All About Mercury Bay, Whitianga, Tairua, Pauanui - The Mercury Bay Informer

The
Mercury Bay
Issue 679 - 9 March 2016
Phone 07 866 2090
PORTING
P
U
S
S
L
A
LOC
LOCALS
A level playing field

The Mercury Bay Game Fishing Clubs Trailer Boat Tournament is taking place later this week. Dependent on the
weather, and with a brand new boat to be won, it may be one of the clubs biggest tournaments ever.
Circulation 6,500
Kids, win with

Beach Hop see page 14.
By Stephan Bosman
In a trailer boat tournament, the playing field
is level, says John Mort, organiser of the
Mercury Bay Game Fishing Clubs Trailer Boat
Tournament that is taking place this Thursday
10 March to Saturday 12 March. If the sea is
too rough for one to go out, the sea is too rough
for everyone. Size doesnt really matter. All the
anglers have to leave Whitianga in the morning
and come back in the evening. And its not just
boats that can enter, if it floats and its no longer
than 9.4m and no wider than 3m, its good to
go. Kayakers and jet skiers are very welcome
to enter too.
This will be the Game Fishing Clubs eighth
trailer boat tournament. With prizes worth more
than $150,000 to be won, its deemed to be one
of the two biggest fishing tournaments in New
Zealand. Dependent on the weather, we hope
to have 150 boats and between 400 and 450
anglers in the tournament this year, says John.
It will make this year one of our clubs biggest
tournaments ever. I know well have one entry
from Melbourne this year. Last year we had
entries from as far north as Warkworth and as
far south as Hastings.
We use virtually all the entry fees to buy
prizes, but get fantastic support from local
businesses and sponsors from outside the area
as well.
Anglers last year stood a chance to win
a Stabicraft boat in a last man standing
competition and this year another boat will
be given away. The boat this year is a 16ft
Stabicraft Frontier with a 70hp engine,
says John. It has a centre console and a VHF
radio and comes with a DMW trailer. The prize
is worth more than $50,000 and is sponsored
by Stabicraft, Ocean Sports Marine in
Whakatane, Whitianga Marine and DMW
Trailers in Hamilton.
During the course of the competition the
names of ten lucky anglers will be drawn and
at prize-giving on Saturday evening, the ten
anglers will each get a ping pong ball with
a number. The balls will all go into a bucket.
John Mort, organiser of this years Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club Trailer Boat Tournament, at the Stabicraft boat that can be won this year.
Under the watchful eye of Graham Bell of
Police Ten 7 fame, representatives from the
sponsors will draw the balls out of the bucket.
If your number is drawn, unfortunately you
wont get the boat. The last number remaining
is the winner. Its high tension.
Even if people arent participating in
the tournament, they should come to the
Game Fishing Club on Saturday evening.
The atmosphere will be electric. The Whitianga
Sea Scouts will be selling hamburgers and
pizzas to raise money for their new den and the
clubs bar will be open. Its not every day you
get the opportunity to witness first-hand how
someone wins a $50,000 prize.
The rules of the tournament have been
changed this year to foster a culture of catch
and release. We wont weigh snapper, trevally,
kingfish and kahawai as we did in the past,

says John. Instead, anglers will be able to
measure and photograph the fish they caught
while on the water. The fish with the biggest
measurements will win. That means anglers
only have to keep the fish they want to eat.
All the others can be set free.
Every angler who tags and releases a marlin
will be given a rod and reel worth $650. If you
tag and release two marlin, you get a more
expensive rod and reel and if youre lucky
enough to tag and release three, youll go home
with a new rod and reel worth $2,000.
Like last year, the weigh station will be at
Taylors Mistake.
Together with the Beach and Boat tournament
held north of Auckland and the Tutukaka Small
Boat tournament, the Mercury Bay Game
Fishing Clubs Trailer Boat Tournament once

again forms part of the Snapper World Cup. The
angler catching the biggest snapper during any
of the three tournaments gets his name engraved
on a magnificent snapper-replica trophy and his
fishing club gets to keep the trophy until next
year. The leading snapper so far this year
weighed 12.31kg and was caught in the Beach
and Boat tournament, says John.
Last year Nathan Wilson, one of our club
members, caught the winning snapper in our
trailer boat tournament. His fish weighed
12.4kg. Theres no reason why the trophy cant
stay in Whitianga for another year.
I wish all the anglers a fantastic few
days on the water. Thanks for participating.
Rest assured, Ive already started thinking about
next years tournament.
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Distributed throughout the Coromandel Peninsula, coast to coast from Thames to Colville - www.theinformer.co.nz
Generous donation by Lionesses

On Tuesday last week a group of Mercury
Bay Lionesses gathered at The Informers
office in Whitianga to hand a promise to
Edwin Linehan, a trustee of the Mercury Bay
Radiology and Health Trust. Witnessing the
occasion were Mercury Bay midwives Fiona
Kington and Jocelyn Yates.
The promise will enable the Radiology
and Health Trust (the owner of the Mercury
Bay x-ray machine and ultrasound scanner)
to order a foetal heart monitor with the
assurance that the Lionesses have the funds
available, and set aside, to pay for the
monitor. It would have been nice to hand
the Radiology and Health Trust a cheque,
but with the fluctuations in the exchange
rate, were not sure what the exact cost of
the monitor will be, says Carol Timmins,
president of the Lionesses. We expect it to
be in the vicinity of $5,000.
The Lionesses decided to allocate some
of their funds towards a foetal heart monitor
after one of the local GPs mentioned to them
its something the area is in real need of.
Were always looking for worthy causes
we can donate funds to or specifically raise
funds for, says Carol. Up to now the local
midwives had to get by with a much smaller
monitor. We met with Fiona and Jocelyn
and got an understanding of just how much
a new monitor will help them in their work.
The idea of gifting the people of Mercury Bay
a new monitor was popular among all of us.
Were proud to be able to do this for our
local community.
Although the Radiology and Health Trust
will be the owner of the monitor, it will be
Present when the Mercury Bay Lionesses promise for a new foetal heart monitor was handed over to the Mercury Bay Radiology and Health Trust were,
from left to right - Lioness Helen Linehan (second vice-president), Edwin Linehan (trustee of the Mercury Bay Radiology and Health Trust), Lionesses Shirley
Beer (secretary) and Nicola Hewlett, midwives Jocelyn Yates and Fiona Kington (at the back) and Lionesses Pat Lilley (treasurer - in front of Jocelyn),
Carol Timmins (president), Jan-Louise Hamblyn, Yvonne MacKenzie, June Glendenning, Megan Henson (first vice-president) and Trish Cunningham.
in the day-to-day care of Fiona and Jocelyn.

The monitor will be known as the Lionesses
Monitor, says Edwin.
Foetal heart monitors have been around
since the late 1950s. Its of great use in
determining the health of an unborn baby
during pregnancy and birth. Fiona says the
Lionesses Monitor will provide her and

Jocelyn with more accurate information
than the information they get from the
monitor theyre using at the moment.
Better information means better decisionmaking, says Fiona. An immediate benefit
we can foresee is that unnecessary travel to
Thames of Hamilton will be reduced.

Jocelyn and I are both very excited about
the new monitor and, from our side, would
very much like to thank the Lionesses for this
amazing act of generosity and kindness. Its
people like them making this community we
live in so special.
High & Low Tides

for Mercury Bay and Hot Water Beach
DAY/
DATE
HIGH
AM
LOW
AM
HIGH
PM
LOW
PM
Wed 9
8:01
1:33
8:27
2:01
Thur 10
8:52
2:25
9:19
2:53
Fri 11
9:44
3:16
10:10
3:45
Sat 12
10:35
4:07
11:02
4:36
Sun 13
11:26
4:58
11:54
5:27
5:51
12:19
6:19
6:46
1:12
7:13
Mon 14
Tue 15
0:48
Tide data sponsored by
nzwindows.co.nz
4 Dakota Drive
Whitianga
Tel 07 869 5990
Whats that Number?

The Mercury Bay Informer is published weekly on Wednesdays and distributed throughout the
Coromandel Peninsula.
Readers contributions of articles and letters are welcome. Publication of contributions are
entirely at the discretion of the editor. Contributions will only be considered for publication when
accompanied by the authors name and surname, telephone number and residential address.
Opinions expressed (especially in letters) are not necessarily those of the owner or publisher.
Published by Mercury Bay Media Limited
Editor - Stephan Bosman
Contributors - Len Salt, Gillian ONeill, Meghan Hawkes, Cheyenne Walmsley, Deli Connell and
Jack Biddle
Advertiser Management - Petra Bosman and Bronwyn Burkhart
Ofce - 14 Monk St, Whitianga 3510, Mail - PO Box 426, Whitianga 3542
Telephone - (07) 866 2090, Fax - (07) 866 2092
Editorial - email info@theinformer.co.nz, tel (07) 866 2090
Advertising - email sales@theinformer.co.nz, tel (07) 866 2094
ISSN 2422-9083 (Print), ISSN 2422-9091 (Online)
2016 Mercury Bay Media Limited
The Mercury Bay Informer is subject to the principles of the New Zealand
Press Council. Please contact us rst if you have concerns about any of the
editorial content of The Informer. If we were unable to address your
concerns to your satisfaction, you can complain to the New Zealand Press Like us on Facebook.
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Council, PO Box 10 879, Wellington 6143 or www.presscouncil.org.nz.
Page 2
Emergency (Ambulance, Fire, Police) 24 hours ............................................111

Police (Whitianga) ............................................................................... 866 4000
Police (Tairua) ...................................................................................... 864 8888
Police (Coromandel Town) .................................................................. 866 1190
Fight crime anonymously - Call Crime Stoppers ... ........................0800 555 111
Dog and Noise Control ........................................... ............................ .868 0200
Dental Emergency (Mercury Bay) ....................................................... 869 5500
Civil Defence ....................................................................................... 868 0200
Mercury Bay Medical Centre (Whitianga) ......................... ................... 866 5911
Doctors Surgery (Whitianga) .................................. ............................. 866 4621
Medical Centre (Tairua) ........................................................................ 864 8737
Harbour Master (Whitianga) ......................................................... 027 493 1379
Coastguard Radio Operators ............................................................... 866 2883
Social Services Whitianga .................. ................................... ..............866 4476
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Impressive Art Escape

Open Studio Tour launch
The launch of the Mercury Bay Art Escape Open Studio Tour at Hot Waves Caf in Hot Water Beach is
always greeted with anticipation and last Friday was no exception.
Keynote speaker was official New Zealand Defence Forces artist Matt Gauldie, who didnt take long to
point out his connection with last years keynote speaker, Dr Carole Shepheard. Carole was one of my
teachers when I was a student at Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland in the late 90s, he said.
Matt also said that hes proud to call himself a New Zealand artist and that artists shouldnt underestimate
their role and the role of their art in society. I am extremely fortunate that my position as official Defence
Forces artist allows me to travel extensively. Art is everywhere, even in warzones. Its such an important
part of life. I believe that in New Zealand we support our artists more than any other country. Its something
we should always cherish.
The Open Studio Tour launch was also the opening night of the Taste of the Tour exhibition at Hot Waves
Caf, displaying one piece of art from all the artists who are members of the Art Escape, as well as Emily
Boswell, recipient of the 2014 Mercury Bay Art Escape scholarship earmarked for students attending
Mercury Bay Area School.
Members of the public will have for the next month the opportunity to vote for their favourite piece of art
exhibited, so bestowing the title Winner of the Peoples Choice Award on one of the artists.
On Friday evening the artists themselves had the opportunity to vote for their favourite work in
the exhibition. For the first time in the history of the Open Studio Tour, the Artists Choice Award,
sponsored by The Little Gallery of Fine Arts in Tairua, was shared with Julie Whymans painting
The Colour of Dreams receiving the same number of votes as Martinus Sarangapanys drawing
Home Away from Home.
Five pieces of art were sold during the course of Friday evening, including the one submitted by
Emily Boswell.
Pictured is Sarah Holden, owner of The Little Gallery, congratulating Martinus with his achievement in the
Artists Choice Award.
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Issue 679
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Page 3
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Open 6 days Closed Monday
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Conditions perfect for Across the River Swim

It takes a few planets to line up in the right order for the annual Across the River Swim to take place
and run like clockwork. Of course the key ingredient for the swim from Ferry Landing to the playground
on The Esplanade in Whitianga has to be the tide, which is all about the moon, not the planets. In the
case of an event like this in Whitianga, it means getting the timing just right. The tide must be low and
on the turn when the swim takes place, allowing for safe conditions in calm water in between low and
high tides.
Conditions for last Mondays swim were perfect, with a bit of cloud cover to take the sting out of the
sun and a gentle breeze laid on for the 400 school students involved. The planets were indeed perfectly
lined up.
The swim is significant as its not only a Mercury Bay Area School affair, students from Coroglen and
Whenuakite Schools are also participating. Its yet another example of a unique Mercury Bay tradition,
something that dates back to the 1950s when the swim was part of the annual regatta which was held
on New Years Day. Easily 5,000 people, residents and holidaymakers alike, participated in the regatta.
The race winners on Monday were Aimee Burton - Year 7 Girls, Sebastian Ross - Year 7 Boys, Jasmine
McCleery - Year 8 Girls, Jordan Richmond - Year 8 Boys, Isabel Lunn - Junior Girls, Ben Smith Junior Boys, Ella Tompkins - Intermediate Girls, Tangaroa Lewis - Intermediate Boys, Nicole Hauer Senior Girls and Rueben Dimock - Senior Boys.
Pictured are the placegetters in the Junior Girls race, from left to right Anna Stevenson (third),
Isabel Lunn (winner) and Kenjia Campbell (second).
Page 4
Fresh Fish and

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of the week!
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Page 5
Woohoo Espys done it again!
When it comes to being voted by the public as serving the best milkshake in the central North Island
region of New Zealand, Espy Caf on The Esplanade in Whitianga has done it again.
Anchor, the organisers of NZs Best Milkshake Competition, phoned last week to say that our
Woohoo My Mangos Got Pashinit! milkshake got through to the final and will now be judged by an expert
with the other three regional winners of the competition, says Espy owner Duncan Wood.
Espys Oh Fudge milkshake was last year crowned as New Zealands best milkshake and Duncan
hopes their Woohoo entry will follow suit. People could vote for us once a day and were aware of
many people who made an effort to vote for us regularly, says Duncan. We want to thank all of them.
The support weve received is truly humbling.
People who voted during the course of the competition went into the draw to win a fortnightly prize
pack made up of a Breville milkshake maker and a $50 prezzy card. One of the winners was Whitiangas
Paulette Hoyland.
Its a very good milkshake and Im delighted Duncan and his team got through to the final, says Paulette.
I really hope they win, they certainly deserve it.
The winner of the competition is expected to be announced in the next three weeks.
Pictured are Duncan and Paulette (holding a Woohoo milkshake) with Espy staff members Kylie Clayton
(on the left) and Harmony Kelsall.
The photo was taken on Friday last week, less than 18 hours before Paulette and her husband
Jason started in the 12 hour race of the weekends ARC adventure racing event. Read more about the
event on page 23.
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JACQUI & ANDY

Page 6
Thames Coast 97.2 |

Whangamata 89.9 | Coromandel 89.1 |
Cooks Beach 90.3 | Matarangi 94.0 |
Coroglen 93.9 | Paeroa 93.2 | Waihi
Beach 104.2 | Hahei Beach 90.3 |
Whitianga 90.3 | Opito Bay 106.7 |
Pauanui 93.9 | Tairua 93.9 | Waihi 90.6
Rich history on wall of Coghill Street Cottage

By Len Salt
Sarah Hamilton was born in Lammy,
near Tullywiggan, in Ireland, and died in
Whitianga at the age of 94 in 1958. Her life was
lived through a period of history which spanned
two world wars and the great flu epidemic of
1918 which infected 500 million people across
the world and is estimated to have killed
between 50 and 100 million. She witnessed
the birth of the motor car, the invention of the
telephone, radio and television, movies and
sound recordings, electricity and air travel and
massive growth in populations and economic
change, upheaval and development across the
western world.
There was nothing glamorous at all about
Sarahs early life, but some of the stories still
remain, which give an insight into life at the
time. She was 12 when her mother died. Sarah
had to take over running of the farm and raise her
three younger siblings, the youngest a toddler of
just two years old. That meant carrying water
for the household, cutting wood for the stove to
bake bread and making all the clothes for her
brothers and sister as well as her fathers shirts.
The practice in Ireland was to build a house
with a high gable for storing winter vegetables.
Its not clear when Sarah first arrived in New
Zealand with her family, but records remain of
her first experience at trying the Irish method
of storing the vegetables through the winter.
In the warmer, humid climate of Whenuakite,
where the family initially settled, the vegetables
rotted away, causing Sarah to comment that the
stench was awful.
Another story tells how Sarah found
Whenuakites isolation difficult and invited
Florrie, a young girl from Tairua to come and
stay. Florrie went missing, putting Sarah into a
panic. She looked everywhere and saw the pigs
munching on something. Sarah screamed for her

brother Billie who was ploughing in a field not
far away, Come quickly, the pigs have eaten
Florrie! But after a terrifying few minutes,
little Florrie was found fast asleep in a barn.
Prior to World War One, Sarah had been
living in Waihi, caring for her father. It was
the days before the old age pension which
was introduced by Richard Seddon in 1898,
paying men over 65 the sum of 18 pounds a
year, enough to pay for their pipe tobacco and
not much else.
By a stroke of fortune, a legacy of Sarahs life
still remains today in the old kauri cottage at
5 Coghill Street, Whitianga, where Sarah lived
as an adult. A poster had been hand painted
on the wall of the front room of the cottage
to advertise a dressmaking business Sarah ran
from the cottage. The cottage itself had started
life as a miners house in Kuaotunu before being
moved to its current location in Coghill Street.
The cottage housed, until recently, artist Rick
Swains studio. Whitianga resident Steffen
Lindner has just opened a new business on the
premises and has taken great care to preserve the
poster that was aptly titled the Lucky Lady.
The lady was revealed purely by chance
in 1989 when some renovations were being
done on the cottage. A saw had cut right down
through the middle of the poster before it was
found just in time to save it. The beautiful piece
of original artwork had been covered in layers
of scrim (a hessian sacking type of material
commonly used to cover walls in the days
before gib-board), hardboard and wallpaper.
The poster remains to this day in pride of
place on the same wall it was painted and with
any luck it will still be there in another hundred
years to keep telling Sarahs stories.
The poster Lucky Lady painted on the wall of the front room of the old
kauri cottage at 5 Coghill Street, Whitianga.
I am not cooking !!!

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Page 7
The detection of gravitational waves...

does it matter?
By Alastair Brickell of Stargazers Astronomy Tours in Kuaotunu
Some readers may have noticed the intense

publicity around the announcement about three
weeks ago of the discovery of gravitational
waves. Even the TV news bulletins covered
this in between the usual celebrity nonsense
and rugby news. Well, what are these
gravitational waves and do they matter at all?
Two very important questions.
What are they?
About 100 years ago Albert Einstein developed
his theory of general relativity. This predicted
many weird things, one of which was the
existence of gravitational waves and people
have been looking for them ever since without
success. They consist of very slight ripples in
the fabric of Einsteins space-time, produced by
all things that are accelerating in the universe.
We even produce them when we walk around,
but our waves are much too small to ever be
detected. The biggest things in the universe,
such as two black holes colliding, do, however,
produce waves that we are only now able
to detect.
The eventual detection required the
development of the strangest telescope ever
built. This LIGO telescope has been looking
in vain for over 22 years and consists of two
identical huge instruments in separate parts
of the USA. Each has two arms 4km long,
consisting of vacuum tubes set at right angles to
each other. The arms are so long that the far end
of each has to be raised by 1m to counteract the
curvature of the earth.
Pulses of laser light are sent down both arms
at the same time and the time it takes them to
bounce back off the end is measured extremely
precisely. If a gravitational wave passes by,
it will momentarily make one arm very slightly
longer than the other and this can only now be
Page 8
detected since the instruments were upgraded

last year.
The exquisite precision of the measurement
is equivalent to measuring a change in the
distance to the nearest star (Alpha Centauri, four
light years away) to about the width of a single
human hair! It is the most precise measurement
ever made by the human race and one of the
most significant advancements in science for
well over a century.
Gravitational waves give us a totally new
way of looking at absolutely everything in
the universe. Up to now we have relied on
electromagnetic radiation to let us sense
our environment. This includes visible
light, infrared (heat), ultraviolet radiation,
radio waves, gamma rays and x-rays, which are
all just variations on the electromagnetic theme.
Gravitational waves are completely different
and so allow us to see everything with new
eyes in a new manner.
There will eventually be different
gravitational wave telescopes both on land and
in space produced to see different frequencies
of these waves, just as optical telescopes allow
us to see different things from what radio
telescopes see. We live in an environment that
is absolutely riddled with gravitational waves
which we have never before been able to see.
We cannot imagine just what we are going
to learn in coming decades and centuries
the human species has just acquired a new kind
of eye!
Great for the boffins, but does it matter?
Absolutely! But in ways we cannot yet imagine.
The LIGO telescopes cost over $ 800 million to
develop and some will suggest that surely we
would have been better off spending this money
to help the poor in Africa. This seems to make
One of the 4km long LIGO telescopes in the USA.

sense, but one could make the same argument
(and many did) about spending over $20 billion
on space exploration to go to the Moon back
in the 1960s. However, it is only through the
advancement of science that the human race will
ever progress and it is impossible to predict just
what rewards investment in seemingly useless
fundamental science will produce.
Space exploration led to many new
technologies, including weather satellites and
these have already saved many more lives
than what the investment of that same money
in Africa would have ever produced and they
will continue to save lives forever. Military
spending in the US led to the development of
GPS satellites and they too have and will save
many, many lives. Astronomical research led to
the development of CCD cameras which most
of us now carry around in our pockets. Radio
telescopes (another seemingly useless idea)

required the development of sophisticated signal
detection techniques to pick up the extremely
faint radio signals astronomers were listening to
from distant stars. This technology has allowed
the development of cell phones that can detect
the very weak signals from a cell phone tower,
often kilometres away, and this too is now
affordable miniaturised technology that we
carry in our pockets along with our GPSs
and CCDs.
Similarly, the development of lenses and
thus microscopes led to the discovery of many
totally unexpected things such as the existence
of cells and bacteria which allowed modern
medicine to progress.
So, gravitational waves are important
and the human race just took another giant
leap forward.
Page 9
Community Patrol Report
With Laurie Johnston - Chairman of the Mercury Bay Community Patrol
H O U S E WA S H I N G
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lichen, moss and stains. In fact any exterior surface that needs a clean, Drew can
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Buildings. Boats. Fences. Wood. Concrete. Metal.

Call Drew Edwards - The Chemwash Man
Mobile: 0274 375 578 a/h 07 867 8493
Page 10
I had first-hand experience last week of

the Kuaotunu Fire Brigade. We are indeed
fortunate to have these services available
to us in all these smaller settlements on the
Coromandel. Well done you guys in dealing
with a truck and trailer on State Highway 25
late one night.
Also to the contractors they organised,
its amazing to me how these people appear
from nowhere to help. Thats the great
community spirit we have in this area.
Our contract with Thames Coromandel
District Council was finalized a couple of
weeks ago and we have duly received funding
for the next 12 months. We are able to do quite
a bit for TCDC, including reporting vehicles
whose occupants put their plastic bags of
rubbish into other residents black wheelie
bins when theyre out for collection.
We are in a good position to continue our
patrols for the next twelve months.
Our South Patrol has five new candidates
for membership and that is great news.
The patrol has quite a big area to cover and
with a high level of enthusiasm from residents,
it bodes well for the future.
I would like to highlight the need for noting
car registrations when anyone sees anything
that looks suspicious to them. All too often
we hear of vehicles or their occupants causing
concern, but only a few think about noting
the car registration. Thats very important.
I remember a Whitianga Police Report
published several months ago where it was
commented on that it really helps to have a

vehicle registration rather than just the model
and colour.
Last month I mentioned the problems that
occurred at the Cathedral Cove car park.
Well, last Saturday it was just as bad,
but the Police were in attendance making
notes. The land is owned by the Department
of Conservation and they, of course, have no
officers in attendance in that area. I understand
there are moves afoot to put the area into a
more controlled state.
Its interesting to note that some of the
nearby residents are taking full advantage
of the situation by offering parking on their
properties. One notice was written in German!
Why not?
In Whitianga, the past few weeks have been
its been quiet again. Thats good, isnt it?
The only incident that came to my notice
was a problem at one of our hospitality
establishments one evening when patrons
started fighting and a temporary close down
had to be applied.
Last week graffiti appeared in Cook Drive.
I have said before, get it photographed and
arrange for the Police to see the graffiti before
its painted out. Thats exactly what happened
in this instance. Well done to the resident.
Finally, I would like to make it known that
both the Whitianga ferry and the Go Kiwi
Beach Bus offer free transport to the Hot
Water Beach Lifeguards when they are on
duty. A fine gesture.
Update on Cathedral Cove

tracks upgrade
The Department of Conservation-initiated upgrades to the Cathedral Cove track and the Stingray
and Gemstone Bay tracks are well underway. Apart from weather delays, everything is going to
plan and, according to DOC, the progress is looking great. The tracks to Stingray and Gemstone
Bay will be ready for sealing next week.
Temporary closures are still in place during certain times at different sections of the various
tracks. This is to ensure the work can be completed as efficiently and safely as possible.
To avoid disappointment, visitors should first seek information about what closures will be
in place at the time they plan to visit the Cathedral Cove area, says DOCs Operations Ranger
Nicola Miller. Although we plan to stick to the initial closure dates as much as possible,
interruptions such as rain can add delays to the work schedule. If people are unsure, it is best
to call the local DOC office.
Planned closures are as follows 11 March to 12 March - Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay CLOSED.
18 March to 22 April - Main Cathedral Cove track every Thursday and Friday morning until
11:00am CLOSED (open rest of the day).
From the progress that has been made already, it is exciting to start envisioning what the
end product will look like. The DOC staff members involved in the upgrade are thankful for
the patience and cooperation of the local community and look forward to seeing the benefits
enjoyed by all once completed.
Please contact Nicola on (07) 869 5632 or or 027 660 2496 for any enquiries and for updated
details. More information will be provided during the progress of the operation through
The Informer and other media outlets and on the DOC website www.doc.govt.co.nz.
Unique niche hobby business for

Art Escape artist
By Gillian ONeill
A childhood obsession with fish has evolved
into a unique niche hobby business for Tairua
carver Tim Aldrich, who is be opening his
doors to visitors as part of this years Mercury
Bay Art Escape Open Studio Tour.
The father of three, who moved his family
from the UK to Tairua 10 years ago, is gaining
notoriety for his fish carvings which have
been commissioned for both displays and
trophies. Kingfish are particularly popular
because of their bright colouring. However,
a new opportunity has recently emerged that
Tim is keen to explore further.
There is a growing interest in replica fish.
It used to be that if a prize fish was caught,
it would be stuffed and mounted. With people
more committed now to conserving fish,
the idea of a carved replica is a great
alternative, Tim says.
If people are out there and they land
a spectacular fish, they can measure it,
photograph it and then release it. If they bring
me the photo I will create a precise replica so
they can have a lasting memory of their days
fishing.
As a kid back in the UK, I would spend
a lot of time drawing fish. I was fascinated
with the shapes and the colours. Then, when
I came to New Zealand, I found the colours
were even more vivid and of course everyone
here loves fish, so there is a real interest in the
carvings I do.
Oregon Pine from America is one of
Tims favourite materials to use. The wood
resembles the patterns of the fish, so its a
really nice wood to use, but I also work with
Kauri and sometimes Macrocarpa.
While fish may be his favourite subject,
Tims repertoire is extensive and he is happy
to accept commissions based on whatever
ideas people have. Ive just finished a piece
for the Mercury Bay Art Escape Taste of the
Tour exhibition at Hot Waves Cafe. Its called
Happy Dancer and its a woman dancing.
Its turned out really well, Im very pleased
with it.
Tim is enjoying hosting viewings during
this years Open Sudio Tour, demonstrating
his skills and even allowing visitors to try
their hand at some carving.
I m working on a snapper, so people are
getting a good look at whats involved in
creating the fish. I also enjoy giving carving
tuition, its amazing what people can achieve,
even in just a day. So if anyone is interested
getting a little taster they can come along and
give it a go.
Tims studio at 39 Hornsea Road will
again be open from 10:00am to 4:00pm this
weekend (the second weekend of the Art
escape Open Studio Tour).
Tairua carver Tim Aldrich is demonstrating how he creates unique fish carvings,
like the kingfish pictured here, during this years Mercury Bay Art Escape Open Studio Tour.
Page 11
Creating Rangitira Pita R Sharples
Whitianga artist Raewyn Helms-Davis has featured in the Informer recently as the creator of Sydnie,
the cartoon dog. Raewyn is also an accomplished artist specialising in the use of pastels and she has just
achieved the honour of having three of her pieces accepted for inclusion in the annual exhibition of the
Pastel Artists of New Zealand, to be held in Mapua near Nelson next month.
One of the pieces Raewyn submitted has been gathering a lot of attention since it was created four years
ago. Its a portrait of former Maori Party co-leader Sir Pita Sharples.
The process of creating the portrait kicked off with Raewyn contacting Sir Pita through his office and
being invited to his West Auckland marae to meet him. Sir Pita took the time to walk and talk with Raewyn
and was happy for her to take a number of photographs she could later reference from. He asked that
Raewyn include in her portrait the carving that is always around his neck. He also ensured Raewyn was
given images of a treasured panel recording his familys history, located inside the wharenui.
Following this, Raewyn received a Maori Party t-shirt as a gift from the party. She enlisted the help of her
husband to model the t-shirt while she was taking photos. Then she got to work.
Once the portrait was finished, it showed Sir Pita in front of his familys history panel and proudly wearing
the t-shirt of the party he helped to establish in 2004.
Pictured is Raewyn with her portrait of Sir Pita, which she decided to call Rangitira - Pita R Sharples.
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Page 12
Becoming involved in the Mercury Bay

culture of generosity
When Whitianga mother Eloise Green
approached Mary Ray, the owner of Stilo
Hair & Co in Whitianga, with a request to
cut her two daughters hair, Mary said yes.
But when Eloise told Mary why her two
daughters, Cerys and Seren, would like to cut
their hair, Mary didnt hesitate to say shell
do it for free.
The reason for Marys generosity is simple.

Cerys and Seren wanted to donate their hair
to an organisation making wigs for people
suffering from extreme hair loss (for example
cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
treatment). For such a good cause I was
happy to donate my time to restyle the two
girls hair, says Mary.
Seren (on the left) and Cerys Green on Thursday afternoon last week
when Paige Williams (behind Cerys) of Stilo Hair & Co cut their hair for a good cause.
Scott Simpson
MP FOR COROMANDEEL
On Thursday afternoon last week Cerys and

Seren arrived at Stilo for the big event and
Mary asked Eloise if it was OK for Paige
Williams, who started working with her only
the day before, to cut the girls hair. Eloise
was fine with it, says Mary. Paige is an
experienced hairdresser and I was confident
she would do a good job. I thought it was a
great opportunity for her to become involved
in the culture of generosity we all experience
and love in Mercury Bay.
Paige indeed did an outstanding job.
Cerys and Seren looked stunning when she
was finished with them.
Paige grew up in Thames. After school,
she spent a few years in Auckland and then
moved to Tauranga, where she qualified as a
hairdresser. It was in Tauranga she met her
partner Russell.
Paige and Russell are the proud parents
of two boys, Cash (three) and Jett (two),
and some time ago they started talking
seriously about moving to the Coromandel.
My parents are now living Coromandel
Town and we wanted to be closer to them,
says Paige. We decided that Whitianga is the
town we ultimately would like to settle in.
Russell is a heavy vehicle driver by
profession, but was happy to take a job in my
dads landscaping business. I had to find a job
in Whitianga before we could move. A friend
told me that Mary was looking for someone.
I sent her my CV and she invited me to do a
trade test. It went really well and here I am.
Paige, Russell and their two boys are at

the moment staying with Paiges parents in
Coromandel Town. For now its a convenient
arrangement as Russell is working with my
dad and rental accommodation in Whitianga
is scarce, says Paige. It also gives us
the opportunity to check out the
Whitianga market before we invest in a place
of our own.
Asking Paige why she and Russell decided
Whitianga is where they would like to settle,
she says the town has everything they like,
including the beach and the opportunities to
fish and dive. They also like the community
feel of the Mercury Bay area and think
Mercury Bay Area School will have a lot to
offer their boys once they start school. When
it comes to ticking the boxes, Whitianga is for
us the perfect place to be.
Mary has another stylist starting at Stilo
in the next few weeks. Tash Stephen and
her partner (wholl be joining the team at
Guthrie Bowron Whitianga) decided to trade
the Auckland rat race for the quality of life
only Mercury Bay can offer. The couples
six-year-old son will attend MBAS once they
arrive in Whitianga.
Tash did her training as a hairdresser at
the same group of salons I did my training,
says Mary. Like Paige, shes very
experienced. Whitianga is growing and Stilo
is growing with it. Im excited about the
future with two top-class stylists working
with me.
614 Pollen St.Thames

07 868 3529
www.scottsimpson.co.nz
A large part of my job is helping

people. For an appointment please
contact my office.
email:mpcoromandel@parliament.govt.nz
Authorised by Scott Simpson, 614 Pollen St,Thames
and funded by the Parliamentary Service
Page 13
Kids, win with Beach Hop!
Thames Coromandel District Council is giving children the opportunity to have a bit of early Beach Hop fun with this colouring competition.
Kids, just make sure you have your entries in on time to win vouchers from a variety of Mercury Bay businesses.
Remember Beach Hop will be in Whitianga on 29 March. Its the Tuesday just after Easter.
Page 14
Local Samaritans blown away

by generosity of community
Ian and Raewyn Diprose have been travelling to Fiji regularly for the last almost four decades
to undertake volunteer work. Over time they have built up strong friendships, which turned out
to be of immense value after Cyclone Winston battered the country on 20 February this year.
Winston came ashore as a category five hurricane and was the strongest cyclone on record to
ever hit the country. It inflicted severe damage to many parts of the main and outlying islands.
Forty three people lost their lives.
Ian and Raewyn had a pretty good idea of what would be needed after Winston struck. They put
the word out to the people of Mercury Bay and they were overwhelmed by the response. All the
op shops and many local businesses offered to help, as well as many individuals, and we have
been able to fill in a very short space of time an entire 40ft container to send to Fiji, says Ian.
The village where Ian and Raewyns friends live were not as badly hit as other areas and they
(Ian and Raewyns friends) will be able to distribute the aid donated by the people of Mercury
Bay to those parts of the country that are the most in need of help.
Again we have seen that our local community is not afraid to step up when people are in need,
says Ian. The generosity of the people of Mercury Bay people has blown us away.
Pictured are Ian and Raewyn with some of the things the people of Mercury Bay donated to the
people of Fiji.
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Page 15
Inclusion of MBAS in Art Escape Open

Studio Tour highly successful
The inclusion of the Mercury Bay Area School art room in the 2016 Mercury Bay Art
Escape Open Studio Tour is proving to be a roaring success. This is in no small part
due to the combined goodwill and effort of some MBAS teachers and senior students
who volunteered their time to make sure theres at all times someone staffing the
art room while the Open Studio Tour is on (last weekend and this coming weekend).
None of the work on display in the art room is for sale. The school is included in the
Open Studio Tour purely to showcase of the work of the schools art students.
Last Saturday saw 56 visitors coming through the art room, Sunday another 40.
MBAS teachers Carol Boswell and Svargo, the core mathematics department of
the school and both avid supporters of the arts, were volunteers last Sunday.
The feedback on the day was very positive, says Svargo. There were lots of
compliments on the high quality of the work, particularly the attention to detail in
many of the pieces, and on the obvious passion and dedication that art teacher Janet
Hoogwerf has inspired in her students.
Carol has added reason to be proud. Her daughter Emily was the 2014 recipient of
the Mercury Bay Art Escape scholarship. Emily has an extensive portfolio of work,
from Year 10 to her Year 13 excellence achievement board, on display at the school.
In 2015 two Art Escape scholarships were awarded to MBAS students Renee Royal
and Joseph Morcom. Artworks by these two promising young students also feature
strongly in the art room.
Also getting a lot of attention is the Year 13 excellence board of Marie Everth, who,
in addition to her achievement in art, had achieved excellence in calculus, physics
and a number of other subjects in order to become the schools Dux student for 2015.
A short video playing in the art room during the Open Studio Tour shows several
students, including Emily, working on art projects and teacher Janet Hoogwerf and
MBAS principal John Wright discussing the importance of art in the school curriculum
mix. My favourite quote from the video is this, Earth without art is just - eh,
says Svargo.
The school art room will be open again this coming weekend, the final weekend of
the Open Studio Tour. Its well worth a visit.
Pictured are MBAS teachers Svargo (left) and Carol Boswell in the MBAS art room
last Sunday.
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Page 16
MORTGAGEE
AUCTION
Apartment 7
Apartment 1
4 Roseberry Place
High spec show home in Whitianga Waterways.
3 bdrm, 2 bthrm, family room, office, attic, large double garaging.
For Sale
www.harcourts.co.nz/wi20943
Apartment 2
Peter MacGregor M 027 224 7332

Larsen Realty Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REAA 2008
Waterfront Apartments : Units , 1, 2 and 7. - MORTGAGEE AUCTION
Buy all 3 or take your pick. Dont miss this amazing opportunity!
3 x 1 bedroom studio apartments with super views just across from Buffalo Beach.
The ground floor apartment includes the hallway and laundry area.
All three will sell way below their current rating values.
To be sold plus GST (if any).
Auction Thursday 24 March 12.30pm, Harcourts office, 71 Albert Street, Whitianga
www.harcourts.co.nz/ wi20993
Peter MacGregor M 027 224 7332
5 Laura Place
Awesome home with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrms, garaging, carport.
Includes separate section with its own title.
Two titles, two properties. Private and peaceful.
For Sale $895,000
www.harcourts.co.nz/wi 20856
Katrina Carlyon M 021 724 200
27 Tarapatiki Drive
Amazing and beautiful tranquil home
on 2.14ha (5a)
Built to awesome views,
private, minutes to town.
Owners will consider options to buy.
For Sale
Noelene Bellingham M 027 280 8477
Helen Larsen M 027 263 2344
3 Mill Road
1950s residential, waterfront zone giving future options. 2 bdrm 1
bthrm home with original bach in rear. Central to all amenities.
For Sale $550,000
Marie Osborn M 027 433 4027
27 Tarapatiki Drive
JUST LISTED
JUST LISTED
11 Robinson Road
3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home plus separate. 1 bedroom self
contained flat. All on 1227 m2 (approx) section.
6 Wells Place
Delightful holiday home in popular
Location, close to beach.
128B Cook Drive

2 bedroom easy care unit designed for comfort.
Central - close to beach and town.
For Sale $620,000

For Sale $345,000

Noelene Bellingham M 027 280 8477
For Sale
www.harcourts.co.nz/wi
Wayne Anderson M 021 963 354
harcourts.co.nz
Issue 679
675 - 910March
February
20162016
Katrina Carlyon M 021 724 200
Harcourts Whitianga
Harcourts Tairua
71 Albert Street P 07 866 4981
238 Main Road P 07 864 7822
Page 17
Peninsula Past 1922

Every now and again Informer contributor, Megan Hawkes, trawls through the newspapers
that circulated in Mercury Bay and around the Coromandel Peninsula in the early days.
More often than not she discovers something interesting. This is an example from 1879.
A Mormon City at Tairua looked likely
following a lively and convivial meeting headed
by a Mr Dyer, known as the leading spirit.
In a speech made about forming a New
Jerusalem, Dyer said that when Joseph Smith
first started Mormonism at Salt Lake, he had
great difficulties to contend with - all civilisation
was against it.
Thanks to perseverance and go-aheadism, they
had overcome this and now, he said, Salt Lake
was the most flourishing and best conducted
city on the face of the earth. A gum digger in
the audience wanted to know how many wives
a man was allowed to keep. Mr Dyer answered
as many as he could afford - women worked in
the fields felling trees and doing all the outside
work and where a man had eight or ten wives,
all he had to do was sit in his rocking chair and
smoke his cigar, for the women there worship a
man the same as they worship a sealskin jacket
in New York.
After a great deal of hurrahing and stamping
of feet, order was restored. Tairua, Dyer said,
was similar to Salt Lake. Rowleys Hill well, it was the twin brother to the Rocky
Mountains. There they had the Great Pacific
Railway running past, just the same as they
should have the Thames Valley Railway running
past Tairua. A bushman interjected there never
would be a Thames Valley Railway to groans
and cries of sit down.
Mr Dyer told them he had great influence
with the government and what was more -
some members told him that they would stand

for prophet when the New Jerusalem was
formed and he could count on the railway being
pushed ahead, a statement which earned him a
pelting with an orange.
An old seaman, to deafening cheers,
said he was always a lover of the fairer sex and
he could speak with confidence that he could get
50 or 60 women to join. He added that he could
raise nine wives for himself and he believed the
ugliest man could reckon on three or four. It was
proposed that Mr Dyer and followers proceed to
Thames to gain converts for the New Jerusalem.
The day of jubilee has come at last,
rhapsodised the newspaper, For petticoat
husbands, neglected wives, old maids, widows,
grass widows, the rejected, despised, old, ugly,
the blind, lame, Turks and Greek, Jews and
gentiles - all are welcome. Now the future land
of promise is open, so dont be bashful, men or
women, boys or girls, but make tracks for the
New Jerusalem, Tairua, where a hearty welcome
will be accorded to all. Any person wanting
information may obtain the same by writing to
the Secretary, No 44, New Jerusalem, Tairua.
We, like many others undoubtedly will,
found this Peninsula Past column quite amusing.
We never doubted that it wasnt a true depiction
of the Mormon Church. We thought it prudent
to obtain permission from Elder Charles Carr,
Whitianga leader of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints (as the Mormon Church is
more formally known), to publish the column.
This was Elder Carrs reply -
I appreciate the editor of The Informer allowing

me to review this 1879 newspaper article
and respond. At first I laughed at the way it
depicted early Mormons in Salt Lake City.
Then I thought, Take the editors offer to
not publish it if it would offend us. Finally,
I realized that as an historical article,
it accurately depicted the way many people
viewed Mormons in the 1800s.
While it is true that until 1890, like the
patriarchs in the Old Testament, some members
of the Church practiced polygamy or plural
marriage, I doubt it was quite the male rocking
chair paradise painted by Mr Dyer.
Moreover, polygamy was discontinued
by Church edict in 1890. (If you read about

husbands with plural wives today, they are not
Mormons, despite what may be said.)
Further, regarding the 1879 news article, it is
probable that the Mr Dyer quoted there was
not a Mormon and as far as I have been able to
discover, there was not a Mormon city, New
Jerusalem, group or congregation in the Tairua
area as described. (If anyone is interested,
I have just received a new, fascinating DVD
The History of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints in New Zealand, that begins
in 1853 and is narrated by former All Black Sid
Going. It is available to borrow, just email me at
eldercharlescarr@gmail.com).
A group of Mormon elders from Utah in the USA in New Zealand in 1909.
Photo courtsey of Sir George Grey Special Collections AWNS-19090218-14-2.
Kitchens
Laundries
Vanities
Walk in robes
Splash backs Media Units
Contact Carol Harker: 866 4111 or 027 22 66 289
www.kitchensoncoromandel.co.nz
Page 18
675 - 910March
February
Issue 679
20162016
Page 19
Whats On the next few weeks
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Page 20
Op-Shops
Social Services Op-Shops - 2 Cook Drive, Whitianga. Open Monday to Friday, 9:00am - 4:30pm and Coghill Street
(west of Albert Street), Whitianga. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00am - 1:00pm.
The Church Op-Shop, at St Andrews by the Sea Community Church, Owen Street, Whitianga. Open Thursday to
Saturday 8:30am - 12:30pm.
St John Opportunity Shop, Coghill Street (east of Albert Street), Whitianga. Open Monday to Friday,
10:00am - 4:00pm, Saturday 9:00am - 2:00pm. Phone 869 5416.
Justice of the Peace
Every Monday 10:00am - 12:00 noon at Whitianga Social Services, 2 Cook Drive. Phone 866 4476 for more information.
Mercury Bay Community Bus
Available for transport to hospital, specialist or health related appointments outside of the Whitianga area.
Phone 866 4993 for information and bookings.
Road Cycling and Mountain Biking
Road cycling meet every Saturday at 8:00am at the Fire Station intersection, Whitianga. Phone Bryan on
022 155 8944 for more information. Mountain biking meet every Tuesday at 5:15pm and every Saturday at 7:30am at
the Fire Station intersection, Whitianga. Phone Paul on 021 605 230 for more information.
Social Cycling Group
Meet every Sunday at 9:00am at Taylors Mistake, Whitianga. Short 45 minute cycle and coffee. Phone Bryan on
022 155 8944 for more information.
Whitianga Movers and Losers (the Old WWs)
Wednesdays 5:00pm - 6:00pm at St Peters Anglican Church, Dundas St, Whitianga. $2 donation (to cover cost
of room rent). We promote a slow, steady weight loss based on eating well, nourishing foods and moving more towards maintaining our our ideal weight and optimal health. New members always welcome.
Waka Ama Have a Go days
First and third Sunday of every month and Thursday afternoons. See Facebook.com/whitiangawakaama.
Mercury Bay Community Choir
Meets every Monday from 6:00pm - 8:00pm in the Mercury Bay Area School music room. Non-auditioned. New members
welcome. Contact Kate Nielsen on telephone 866 2573 or (027) 270 9058 for more information.
SeniorNet Whitianga Incorporated
Classes held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at various times. We give older adults an opportunity to demistify their
computers and to learn more about new communications and information technology. Contact Lorna Russell on
866 4215 for more information or to join.
Whitianga Toastmasters
Meet Tuesdays from 6:30pm - 8:00pm at the Whitianga Art Centre, School Road, Whitianga. Competent Leadership listening, critical thinking, giving feedback, time management, motivating people, mentoring and team building. Phone
Merle on 866 0240 or (021) 0241 9368 for more information.
Mercury Bay Table Tennis
Every Tuesday 9:30am - 11:30am at the Whitianga Town Hall. All welcome. Phone Pat or Neville on 867 1447 for
more information.
Mercury Bay Badminton
Every Wednesday 9:30am - 11:00am at the Whitianga Town Hall. All welcome. Phone Diane on 027 246 1915 for
more information.
Scottish Country Dancing
Every Monday 7:00pm - 9:00pm in the Whitianga Town Hall. Phone Anthea on 866 4516 for more information.
St John Cadets
Meet every Monday from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the St John Ambulance Station, Cook Drive, Whitianga. Phone Beth on
(07) 869 5294 or (021) 241 9757 for more information.
Whitianga Senior Citizens Club
Meet Mondays in the Whitianga Town Hall, 1:00pm - 4:00pm. Bowls, scrabble, card games, housie etc. Afternoon tea,
55 plus age group. Phone Lance Hayson (president) on 866 5817 for more information.
Whitianga Toy Library
Isabella Street (off Coghill St), Open Wednesday 2:30pm - 4:00pm and Friday 10:00am - 11:30am. New members
welcome.
Operation Cover-Up
Meet the last Wednesday of every month at Whitianga Social Services from 1:30pm - 3:30pm. An initiative knitting
clothing for Missions without Borders in the Ukraine and Moldova. Phone Brenda on 866 5814 for more information.
Whitianga Art Group
Meet every Thursday and Friday, 10:00am - 4:00pm, at the Art Centre in School Road, Whitianga. New members welcome.
Phone Rose on 022 139 2968 or Maryanne on 866 4099 for more information.
Coroglen Farmers Market
Every Sunday, 9:30am - 1:00pm. Locally produced seasonal fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, jams, chutneys,
home-baking, handmade soap, coffee, hot snacks, art and craft, quality vintage items and much more. Phone Fiona on
866 3315 for more information.
Mercury Bay Pony Club Accumulator Show Jumping Series
Wednesday 9 February at the Mercury Bay Pony Club grounds, Wade Road, Whitianga. Starts at 4:00pm.
Entries $5.00 per class ($5.00 ground fee for non-MBPC members). Points to be accumulated over three competition
days (this is the last competition day). See www.mercurybayponyclub.wordpress.com for more information.
Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club Trailer Boat Tournament
Thursday 10 March - Saturday 12 March. Registration on Wednesday 9 march from 11:00am at the Mercury Bay Game
Fishing Club on The Esplanade in Whitianga. More information at www.gamebase.co.nz.
Mercury Bay Art Escape Open Studio Tour
Saturday and Sunday 12 and 13 March. A self-drive tour of 36 artists studios from Tairua to Kuaotunu.
See www.mercurybayartescape.com.
Whitianga Art, Craft and Farmers Market
Saturday 12 March from 8:30am - 1:00pm at Soldiers Memorial Park, Whitianga. Locally produced fruit and vegetables
and art and craft. Phone Anne on 866 5550 or Doreen on 866 5237 for more information.
Weekly Church Services
Mercury Bay Co-Operating Parish
St Andrews by the Sea Community Church, 9:30am every Sunday worship service and kids friendly Bible sessions,
Albert Street, Whitianga.
Anglican Services
St Peter the Fisherman, 9:30am Sunday services. All are welcome, Dundas Street, Whitianga.
Crossroad Encounter Fellowship
10:00am every Sunday, cnr Joan Gaskell Drive and Cook Drive, Whitianga.
St Patricks Catholic Church
Weekend Mass Saturday 5:30pm and Sunday 8.30am, Monday - Friday 9:00am (except Tuesday no Mass,
Wednesday 12:00 noon). Tairua Sunday 10:30am, Tuesday 9:00am, tel 866 2189.
Whitianga Baptist Church
10:00am every Sunday, childrens programme, 112 Cook Drive, Whitianga, tel 866 4027.
C3 Whitianga
10:00am every Sunday, childrens programme, 23 Coghill Street, Whitianga,
email info@c3whitianga.org.nz.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Meet on Sundays 10:00am - 11:30am at the Whitianga Social Services building,
2 Cook Drive, Whitianga. Childrens programme. Phone 021 277 2126 for
more information.
Seventh Day Adventists
Home study group. Phone Laurie/Lois on 866 2808 for more information.
KSAR Column
with Steve Hart
Exciting news for KSAR with Pub Charity

approving a grant of $29,121 towards
the construction of our new base next to
the Coromandel Rescue Helicopter Trust
hanger on Moewai Road in Whitianga.
This will enable the project to start with
KSAR providing $34,000 towards the project
from various fundraising activites over the
past three years.
We are hopeful of the success of another
funding application that will assist with the

costs of the fit-out of the building. We were
very pleased to also receive news that Thames
Coromandel District Council assisted with
the cost of the development contributions and
the kind donation of bathroom supplies from
Mico Wakefield. Thanks guys.
In late February KSAR hosted 24 Land SAR
volunteers at a Tracking Core Skills course
held in the Kauaeranga Valley. This course
brought SAR volunteers from throughout

the North Island as far away as Wanganui
and Hawkes Bay to learn the basic skills of
tracking. Tracking Core Skills is the first of
four tracking courses that land SAR members
can undertake that will give them skills to
locates signs and direction of travel of a lost
party and to identify clues that may lead to
the lost party. Quite similar to hunting skills
used to track wild anmals, but the outcome
Some of the Land Search and Rescue volunteers who attended a Tracking Core Skills course in the Kauaeranga Valley in late February.
quite different.
Two KSAR members entered the
Adventure Racing Coromandel Lady of the
Mist eight hour adventure race last weekend.
This race certainly put our team to the test
for endurance, plus a few other interesting
skill challenges. KSAR was also be on
standby for the duration of the race as one
of the challenges for those taking part was
not getting lostor injured. Fortunately we
didnt get called out and everyone came home
safely.
KSAR intends working closely with
Whitianga Coastguard and the Auckland and
Coromandel Rescue Helicopter crew this year
to give its first response members improved
skills in rapid deployment. Getting searchers
with a high level of training in tracking,
first aid, search methods, helo winching,
safe boat practices, coastal landings and
navigation will ensure search teams arrive
into remote or coastal search areas faster,
improving the chances for a lost person to
be located. The rapid deployment teams will
be supported by a highly mobile incident
management team who will also upskill in
the initial response period, providing remote
radio communications, logistics, mapping
and taskings.
There are a few more months of good
weather coming, so enjoy the start of
autum but ensure you plan ahead and
remember to explain your intents to someone
before leaving for a walk or adventure
in nature.
PLASTERCOAT
plastercoatcoro@gmail.com
27
17 Coghill Street, Whitianga. Phone 07 866 4513,

tony@dimax.co.nz. www.dimax.co.nz
027 578 0265
2
578 0
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Page 21
Scotts Thoughts
Scott Simpson - National Party MP for Coromandel
Should we change our flag?

The flag debate is hotting up as we get
closer to decision time about our whether
we retain or change our flag. This is the first
time we as individual New Zealanders have
had a chance to have a say in what flag we
should have.
Whatever your view I urge you to
complete the voting paper which you will
have received by now and return it by
24 March.
Superannuation and Family Support
Increases
The National government has made an iron
clad commitment to keep the retirement age
at 65 and to keep the rates of superannuation
and pensions for veterans at 66 per cent of
average incomes. As a result there will be a
2.73 per cent rise this year for both married
couples and those living alone.
However we are also aware that families
need support and the $25 per week Child
Hardship Package announced in last years
Budget will take effect on 1 April along with
increased support for low income working
families. Over half a million children will
benefit from these changes.
Leave Drug Decisions to Pharmac
I am very sympathetic to melanoma
patients who are undergoing treatment
and recognise that the expensive new drug
Page 22
Keytruda would be beneficial to some

sufferers.
Keytruda clinical trials have examined
eight months worth of data. For one-inthree patients there was a clear benefit,
but not for the remaining two-thirds.
This demonstrates to me that more data is
required
Pharmac are involved in complex
commercial negotiations with a number
of drug companies who supply similar
medicines. Keytruda is not the only one.
I stand behind the decision-making
process of Pharmac. They have to consider
all patients to ensure the best spend of the
health dollar to benefit all New Zealanders.
There may be some good news in the May
Budget as the National government has
substantially increased health spending in
every budget since 2009 and I suspect the
next one will be no different.
Indeed Prime Minister John Key
made public comments along those lines
last week. This years Budget will be
presented on 26 May by Finance Minister
Bill English.
Please never hesitate to make contact
with me if I can be of assistance with
any matter. For an appointment you can
phone my electorate office on 07 868 3529,
email mpcoromandel@parliament.govt.nz.
Richie McCaw in Whitianga last weekend

Last weekend saw the 15th annual ARC
adventure racing event taking place on the
Coromandel Peninsula, with Rugby World
Cup-winning All Black captain Richie McCaw
participating in one of the 24 hour races.
The ARC event is a made up of five races,
the traditional 24 hour and 12 hour races
(including kayaking, running/trekking and
cycling), a non-kayaking version of the 24
hour and 12 hour races and an eight hour race.
The 24 hour races started this year in Thames.
The 12 hour races started closer to Whitianga
and the eight hour race took place in its entirety
around Whitianga. All the races finished at
Brophys Beach in Whitianga.

Each of the races last weekend included
paintball and rifle shooting.
Adventure racing is as much about strategy
as it is about endurance and strategy most
certainly came into play at Fun Zone just south
of Whitianga, where teams had the opportunity
to knock valuable minutes off their overall time
with a solid paintball performance.
Fun Zones Sandy Gaskell says that all team
members had to get into some safety gear first
and were then given a paintball gun with 30
paintballs each. Each teams mission was to
Fun Zones Sandy Gaskell with Richie McCaw and her two granddaughters
Dior (on the left) and Dannii Cullen. Dannii was born on the day
the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
get through our trench warfare course to retrieve

a medallion from the fort at the other end,
which was worth a 20 minute reduction in their
race time. If they took out one of our strategically
positioned snipers on the way, then they would
get another 10 minutes taken off. However,
if they were shot gun up and out they go.
Only a handful of teams made it
through - Richie's team wasnt one of them.
Was I tempted to give him a few pointers?
Well, yes of course, says Sandy. Instead,
I asked for a photo with our granddaughters in
return for a donation to Cure Kids, one of his
favourite charities.
We were also lucky enough to get his
autograph on a rugby ball. The ball is to be
auctioned off, with all the proceeds going to
Mercury Bay Area School for the upgrade of the
primary school playgrounds. People can now
already bid on our Facebook page. On Easter
Sunday well have a massive Easter egg hunt
and the final bidding for the ball, like in a real
auction, will take place then.
Prize-giving for the five adventure races
was on Sunday morning at Brophys Beach,
where Richie was happy to hand out autographs
and pose for photos with fans.
Whitiangas Jason and Paulette Hoyland and their son Rhys with Richie McCaw at the
ARC adventure racing event prize-giving at Brophys Beach last Sunday.
Jason and Paulette won the Mixed Pairs category of the 12 hour race they participated in.
Whitianga Tractors
& EQUIPMENT CENTRE
Sales
Repairs
Maintenance
TRACTORS & SMALL ENGINES
Dave and Karen

Phone 07 867 1046 a/hrs 0275 832 343
Email whitianga.tractors@gmail.com
Dakota Drive Whitianga
Your local Husqvarna dealer
Page 23
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Page 24
February has seen the ambulance service

in Whitianga attend some interesting callouts. We have had our share of people being
dumped by what appears to be small surf,
but there was plenty of force behind
the swells. This has resulted in several
serious spinal injuries from Simpsons Beach
and Hahei.
February has by no means been as busy for
us as the summer peak, but we have still been
busy. The Whitianga ambulance responded
to 83 call-outs for the month, an increase of
10 over the same month last year. Our total
responses for the first two months of the year
were 223, which is an increase of 41 over
same period last year.
Last months responses were made up
of 46 medical cases and 37 trauma cases.
We utilised an air ambulance on four
occasions, which ensured speedy transport
to hospital of high acuity patients. As we
move into winter, we will see the balance of
medical/trauma shift to more medical cases,
which is only to be expected.
Can I now introduce you to what we call
the Clinical Hub? This is the place where
your 111 call for ambulance assistance goes
to. There are three in the country - Auckland,
Christchurch and Wellington. It is the place
where ambulances are dispatched from and
is now also the place where alternative care
pathways can be organised. This is something
new and Im sure that some of you would
have experienced this already.
St John receives approximately 1,200
to 1,500 emergency 111 calls per day.
A small number of patients are not in a lifethreatening situation and do not require an
immediate ambulance response, even though
they do need medical assistance. When a
person dials 111 for an ambulance, the call
handler (the person answering the 111 call)
gathers basic information, using standardised
questions, in order to process the call and
triage the response. An incident triaged as
being of lower acuity is eligible for a clinical
telephone assessment from a registered nurse
or paramedic in the Clinical Hub.
Not every call that someone makes to 111
will get an ambulance response. Why is this?
St John has a finite number of emergency
resources. The Clinical Hub was introduced in
Auckland during 2014 with registered nurses
and St John paramedics working alongside
call-takers and ambulance dispatchers.
The goal of this is to identify the right care
for patients and to utilise hospital Emergency
Departments, ambulances and community/
primary health care resources appropriately

and to ultimately reduce ambulance
presentations to the hospital EDs.
When a patient has been identified as
having a low acuity complaint, a nurse or
paramedic will call the patient back to ask
them additional questions to ensure that they
get the right care.
During 2014, approximately 25,000 calls
were managed via the Clinical Hub and of
those nearly 9,000 were resolved through
telephone advice from nurses or paramedics.
This resulted in a seven per cent reduction in
emergency ambulance responses and a six
per cent reduction in ambulance transports
to EDs. This enabled St John to increase our
capacity to dispatch emergency ambulances
and to improve our response times.
People who were managed by the Clinical
Hub were supported in accessing the right
care and using alternative care pathways.
This included assistance with the booking of
GP appointments or referring patients to the
district nurse.
So, why are our response numbers
increasing so dramatically? I would hope that
this is due to better education from within
our community as to what ambulances are
actually for and the community making better
use of the ambulance service.
Ambulances are not just to transport
patients. They are manned by highly skilled
and trained paramedics who are here to
provide you with pre-hospital emergency
care. Our aim is to ensure that you get the
right care as soon as possible. We are able to
provide a wide range of care in the back of
our ambulances.
As part of this Right Care regime,
calling an ambulance does not automatically
mean that you will be taken across the hill
to Thames Hospital. We will assess you and
provide treatment to you and, if appropriate,
will make arrangements for an alternative
care pathway with your GP.
Whitianga is very lucky to have excellent
after hours GP care and the ambulance service
utilises this to assist in patients being treated
within the community rather than a trip to
Thames, where this is appropriate.
Please remember that we would rather
you call the ambulance to assist you early,
instead of leaving it to the last minute when
things could be very serious. If in doubt - call
us out.
Mike Burrows St John Whitianga

Station Manager
New automatic cleaner caps

pool improvements
Impressions from the

start boat
By Stephan Bosman
The current swim season has been a true swan year for the members of the Mercury Bay Community
Swimming Pool Trust. All calm and graceful on the surface, but a period of intense activity going on
below the water to score some remarkable achievements in a short space of time.
A $2,100 ICH200 Roberter automatic pool cleaner, capable of pumping 300 litres of water a minute
through its filters, has just been added to the list of pool equipment the trust owns. Trust member Mel
Asquith says that having the machine is saving a lot of time. Its simple to use and it can be set and
left on a timer for up to four hours to do its job. Previously somebody had to be here the whole time
manually cleaning the pool.
The installation of new pool covers at the end of last year will hopefully see the shoulder season of
the pool extended. Were hoping to add up to another month to the season, says Mel. Its going to
depend on how much of the daytime heat we can retain overnight with the covers. The $30,000 cost
of the covers is already proving itself, with the temperature of the water in the pool being maintained
at more than thirty degrees.
A new water testing system has been also installed, which allows for more efficient measurements
of pH levels. The advantage is lower and more accurate dosing of chlorine levels. Billie McDonnell
[pictured] is our paid lifeguard who does weekend duties, says Mel. She takes responsibility for
much of the testing while shes on duty. It has to be done three times a day, every day, so the rest of
it is done by our volunteers, which is usually Steve Mannington. Hes been an enormous help, putting
in literally hundreds of hours of his own time to make it all happen.
Maintaining and improving the pool has been very much a community effort. In the last 12 months,
as well as the covers and the robotic cleaner, we have also been able to paint the pool surface,
retile the changing rooms and install new hand basins.
Weve had enormous support from the community, from Thames Coromandel District Council and
Pub Charity to get all this done. We are very thankful.
I had the privilege to experience last Saturdays offshore powerboat racing in Whitianga on the start boat.
Terry Fletcher, owner and skipper of the boat, invited me along for the ride. Also on the boat were a race
official, the official flag man and a diver.
To start each race, Terry had, in essence, to pull up next to the row of powerboats on the start line and then
accelerate to 50kts while the flag man waves the start flag. It was both a technical and an exhilarating
affair - and almost impossible to hang on and take good photos.
In addition to starting each race, the boat was also on standby to assist with any accidents on the water.
Two races of 30 minutes each took place on Saturday.
Terry has recently retired to Whitianga. He owns two powerboats, both of whom raced on Saturday. In the
Superboat Lite class his boat won the second race after a technical difficulty prevented it from finishing
the first race. In the Classic class his boat won both races.
What made an impression on me on Saturday, in addition to the speeds the boats achieved when they
roared past us, was the number of locals who put their hand up to help with the race. Local boats served
as markers at the various buoys and Whitianga Coastguard had a large crew on the water. And when it
was all over, everyone mucked in to pick the buoys up and leave the ocean as they found it.
I also couldnt help to notice the large crowd at Buffalo Beach Reserve enjoying the action.
I wasnt the only one who was impressed. Several of the boat drivers were overheard saying that they
thoroughly enjoyed racing in Whitianga and cannot wait to come back next year. I like the sound of that.
Now I must just find a way to get Terry to invite me next year on the start boat again.
Pictured are the large Superboats a split second before Saturdays first race formally got underway.
MARCH 2015 UPDATE

What an incredible summer we had weather wise, from seriously dry in
mid-December to lush green by the end of February.
The good news is town appears to have been busier than normal for this
time of the year, with many people taking the opportunity to travel a bit later.
The market has continued on right through the peak season and shows no
sign of slowing down.
A big welcome to everyone who has made Whitianga and Mercury Bay their
new home.
There is no doubt we are witnessing an amazing amount of construction
at present, so many homes in the planning, consent stage or under
construction. Its great to see how many local builders have been able to
secure much of this work.
Development
This past week has seen Hopper Construction start work on the completion
of Leeward Drive on the Island. Itll be nice to have this island loop completed
and we expect this to be done around June.
The western island canal works will be in the next stage. This new stage will
bring on nine non-canal front sections, all elevated with great views north or
over to the ranges to the west. It will also see the network of walkways near
completion and the big reserve take shape.
Stage 7 is also nearly finished, just some minor works still to be done,
including the landscaping. This was delayed due to the dry summer and will
now be done in April.
Mercury Bay Area School

A school is always a great barometer of how an area is performing.
A growing roll is a great sign that a community is tracking well and that you
are getting a good cross section of society moving into the area.
So with that being the case, the area must be going great as the school roll
has hit the stratosphere. Well done to Principal John Wright, the staff and
the Board of Trustees.
Bragging Rights
The annual Marlin Mayhem Waterways Fishing Tournament was held this
past week. This year the winners were, for the heaviest fish, the team from
Plumb Crazy with a great marlin and Going Deep with the most tagged
and released.
Marlin Waters
As is evident, the development is progressing nicely. The next four units are
under construction with more in the consenting stage. The next units will be
a three bedroom two bathroom option.
Events
Once again, thank you to all those that came along to the Whitianga
Summer Concert.
Watch this space for next years line-up. I know promoters Greenstone
Entertainment is out talking to acts as we speak. Also this past weekend
speedway, Art Escape and offshore powerboats. What a wide range of
fantastic events and what a happening place we all live in.
Our sales office is open 7 days,

Weekdays 9:00am - 4:00pm and Saturdays and Sundays 10:00am - 2:00pm.
For further information please do not hesitate to contact our sales office on 07 866 0164.
Email - whitiangawaterways@xtra.co.nz Website - www.whitiangawaterways.co.nz
Issue 679
675 - 910March
February
20162016
Page 25
UK Style Crossword
Lovatts Puzzles
UK Puzzle 679
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Win a $6 Wednesday Lotto ticket. Hand deliver or mail or scan and email your entry to
The Mercury Bay Informer, 14 Monk St, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga or
info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by 6:00pm Monday each week. The winner must please claim
his/her prize from the New World check out manager directly before the Wednesday of the week
following the issue in which he/she was announced the winner.
T HE O DD J OB M AN
GARY VINCENT
No job too small.

oddjobman@slingshot.co.nz
07 866 0059
021 1466 074
ACROSS
1.
7.
8.
10.
12.
14.
16.
17.
20.
23.
24.
25.
Lovers squabbles
Undid (skirt)
Fear
Children
Rissole
Yemen port
Burlesque actress
Exerted (oneself)
Intensifying (of war)
Relieved
All of space, the ...
Situate
Native Ornamental
Big Trees Fruit Trees
Citrus Hedging
Palms Hire plants
and more
Bagged Products
DOWN
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
9.
11.
13.
15.
16.
18.
19.
21.
22.
WAITAIA NURSERY
Monotony
Become tattered
Unknown writer
Refreshments booth
Widening
Light-bulb inventor
Niggling worry
Documents fastener
... sleeping dogs lie
NE US state
Personal money order
Dally
Director, Woody ...
Assignment
Prison
Bulk mulch
Open
Thurs - Sun 9am - 5pm
other days by phone
appointment
(07) 869 5910
Waitaia Road
Kuaotunu
Last weeks solution
Last weeks winner - Brian Lawn
Mobility equipment available for locals or visitors.

Walking frames, crutches, walking sticks and mobility scooters
Phone Roger on 07 867 1986 for more information
Page 26
Sport Results
MERCURY BAY CONTRACT BRIDGE CLUB
Handicap Pairs Round - Wednesday 2 March
North/South - 1 Elsie Cousins and Sue Gill 62.45,
2 Ernie Pitchfork and Bob Schibli 55.97, 3 Gerry Church
and David Dylla 55.71.
East/West - 1 Bill and Annette Cummings 62.39, 2 Giorgio
Allemano and Laura Scaglia 54.80, 3 Prue Clifford and
Lyn Baines 53.05.
HAHEI BRIDGE CLUB
Betty Dunn Pairs - Tuesday 1 March
North/South - 1 Chris Rendle and Robyn Waters 58.07,
2 Barry Scott and David Wilkinson 55.73, 3 Maritza Kocsis
and Bev Dickie 55.47.
East/West - 1 Annette Cox and Peter France 66.48,
2 Philip Shewell and Sue Gill 56.82, 3 Betty Dunn and
Myra Hoogwerf 54.06.
WHITIANGA TOUCH CLUB
End of Season Tournament - Saturday 5 March
Cup Round - 866 5 v Rhythm 4.
Shield Round - Cooper Tyres 4 v Dark Side 3.
MERCURY BAY SWIMMING CLUB
Peninsula Fun Carnival - Sunday 6 March
Twelve club members competed in the carnival, which
will be held in Whitianga next year. All the members swam
really well and came home with ribbons for placing 1st,
2nd and 3rd in their heats.
Both the 11 Year and Under and the 12 Year and Over
teams won the 4 x2 5m medley relay and came 2nd and
3rd respectively in the 4 X 25m freestyle relay.
Points were awarded for each race and the following
children placed in their age groups - Tom Lamason -
3rd in the 7 year old boys, Meg Hoyland - 1st in the

9 year old girls, Milly Lamason - 1st in the 10 year old girls,
Aimee Burton - 3rd in the 11 year old girls, Ava Lamason
- 3rd in the 12 year old girls, Isabel Lunn - 2nd in the 13
year old girls and Ella Tomkins - 1st in the 15 year old girls.
MERCURY BAY CLUB SNOOKER
Wednesday 2 March
Best of three frames.
Brian Codyre took home the bacon and eggs with three
straight wins. Two wins for Peter Challis and one win
each for Barry Roach, Wayne Bellingham, Shayne Butler,
Warren Bellingham and Kevan from Vancouver.
Highest break Peter Challis 28 - taking home the pool
of $13.50.
MERCURY BAY GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Mens Golf - Wednesday 2 March
A small field contested the mid-week stableford scramble.
The winner was Roger Booth, who had a very good 42
points. Next was Kevin Smith with 41, followed by Alan
Henderson on 39. Bob Haase and Jack Coldicutt had 37
and Kevan Miles had 36 points.
Jack Coldicutt had two twos.
Ladies Nine Hole Golf - Thursday 3 March
The competition was gross and net. Seventeen ladies
competed.
Winners - Division 1 Gross - Audrey Vickers, Division 1
Net - Ann Kerkhof, Division 2 Gross - Margret Coysh,
Division 2 Net - Pat Skinner.
The birdie pot was once again collected by Beryl Gilliland
and there were four pars.
Saturday 5 March
The competition was Drawn Partners Russian Roulette,
where the partners two stableford scores on each hole
are multiplied. The winners were Ken George and Wayne
Cosgrave with 83, followed by Roger Booth and Wayne
Anderson and Alan Henderson and Jeff Dixon, with both
teams scoring 80 points.
The individual winner was Muzz Bennett with 41 points,
from Jeff Dixon and Wayne Cosgrave who both had
40 points.
Twos were scored by Micky Henderson, Bob Haase,
James Greenhalgh and John Bow, who had two of them.
Nearest the Pin Senior - Carl Mitchell, Junior - Not Struck,
Longest Drive - Senior Keven Clark, Junior - Jeff Dixon.
PURANGI GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Nine Hole Stableford - Thursday 3 March
Results - 1 Dick Watson 21, 2 equal Phil Costello and
Wayne Morrison 19, 4 equal Gary Randell and Dick Hawke
18, 6 equal Jenny Lea and Jim Brown 17.
Monthly Medal - Saturday 5 March
Results - 1 Jeff Bright 40, 2 Wayne Morrison 38,
3 Bob Walker 36.
4BBB Barry Scott and Wayne Prendergast
HOT WATER BEACH JUNIOR SURF LIFESAVING
New Zealand National Oceans 2016 - Thursday
3 March to Sunday 6 March
Hot Water Beach Athletes Holly McCleery, Emma HindsSenior, Conor Fitzsimons, Jasmine McCleery, Tiana Tiro
and Dylan Fitzsimons joined together with over 960 other
Under 14 athletes to represent Hot Water Beach at the
New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships (known
as Oceans).
Oceans has a proud history of being not only the largest
Junior Surf Life Saving event in New Zealand, but the most
competitive, exciting and fun.
Held at the Main Beach of Mount Maunganui, clubs from
the Far North to the Deep South participated.
Hottie kids achieved personal goals and to have the
athletes make it to the semi-finals when they started
out with over 120 competitiors in their heats was a
massive result.
Thanks to all of those who helped to get the kids to Oceans
and thanks to our lifeguards Josh Hinds-Senior for your
daily support of our club.

MERCURY BAY INDOOR BOWLING CLUB
Opening Night - Thursday 3 March
The season opened with a "Drawn Fours" tournament,
once again sponsored by New World Whitianga, for which
the club thank them very much for their continued support
of our Opening Night. The club welcomed 48 players,
which included 12 from Cooks Beach Indoor Bowling Club
and 12 from Tairua Indoor Bowling Club. Everyone enjoyed
a great night of competitive bowling, socialising, raffles
and a delicious supper before the prizes were awarded.
The winners were - Alan Henderson (MB), Ron Annan (T),
Coral Strong (CB) and Brian Lawn (MB).
The runners-up were - Terry Hefferan (T), Martin Lewis
(MB), Roy MacDonald (CB) and Neil Moore (MB).
The Good Sports were - Doreen Davies (MB), Tom Riddle
(CB), John Morrison (T) and Dennis Wilkins (MB).
The club meets every Thursday evening at 6:45pm in the
Whitianga Town Hall and warmly welcomes new members.
COOKS BEACH INDOOR BOWLING CLUB
Wednesday 2 March
Twenty three players competed.
Winners - Arthur Taylor, Carolyn Posel and Robyn Wright.
Runners-Up - Trevor Knight, Coral Strong and Sandra
MacDonald.
TAIRUA INDOOR BOWLING CLUB
Opening Night - Monday 7 March
Teams from Mercury Bay and Cooks Beach travelled to
Tairua to join in the games with five mats required and
teams playing five ends each game.
Winners - Terry Hefferan (T), Nirie Reddy (MB), Ailsa Davies
(T) and Lois McDonald (CB).
Runners-Up - David Wilkinson (T), Beryl Burrows (T),
Sandra McDonald (CB) and Carolyn Posel (CB).
Chocolate Fish Award - Mal Burrows (T), Georgie Matchett
(T), Celia Morrison (T) and David Pike (CB).
Raffles were won by - J Smith, Albie Marr, Nirie Reddy,
Lois McDonald, Terry Hefferan, David Wilkinson,
Shirley Pedersen, Sheryl Henderson, Shirley Hamilton and
Lyn Wilkins.
MERCURY BAY TENNIS CLUB
Mens Doubles Championships - Thursday 3 March
Mike Surgenor and John Orbell defeated Alan Rosoman
and Kerry Healion 9-2 in the finals.
The Hot Water Beach Junior Surf Lifesaving team that participated in the National Oceans
2016 Championships from 3 to 6 March. From left to right - Holly McCleery, Jasmine McCleery,
Tiana Tiro, Emma Hinds-Senior, Dylan Fitzsimons and Conor Fitzsimons.
The finalists in the Mens Doubles Championships of the

Mercury Bay Tennis Club that was played on Thursday evening last week.
From left to right - Alan Rosoman, Mike Surgenor, Kerry Healion and John Orbell.
Page 27
3
5
1 49
7
8
6
2
Fishing Report With Alan Proctor
Sudoku
Sponsored by H&M Pascoe Tel 0274 852 046
Sudoku Puzzle 679

Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Fill in the boxes using the numbers 1 to 9. Every row and column, and every group of nine boxes
inside the thick lines, must contain each number only once. Deliver or mail or scan and email
your entry to The Mercury Bay Informer, 14 Monk St, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga
or info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by 6:00pm Monday each week. The weekly prize is one
butter chicken combo (including rice and a poppadom) from Hurry 4 Curry, Whitianga. The winner
must please claim his/her prize from Hurry 4 Curry directly.
Things are still rocking along on the

fishing front and excitement levels are
increasing each day as we draw closer to
our next tournament.
The Stabicraft Trailer Tournament runs
for three days starting this Thursday.
With a reasonably good long-range
weather forecast and good numbers of
fish in our area, we are expecting a huge
number of anglers and early entries have
been tracking well.
Any brand of trailer boat is eligible
to enter the tournament, as are jetskis
and kayaks. There are over $150,000
worth of prizes, including a brand new
Stabicraft 1600 Frontier boat complete
with 70hp four stroke Yamaha motor,
all sitting on a new DMW boat trailer.
There will also be other lucky angler
draws and over 100 different prizes for
ten different fish species from kahawai
and trevally through to marlin - something
for everyone.
If you want to enter the tournament
and you are not already a member of our
club, day membership can be purchased
for $15 per day, just call us on 866 4121
and well point you in the right direction.
For those that do manage to get out
on the water, things have been looking
up with excellent reports of snapper,
kahawai and trevally from most areas that

you would expect to. There are plenty
of fish being caught up the river, at the
river mouth and along the beach. Along
the north western coast of the Bay fishers
have easily catching a feed, but I have
had a few dud reports from some people
fishing in the inner part of Mercury Bay
using long lines.
Out around the islands the good run
of fortune has also continued, especially
earlier in the morning or in the evening.
A good berley trail is highly recommended
and when deployed on the right tide,
there are enough fish around to get a real
frenzy working.
Further out the pace is not quite as hot as
it was a couple of weeks ago, but marlin
are still being caught each day vessels are
able to get out there. Were still catching
yellow fin tuna and mahimahi out there
too and with the water temps being as
high as they are, it wasnt too much of a
surprise to hear of a wahoo being caught
over on the
west coast last
week.
Tight lines,
Alan
Last weeks solution
Last weeks winner - Augusta Canegallo
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Page 28
M: 021 909 406

P: 07 392 9123
P: 09 940 5801
E: rolly@smartbrokers.co.nz
Race seven of the Mercury Bay Boating Clubs

Steinlager series
Race report by Matt Algie - Skipper of Blue Print
I had the pleasure of witnessing Stephan
Schieren, a Mercury Bay Area School
international student and Mercury Bay
Boating Club Sailing Academy prospect,
taking on the helming duties on Blue Print
last Wednesday evening in race seven of the
Boating Clubs Steinlager series.
Talk about being thrown in the deep end,
but Stephan, kitted out in an automatic PFD
life jacket, relished the opportunity to jump
on the handlebars of a 30 footer and race with
the big boys.
Stephan nailed the start for us,
then he helmed the reaching and off the wind
gennaker legs of the race, not an easy task
with 2m easterly swells running into the Bay.
On the run to the finish line, Stephan guided
Blue Print onto an absolute cracking swell
and we rode it for close to a hundred metres
getting up to 12.8kts.
The Race - Harmony (Arnie Leigh) timed
his start to perfection at 4.00pm, an hour
before the rest of the fleet as Harmony is a
tad slower (at swimming pace). Having said
that, Harmony had good pressure throughout
the race and ended up getting the daily
double - first on line and first on handicap.
A bit of experience goes a long way (75 years
worth and sailing solo)
BluePrint (Matt Algie) lead from start to
finish in the Division Two 5:00pm starters,
but it was never a gimmy. At Doctors Buoy

(Cook Beach) one minute separated all five
yachts, Blue Print, Loose (Belinda Wallace),
Contrast (John Wright), Kahurangi (Stue
Crockart) and Straight Shooter (Max Ross),
that is close racing.
Blue Print deployed her gennaker and was
gone burger, but the remaining yachts, in very
testing reaching conditions, had a fair old arm
wrestle all the way to Simpsons Buoy.
The spinnakers were doused just before
Simpsons Buoy, then redeployed at Davis
Point on the run for home.
Blue Print still had a slender lead at Davis
Point, but once her gennaker was deployed
again and Stephan climbed onto a few goodsized swells, off to the finish line we went.
The yachts following didn't have that
luxury, as two didn't have spinnakers, so it
was tooth and nail right to the finish line,
with Loose beating out her larger cousins in
that final encounter.
As they Finished - 1 Harmony, 2 Blue
Print, 3 Loose, 4 Contrast, 5 Kahurangi,
6 Straight Shooter.
On Handicap - 1 Harmony, 2 Blue
Print, 3 Loose, 4 Contrast, 5 Kahurangi,
6 Straight Shooter.
Many of the yachts are still looking
for crew. If youre keen, phone me
on (07) 867 1333.
International student Stephan Schieren (left) at the helm of Blue Print in

last Wednesdays race seven of the Mercury Bay Boating Clubs Steinlager series.
Looking on is Boating Club mentor Wayne Wilton.
5 Monk Street, Whitianga

Office Ph: 07 8671087
Email: info@plannersplus.co.nz
David: 027 4994833
Tracey: 027 4907988
See us for all your land development,
planning and resource consent requirements.
www.plannersplus.co.nz
Page 29
Everyman Cryptic Crossword

The Observer
Observer Puzzle 679

Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Go in the draw to win a package of Mercury Bay delights (including restaurant, cafe and attraction
vouchers). Hand deliver or mail or scan and email your entry to The Mercury Bay Informer,
14 Monk Street, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga or info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by
6:00pm Monday each week. The winner will be drawn in July 2016 and will be notified by phone.
No correspondence will be entered into once the winner has been notified. Conditions apply.
Your local caring funeral directors
Modern chapel & viewing room

Excellent sound system
Ample parking Celebrants available
Funeral Directors for over 140 years

Tel (07) 868 6003
Across
1 Agile thief in saloon, say,
grabbing food with thanks, turned
and left (3,7)
6 Work thats necessary to stop
usurper (4)
9 Completed refund, food being
rotten (7,3)
10 Kid after carbon copy (4)
11 Area of London church?
Different area (7)
12 Address European court, entering
appeal (7)
14 Opening wide, scoffed doughnut?
Delicious (5-8)
17 Victory and loss traced variously in
royal residence (7,6)
19 Second language good for party (7)
21 Leading story, not a surprise (7)
23 Notion one endlessly cherished (4)
24 Singer arriving initially during
frantic alarm in Oz (5,5)
25 Pant softly and sink back (4)
26 State laundry list, finally
acceptable (10)
Down
1 Account kept by scoundrel with yen
for ministerial office (6)
2 Rising in force, curtailed armistice (5)
3 Open day in university, Id guess,
chaotic (11)
4 Hear about upset following party for
Mafia boss (9)
5 Permissible to exclude learner?
Very bad (5)
7 Ridiculous price upon large rodent (9)
8 Cover me, supporting battalions
leader in rush (8)
13 Dejected and cold, pause on
marshland, taking everything in (11)
14 Virility in body securing new job (9)
15 Economists answer blocks merriment,
right away (4,5)
16 Misrepresenting wit, badly hurt (8)
18 Get back for example in shower (6)
20 Fruit in Antigua varied (5)
22 Number with alien belief (5)
Last weeks solution
Page 30
Brain Teaser - Red Herrings

Lovatts Puzzles
Brain Teaser Puzzle 679

Win a coffee and a muffin from Espy Cafe in Whitianga. Hand deliver or mail or scan and email
your entry to The Mercury Bay Informer, 14 Monk St, Whitianga or PO Box 426, Whitianga or
info@theinformer.co.nz to reach us by 6:00pm Monday each week. The winner must please claim
his/her prize from Espy Cafe directly before the Wednesday of the week following the issue in which
he/she was announced the winner.
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Tel no: __________________________________________________________________
Answers
1
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
10 _____________________________

Last weeks solution - Binary Puzzle
Last weeks winner - Bob Schibli
fm
L
HIRE
COROMANDELS LIGHTING & SOUN

ND
PROJECTOR
OR HIRE
SOUND & LIGHTING HIRE
0800 001 520

lfmproductions.co.nz
Page 31
Classifieds and Public Notices

BUILDING/LABOUR ONLY CONTRACTOR WANTED
SITUATIONS VACANT
Building/Labour Only for Tairua Backpackers

CONTRACT
To remove old gable roof on trusses with decramastic tiles and replace flat
roof trusses ready for long-run iron.
Soffits, some exterior cladding and remedial work.
To start around May 2016.
Contact Brent @ Tairua Backpackers, 200 Main Rd.
Phone 864 8345.
SITUATIONS VACANT
THREE POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN A BUSY ENGINEERING WORKSHOP
1 Fitter turner/fitter welder, trade qualified with stainless
fabrication experience an advantage. Full time position.
2 Fitter turner/welder on a casual, on call basis. Flexible hours.
3 HIAB operator. Minimum class 4 licence, part time position with flexible hours.
We are a busy shop and have great equipment in a large workshop.
If you want to work with a great team and you have a fantastic attitude and
are drug free, please contact Stefan on 027 210 5329 or email your cv and
cover letter to mercurybayengineering@xtra.co.nz.
TREASURER - SOCIAL SERVICES WHITIANGA
This is a permanent part time position three days per week.
The Treasurer supports the Board of Trustees, is a member
of the Management Team and is responsible for planning,
preparing and monitoring budgets, plus sees to the payroll for 12 staff.
The position is a vital part of our non-government
charitable organisation.
For a full job description and any enquiries please contact
The Manager - Jenny Wolf 866 4476 or email
wcst.manager@xtra.co.nz.
Applications close 5pm Monday 14th March 2016.
CLEANER REQUIRED
For Motel
Permanent Part Time
Must be mature, experienced,
reliable and available seven days.
Great working conditions a happy team!
Phone Jo/Alan on (07) 866 5766.
KIWIFRUIT PICKERS
REQUIRED
IN LATE MARCH TO MID MAY
Some general orchard
work included.
Coroglen/Whenuakite area own transport essential.
Phone Rhys 027 866 5000.
LOADER OPERATOR AND FORWARDER OPERATOR

Cox Forestry Services Limited is a mechanized harvesting company
specializing in cut to length operations throughout New Zealand.
We currently have a vacancy for 1 x Loader Operator and 1 x Forwarder Operator.
Applicants must be module for task with relevant experience.
OR If you are willing to learn with a can do attitude, we would like to talk to you.
Location - Maramarua/Tairua Forests.
Cox Forestry Services is an ACC credited company with
a 100 % drug free attitude.
Please call Jeremy Carter for more information.
Phone 0274 113 366.
PERMANENT 20 HOUR+ POSITION(S) AVAILABLE

BUFFALO BEACH 4 SQUARE
We have EITHER 1 x permanent position, approximately 30 hours per week, including
three shifts to 8:00pm.
OR
2 x permanent positions, approximately 20 hours per week, including
two shifts to 8:00pm.
Grocery retail experience essential.
Also must be Honest
Physically fit and energetic
Positive and helpful
Liquor Managers licence an advantage. Or willingness to do training to
obtain this.
What were offering A full range of small store duties - customer service, checkouts,
filling stock, cleaning etc
Standard grocery pay rates
Some flexibility with rostering - to be discussed at interview
Apply in writing by Sunday 13 March 2016.
Drop in or email your CV / application letter to
Buffalobeach.FourSquare@foodstuffs.co.nz.
Page 32
TRADE ASSOCIATE - SALES SUPPORT

Do you have strong building product knowledge and building industry experience?
Are you a proactive, people person, driven to deliver a high quality service to
your customers?
Help us build New Zealand! PlaceMakers is New Zealand's leading and largest supplier
of building materials to New Zealands commercial and residential construction
markets. We employ more than 2,100 people in over 60 locations across the country
and stock more than 74,000 product lines, from concrete to paint and plasterboard.
PlaceMakers Whitianga is seeking a Trade Associate to support a busy trade sales
team. The role will be centred on customer service and engagement with a high level
of exposure to our customer base will be expected as part of the role. We are seeking
someone with a commitment to customer service and the ability to build strong
working relationships both internally and externally.
You will respond promptly to customers with queries ranging from the status of their
order, pricing, availability, invoice information, and delivery times. You will also be
expected to call on customers sites, providing support to our account manager and
customer network.
To be successful in this role, you will have had customer service experience, ideally in
the building industry sector, and be looking to take the next step in your sales career.
You will have a clean, full, NZ drivers licence, plus the ability to work autonomously
and enjoy being part of a cohesive and successful team. With effective communication
being critical to the role, you will be confident in communicating with stakeholders of
all levels and be able to adapt your style to suit different customers.
While building experience is desirable, a willingness and genuine desire to learn is
what we are seeking, as well as a high level of attention to detail.
In return, you will be joining a well-respected company offering a competitive salary
package, fantastic culture, real opportunities for career advancement and a range of
other benefits that come with being part of New Zealands largest listed company.
To apply, please email your CV to Joe.Reece@placemakers.co.nz or via post to
Joe Reece, PlaceMakers, PO Box 442, Whitianga 3510.
COMMUNITY CARE GIVERS/SUPPORT WORKERS

NEEDED
URGENT need for WHITIANGA
And surrounding areas
We are currently looking for Care Givers/Support Workers to join the team
of one of the most reputable Homecare Support Providers in New Zealand.
You will work in the community providing support and quality care to clients who
require help to stay in their own homes.
Flexible hours
Free training available for Healthcare Cert LV2
This will include -
Helping with personal care, showering, dressing etc.

Helping with household chores
Preparation of meals
It is essential that you have -
A current valid driving licence

A reliable vehicle
For further information about this role, please call
Leigh on 07 9744696 or email your interest to
jobseeker@communitysupport.org.nz

PUBLIC NOTICES
WHITIANGA PIG HUNTING CLUB AGM
Sunday 20 March, 12:00 noon at The Coroglen Tavern.
New members from within the district welcome.
MERCURY BAY JUNIOR RUGBY MUSTER

Junior Rugby Muster will be from 5:00pm on the 16th March,
at the Mercury Bay Rugby Club Rooms.
This is for all players from Rippa Rugby to 5th Grade.
All players will need to register, please bring a copy of the players
birth certificate and a photo and pay their fees Rippa - $30.00
Individual - $50.00
Two siblings - $75.00
Three or more siblings - $100.00
Also at this muster Junior Rugby will be selling a limited number
of old players jerseys. Forms will be available for parents to register
their interest as a coach, assistant coach, manager or referee.
Bay Rugby & Sports Club
Inc.
People can
also sign up as non-playing members of the
Mercury Bay Rugby Club.
SPONSORS DAY
If you have any questions please
email mercurybayjuniorrugby@gmail.com.
SATURDAY 13TH JULY
Junior Rugby from 10.00 am
DEATH NOTICE
Curtain raiser
WALLACE, David Andrew

(Pommy Dave)
BAS 1st XV verse Thames
1st XV
PassedHigh
awaySchool
suddenly
on March 5, 2016 in Dannevirke.
A much loved Partner of Kaye. According to Daves wishes
a private cremation has been held.
2.00pm
All Messages to the Wallace Family, c/o PO Box 235
mes Valley Senior B Semi Final Dannevirke, 4942.
KELLY FUNERAL HOME 0800 24 80 24
TEARORANGI AITU
Be advised you have 7 days from this
publication to pay all arrrears in
reference to your storage shed.
You are required to contact
by phone only. No texts.
Mercury Bay Storage
Whitianga
Telephone 866 5147 or 0274 722 070.
SENIORNET WHITIANGA INC

Annual General Meeting
Will be held on 17 March 2016
at 2:00pm
in the Social Services Centre
Community Rooms at
2 Cook Drive, Whitianga.
Refreshments available.
All members encouraged to attend.
URY BAY verse HAURAKI NORTH
SITUATIONS VACANT
hank our sponsors and supporters , the generosity and passion for
mmunity to outstanding. Please support us on Saturday 13th July
GO THE BAY!
ESPY LICENSED" COMPETITION

The answer was 9.
Noel Conway wins a $10 voucher for closest with 8.
WHITIANGA ART, CRAFT & FARMERS MARKET

Saturday 12 March
Soldiers Memorial Park, Albert Street, Whitianga,
8:30am - 1:00pm.
Unique locally created art, craft & local produce.
Phone Anne 866 5550 or Doreen 866 5237.
WORK WANTED
MIKES MOWING
$25 empty sections, fortnightly or monthly mowing. Free edge spraying.
Free quotes.
Phone Mike or Deb 866 4678 or 027 320 1703.
FARRIER
DAVES DRAINAGE
Drainlaying
Public & Private
1.8 Ton Digger Hire
30 Years Experience
Free Quotes or Advice
Call Dave
027 727 0348
davesdrainage@xtra.co.nz
2nd Hand Covers

HorseTransport
Saddlery
Cover Repairs
Ron Cooke
866 5984
027 498 4447
WINDOW
CLEANING
Call 022 023 3566
for a great finish
THE BESS HANDZ

EMBROIDERED MONOGRAMS
Alterations, repairs, zip and
hem service.
Phone 866 5277.
michaelreilly1990@gmail.com
Tricky Trees
Pruning
Felling
Stump grinding
Firewood
Call Chris
Hedge maintenance
Crown reductions
Difficult removals
Chip waste to mulch
021 240 9909

Page 33

FOR SALE
HOME BREW SUPPLIES
Right price. Nice guys.
Mercury Bay Pharmacy
GARAGE DOOR, color-steel sectional
door and fittings, 4.8 x 2.1, excellent
condition, $900. Ph: 866 2226
TWO SLIDERS FOR SHED, reasonable
condition, Mercury Bay area.
Ph: Roy 866 3734
TIPPER TRAILER, One and a half tons,
good tyres, $2,000 ono, Whitianga.
Ph: (07) 866 4359
TRUEFORM SPA POOL, lockable
cover, all in good condition, $3,500 ono.
Ph: 0274 801 992
HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
**Quality Greenhouses**
Award Winning NZ Brand
Options in toughened
safety glass,
polycarbonate and shade mesh
See us at Outspace
Cnr Cook Drive and Lee Street,
Whitianga
07 869 5590
BOAT FOR SALE
2007 FIGLASS DOMINATOR,
Low hours, excellent condition,
all extras, $24,000 ono. Ph: 866 0309
BOATS WANTED
CATTERIES
WE NEED
YOUR BOAT NOW!!!
Quality late model trailer boats
needed for sale on behalf!
We have buyers waiting!
Call the team at Whitianga Marine
Centre today on 867 1182 or come in
to 233 South Highway, Whitianga.
KRISTINS
BOARDING CATTERY
Vet nurse, warm, clean,
secure, outdoor run.
Phone 866 4724.
COURIER SERVICE
ANGLICAN
SERVICES
ALL WELCOME
Enquiries Ph 869 5577

www.anglicanchurchwhitianga.co.nz
SHORT TERM RENTAL

IN WHITIANGA
Fully furnished.
Prime location.
Close to beach and town.
Phone Rob on
0274 926 773.
TOY LIBRARY
WHITIANGA TOY LIBRARY
Isabella Street (off Coghill St)
Open Wednesday 2:30pm - 4:00pm and Friday 10:00am - 11:30am.
New members welcome.
~Toys for Hire~
WANTED TO RENT
HOUSE, for 5 - 6 months, 2 or 3 bedrooms, mature couple. Ph: 027 703 3469
SMALL GARAGE/WORKSHOP, with power, Whitianga area. Ph: 021 186 4990
TO LET
OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE
Several sizes available in Central Whitianga. Phone 027 477 0132
STORAGE SHEDS available, various sizes, reasonable rates. Dry and secure.
Free furniture trailer available - conditions apply. Ph: 07 866 5147
STORAGE SHEDS Whitianga Total Storage opposite Carters. Ph: 0800 944 660
CHURCH SERVICES
St. Peter the Fisherman

Dundas Street, Whitianga
Sunday Service: 9:30am
HOME INSULAATION
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & HOMES FOR RENT
Our expertise in property management will ensure your

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We welcome your enquiry at 7 The Esplanade (by the wharf).
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robyn.turner@bayleys.co.nz
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Licensed under the REAA2008
HEALTH SERVICES
PENINSULAR MIDWIVES
Jocelyn Yates 027 9124104
Fiona Kington 021 743 717 or
07 866 0413
Free Pregnancy Tests.
PORTABLE CABINS
VEHICLES FOR SALE
ST ANDREWS
BY THE SEA
Presbyterian/Methodist
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Sunday Worship 9:30am
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Page 34
READINGS
PSYCHIC READINGS
SPIRITUAL HEALING
Text Verna 027 320 0079
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04 Toyota Corolla H/B, 1.8, 5spd, alloys $4,900

12 Toyota RAV4, auto, 4WD, 2.4l, red, 19,900
07 Mazda 3 GLX Sport H/B, auto, 106kms $10,900 02 Nissan Primera S/W, auto, 88,000kms $5,500
07 Suzuki Swift Glxh, NZ new, 5 spd, 57kms $9,900 08 Mitsubishi Fuso 4 Berth Motorhome, 3.9lt turbo
06 Nissan Pulsar Q, H/B, 1.8, 5spd, t/bar, alloys $6,900 diesel, 190kms, 5 spd, self-contained, solar panel,
05 Toyota Corolla S/W, 1.8, Auto, 47,000kms $10,900 BBQ connection $75,000
19 Campbell Street, Whitianga

www.coastalautos.co.nz
Great entertainment and close racing produces a

worthy North Island Super Saloon champion
By Jack Biddle
Last Saturday saw the running of the CTRA
North Island Super Saloon Championship
hosted by the Mercury Bay Speedway Club
in Whitianga. While entries were lower than
expected, it didnt detract from an action packed
race meeting and ultimately a hard-fought
championship win for young twenty four year
old Kaikohe driver and former New Zealand
Quad bike representative Darren Emm.
He was by far the most consistent and dominant

driver on the day and deserved his victory with
three first places and one second place from four
starts.
If the local club drivers couldnt manage to
take out the championship victory on home
soil, there was some consolation in knowing
the winning car once called Whtianga home.
We actually purchased the car from local
Last Saturdays CTRA North Island Super Saloon Championship podium finishers.
From left to right - Ants Smith (Whitianga - third), Darren Emm (Kaikohe - champion)
and Keith Wilson (Kaikohe - second).
Issue 679
675 - 910March
February
20162016
Mercury Bay club driver Jason Bull, so its

a fitting return I guess, said Emm, who is in
his first full season in the Super Saloon ranks.
He is no novice to speedway, however, with his
past success and experience in quad bikes and
production saloons making for a very smooth
transition to the larger and far more powerful
Super Saloons.
Local hopes were focused on Peter Candy
and Ants Smith, who both survived their
own separate dramas to make the 15-lap
championship race. Smith had the biggest battle
after failing to make it past the warm up laps
and limping off the track with transmission
problems and what seemed to be a disappointing
and early withdrawal from the meeting.
Enter Whitiangas Craig Richards, who had
also experienced mechanical issues of his own
in his immaculately presented less powerful
limited saloon during warm up. In his case,
the engine problems were far more terminal,
which robbed fans of some exciting racing and
the chance for the former champion to exhibit
his exceptional dirt track driving skills in the
undercard limited saloon racing.
Once the reality had set in that his race day
was over, Richards was very quick to turn his
attention and energy into helping his fellow club
mate Smith out with his transmission issues and
to make it back onto the track.
Speedway is a very competitive sport, but is
also renowned for being family and competitor
friendly off the track and that was demonstrated
by Richards who unselfishly used his past
experience and its-not-over-until-its-over
attitude to help get Smiths car sorted and back
on the grid for the final heat race and then the
big final. At times he was almost out of sight
under the cars large space frame chassis and
body panels as he worked feverishly on fixing
the transmission problems.

Candy who is one of the major influences in
the clubs revival this season, left nothing in
reserve during his heat races, which saw him
eventually qualify on the second row of the grid
for the 15-lap championship race. Smith was
relegated to the rear of the field due to his earlier
mechanical issues and had the challenging task
of playing catch-up to the front row qualifiers.
It was a no holds barred championship,
with several stoppages to untangle cars that had
been pushed a little too hard at times by their
very enthusiastic drivers. While the main pack
fought for a podium place, Emm had a pretty
much trouble free run to the line, eventually
finishing ahead of an equally consistent Keith
Wilson who had also made the long trek down
from Kaikohe in the far north. Smith was
in and out of trouble during the whole race,
but managed to recover each time to finally take
out third place.
Sadly Peter Candys very entertaining all-out
efforts for a podium finish came to an abrupt
end when he spun out of contention in the
closing laps.
Attending the meeting and presenting the
winning trophies, was CTRA president Anita
Sloot, who gave praise to the Mercury Bay
Speedway Club for the way the championship
was run and the support of local sponsors.
She also thanked the many club volunteers who
helped make for a successful championship.
The meeting was also well supported by a
large field of Go Karts, entertaining production
saloons and youth mini stocks, in addition to the
limited saloons.
For those interested in getting involved
in local speedway, contact Peter Candy
on 021 901 828.
Page 35
0800 CAR DUMP

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& parts FOR SALE

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The

Phone 07 866 2090

A level playing field

Kids, win with

kingfish and kahawai as we did in the past,

Fishing Clubs Trailer Boat Tournament once

Contact: Gates & Fences Ltd

Generous donation by Lionesses

in the day-to-day care of Fiona and Jocelyn.

Lionesses Monitor will provide her and

Thames of Hamilton will be reduced.

High & Low Tides

Tide data sponsored by

Whats that Number?

Emergency (Ambulance, Fire, Police) 24 hours ............................................111

ONLINE POLL FOR MARCH 2016

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz

Issue 679 - 9 March 2016

Impressive Art Escape

Call 07 869 5500 to book

Lumino The Dentists Whitianga

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz

OPEN Thurs - Sun

11A Coghill Str, Whitianga

Bike down and

Check out our

Out Catering Available

Enjoy Thai Curry Lunch Combo $6.90 Ph 07 866 2666

Conditions perfect for Across the River Swim

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz

Issue 679 - 9 March 2016

Fresh Fish and

Egg, Onions + Chips

STEAK NIGHT, $18!

Prawns, Scallops + Chips Best gosh darn night

Sat & Sun

Super Rugby LIVE

Weekly happy hours

Issue 679 - 9 March 2016

WIN $100 BAR

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz

Phone for your

Wide selection of seafood,

Open EVERY DAY @ 2:30pm

Dip & dine packages

Woohoo Espys done it again!

Main Road, Tairua

OPEN 11am - LATE Ph 07 864 8617

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The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz

Thames Coast 97.2 |

Issue 679 - 9 March 2016

Rich history on wall of Coghill Street Cottage

munching on something. Sarah screamed for her

I am not cooking !!!

Issue 679 - 9 March 2016

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz

The detection of gravitational waves...

Some readers may have noticed the intense

detected since the instruments were upgraded

One of the 4km long LIGO telescopes in the USA.

The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz

telescopes (another seemingly useless idea)