| 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. |
Contact Details
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Joe and Maggie Kieninger have created Blueberry Art from the inside out. Everything they do stems from wanting to be creative, to be themselves. And it's this creativity that really inspires visitors. Soon they'll be offering art workshops. It'll be worth the wait.
And the Kieningers make it look easy. Actually, they make it look like endless hard work, but that's okay when you're finally doing something you're passionate about, and your life become doubtless. "You can't really separate things," says Joe. "Blueberries, our art. We are here."
Some artists exhibit once a year and confirmation comes from selling. Joe and Maggie are exhibiting their art every day and they don't need verification for what they produce. "Art is communication," says Joe. "Having people see them all the time is motivating. Most artists are up and down all the time."
They produce some amazing things; Joe's recently printed a limited edition calendar of his art work. And Maggie's got some new hats that are exquisite; they're almost alive.
Neighbours have watched the place progress. They think Joe and Maggie have carved their dream with what's here, fuelled by an appreciation for a new way of life. The Kieningers' old life in Germany was stressful and without space. Both established artists in their own rights, they left Europe and stumbled across a worn-out blueberry farm on the Nature Coast. Maggie's father has just visited. "He said now that he's been here, he can understand me," says Maggie.
They don't spend huge amounts on advertising. They don't have to. The world is likely to come to them. Maggie is the hat maker and chief garden grower, Joe is the painter and fires when he shows visitors his historic printing press. But before anything, their artists first, in every sense of that world. And they're both in love with the alpacas. She's gentle, he's like a grinning kid with a new bike - they're both strong and sure. They're not interested in scouting New Zealand for outlets for their products. "I want to be found," says Maggie.
Their blueberry products can't be found in supermarkets or gourmet delis. You'll need to get real to purchase their products - like visiting the new Creative Market in Wellington's Frank Kitts Park, or coming to the Nature Coast.
The farm tour is a must, especially for mystery tours. It includes hat making and printing demonstrations, a tour of the farm, and a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin.
"It's fun," says Joe. "Sometimes I ask him if we can have less fun," says Maggie. This is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Just go. You'll be greeted by an old blueberry rusting away, the size of an extra large Swiss ball. It's taken a year for Joe to put it up. But it's what's on the inside that counts.
There's a whole array of artists with working studios here. Nature, art, it all fits rather nicely.
Happiness can be slippery. But for a couple on 11.5 beautiful acres of blueberry farm just north of Levin, not only have they found it; they've bottled it, made it into hats, painted and printed it, they've turned it into an experience that can quite literally change lives. Here, inspiration can be measured in real things; a historical printing press, a working blueberry farm, a bed and breakfast, jars of rich blue jam and jelly, incredible felt garments and hats, a working garden, and a herd of alpacas that like kissing noses with Jessie the golden retriever. And then there's the inspiration that slowly seeps in to be simulated later.
Blueberry Art
Joe and Maggie Kieninger
A: 1-7 Heatherlea East Rd (cnr SH1), Levin
P: 06 3673648