A website we stumbled upon recently was that of Earthworks Landscape Architects and Environmental Designers, based in Makara Beach, Wellington, one of whose featured projects was this tropical pool in Otaihanga, which is of course the south bank of the Waikanae River.

The “tropical” bit intrigued, since we are a long way south of the Tropic of Capricorn, but can you achieve that effect regardless?  Decide for yourself. 🙂

nine hundred words, but they can be summarised in nine: “If you don’t like it, you should leave now.”

stuff story

As mentioned in an earlier post, the sooner Waikanae’s long-awaited Park n Ride carparks are available, the sooner Waikanae town centre can start benefitting from the bad management of Coastlands.

See an earlier post for a view in spring.

An aerial view of Paekakariki beach whose residents are in for a 6.7% Rates increase and where last October Cr Holborow (now the Deputy Mayor) defeated an opponent of Rates rises, Guy Burns.  How many there now wish they had voted differently?

At least the citizens are, but according to this Radio NZ report,

“the Kāpiti Chamber of Commerce said the increase was necessary, to catch up on economic development.

“The bulk of the increase would go towards funding debt and depreciation.

“Chamber of Commerce chairwoman Heather Hutchings said Kāpiti was Wellington’s growth area, but it experienced a daily brain drain when the bulk of its professional workforce commuted to the capital – where they spent their money.”

How exactly is increasing the council’s already massive tax take to pay for Dougherty’s empire going to help this?

Is it not the case that the more the government, whether local or central, takes in taxes, the less people have to spend with any kind of business?

Is the rates hike not also going to mean smaller profits for Ms Hutchings’ members?  If they own the building they use, they will be paying the increase directly, if they don’t the landlord is sure to pass the increase on.

The interest on the ever-increasing council debt to pay for the massive squandering by the two previous councils on useless projects is certainly a problem; the ‘depreciation’ on revalued water pipes is simply a red herring that Dougherty has come up with.

Has Ms Hutchings forgotten the council’s $600,000 + write off on the CleanTech Centre in Otaki?

Is it the council’s role to subsidize or operate businesses anyway?

It makes you wonder what purpose the Chamber of Commerce serves if this is the sort of statement its leaders make.

We did the trip by train to the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Sunday and found it a worthwhile experience: well over one hundred trade stands around the interior oval displaying everything from electric cars to health and fitness products, spa pools, furniture, vibrators (no, not that sort), various building products and house building firms to artisans.  We needed to replace a 17-year-old mattress so decided to order a Bambillo massager mattress at, naturally, a sizeable discount. 🙂

The electric car phenomenon seems set to take off in the next decade, although probably not as completely as some predict.  In Wellington there is a free electric taxi which will take you around the CBD for free.  Usually we walk for exercise, though.

The Show also takes place in other centres: in Taradale for Hawkes Bay over 26-28 May and in Auckland over 27-29 October.  There are likely to be some different exhibitors at these.  Website

The next meeting is at the Waikanae Bridge Club rooms in Elizabeth Street tomorrow at 10:30 am.

Website  — this has a gallery of great designs, one of them shown.

A painting by Otaki artist Wallace Trickett of the preserved steam engine Ab 608 which was named Passchendaele after the infamous WW1 battle in Belgium (see the post on Anzac Day), crossing the Otaki railway bridge, which is the longest in Kapiti.

Today there was a Mother’s Day excursion by the Paekakariki-based Steam Incorporated from there to Woodville and back.

The old SH1 and the railway line are in the medium foreground at the bottom of the slope.

Will all the pasture become housing in the future? Good quality agricultural land and its preservation is considered important at the national level.  But constant population growth will see a constant growth in demand for this type of area (see this post) for new houses.  Not good.

Fibre can be up to 10 times faster than VDSL/Wireless. This webpage consists of an interactive map which shows which areas and streets in the country currently have fibre penetration.  In Paraparaumu it’s already pretty comprehensive; in Waikanae much less so, mainly areas either side of the Main Road/Railway.  According to the info, Waikanae won’t have comprehensive coverage until 2 years from now.

NZ coverage as a whole isn’t too bad compared to most countries, though: according to the OECD in June 2016 Japan ranked the highest at 74.1%, with South Korea not far behind; NZ was 16.2%; but the US was just 11% and Germany was only 1.6%.