Category Archives: Uncategorized

Pohutakawa Trees on the Domain

Suzette McFarlane who lives in the Whangateau village has organised a meeting for the local residents to discuss the trees (SEE BELOW) and I am sending this information out to members as requested.

Whangateau Community Meeting at the Whangateau Hall, Wednesday 14th September 6.30pm

Topics of Discussion:
· Saving Existing Pohutukawa Trees
· New Tree Plantings in the Whangateau Domain

You may or may not be aware that there are a few actions underway in the Community at present around trees in the Whangateau Domain:
1. Saving the existing Pohutukawa trees along the waterfront
2. Planting of new Pohutukawa trees in the Domain

This meeting is an opportunity for the Whangateau Community to hear from the Hall Committee and community leads around the plans for new and existing plantings and provide a forum for discussion/feedback.

The planned plantings outlined in a flyer distributed a couple of weeks ago to the residents of Whangateau have been put on hold pending the Community feedback from this meeting.

If you are unable to attend the meeting in person but would like your views heard, please email the WRRA Secretary Audrey Sharp am.sharp56@gmail.com prior to the commencement of the meeting.

Toilet Block Replacement

Attached below are the current council plans for our toilet block replacement. All members of the community are welcomed to review and submit comments. The Hall and Reserve Committee are very happy with the current plan and eagerly looking forward to its implementation!

Note on the plans below:
The photo montage of the new Permaloo prefabricated concrete building on page 7 (plan sheet G06) shows the colour of the roof as the same as the existing colour of the hall roof. However, the hall roof is up for replacement later this year after a structural design review that is currently in progress, is completed. The colour of the new roof is to change to ‘Gull Grey’ as requested by Council’s Heritage Specialist so obviously the new toilet roof will also need to match the colour of the hall

August Club Night, Monday the 29th with Monty Blevins

Monty Bevins

August Club Night is going to be a ripper with soul-folk singer songwriter Monty Blevins doing the honours as our second half guest musician. Monty Bevins is a New Zealand based singer-songwriter known as a touching, spirited performer, whose soul-folk songs ask the big questions while telling the small stories. With a
warm rich voice and articulate guitar grooves, Monty digs out and distills themes of
tenderness, personal revolution and adventure. Monty is touring in support of his debut album release, “Time to Bide.”

Usual club night format with floor singers welcome to play two songs (or for a maximum of 8 minutes, whichever they prefer) in the first half. Hot drink and a bikkie at intermission included with your $15 door charge.
Email jenine@torkington.com to request a first half spot!

July Club Night, Monday, 25 July, 7pm. $10

Whangateau Folk Radio Hour

It’s time for club night! Next Monday, July 25th is our monthly club meeting. We will have floor singers in the first half, and we’ve already had a few goodies sign up, so I’m excited about that. If you would like to perform in the first half, reply to this message or email jenine@torkington.com and I’ll get you on the list.

In the second half, Nat and I will be hosting the Whangateau Folk Radio Hour, an old-time variety hour featuring two musicians with interesting stories to tell. This month we have two young artists who will talk about their song writing and performing styles, and will give you a few examples of their work. We’ll also perform a few songs with them. Our featured artists are Sam Rhodes (age 19) of Rhode Works and You, Me, Everybody, and Aura Torkington (age 20) who is, yes, our daughter and has been performing on stage since the age of 7 and is now writing and performing their own material with over 100,000 followers on TikTok and almost 25,000 on Instagram.

Doors open at 6:45 for a 7pm start! $10, door sales only, no prebookings.

Covid-y stuff: we’d love it if you wore a mask but it isn’t required. If you have ANY cold or flu symptoms, please stay home! Covid cases are up, protect yourself, protect your community.

We will be livestreaming the audio from the show to Facebook and hopefully YouTube.

T-Bone at Whangateau Hall tonight: SHOW SOLD OUT!

This is amazing and exciting and very surprising, but we are fully sold out for the show tonight, Whangateau Hall will be full to the rafters for the first time since before the Pandemic.

Sorry if you were planning on coming and buying tickets at the door. Please do join us for folk club night on July 25th for an equally enchanting evening of music and community!

Events and Public Spaces at Orange

Unite Against Covid19

As we are starting up events at Whangateau Hall again, here are the current guidelines we are operating to. The full guide can be found here: https://covid19.govt.nz/traffic-lights/life-at-orange/events-and-public-facilities-at-orange/

Key points

  • Controlled-access events can go ahead.
  • Public facilities can open.
  • There are no limits to how many people can attend an event or public facility.
  • You must wear a face mask indoors at public facilities, except swimming pools.
  • You do not need to wear a face mask at an event, either indoors or outdoors.

We will be asking that everyone attending events at Whangateau Sign in either with the tracer app, or on the sheet we will have there, just in case the worst happens and we do have Covid spread as a result of our events.

If you have any flu or cold like symptoms we ask that you stay home. You are not required to wear a mask, but keep in mind that wearing a mask and washing our hands are the best ways to help protect others. Let’s all do our part to keep our community healthy.

Matariki Celebrations at the Hall

Midwinter festivities at the hall on Friday, the 24th of June. The day begins with a community car boot sale and market from 9am to 2pm. All vendors welcome for a donation to the hall. Starting at noon there will be a sponsored sausage sizzle for everyone.

The hall committee held a competition for the design of a Whangateau Flag to grace our flag pole in front of the hall. The results are in and the flag will have its official unveiling tomorrow at 1:30pm.

All are welcome!

T-Bone coming to Whangateau Hall

T-Bone – Good ‘n Greasy Tour

July 2, 2022

T-Bone Band
T-Bone have brought their influences of zydeco, old-time, blues, bluegrass and folk to this debut album, which although has strong Americana flavours, also has a distinct Kiwi folk feel. The close vocal harmonies and fiery instrumentals on guitars, mandolin, banjo and fiddles will have your toes
tapping and you’ll find yourself harmonising as you listen.

Tickets: https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/ticket/16928/T-bone—Good-n-Greasy-Release-Tour.utr

The members of T-Bone are about as eclectic as the group’s influences; a mandolin playing ex-chef from the Far North, a fiddle playing wine importer from New Jersey, a Dublin-born spearfishing songwriter, a guitar slinging laboratory assistant from Taranaki and a gardening double bassist from Karori.

The band will be touring the North Island promoting their debut album Good ‘n Greasy which was recorded in September 2021 after seven years of meeting most Monday nights and eating, drinking, jamming and writing together.

Their debut album will be released on June 17th, two weeks prior to the band heading out on their North Island headline release tour. The seven date tour is set to be the perfect showcase of the magic and energy that comes when these five exceptional musicians are on stage together, performing!

Doors: 7:00PM
Show: 7:30PM
Pre-sales: $25
Door sales: $30

LINKS
facebook.com/tboneband
linktr.ee/tbonetheband

TAGS
acoustic/solo, country/folk, world

Tickets: https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/ticket/16928/T-bone—Good-n-Greasy-Release-Tour.utr?fbclid=IwAR3kyVyEeVyeRxHO6hm6162ViKVOMj8MdmHFybVi6N_Vy115OxJX_Dr_WYI

Toilet block renewal at Whangateau Hall

Our committee has been working with the council on a replacement and upgrade of the public toilets located in the hall car park. The plan is for the new block to be positioned on the same side of the car park as the existing block but moved to the rear. This will provide a better view of the hall from the road and improve pedestrian safety. We feel the proposed design fits in well with the aesthetics of the hall and reserve. If you have any comments please could these be provided before 31st January.