What we know about at present:

1 March — Michael Jackson HIStory show at Southwards Theatre, 8 pm

9 March — Friday Night Lindale Market 5-9 pm (not strictly Waikanae, but we’ll give it honorary status 🙂 )

13 March — Tuesday evening at 7 pm — Community Board meeting

10 March — Saturday Easter Show in Waikanae Park

25 March (Sunday afternoon) — Community Emergency Hub exercise — see below

31 March — Easter Saturday Market in Mahara Place

That is the essence of what Council bosses propose to be done with the part of the 1,682 m² lot shaded red in the above map in this report to be decided upon at the Council meeting on Thursday.  The lot is between numbers 146 and 148 on the south (river) side of the road.

The part of the lot shaded blue will be added to the existing Local Purpose Reserve (Esplanade).

There doesn’t seem to be anything potentially controversial about it and the land should fetch a fetch a few hundred thousand dollars based on current section prices which could be used to offset further imposts on ratepayers this year.

It’s nice that they publicly notify this sort of thing — here the council or government agency just does it.  It’s also nice that they plant something to replace it — again that rarely happens in Kapiti.

Inner West Council – Marrickville have given notice that they intend to remove a Small-leafed peppermint (Eucalyptus nicholii) outside 80 Denison Road Dulwich Hill. They give the following reasons – “The tree is in poor structural condition, has recently suffered a significant branch failure and exhibits extensive stem decay which cannot be mitigated by pruning. […]

via Public tree removal in Dulwich Hill — SAVING OUR TREES – Marrickville municipality

A milkshake container for milkshakes we got at Olde Beach Bakery — nice they were, too.

Nowadays the plastic pieces (including the container which isn’t just cardboard) are falling out of favour because so much of it ends up not in recycling, but as public trash.

The Sunday Cantina now serve their smoothies with metal straws, which we’ve found are a bit harsh on your inner upper lip if they’re cold.

As Sue Lusk of Destination Waikanae says, this shop containing “a wonderful chaotic collection of Kiwiana that reminded us all of our childhood beachside holidays” has long been a feature of Tutere Street across from the beachfront domain that we regularly visited to see things that you rarely see available anywhere else.

The name and the shop sign are, of course, a play on Marmite made by Sanitarium NZ, the iconic yeast spread that for decades many have been introduced to at school (although not everyone liked/likes it).

We hope someone will continue this esoteric operation, and with the same enthusiasm.

Not just undemocratic but corrupt.

A further illustration of how democracy in NZ has become a mere illusion. From Veronica Harrod. Commentary; Why an Inquiry needs to be held into the business interests of Horowhenua District Council and other matters Here’s a little story that demonstrates how and why communications is used as a weapon by Horowhenua District Council to […]

via Why an Inquiry needs to be held into the business interests of Horowhenua District Council — Rangitikei Enviromental Health Watch

Traffic began flowing on to the McKays to Peka Peka part of the ‘Ewy’ a year ago and as regular readers know, it hasn’t been problem-free.

Business groups in both Paraparaumu and Waikanae have pressured the NZTA for brown signs telling motorists what local facilities there are to discover, if they take the off-ramps. But Southwards and Nga Manu were the only ones to get such a sign.

The new highway having been built across a peat bog, combined with unsatisfactory substrate work and surfacing, caused premature roughness and vociferous complaints from residents about noise.

There have also been complaints from locals about car drivers travelling along Te Moana Road after getting off the ‘Ewy’ still being in ‘highway speed’ mindset.

The massive Maypole company subdivisions which commenced only about a month after the ‘Ewy’ opened are going to cause a lot of congestion around the Te Moana Road Interchange in years to come.

But there has been a positive aspect in that the old SH1 has become a lot quieter and safer. This reduced traffic has impacted on some of the businesses along it, but there are businesses that have welcomed it.   The Coastlands Paper Plus folks told us that there are more locals willing to use the Main Road to go shopping because it’s quieter and safer now and it’s a fair assumtion this includes a lot of those from the eastern side of the railway in Waikanae.

The opening of the Transmission Gully route two years from now will be the real biggie affecting traffic and development.

“2 wool sacks full of them near the Dricon yard at the Waikanae Bridge. 1 has been emptied and the other 3/4 full.”

This message with the pics was posted last evening in the Kapiti Coast Group FB page by Blair Rosson.  Karl Webber and others say they have informed the council.

The motivation behind it is a mystery.