Sigrid Christiansen

OVER two decades, two Māori land trusts, Tiroa E and Te Hape B, have supplied over 52,000 mixed breed ewes to the New Zealand Shearing Championships.
The trusts’ stations are in the Maniaiti/Benneydale area, on te whenua o Rereahu.
Vice chairperson Karyn Nathan said the relationship between the shearing championships and the trusts led to 3000 being ewes supplied during each annual event.
However, the ability to be sponsors could not be taken for granted.
“We’ve got to acknowledge our past, and present and future owners. Because without our past owners, without their foresight, this land would have been lost,” Karyn said.
Te Hape B started supplying the ewes 20 years ago, and five years later, Tiroa E came on board.
“The relationship spans twenty years.”
“It is a great honour for us to be here tonight, supporting this kaupapa, because as a whānau business, we are supporting a whānau shearing event,” Karyn said last Saturday at the championships.
Te Hape B trust manager for over 20 years, Ian Valler, is also a member of the shearing championships committee.
“He is able to guide our managers on farm what to select.”
Karyn described Ian as being “pivotal” to the trusts’ farming operations, saying he carried that role out successfully, with pride and mana.
“His children have grown up on our farms, on our whenua, and he’s part of the community in Benneydale and Te Kūiti.
“That’s also an achievement for us as a trust, having our managers be part of this kauapapa as well.

52,000 ewes for NZ Shearing Champs

During her childhood, Sonya Fagan’s shearing contractor dad, Craig Fagan, discouraged her from the industry.
But at the recent New Zealand Shearing Championships, Sonya gained valuable experience when they shore together in a family contest.
She appreciates the mentoring – both in competitions and in the sheds.
“When I’m with Dad, I tell him ‘I’m having trouble here, what am I doing wrong?’ And then you do it and you click, and you’re like, ‘I just did it way faster.’”
The story begins with reluctance: on both sides.
“If I’m being brutally honest, I’ve done everything I can to talk her out of it,” Craig said.
“Because I know the reality of the industry. It’s not easy. Even as a bloke it’s tough but for women, they’ve not got the advantage of strength, and it’s tougher again.
“No one wants to see their children struggle.
But 20-year-old Sonya, who “doesn’t do things by halves,” insisted on giving it a go. And Craig ultimately picked up on her passion and became a supporter.
“Being quite headstrong, she’s decided this is the path she wants to go down. So I’ve said, OK, if you are going to go this way, the least I can do is give some insights to help you,” he said.
“I wanted to make sure this was what she really wanted to do. Because it’s not an easy road.”
At first, even Sonya herself didn’t want to go shearing.
And for some time, it wasn’t an option for her, or any of her siblings.
“We had a rule in our house that you weren’t allowed to pick up a handpiece until you were 18, because you can wreck your body if you do pick it up any sooner,” Sonya said.
That didn’t mean the young Fagans weren’t involved; Sonya started wool handling at 12. And that was behind part of her reluctance to shift to shearing.
“I didn’t really want to go into the sheds because I’d been doing it for so long and I wasn’t keen.”
She originally wanted to join the Navy, and also later went to uni, but health affected her progress in both areas.
Only after that did her mind turned to shearing.
Around that time, Craig organised for the two to go over to Australia, working in the sheds, and Sonya loved the atmosphere as a wool handler.
“Over there, you throw big Merino fleeces and there’s a lot more work to do on the fleece, they care a lot more.”
Craig suggested she “do the last side” of some of the sheep.
“When we came back, Dad said, ‘do you want to do a shearing course?’ I thought, I’ll give it a go, I thought, this could be a good way to make money and travel the world. That was in 2022.
The course was run by Piopio’s Mark Barrowcliffe. That’s when Sonya first shore a sheep by herself.
Another inspiration was record-holder Sacha Bond, who helped her choose handpieces and provided consistent encouragement.
When Sonya spoke to King Country News recently, she was back from a year overseas in Norway and the UK.
At the end of the recent Scottish main shear she shore her first 100.
“That’s the hardest tally you’ll do, because you’re not used to it. You get thrown in the deep end.”
Young shearers aspire to get there in eight hours, but Sonya did it in just six.
Since returning home this year she has shared a stand with gym buddy Chloe Bingham.
“After New Years, we both got a crack at our 200 and we both got that. We were so happy.”
Shearing has been “a bit of a journey” and frustrating at times.
“Strength is my worst challenge. I’m not a big girl – so trying to pull ewes out all day is a struggle. They can be pretty big and strong.”
Craig added, “Most of them would be bigger than her.”
Sonya said there were “no days off,” in the shearing season, with tiredness and fatigue a reality.
“You work from after New Year’s straight through to the end of January. You’ve got to have the right mindset to get past all of that.”
“The sheep do kick you and you’ve got to deal with it as well. If you get kicked real bad, you’ve just got to get back in your pen really.”
Sonya has collected a few shearing ribbons, placing third in the women’s event at the Gore show. All women were in the same class.
“I was talking to my uncle David (Fagan) at the show last week. He was helping me a lot with my gear and talking to Dad on the phone trying to get me into the right headspace.
“The more practice you get, the better you will get at it. I’m just trying to learn to have fun with it instead of worrying about where I come.”
Sonya’s goal as a shearer is to do a record one day, perhaps when she’s 30. She’d also like to win one of the big shows.
“That’s the long-term goal. But who knows what’s going to happen between now and then? I might do a whole main shear next year and not enjoy it. But you’ve got to have a goal.”
At first it felt “very pressured” to be a Fagan starting out in shearing.
“You go up on stage and they say, ‘she’s from the famous Fagan family.’ You are really nervous, especially overseas.
“I just try not to worry about it too much. Try not to let the pressure get to you, that’s the main thing. Everyone expects you – that's why I had a hard-ish couple of shows before Gore, everyone was like, ‘you should be doing better than that because you’re a Fagan.’
Her next plan is to go to the main shear in the UK. She doesn’t want to run a gang like her dad though: “that’s way too much dealing with people.”
Otherwise, she’d like to go farming and “live a simple life. You don’t have to get stressed every morning about people turning up to work.”
“This industry isn’t for everyone. It is a hard industry to get into as well – contractors will give you a job if you’re reliable and you can go somewhere in life. I’ve had a great couple of years travelling.”
“It is still harder for girls to shear than boys to shear, because you haven’t got that strength, but I think that if a girl wants to shear – I think girls are a lot calmer than boys naturally, most of the time.”
“I love to see women shearers that come up. Me and Chloe have had the same tallies coming up through the main shear, and it’s great to see that other women shearers are happy for you.
“Any girl can conquer this job with the right mindset.”

A home where handpieces are marked R18

Kīngi Tuheitia was so adamant about attending the first poukai at Mirumiru Marae in four years he flew home early from the Cook Islands to do so.
The King’s previous meeting in Rarotonga was still in progress when he arrived at in Marokopa, where the marae is located.
Trustee Te Aroa Haami Pou said the whānau of Mirumiru had deeply relished the occasion, as had the guests.
“When we had the poukai this year, I saw the excitement on all the faces. Among the haukāinga and among the Kīngitanga party also.”
“People were just so happy to see each other.”
Mirumiru re-opened in December 2023 after being closed for extensive rebuilding work.
The marae is famous for its means of access – it can only be reached by water.

A king's priority

Staff Reporter

The song “The Scarlet Purple Robe” was performed by a choral group from Ōtorohanga Baptist during a combine Easter service in Ōtorohanga last Friday.
Pictured from left were Neville Phillips, Kathryn Anderson, Trevor Skilton, Julie Mansell, Miriam Deuschles, Julia Phillips, Glenys George (piano) and Jim Rogers.
Ōtorohanga Baptist, St David's Presbyterian and Harvest Church members combined to create a near capacity audience at the Baptist church on Good Friday morning.
“It is usual to have a Good Friday service every Easter to commemorate the death of Jesus on a cross more than 2000 years ago,” Baptist elder Ken Phillips said.
“But they are not usually in the format we had. Other churches often have Stations of the Cross but we choose to have an interactive service with people reading and singing about the story of Jesus’ betrayal, trial, crucifixion and ultimate death on the cross.”

Baptists on song

Waipā will host its first Home and Leisure Show next month.
Good Local Media – publisher of a trio of community newspapers –, King Country News, Cambridge News and Te Awamutu News - has organised the show to be staged at the Sir Don Rowlands Centre at Karāpiro from May 10 to 12.
The event is being billed as a first for Waipā, but will also give King Country, South Waikato, Waikato and Matamata-Piako residents a first opportunity of attending such an event without taking on the Hamilton traffic.
It completes a hat trick of developments for Good Local Media.
At the start of this year the publishing company released two new Apps – in Cambridge and Te Awamutu - and on Easter Monday it added the King Country News - and its app and King Country Farmer - to its stable.
Good Local also publishes Waikato Business News, having purchased the masthead late last year. The April edition came out on Tuesday.
“Good Local Media Ltd is always looking at ways to innovate and create more ways for our customers to talk to more customers. The launch of a Waipā Home and Leisure Show does this,” publishers David Mackenzie said.
“The Waipā Home and Leisure Show provides locals more ways to shop local.”
The inaugural show is already a sellout – all 80 stands available have been taken and most will be filled by Waikato based businesses.
Home shows are promoted as highly beneficial sales and marketings tools and are regular fixtures on calendars in New Zealand cities.
“Good Local Media Ltd is staunchly local in everything it does, and all its products reflect this in how they serve the communities they operate in,” Mackenzie said.

Home show unveiled

Paul Charman

The search for a woman missing in the Pureora Forest is in its second week – and forest uses have issued a warning about safety in the park.

Pureora Forest Park is a 760 sq km protected area in the North Island and also home the famous Timber Trail cycling route.
Within its rainforest are many ancient podocarp trees, many being more than 100 years old. New Zealand's largest totara tree is located nearby on private land.
Pureora, which is recognised as one of the finest rain forests in the world, was established in 1978 following a series of protests and so-called “tree sittings”.
The park is one of the largest intact tracts of native forest in the country and has high conservation value due to a rich variety of plant life and animal habitats.
However, though popular with hunters, trampers and mountain bikers the forest can also be dangerous.
Two mountain bikers who visited over the Easter Weekend, Rick and Ann Hunn of Rotorua, said visitors would under-estimate the forest did so at their peril.
The couple make trips into Pureora armed with a personal locater beacon and an app which shows their relatives where they are.
“Not carrying any camping gear, we try to be out of the forest by about 2.30pm at this time of year,” Rick said.
“We were alarmed to see some cyclists entering and starting their ride at about that time, because to us this is far too late in the day to be doing so.”
Ann added it was easy to become disorientated in the vast forest.
“Even when you come out onto one of the forestry roads which runs through Pureora, it’s really difficult to work out which way you should be going,” she said.

Take care in that forest

CENTENNIAL Park School students raced to dig 55 kilograms of rīwai (potatoes) at the maara kai, Te Kūiti’s community garden, last Thursday.

The superfast harvest of “Bitza” and “Kowiniwini” will supply potatoes for next weekend’s Poukai at Te Kūiti Pā.  

The latter was grown from seed potatoes provided by the family of Jim Holden, at Waitomo.

With whānau from across the country convening on the pā, the students’ contribution will be appreciated.

A challenge to find the biggest potato was won by a hardworking group of senior girls including Crysdarielle Wehi, Amaia Tapu, Aavia Coffin and Mangatea Hemana.

Student Lexi Hughes shared the final tally: “We got 118 potatoes all up,” she said.  

Around 20 students came to enjoy the sunshine and build up the callouses on their hands from all that digging.  

Maara kai kaiwhakahaere Michelle Wī said teaching others the skills to grow food was her passion and the reason she got up in the mornings.

The latest harvest is just one of the happenings at the maara kai, which is a place for people to “chill and enjoy”, providing spiritual benefits as well as food.  

The previous day, a new “wing” of the existing greenhouse was opened.  

“The original greenhouse was already here,” Michelle said. Local high school students had helped to buildi it, originally.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve been given a lot of windows, doors and things like that. They’d been piling up.  

“I had enough, and decided, ‘let’s go and build this glasshouse as best we can’.”
“So, this is the new bit – all doors and windows that have been donated.”
Her favourite part is made of shower doors, which provide much-needed ventilation.
“At the moment, we’ve got a lot of tin on the roof. As we become more financial, we can take it off and replace it with Clearlite.”
The new greenhouse area will be used for growing Purple Heart potatoes in winter.
Michelle said the variety produced good yield and had many health benefits.
She grows flowers inside the greenhouse to attract bees, to pollinate the plants. They get in through little gaps in the structure (pollinating flowers are also grown outside for the same reason).
Another innovation this harvest time is the “air layering” on the peach trees – a method of taking cuttings.
“I want people to know, if they see it on any of the fruit trees in town, please don’t touch them, because all we’re trying to do is make new trees,” Michelle said.
“It’s a quick way of getting new fruit trees. We’re going around and trying to get as many heritage varieties as we can, just so we can keep the fruit going.”
Several branches could be used for air layering at once – so one tree could produce three new heritage fruit trees, she said.
She hopes more people will get involved with the garden, especially in these expensive times.
“We want people to come down and learn.”

The great harvest rīwai race

King Country residents have been invited to join a scenic passenger train scheduled to run from Hamilton to Ohakune and back via the famous Raurimu Spiral next Thursday (April 4).

Glenbrook Vintage Railway general manager Tim Kerwin said the “Spiral Express”, which had run several times in previous years, was always well subscribed by people who boarded at Ōtorohanga and Te Kūiti.

“It’s hardly surprising we get so much interest in this excursion from Te Kūiti and Ōtorohanga, considering the major impact construction of the Main Trunk had on the development of King Country communities.”  

“There’s so much to see it’s hard to know what to mention and what to leave out,” Tim said.

The dramatic Waiteti Viaduct just south of Te Kūiti was opened in 1889.

At its highest, the railway is 35 metres above the road to Mangaokewa Scenic Reserve and the Waiteti Stream.

Meanwhile, Tim said the Spiral (build from 1905 to 1908) was regarded internationally as a unique feat of engineering. It used natural land contours so that no viaducts were needed, and only two short tunnels to overcome a climb of over 200m at a manageable 1-in-50 grade.

“Looking out your windows, you should catch glimpses of Raurimu three times as we climb the spiral. Check out the tunnels, embankments, cuttings and tight curves.

This engineering masterpiece is unique to New Zealand and is certainly an experience not to miss.

“From National Park, we glide across the North Island Central Volcanic Plateau. Catch views of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu as we traverse this mountainous section of track.

“Soon after National Park, we will cross the Makatote Viaduct, spanning 262m long at a towering 79m high. From here, on a fine day there’s views stretching as far as Mt Taranaki on one side, and Ruapehu on the other.”

Once at Ohakune, passengers stretch and grab refreshments while the locomotive turns for the return journey. Some visit the local railway museum which is a two-minute walk from the station.

“This features artifacts from the 1953 Tangiwai Disaster – New Zealand’s worst railway disaster,” Tim said

Meanwhile, on May 11 the eve of Mother’s Day, the express will bring 300 passengers from Hamilton to Te Kūiti.

They will be encouraged to visit local shops and cafes and generally look around town for an hour and a half while the train is turned around for the journey home, on the Te Kūiti Railway Station turntable.

Spiral train trip in April

Supplied

Pasta is a quick, easy, filling and nutritious meal that you can make in a flash.

 This basic sauce can be made from pantry staples and adapted in so many ways.

  Add minced beef, pork or chicken when you cook the onions and garlic or add canned tuna, cooked seafood or bacon to the finished sauce to serve over pasta.

You can also use this as a pizza sauce, a base for spaghetti Bolognese or in lasagna.

Add other fresh or dried herbs to the sauce or vegetables like grated carrot or zucchini, roasted pumpkin or capsicum this is a good way to disguise the veges for children.

The sauce keeps in the fridge or can even be frozen.

There are so many different types of pasta available so mix it up, try bows, fettuccine, angel hair pasta, macaroni, shells, alphabet shapes or whatever you have in the pantry.

Sprinkle grated cheese especially parmesan over the plated pasta for extra flavour.

Ingredients

n 1T olive oil

n 2 onions, chopped

n 2 garlic cloves, crushed

n 1T tomato purée

n 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

n 1t dried oregano

Method

n Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and cook on a low heat until soft. Add the garlic and tomato purée.

Cook for a few minutes then add the chopped tomatoes and oregano. Season generously and simmer for 20 minutes, then allow to cool.

n Step 2: Store in sterilised jars in the fridge for up to a week, or transfer to a container and freeze for up to two months.

Versatile pasta sauce

Katrina Christison

With the cooler mornings and the warmer days, now is the perfect time to get your veggie garden ready for your winter crops.

The warm days keep the soil warm to give your plants a good head start.

One of the plants to be planting now is brassicas broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc and it’s still warm enough for the white butterflies to be around and feast on them.

As I don’t like using sprays in my veggie garden and love recycling and re-using stuff, last night I made protection for my soon-to-be planted veggies.  

Lucky for me, I have a pile of totara battens, and found some old netting curtains, so I banged in my battens and covered with the old net curtains using little nails to hold them in place and now I have a completely protected space for my plants.

I came across this idea on the internet for a quick DIY veggie bed made from concrete blocks, which are pretty cheap or sometimes you can find them at recycle shops like the Raglan Recycle Centre, which is amazing for finding treasures to reuse or pop into one of our local suppliers and pick some up.

You can even make a fast simple cool-looking seat with them.

Get your garden ready for the winter crops

This is a homemade version of the popular honey mustard simmer sauces sold at supermarkets. The honey mustard sauce is slightly tangy, sweet and beautifully creamy. This dish is great for chicken, pork, turkey and fish.

The seasoning for the chicken is optional – still fab even without, but it adds extra flavour on the chicken and makes it a little bit more golden and crispy.

You could also add other flavourings, like paprika, onion powder and even mustard powder.

The mayonnaise adds flavour and a bit of richness to the sauce, but it’s not critical.

You could easily use chicken broth or water- you just need something to dissolve the cornflour in.

To glam it up, finely chop a couple of shallots and sauté with the garlic in butter.

Then add a splash of white wine to “deglaze” the pan (ie, scraping the brown bits off the base to mix into the liquid) before proceeding with the recipe.

Use French Dijon mustard instead of normal Dijon mustard and use tarragon leaves as the herb.

The thyme is optional, it adds another layer of flavour. It can also be substituted with rosemary (1 small fresh sprig or a pinch of dried), 4 tarragon leaves, 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves or 1/2 tsp dried.

Ingredients:

700g chicken pieces or chicken breast cut into thick strips

Salt and pepper

Seasoning (optional)

2T flour

1t garlic powder



Thickening

n 1T mayonnaise or just use chicken stock or water

n 1t cornstarch/cornflour or 2t flour

n 11/2T + 1/2T olive oil

n 2 cloves minced garlic

n 1c chicken broth stock

n 1/4c Dijon mustard

n 1/4c honey

n 1-2T wholegrain mustard, adjust to taste

n 2 sprigs thyme or 1/2t dried thyme

n Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with seasoning if using.

Thickener: In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise (or stock or water) and flour.

Heat 1 1/2T oil in a fry pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove onto a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil in the middle of the frypan and put garlic straight onto the puddle of oil. Sauté for 20 seconds or until golden (don’t let it burn).

Add chicken broth, bring to simmer, scraping the bottom of the fry pan.

Whisk in Dijon mustard and honey, then whisk in thickener (make sure you scrape it all in).

Add thyme and wholegrain mustard, if using.

Cook for 1-2 minutes or until starting to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Return chicken and any juices pooled on the plate into the sauce. Turn to coat and reheat through - about 11/2 minutes – or until sauce is thickened to your taste.

Serve on mashed potato, garnished with parsley, with a simple side salad.

Honey mustard chicken

Te Kūiti Pā has reopened after recent outdoor building work.

In an intimate early-morning blessing ceremony on Saturday attended only by a small number of whānau, kaumātua including Josephine Anderson, Ngahuia James and Kingi Turner joined pakeke and rangatahi to re-awaken the marae.

Trustee and caretaker Shannon Manawaiti said planned work on the paepae shelters on both sides was now complete.

The builders had also been able to include other finishing touches, such as footpaths, which were not part of the original brief, however the renovations “would not have looked right otherwise,” he said.

The project was successfully carried out by whānau-owned business, Hōkioi Builders with support from Manga Roach Contracting.

Co-owner of husband-and-wife builders Hōkioi, Natasha Willison-Reardon, who has close whakapapa connections to Te Kūiti Pā, told MFM radio, when work began in December, that it had been a blessing to have received the honour to work on this project.

Shannon said the next major events at the pā would be the dawn service and breakfast on Anzac Day, plus the Poukai on the last Sunday in March, which in 2024 means Easter weekend.

Te Kūiti Pā reopens

Last month I talked about the importance of engaging a landscape designer.

This month and for the next few months, I want to give you some tips to think about if you are going to DIY your outdoor space.

n Wishlist – Write a wishlist of what you want to use your outdoor space for, entertainment, relaxation, growing veggies, flowers.  

This list will then give you other options to think about.

Do you need a built-in outdoor kitchen?

What will you build your veggie gardens out of?

Do you need a shade tree for summer shade?

The first wish list can be endless.

n Research – Start gathering and saving pictures of things you love. Walk around your neighbourhood and see what grows well; go on a garden ramble to get inspiration.

I personally like to start a Pinterest board for clients so they can add things they like or I add things to spark their imagination.

n Sunrise and sunset – Where does the sun rise and set as this will help you maximise the natural light in your outdoor areas, so you can plan your outdoor space around capturing the best out of the sunlight.

And work out if you need any structures like pergolas or sun sails to provide relief from the sun.

n Soil – If you are building, the site will have been cleared of good topsoil and the soil needs to be brought back in for your gardens and lawn.

If the soil brought back is not screened soil (weed free), I would recommend letting it rest on site to let any weed seeds germinate and then weed spray and repeat this process a couple of times to try and eliminate as many weeds as possible.  

When you are planning your garden beds you need to allow at least 30cm of good soil for the best results and mix in some compost also.

Tips to help create your own outdoor space

DO you know of a community group which needs to fundraise – using kai?

The popular family fun evening “Picnic in the Park” is on next Friday, March 22, from 5pm-8pm at Ōtorohanga Domain.

However, co-organiser Kat Brown-Merrin said the event was currently without many on-site food options.

She hopes someone is prepared to sell hearty dinners on the night: a hāngī would be ideal, but a sausage sizzle would work too.

While some great vendors have put their hands up, they have been unable to guarantee their presence. There will definitely be ice-cream and doughnuts on offer – but not yet enough hot food, she said.

If that didn’t happen, picnic-goers could still bring hot food from the many local takeaways, or from home, she said.

The timing has been chosen to work in with families who may be overcommitted on the weekends.

“We are holding it on a Friday afternoon, so that when you finish work, you can head down there and just breathe, with your friends and your whānau. It’s not taking out of your Saturday or Sunday,” Kat said.

“Come out, just join us. It will be a real family, whānau-centred afternoon before we get into winter.”

The band Yarda Yarda have volunteered to entertain the crowd with live music.

“There are activities we’ll be putting on ourselves – like rock painting. It’s very tailored for the younger kids. There will also be a climbing wall open at the Harvest centre, from 4pm-6pm.

The swimming pools are going to be open all the way through, and they’ll look at doing an activity.”

Kat said the community had been “really supportive”.

The project is the brainchild of community board member Tori (Koroheke) Muller.

“She wanted to bring the community together with a picnic,” Kat said.

“We did one last year, which was really good, really successful.

 “We had some local and out-of-town food trucks come, people brought picnics, kids’ games, activities, and a band that played.

“We’re going to do it again next weekend – the same sort of things. And because Children’s Day is the week before, instead of holding different things we will combine it – to celebrate children and bring the

community together for a picnic day.

Hangi heroes wanted

Contributed

Being a rural practice, we see a lot of working dogs coming through and unfortunately, some of our huntaways are the poster children for getting a twisted stomach.

We are looking at those large, deep but narrow chested, fast eater types.

Dobermans, dachshunds and great danes are also some of the breeds that are prone.

Breed is not the only predisposing factor. We can look at management, genetics and temperament as well.

Older dogs are more vulnerable and there are predisposing genetic factors that are involved also so you can breed a more prone dog.

In terms of prevention, there are a few things we can look at:

• Meal frequency: having two smaller meals per day rather than one large one. The same goes for water too.

• Letting your working dogs drink frequently at water sources so they don’t gorge it all in one go while out working.

• Eating rate: yes, I’m looking at you huntaways. Making the dog work for their meal (puzzle bowls, scattering it around) means that it slows them down and they can digest it better.

• Meal type: feeding bones and frozen meat take longer to digest in the stomach and break down in size so are more of a risk.

• Careful breeding: make smart decisions when you’re picking a breeding pair and ask questions.

If there is a history on either side of getting a twisted stomach then you could be breeding a problem for yourself.

This means asking about the whole lineage too not just the bitch and the dog themselves.

Meal particle size – often when we open these dogs up there is a big chunk of digested meat sitting in the stomach that is causing problems.

If you know some of your dogs will not chew their food then cut it up for them so it breaks down quicker. It also helps prevent obstructions forming.

Timing of meals vs exercise: if the dog has eaten right before or right after hard exercise then they are more likely to twist.

Temperament : anxious / stressed dogs are predisposed.

If you think you have a high-risk dog, that meets a few of these criteria, then there is a surgical prophylactic option.

This involves tacking the stomach to the inside of the chest wall.

The procedure does involve going into the abdomen so can be done during a routine bitch spey.

Otherwise, it is a relatively quick procedure when performed on its own.

This is something that we offer in clinic, so if you are interested, please ring and have a chat to one of our vets.

Preventative measures for twisted stomachs

The Champions of the 2024 Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Show have been just announced with Queensland’s Summer Land Camels taking home Gold for the Camel Milk, Silver for the Camel Milk Persian Feta, and Bronze for Camel Milk Powder.  

The sweep takes the tally for the famous camel dairy based in the Scenic Rim, to 85 since 2018.

The Camels were pipped at the post however for Champion Sheep, Goat, Buffalo or Camel Milk Product, which was won by Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese Riverine Blue, made from buffalo milk.

There are seven commercial camel dairies in Australia. Founder and director of Summer Land Camels, Australia’s largest Camel dairy and the world’s largest wild camel training centre, Paul Martin, was in the leaders circle for the seventh year running.  

“This is the United Nations Year of Camelids so we feel incredibly honoured to highlight the exceptional attributes of Camel Dairy. We take great pride in demonstrating how our regenerative agriculture practices result in superior-quality products,” he said.

Summer Land Camels has been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to developing new products, with an emphasis on preserving the health benefits of the milk which is globally renowned as a nutritional ‘dairy alternative.’  

“In Australia, we boast the healthiest camels with superior genetics. Rather than culling these incredible creatures, establishing a sustainable industry makes much more sense, and we’re actively contributing to that initiative,” he said.  

“One frequently asked question we field is about the taste of camel milk. While describing it as delicious is one thing, earning a gold medal at the Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Show adds substantial credibility to that claim. It’s best to come and try for yourself.”

Producing camel milk for those who need it for health reasons and saving the wild camels were his top motivators.

“Although Camel Milk is notoriously difficult to make into cheese, our team has been able to create a nationally award-winning Persian Feta as well as Fromage Blanc, Haloumi and even cheddar.  

“The unique structure of the milk, with the small fat and protein molecules makes cheeses with a delicate, smooth and creamy mouthfeel and the taste is second to none,” Paul said.

“Perhaps the most astounding thing is that all Camel Milk dairy products can be consumed by people with dairy sensitivities and lactose issues.

“Camel Milk is in high demand around the world – Australian Camel Milk in particular, but there are challenges in transporting and storing the fresh milk.  

“To make our award-winning fresh milk available to more people, we now have our Camel Milk powder - freeze-dried to lock in the pure goodness.”



THE UNITED NATIONS YEAR OF THE CAMELID - All year and around the world, these remarkable creatures will be celebrated. From the iconic llamas of South America to the enduring camels of the Middle East, Asia, and of course Summer Land’s caravan of camels (yes, the collective noun for a group of camels is a caravan!), they will take centre stage.

Camelids have played and continue to play vital roles in cultures, economies, and ecosystems around the globe.

Camel milk wins gold, silver and bronze

At this time of the year, there is an abundance of tomatoes in your garden. Here's some ways to make use of them.

n Roast tomatoes: Slice in half, remove pulp. Bake in oven at 200 degrees and sprinkle with sea salt. Eat as an appetiser or use as a pasta sauce.

n Make bruschetta: Combine chopped tomatoes, 2 cloves minced garlic, 6 cured minced black olives, 1/2 diced red onion, 1/4c balsamic vinegar, 1/3c olive oil, 1t chopped fresh basil, salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix.

Layer on toasted french bread rounds that have been rubbed with a cut garlic clove.

n Tomato sauce for fish: In a blender or food processor, puree about 2 parts ripe tomatoes, 1 part plain low-fat yogurt, fresh dill, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Serve the sauce with hot or cold cooked salmon.

n Fresh tomato salad pizza: Top pizza dough with cheese and bake until cheese melts and crust is golden. Top with sliced tomatoes, rocket, sliced green olives and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

n Classic tomato sandwich: Slather bread with mayonnaise, add sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Experiment with different soft breads!

n Roasted tomato soup: Place 1kg halved tomatoes and 1 bulb unpeeled garlic on a baking paper-lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 160-180 degrees fan-forced for 40 minutes. Peel garlic, discard skins.

Process tomato, garlic and half a cup torn basil. Strain into jug. Cook 1 chopped onion until soft, add 1/3c tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of chicken stock and tomato mixture. Bring to the boil. Serve.

Cook sausages in a frying pan until cooked through. In a separate frying pan, cook thinly sliced onion and crushed garlic until softened.

Add chopped tomatoes stirring, until tomatoes have softened and mixture has thickened.

Add whole cherry tomatoes and cook until cherry tomatoes start to collapse. Add sausages to sauce with chopped oregano. Cook, turning sausages, for 3 minutes or until heated through.

n Freeze tomatoes whole – The bonus of freezing tomatoes whole is that once they thaw, the skins will slip right off, which is great if your recipe requires peeled tomatoes.

Ways to use your glut of tomatoes

IT’S not your imagination... berries from the Piopio Berry Orchard are exceptionally tasty.

And there’s a reason for that. Most berry farms have to meet supermarket demand, so produce must be robust enough to “bounce around in trucks;” fruit is often picked slightly immature.

The results still look and taste good, but there’s a different set of market demands in play.

By contrast, Angela and Mike Roy sell their berries fresh from their popular SH3 shopfront. The produce travels 150m to the counter, not hundreds of kilometres to Auckland or Christchurch.

So there is only one focus: growing quality berries. That means flavour, colour and size: “We need to get it all right,” Angela said.

What is their secret? There isn’t one.

“We don’t have any secrets: we have the same varieties as other growers throughout the country.  

“We do things in a more traditional way, and we don’t cut any corners. That’s what our customers expect, and that’s what we enjoy growing,” Mike said.

They know their market first hand.  

“We see the customers face-to-face. Often producers don’t  –  they never see who consumes their product. But we see everyone,” Mike said.

“Over 95% plus is sold at the gate; everything we grow is destined for the shop. That’s one of our main philosophies.”

Only if there is “a bit of surplus” will they sell through the supermarkets.  

That said, “We have found that producing enough is always the issue. We’re constantly tweaking that, every year,” Angela said.  

From Labour Day through to autumn, lines of cars and campervans bring crowds of travellers who indulge in raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and more.

There’s asparagus too, plus T-shirts and collectable pens.

The accents tell you that these visitors come from all over the world, arriving alongside committed locals.

Visitors tuck into real fruit ice-cream or punnets of fresh berries, often bringing home the frozen kind as well.

Those are of the same standard as the rest (barring the odd cosmetic blemish).

A given day’s unsold berries go straight in the freezer, making room for the next day’s.

The berries sell in a range of quantities – from 10kg boxes to 1kg bags: one kind or mixed. There’s also take-home ice cream, dairy or coconut, and frozen yoghurt.  

The direct-to-customer model is just one factor making this 31-year-old farming operation stand out. And much of their story won’t be common knowledge, even to Piopio locals.  

The couple bought the land and shop in 1993 and opened the ice cream area in 2007.  

“We had children going off to varsity at that time, and we wanted them to have a job they could come home to, rather than have to go elsewhere.” Angela said.  

All up, there are 9-10 ha in production. There are 6ha of blueberries, 2ha of strawberries, and 1ha each of raspberries and blackberries.  

Perhaps the costliest side of the business is the 12 blueberry varieties. Partly because they need the most space, but also, it is necessary to wait five to six years before they start producing.

“The land is out of commission for that time  – even then, they come into production slowly.” Angela said.

Luckily the oldest plants  –  from the early 1980s  –  were already in the ground when the Roys took over. They’re going strong in 2024  – there is no need to take them out because they still produce well.  

In the last eight years, the Roys have started planting newer varieties of blueberry – still a few years off. These are expected to fruit either earlier or later in the season, into March and April. It’s part of the longer growing season the couple aim for.

Birds aren’t fussed about raspberries, strawberries or blackberries: it’s blueberries that drive them crazy.

So these are protected by hectares of netting around the edges, the rolls are hand-sewn by Angela.

A few birds do get in through the door, but this doesn’t matter especially. However, overall it makes a big difference.

One year, the netting was damaged in a relatively small area, and they lost fifty per cent of that year’s blueberry crop. So the not-insubstantial effort is worthwhile.

The Piopio location brings its own gifts. As well as the cool climate, the orchard is the only berry farm for 100km, meaning pests and diseases are less of a problem than in other areas.  

New Zealand’s food safety laws require the business to have a plan for managing waste – and theirs is animals.

Berries that lack in the looks department go straight to the family’s collection of pink-nosed sheep and cattle, who love tucking into buckets of reject fruit.  

“The sheep come running from anywhere,” Mike said.  

They lurk around the fence ahead of their afternoon feeding time. All up, the family graze six steers and 60 sheep. These are self-shearing Wiltshires, keeping the costs down.  

Nothing grazes among the berries for obvious reasons: Angela mows it all with a ride-on. Instead, the main purpose of the stock is keeping the pasture down, “very valuable” to the business.  

Overall, the operation is a mix of low-fi and super modern. That means there’s a computer controlling the moisture and other technical aspects of the orchard’s tunnel house (used to grow shoulder season strawberries), but much is done by hand, by the orchard’s workers, numbering up to 80 at peak times.  

“Our business looks simple, we don’t have all the high-tech things. But the reason being, we can pack all day because we’re not trying to meet a truck.

We shut at six, so we can pack until 5 at night,” Angela said.
“Ours is a low-tech, and proudly low-tech business. We don’t have a $50,000 label maker or whatever they cost, we just put them on.
“Sometimes they’re a bit squiffy because the grandchildren have done it.”
“We’re uncomplicated and we’ve kept it that way.”
That said, they’re open to new ideas.
“We feel the most important innovation we’ve made in the last few years is growing our strawberries in tunnel houses.
“These extend our season to a full six months.
“They also mean full protection from the weather, which is good for the fruit.
“It’s also important for the comfort of the pickers who are working in there, by keeping them out of the weather.
“We have near-eliminated fungus disease problems because there is a greatly reduced amount of moisture, and in turn this has hugely cut down the need for pesticides. “
This season, the couple also brought in IPM (integrated pest management).
“This is introducing predator insects to control pests, a very significant development of our business,” Mike said.
At the back of the shop, the fruit is packed by hand. At the season’s peak, there will be eight students in the front of house, as well as loyal packing room stalwarts Lin and Lizzie.
The picking side of the business benefits from a longstanding workforce.
Many pickers have been with the Roys for the full three decades. They employ mostly Piopio locals and, at the peak of the season, university students back home for the holidays.
“Getting staff is not an issue for us,” Mike added. “We have the best work team in the industry.
“Quite a number have been with us the entire 30 years. They’ve just come back year after year.
“Most have been with us five years, if not fifteen.”
The Roys emphasise that occupational health and safety is taken seriously.
Strawberry pickers use “Little bikes and an umbrella,” helping them look after their backs, while blueberry pickers can stand upright with buckets around their waist.
“It’s a long day. They do a long day, but it’s not back breaking. That keeps things stress-free,” Angela said.
“A lot of growers did that in the past, but got rid of them because they thought it slowed them down.
“We don’t believe that. The workers put their ipods on and they just go up and down the rows. It’s wonderful.”
Much of the workforce is sourced close to home – very much so.
“We’re very family minded: we’ve got six members directly involved in one capacity or another,” Angela said.
“That’s a big part of our philosophy.”
On school afternoons, their four grandsons love to get off the bus and ride bikes from the far side of the orchard to the shop, whooping through the vines as they go.
Their mother, the couple’s older daughter Jessie, who also dairy farms, is a familiar face serving customers.
“She is there day in, day out through the season,” Angela said.
Younger daughter, Maggie, who is experienced in accounting, administers payroll from London. Sons Tom (together with his partner Siobhan) and Jack also do their bit – the latter is the marketing man. And the couple’s son-in-laws help out too.
“We’re just plain lucky.”
What can customers expect from this business in the future? As well as the latest varieties of blueberry, they will enjoy apples from trees that have only recently been planted.
What won’t change is the part of the market they’re aiming for – the top end.
“Along the topic of price points – we definitely are in that top end of the market. We realise that.
“We’ve gone for quality, and we definitely spend more to achieve that,” Mike said.

Piopio Berry Orchard: an atmosphere of quality

TAHITIAN singers visiting Te Kūiti last week performed a new song for the first time – written in honour of the audience and their tupuna, Hoturoa.

Held at Te Kūiti High School, the performance was attended mainly by primary-aged students with some older students in kaupapa Māori education also present.

“Reo Papara” consisted of 51 singers – 47 adults and four children – and the word for their art form is “Heiva” – analogous to kapa haka. They sing sitting down, with women in the centre and men behind.

Group member Danny Ueva said they recently won the highest prize in a competition for pupu himene (hymns) at home in Tahiti.

And that is what inspired them to take their music further afield.

“We have to go to the Pasifika festival,” they decided.

The Te Kūiti visit was an addition to that journey to Auckland.

Spokesman Mike Teissier described it as an honour to perform for the iwi of this area.

“When we decided to come to Te Kūiti and Waitomo, we decided to write a song to fix [acknowledge] our coming here.

“When we wrote the song, we used special words from here – words that we don’t use any more in Tahiti.

He said it was “a real pleasure to see everybody.”

“We were very happy to fix this connection with Tainui, with the descendants of Hoturoa, because we know he is from Paparā.

“We didn’t forget this warrior, this chief, this captain.”

Their one-hour set combined traditional music with modern Polynesian and European items.

“We prepared five different traditional songs. But today, we tried to make more than five songs. That’s why we put traditional and also normal ones with guitar,” Mike said.

A day earlier, a pōwhiri was held at Tokikapu Marae, followed by an intimate performance by the group at Waitomo Caves.

“It was a privilege for all of us, all the group from Paparā, to sing these traditional songs inside the caves,” Mike said.

“After the tourists left, they let us not just visit but sing inside, only for this occasion. We hoped that the owners would enjoy it – because this is a gift not only for the enjoyment of the ngāti but all the Māori people.”

The group found New Zealand somewhat chilly compared to their Pacific home – especially when they visited Rotorua and Te Kūiti, Mike said.

He already knew about the Rotorua climate, because he had spent two years there, studying carving.

Tahitian singers visit Te Kūiti

THE Mairoa district, 13 kilometres from Piopio, is putting on a horse trek to fundraise for repairs to the community hall. It will be the first time in about 15 years that locals have organised a public trail ride in the area.

The fully catered event will be held this Saturday and Sunday, March 16-17.

The 100 plus-year-old Mairoa Hall building needed some “quite costly work,” organiser Brenda Barrowcliffe said.

“It needs repairing, and it’s only getting worse,” she told King Country News.

“We’ve got 30 riders, and will cap the numbers at 40,” Brenda said.

A series of pink ribbons will guide riders along their journey, which they can start whenever suits them.

As a passionate horsewoman, she has done enough trekking, “to know what works, and what doesn’t work.”

A self-guided trek would be less stressful for young horses, she said.

“You don’t have to ride with a massive group, and there’s less chance of kicking.

“People can ride out with their friends, and it doesn’t matter if they have faster horses or slower horses.”

The gates open from 7.30am giving riders all day to enjoy the Mairoa views Brenda describes as “stunning.”

At the lunch venue, the Neals’ woolshed, riders will be able to eat their picnics and meet the landowners’ pet eels.

On Saturday night, there will be a barbecue, entertainment, fancy dress and games.

On the first day, riders can choose between 29 and 36km loops.

On the second day, a three-to-four-hour ride, a 22km loop leaving from and returning to the Mairoa Hall, will give riders enough time in the afternoon to pack up and go home.

While the trek is self-guided, marshals on horses and (after closure) motorbikes will sweep the tracks at set times to ensure riders’ safety.

Mairoa is the town that never was. Although it was surveyed in the early 1900s, and a school built (now closed),  the expected houses and population never materialised.

As in neighbouring Waitanguru, this came about due to vague plans by the Government to build the main road to New Plymouth through the area.

Mairoa hall horse trek

Te KŪiti Bowling Club’s March Tournament was held on a perfect autumn day and the green was presented in excellent condition.

Sponsors for the day were WT and DI Green Contracting whose support is hugely appreciated.

The principals of this business, Wiari and Desiree Green, were on hand to present the prizes and enjoy the after-match fellowship.

Ten teams entered the fray and there were a lot of fiercely contested matches as indicated by the final results.

The outright winner on the day was the Kihikihi team of Owen Johnson (skip), Clark Ambury and Brian Quinlan with three wins and a draw.

Following this was one team with one win and two draws and six teams with two wins each. These were separated by ends won, to determine second and third place.

Ahead of the pack were the Te Kūiti team of Geoff Mc Manus, Sue Elliott and Jack Johnson with one win, two draws and 19 ends won.

Jack is a 10-year-old who is new to bowling and this is the second occasion he has featured in a prize-winning team. “Well done Te Kūiti for nurturing and encouraging this great kid,” Clark said.

In third place, with two wins and 17 ends won were Pirongia, represented by Neville Northcott (skip), Steve Stockdale and Graeme Lyle with 17 ends won.

The next tournament is Sunday, April 14. This will be the last of this current season.

Perfect day for a tourney

WHILE he affirms efforts by Wool Impact to promote Wool internationally, Federated Farmers regional meat and wool chair Reon Verry says the message is still not getting through closer to home

“The unfortunate truth is that pine trees and Wiltshires are replacing woolly sheep on hill country farms, but we’ve been hearing for about five years now to just hang in there as wool prices are about to go up.

“You can hardly blame a (sheep) farmer who looks at his business and says, well that’s cost. Personally, I love wool and I think it’s a great product but that doesn’t pay the bills.”

Reon adds that the sheep meat prices have also been headed south big time.

“You no longer have the luxury of saying, well the meat price is good so I can afford to lose a bit of money on wool. That’s just not the reality this season.”

He said even if the wool price were to rise to $5 that would not be a premium; it would merely cover the shearing costs on a sheep.

“You are looking at about $4.40 to shear a sheep, so at $5 you could make a little bit of money out of a ewe’s wool.

“If you shear a ewe twice a year you are going to end up with roughly two kilos of wool each time.  

“Well that’s two kg per shear, which would be $10 per shearing and yet it costs you $4.40 to shear them.

“So if you’re making about $5 a head each time you shear them, you’re e not going to retire on that. But with a lamb you only get $1 kilo of wool, so at $5 (per kg) minus $4.40 your making 60c off your lambs wool.”

Reon had just sold some lambs’ wool for $1.32. So at $4.40 to shear, it represented a loss of more than $3 a head on shearing.

But though $5 a kg for wool would be just a break even, at say $10 a kg for wool, farmers would be thinking, ‘well they’re worth shearing’.

“But since we’re now sitting at $1.32, we have a fair way to go.

“Farmers who are still farming wool obviously believe it’s a great product. But we’re pretty sick of hearing just hang in there for another year or two. And there doesn’t seem to be a lot of light at the end of the tunnel.

“I don’t mean to sound negative about wool, because I’m not. But the promises that things are going to come right are starting to sound hollow.

“And I don’t see anything big on the horizon (to change the situation).

“We’re not spending anything on trying to educate people on wool.

“We’re sort of trying to find a silver bullet product that’s going to soak up a lot of our wool, and yes there seems to be a lot of research going into alternative uses.

“But if we’re talking about sustainability surely current uses demonstrate that. Wool makes great carpet and great natural textiles to have around your home.

“But that’s always been the case and yet the price has tanked.

“So I don’t know how some new product will change things.

“The main problem is that there’s still a lot of people out there who don't know what wool is.

“Go walk into a carpet shop and see if they offer you wool. We’ve used wool carpet in our staff houses but when we went to buy it, we had to ask for it – it wasn’t given to us as an option.

“It seems to me that we’re not even trying to sell wool to ourselves, let alone the rest of the world,” Reon said.

'Heard it all before,' says Reon

The season is definitely changing, I know my garden is loving this rain.

n Edible garden – With summer crops coming to an end now is the perfect time to prepare your beds for your autumn planting while the soil is still warm. Trim back herbs and dry or freeze in a little water in ice cube trays and then pop into freezer bags once frozen.

Feed your soil with things like compost, sheep pellets, scrapings from under the shearing shed, composted horse, chicken or cow manure or blood and bone.  

Mix all of whatever goodies you decide to use, in well with the soil and you want your soil to be nice and crumbly so that when you plant seedlings you only need to use your hand to make the planting hole.

n Feed citrus – With a lot of citruses coming up to their prime fruit season now is the perfect time to give your trees a treat with some specialised citrus fertilizer. The reason I say specialised is because citrus fertiliser has the correct amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements that will help your tree prepare for providing you with citrus treats.

The best time to feed all citrus is now and then again early spring and summer and not at all through winter.  

When picking your fruit use secateurs as pulling the fruit off can damage the tree, which can also invite pests and diseases to enter. This is also a way of trimming your tree as you pick.

n Flower garden – This month stop deadheading your roses, so that they can develop rosehips and become dormant before winter hits.

Now is the time to feed your azaleas, rhododendrons and any other winter flowering plants that you have.

If you have any shrubs or trees that you are wanting to move, this month is a good time to wrench them.

What this means is simply cutting the roots around the plant a month or two before moving. This will shock the plant into growing new fresh young roots so that when you move the plant it has nice new roots to start it off in its new spot.  

n Slug and snail patrol – With the rain comes more slugs and snails so whatever your method is, now is the time to start. It might sound brutal, but I collect them and give them to my chooks.

Early autumn in the garden

This is just about the minimum number of ingredients you can use to make a great stir fry that really stacks up to the Chinese takeaway.

  You can, of course, try this with other vegetables, snow peas, bok choy etc, but keep in mind the cooking time will be less.

This has extra sauce because broccoli florets have a tendency to hold lots of sauce but you still want some to soak the rice.

Leftovers (if you have any left) will keep in the fridge for three-to-four days, but not suitable for freezing as sauces thickened with cornflour or cornstarch tend to become watery if frozen.

Use ordinary all purpose or light soy sauce and avoid using dark soy sauce, the flavour is too strong and the sauce will be very dark.

If you can’t get Chinese cooking wine or mirin, substitute with dry sherry or use low salt chicken broth in place of both the sherry and water and reduce the oyster sauce by a tablespoon.

Ingredients:

Sauce

2T cornflour/cornstarch

3T soy sauce, all purpose or light

 1. ½T Chinese cooking wine or mirin

3T oyster sauce

2t sesame oil

Pinch of white or black pepper



Stirfry

2T oil, peanut, vegetable or canola

½ onion sliced

 1. garlic gloves, finely minced

500g chicken thighs or breast thinly sliced

400g broccoli florets, broken/cut into small bits sized pieces

 1. ¼C water



Method:

Steam or boil broccoli until cooked to your taste – it won’t cook any more in the stir fry.

Sauce - Mix the cornflour and soy sauce, then mix in the remaining ingredients

Heat oil in a large frypan or wok over high heat.

Add garlic and onion, stir for 10 seconds or so until garlic starts to go golden.

Add chicken and cook for two minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.

Add broccoli, sauce and water. Stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy and coats the ingredients.

Serve over rice.

Chicken broccoli stir fry

Whether you’re captivated by the sea or the rural landscape on the horizon, this home won’t disappoint if you’re wanting the “best seats in the house” with everchanging water-views.

Flexibility is the key to this amazing beach abode with the “Boathouse”, offering you an opportunity to live in one and Airbnb the other.

The hard part will be deciding on which one, as they both offer their own unique features with easy maintenance and inviting outdoor spaces in an extensively planted garden setting.



The main home has a small footprint, yet a huge deck for soaking up the sun or hosting gatherings with friends and family and undoubtedly a panoramic vista that very few properties on the Kāwhia harbour can compete with, plus a choice of two bedrooms. Will it be waking up to the view or the access to the deck that appeals the most?

The “Boathouse” boasts a generous open-plan layout with separate bathroom and huge potential for an Airbnb setup in a tranquil setting. Ideal for a couple needing a private workspace or separation from friends and family who may never want to leave.

A private access to the harbour means you’re only minutes away from the boat club, or a take away coffee. Unwind after a long day in a peaceful sanctuary to

rejuvenate mind, body, and soul.

This coastal property provides the ideal retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life with ample space for relaxation and entertainment.

Open home: Sunday, March 3, 11.30am – 12 noon.

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King Country News and App is owned by the Beacon Media Group based in Whakatane. We are one of the few family-owned news media groups remaining in New Zealand, and are members of both the News Publishers Association, and the Community Newspapers Association.