednesday, 16 December - Jupiter and Saturn lie above and to the right of an extremely thin crescent Moon in the western evening twilight. A bright International Space Station (ISS) pass tonight in the NW from 9:30pm. Thursday, 17 December - The Moon is now just to the left of Jupiter and Saturn Astronomy Tours and B&B very low in the west. Friday, 18 December - The Moon is now above and to the right of the very close pair of Jupiter and Saturn low in the west. Phone (07) 866 5343 Monday, 21 December - The “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn very low in the western twilight, the closest they have been since 1623. Summer solstice today, so the longest day of the year. Tuesday, 22 December - Reddish Mars can be seen high overhead to the right of the Moon tonight. www.stargazersbb.com Whitianga and Hot Water Beach tides Tides data sponsored by nzwindows.co.nz 4 Dakota Drive Whitianga Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Tel 07 869 5990 Page 2 The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz Issue 928 - 15 December 2020 The PM’s plans to holiday on the Coromandel The Coromandel has been branded as the place themselves without too much interference. “Where Kiwis Holiday” this summer and it “No doubt locals will be keen to demonstrate a seems even the Prime Minister agrees. bit of Coro manaakitanga (hospitality), but also While her precise itinerary has not been understand that Kiwis come here to reconnect revealed, Jacinda Ardern confirmed to national and need space to do so, and there’s no shortage media last week that her summer plans include of that in our big backyard,” he says. visits to the Coromandel. When asked about The Thames-Coromandel District has seen a how she would be spending her time off surge in domestic visits this year to the extent after what has been an extraordinary year, that overall tourism spending for the year to she revealed her main goal was to do nothing September 2020 was down just 3.5 percent except enjoy time with her family. on the previous 12 months. This compared to Where precisely holidaymakers might be a drop of 16.5 per cent for the whole of New able to bump into the Prime Minister over a Zealand. An Infometrics quarterly economic morning latte has not been confirmed, although report credits this strong performance from the her partner, Clarke Gayford, is known to be tourism sector for the Coromandel bouncing a fan of the fishing off the east coast of the back from the impact of the lockdown to record Peninsula. Back in October he commented, an overall 1.9 percent drop in GDP compared “I could live in Tairua,” after an episode of to the national figure of minus 3.3 percent. his television series, “Fish of the Day,” in While welcoming the figures, which the the Aldermen Islands were featured.