| 06.05. - 01.07. |
Mahara Arts Review (Waikanae) Exhibition: original work in any medium, completed since April 2011 by an artist living and working in the Kapiti / Horowhenua region. One entry per artist may be submitted, closing dates for entries are between Saturday 21 April - Sunday 29 April 2012 (Hours: Tues - Sat, 10am-4pm & Sun 1-4pm). Please ring the Gallery or visit www.maharagallery.org.nz for more information. |
| 16.05. - 17.06. |
Wonders With Wool (Raumati Beach) An exhibition at Kapiti Gallery, 192 Matai Rd, Raumati, by the Kapiti Arts & Craft Society Spinners, Weavers & Felters. Look for the dressed trees at Matai Rd reserve. Gallery hours Wed – Sun 10am-4pm |
| 17.05. |
Operatunity presents The Best of British with Marian Burns (Paraparaumu) The Best of British with John Cameron, accompanist Rosemary Barnes with violinist Marian Burns, Angela Franklyn-Lewis, Alex milligan & Tizane McEvoy. Fun packed musical journey of the British Isles. The programme is filled with old favourites and new gems; English folk songs, Gilbert and Sullivan, Irish ditties, lyrical Welsh melodies and stirring Scottish ballads. Special guest Marian Burns will delight audiences with her frenetic fiddling. Marian is the winner of numerous awards including NZ Country Music "Top Female Artist" 2009 and winner of "Top Musician" NZ Variety Artists Awards 2009. Concert is on Thursday 17 May at 11am, Southwards Theatre, Otaihanga Road, Paraparaumu. Tickets $27, including lunch with the artists, with discounts available for group and regular bookings. |
| 19.05. |
Ryan Edwards - Whirlwind (Paraparaumu) A year in the Whirlwind: A year on from the release of his album ‘Whirlwind,’ Ryan Edwards and his slick 7 piece band will be performing live at Southwards Theatre in Paraparaumu on May 19 2012. In Whirlwind, Ryan Edwards, a singer/songwriter from Waikanae, has created a beautiful soundtrack of haunting melodies and uplifting harmonies. In conjunction with the album Ryan and Martin Sloman have created The Whirlwind Trust, a project which is raising the profile of men’s mental health in New Zealand by encouraging ordinary men to tell their extraordinary stories about their struggles with mental health. Proceeds from this event will go to the Whirlwind Trust. The show will feature special guest Mike Chunn, from Split Enz. Mike Chunn has been very supportive of The Whirlwind project. As well as talking about his struggles with mental health will also play bass on one of the songs. Ryan has also now entered a collaboration with former Black Grace dancer Tamihana Paurini who has been inspired by Ryan's music and is choreographing a dance which he will perform both at the Southwards concert, and as part of a music video for the re-release of the single "Mother's Arms." Kapiti brass band players “Brasso” who feature on one of the songs on the Whirlwind album will open the night . Tickets are available from Ticket Direct, Coastlands service desk Ph 9029885, Drift Café, Waikanae and No.6 Cafe, Raumati Beach |
| 19.05. |
Levin Spin - In (Levin) Levin Spinners and Weavers Guild Spin-In is on from 10am to 3pm at St Mary's Church Hall Cnr of Manchester and Cambridge Streets, Levin. Door Charge $5 covers morning and afternoon tea and a prize draw. Bring your own lunch. * Traders with fibre goodies * White Elephant stall * Fresh veges and plants * Raffles Any questions phone Sue on 06 3670911. |
| 19.05. |
Waikanae Estuary Group Open Day Planting (Waikanae Beach) From 9.00am till Noon on the Paraparaumu side of river. Manly Street/Hadfield Place - look for the WECG Flag. Special morning tea provided - hear what we are all about. Bring own stout footwear/gumboots/gardening gloves/sunhat etc. Cancellations are announced on Beach Radio 106.3 FM. Contact Anne Isaac, Phone: 04 298 3416 |
| 20.05. |
Emma Sayers & Richard Mapp - Piano Duet (Waikanae) Well-known to Waikanae audiences, pianists Emma Sayers and Richard Mapp been colleagues for some years at the New Zealand School of Music and have frequently performed as duet partners, including touring for Chamber Music New Zealand in 2010. Their varied programme spans nearly 400 years of music from Thomas Tomkins to Kenneth Young. Highlights include sonatas by Mozart and Poulenc, Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, Lebensstürme by Schubert and three pieces from Samuel Barber’s evocative Souvenirs.
Waikanae Music Society. Waikanae Memorial Hall, Waikanae. Sunday 20 May at 2.30pm |
| 25.05. - 27.05. |
Circus Aotearoa - NZ's Very Own Circus (Levin) Enthralling animal free entertainment for all. * It's Kiwi as....! * A great time guaranteed! A thorough Modern Circus in a beautiful heated big top. * Showcasing NZ's Hottest Circus Talent * at Weraroa Reserve, Oxford Street, Levin. At 7pm Friday, 11am and 7pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday. Affordable fun for the whole family. 90 Action packed awe-inspiring minutes. Book online now at www.circusaotearoa.co.nz or purchase before the show, box office open 1 hour before the show (cash only). Tickets start from $13 for children and $18 for adults. 3 years olds and under - free. |
| 26.05. |
NZ Soil Association Levin Branch National AGM (Levin) Levin branch of the NZ Soil & Health Assn will host the National AGM at 2.30pm at the Levin Events Centre, Victoria Street, Levin on Saturday 26 May. Forum topic for discussion will be the Food Bill and subjects related to this bill. Jeanette Fitzsimmons, patron of the Association, will chair the event and the speakers are Steffan Browning and Dr Jessica Harding. 2.30pm Enrolment and registration, 3pm Afternoon tea, 3.15pm Forum, 5pm Soil & Health AGM, 6pm Meal, 7pm Speaker - Dr Jessica Harding. Registrations before 18 May $30 - a late fee of $10 applies from 19 May. For more information contact Liz Baucke 06 3680009, email krstrust@clear.net.nz
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| 26.05. |
Trees for fun and profit - free one day roadshow (Otaki) Saturday 26 May - Rotary Lounge, Aotaki Street, Otaki. Morning presentations start at 9.30am. Afternoon field visits 1.30pm to 4.00 pm. Bring your own lunch - tea, coffe and hot water will be provided. Trees can provide many benefits - timber, shade and shelter, soil stability, habitat for wildlife and a pleasant living environment. Do you want to know more about which trees are best suited to your property and land-use? Or would you like to find out about the opportunity for growing a small commercial forestry block in the Wellington region? To have a fascinating and useful day - there is no fee charged - find out the answers to these questions and more. Come to the free tree growing roadshow in Otaki on Saturday 26 May. |
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Lesley and Paul Andrews own the Celtic Motel just on the outskirts of Foxton's town centre. Paul grew up in New Zealand, but had been away for 20 years when he spotted the motel for sale over the internet. Both he and his English wife Lesley were fed up with working in the UK fashion industry, and were hankering for a lifestyle change. It was simply the pictures of farmland all around and calves grazing right alongside the motel that sold them both. "We agreed, this has to be it," he says
Paul had grown up in Ohakea and the Hutt Valley but he had never lived on the Nature Coast before. "I have family in Palmerston North and, on our visits to New Zealand over the years, we would always stop off for a coffee at Simply Balmy [at Foxton Beach]. So we knew the area a bit, but not well."
They have both been overwhelmed with the welcome they have received to the area. Paul says that when they arrived they had welcoming letters from city councillors. "We even had a letter from the local MP! Settling into Foxton has been great, everyone is so helpful - even local moteliers have given us tips on how to run our business. Where do you find that in this day and age, competitors helping you out? It's incredible."
Since taking over the business in September 2007 they have only had positive feedback. "Some people told us early on we'd never make it work, being just 500 metres from State Highway 1. But we have lots of regulars and everyone comments on how quiet it is - even people that live on farms say that they've never stayed at a motel as quiet as this. It's very peaceful."
The guests are likely to be served with exclusively local food. Paul and Lesley offer breakfasts to their guests using only local ingredients from market gardens. The eggs are from a local free-range producer and the meat often comes from a farmer who is literally ‘across the road'. "He will come over and offer us lamb or beef, straight from the farm. It's really delicious."
If guests are lucky they will hear the nearby trees rustle and a few native birds calling, but they will have to strain their ears and listen really hard because that heavenly silence may just drown it out.
Guests return time and time again not just for the peace and quiet but because Paul and Lesley Andrews are really lovely people, and in the hospitality world that's so very important.