A great photo by Scott Halvorsen

a photo of Waikanae Cash Store (in other words “no credit”) which still exists as the Eastside Foodmarket.  From the look of the cars, this was probably circa 1930.

The Volksempfänger radio receiver promoted by the Nazis in 1933 so the populace could listen to party propaganda, particularly, the Führer’s speeches.

a Nazi officer’s radio, 1939

The western end of Elizabeth Street has a number of historic Waikanae features, and for day-trippers arriving on the train or bus, it begins within a short distance from the platform.

We’ve mentioned some of the features in previous posts; this one contains the Kapiti Museum’s pamphlet.

After our lunch in Relish yesterday, we strolled across the street to reacquaint ourselves with what we may have overlooked on previous visits.

Being the old town post office, you’d expect to find items relating to days when it was known as the P&T — the Post and Telegraph Office — and there are several artifacts including a couple of artworks of the Reikorangi Post Office: it had its own small building until 1962.  In one place there is the Waikanae Telephone Directory from 1939 on display — it’s a short list.

There is a complete section of radio and broadcasting equipment from the past, not just from NZ, examples above.

There are many photos of the old days on the walls; exhibits include old typewriters, a sewing machine, mannequins with old clothes… in all easily enough to occupy a couple of hours.

It is open Fridays from 1 pm to 4 pm; Saturday & Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm and most Public Holidays from 2 pm to 4 pm. Entry is free although a gold coin donation is appreciated.

By Veronica Harrod

Horowhenua: a political environment where the tail wags the dog “…the majority of Horowhenua residents are increasingly finding themselves caught in a ‘tail wagging the dog’ political environment where the economic development board is the tail determining the direction and decisions of council which is the dog and not a […]

via Horowhenua: a political environment where the tail wags the dog … the steady erosion of democracy in Aotearoa — Rangitikei Enviromental Health Watch

Thriving weka numbers on Kapiti Island have been causing a problem for some of the other island residents, particularly our native tītī/sooty shearwaters.

via Building a weka-proof fence — Conservation blog

The legendary Relish vanilla slice — accept no imitators, this is the real deal!

art tableaux by Annel Wendelken

We had lunch at the reopened Relish café today and didn’t notice anything that had changed since our visit on 22 December when its previous owners closed the business and retired.

In fact, we were surprised to see Anne there behind the counter again, too; but that isn’t going to be for too long.

–a photo we took last Sunday.

Geese in their hundreds have got Kāpiti residents in a flap.

Growing gaggles have taken up residence at Waikanae lagoons, and their aggressive behaviour, noise and mess are worrying the locals.

Some residents say the birds are the neighbours from hell, pooping on the street, chasing children and scaring dogs, and they should be culled.

But the council says its hands are tied, so it’s working with an animal charity to rehome some of the worst offenders.

The full story on the stuff website here

“Graeme Joyes said he and a group of friends would handcuff themselves to the sculptures if the council decided to remove the installation.

“Joyes said the public art, created by local artists, should automatically be included in any council plans.

“My stance is that if you’re starting with a blank piece of paper called Mahara Place, you would mark on it two immoveable objects – the Bodhi Vincent statue [nearby in Mahara Place] and the sculpture garden.”

This is a follow-up story by Joel Maxwell to the earlier one, here.

See several earlier posts of ours, too.

Gaia is presumably that in Greek mythology — info.

An instructive analysis of the California experience by the L.A. Times is here.

…economist William A. Niskanen explained back in 1971 that public agencies seek to maximize their budgets, through which they acquire increased power, status, comfort and security.

What Kapiti organisation does that fit exactly?