AN insurance company is turning down new house insurance business in the Bay of Plenty in the wake of Sunday night’s massive Kaikoura earthquake.

According to Whaka-tane-based Dawson Insurance Brokers, Vero yesterday advised it would no longer accept new house insurance business from the region and other parts of the country following the 7.5 magnitude quake.

Dawson domestic broker Rachel Bishop said Vero had placed an embargo on sales of new policies.

She said NZI had also embargoed new sales in regions closer to Kaikoura – Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, West Coast, Tasman and Canterbury north of the Rakaia River – but was still prepared to insure homes in the Bay.

She said it was business as usual for QBE, which met yesterday morning to determine its own position on new business.

A Vero spokeswoman said the embargo was a reaction to the earthquake and tsunami threats and was “industry practice” at such times. The move would allow the company time to reassess its exposure to potential loss and ensure it could provide customers with the right level of cover.

Meanwhile, Whaka-tane home loan broker O’Hagans has advised its clients of the development and warned people buying new homes that might be caught be the embargo development that banks will not advance funds to settle a purchase “as house insurance has to be in place prior to settlement”.

O’Hagans is advising purchasers to ensure they obtain house insurance cover before they go unconditional on an agreement.

“We understand that FMG, NZI and AA may still be issuing new business in this area,” the company said.

New Zealand Insurance Council spokeswoman Sarah Knox said insurers adopted different approaches to significant events, such as the Kaikoura quake, “depending on their appetite for risk”.

She said it was common for companies to react with a wide embargo area following such a major natural disaster but, typically, these “will narrow down very quickly as the concentration of losses is established, so you could see this change over the coming days”.

“People shouldn’t panic,” she said.

One option for buyers of new homes caught by the Vero embargo would be to ask the vendor to transfer their insurance policy across to them.

OPENING: Sixty people gathered to formally open Firmin Lodge at the Kawerau Adventure Hub on Friday. Photo Louis Klaassen D4524-05

KAWERAU’S newest accommodation facility is officially open and ready for anyone on any adventure.

Firmin Lodge, at Kawerau Adventure Hub in Waterhouse Street, had its official opening on Friday.

Sixty people attended, including Kawerau District Council members, staff and members of the community.

The multi-use, dormitory-style facility is ideal for groups looking for affordable, comfortable and practical
accommodation.

Council events and venues manager Lee Barton said Firmin Lodge was open to anyone on any adventure.

“No matter if you’re young or old. If you decide to run from Rotorua to Kawerau, run up the mountain, kayak down the Tarawera River, patchwork quilting or fly fishing, the adventure is limitless with that in mind.”

Guest speakers Mayor Malcolm Campbell and councillor Chris Marjoribanks shared with the audience the history of the land as the former Kawerau Clubrooms, their memories and their pride in the outcome of the development.

Development at the venue cost $730,000 – $145,500 less than the council’s budget of $875,500.

Reverend George Raerino blessed the building and the carved taonga feature at the entrance.

Mr Barton said the taonga was a koauau (Maori flute), carved by Tai Meuli during Kawerau Woodfest 2015 from a Tarawera Park cedar.

“He used the ancient traditional method of starting a fire in a carved well in the timber and gradually carved out the embers to create the hole, which is the mouth piece used to blow the sound through.”

BLESSING: The Reverend George Raerino blesses the taonga at the front of Kawerau’s new adventure lodge. D4524-61

The Maori inscription at the top was carved by Kawerau man Dallas Toko.

Mr Barton said the carving was inspired by Lake Rotoma carver Joe Kemp and himself after talking to Mr Meuli about the importance of Putauaki to the region and, in particular, last year’s 60th anniversary of the mountain race.

“It is said that when the southerly wind blows up the Tarawera Valley to Kawerau the sound can quite often be similar to that of the koaua. It is also said that Putauaki the person used the koauau to call his partner back from the top of Putauaki.

“The reason for us to use it as our feature piece is that it is a calling to all people from the four winds to Kawerau to stay at the lodge.”

For more information and fees visit http://www.kaweraudc.govt.nz/AdventureHub/index.

Available at Firmin Lodge

Sleeps 60 people – 10 spacious dormitory rooms with three bunks (six beds)

• Commercial grade kitchen with automatic industrial dishwasher, eight-burner gas oven, four-shelf convection oven and more
• Crockery, cutlery, tables and chairs at the facility for 130 servings and sittings
• Large walk-in chiller, double-door upright fridge and freezer, washing machine and dryer
• Male and female ablutions, disability-access toilet and shower, outdoor lockable shipping containers for storage and drying
• A motorhome dump station with 12 external motorhome power points, and
• Parking, a large open reserve and the Tarawera River.

haylee.king@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

COASTLANDS man Benjamin Tihi said his dress code and possession of an offensive weapon had nothing to do with being at the same place as two rival groups having a disagreement.

Tihi pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon, namely a baseball bat that was lying next to him in his vehicle.

Lawyer Roger Gowing said Tihi had a baseball bat in his car for his own protection.

Tihi explained he was picking up his cousin and at the time didn’t have a shirt on, which drew police to talk to him.

Mr Gowing said Tihi was returning to his car and, when he opened the door, police saw the baseball bat and he was arrested.

Judge Bidois said Tihi had prior Australian convictions including robbery with actual violence, assault with a firearm, threat to kill, aggravated assault and aggravated robbery.

He was sentenced to 40 hours community work and nine months supervision and told to go about his business innocently.

Other court appearance

Stolen car

WANTING to return to Whakatane from Hamilton, Israel Benjamin Peri stole a car so he could drive.

He pleaded guilty to theft of a vehicle and failing to answer police bail.

His lawyer, Steve Franklin, said Peri started work this week thinning flowers on kiwifruit vines, which would help provide some stability in his life.

“He was in Hamilton and he just wanted to get home so he took the car. He knows that it was wrong and he is remorseful.”

Judge Bidois sentenced him to 300 hours of community service.

Ninth drink driving charge

CHRISTOPHER Tihi was convicted of his ninth drink driving offence after being stopped by police with an alcohol level of 799 micrograms per litre of breath.

Judge Louis Bidois said because of his history imprisonment had to be imposed and he fixed a starting point of 18-months in prison.

This was reduced to 12 months for mitigating factors and home detention was granted.

Tihi was sentenced to six-months home detention and disqualified from driving for 12 months and one day.

No confidence to comply

BECAUSE of his extensive history of failing to appear, breaching bail and non-compliance convictions, Wiremu Paul Karepa was remanded in custody.

The 30-year-old Whakatane man pleaded not guilty to two charges of male assaults female and breaching a protection order.

Lawyer Roger Gowing said the charges related to one incident and one victim.

Judge Bidois said there was a disagreement of some sort in the early hours of the morning between Karepa and the victim, who did not complete a statement for police.

“You have an extensive history including failing to appear on 32 occasions, five breaches of bail and non-compliance convictions. You have been to jail a number of times and failed to comply with court [orders] in the past.”

Judge Bidois said Karepa had been convicted of aggravated robbery in the past and appeared in court last month for breach of protection order and speaking threateningly.

“Now you’re back at court. I have no confidence you will comply with bail.”

Karepa was remanded in custody until December 21 for a case review hearing.

Throwing a chair around

JUDGE Bidois warned Tamihana Kerr-Wilson the ante would be raised if he touched anyone violently again.

The Whakatane 19-year-old was sentenced on one charge of male assaults female.

Judge Bidois said the victim wanted to leave the house when she was assaulted, “and good on her if she’s going to be treated like this”.

“You became angry, threw her stuff outside, punched her, threw a plastic seat around and your mother had to intervene.”

Judge Bidois said the victim didn’t suffer significant injuries.

Kerr-Wilson was sentenced to 140 hours community work and ordered to pay $300 emotional harm reparation.

Stolen and stripped

WHILE two victims were drinking coffee, Shawn Kohai stole their bicycles.

The Whakatane 17-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges of theft over $1000 and burglary and spent time in custody following the offending.

Judge Bidois said Kohai and an associate stole two bikes valued at $2000 and stripped them down.

He was also charged with entering a Whakatane commercial property where he tried to steal alcohol.

Judge Bidois said most of the property was recovered.

He sentenced Kohai to 160 hours community work and ordered him to pay $40 reparation.

Alleged jeans thief

RHYS Neiman has been charged with allegedly stealing over $6000 worth of property including 42 pairs of jeans.

The Whakatane 21-year-old faced nine charges of theft and trespass and was remanded on bail without plea.

Charging documents state that, in May, Neiman stole 30 pairs of jeans valued at $2500 from Hallensteins and, in June, he stole 12 pairs of jeans valued at $1920 from North Beach and an Echo chainsaw valued at $1500.

In August, he is charged with stealing two Moki brand power packs valued at $119.98 from BP at Gate Pa.

Alleged offending in September includes wilful trespass and stealing a meat pack and two cans of drink valued at $27 from New World Gate Pa.

He faces a further trespass charge from October and a theft charge relating to the theft of a pack of Red Bull from the same supermarket.

Neiman has also been charged with wilful trespass this month and is remanded on bail until November 23 for pleas to be entered to the charges.

Petrol drive offs

NUMEROUS petrol drive offs resulted in community work and reparation for Maureen Kohai.

The Whakatane 23-year-old pleaded guilty to three charges of theft under $500 relating to petrol drive offs from petrol stations in Te Puke,

Hamilton and Ngongotaha totalling $135.

Kohai pleaded not guilty to the burglary of a Whakatane property, where she is alleged to have stolen thousands of dollars worth of items, and the theft of $50 in goods from Pak’n Save Whakatane.

Judge Bidois sentenced Kohai to 140 hours community work and $135 reparation on the charges she pleaded guilty to and she was remanded on bail until 21 December for the remaining charges to be dealt with.

THE New Zealand Law Society says the Privacy Act already enables government agencies to verify individuals’ identities for law enforcement purposes and proposed changes to it are not needed.

The society presented its submission on the Enhancing Identity Verification and Border Processes Legislation Bill to the law and order select committee last week.

The bill addresses recommendations from a government inquiry following the escape of Phillip John Smith/Traynor in 2014 while he was on temporary release from prison.

Law Society spokesperson Katrine Evans told the select committee the government inquiry did not identify barriers in the Privacy Act preventing information being shared by the relevant agencies.

“The Privacy Act allows agency information sharing via Approved Information Sharing Agreements (AISAs) that incorporate appropriate privacy protections, and it is not clear why this bill should circumvent the AISA framework’s carefully designed checks and balances. The proposed changes are also at odds with the design of the Privacy Act,” she said.

Ms Evans said if Parliament proceeded with the proposed changes rather than requiring agencies to use the AISA mechanism, important safeguards need to be added to the bill.

“The bill should ensure greater transparency and public accountability. It is important the public can see what arrangements are in place to share identity information, and can be confident those arrangements are justified.”

Andrew Iles,
Taneatua Community Board member

A NEW public toilet will be built at Taneatua’s Jack Knowles reserve after Whakatane District Council committed $130,000 to the project in this year’s budget.

The report into the installation of a new public convenience was discussed at the Taneatua Community Board meeting on Monday night. It outlined that the installation of a new public convenience at Mitchell

Park was included in the council’s 2015-25 long-term plan.

“The facility is scheduled in the 2016-17 financial year within a $130,000 budget. The council currently maintains a portaloo toilet at Mitchell Park for the sports and recreational users of Mitchell Park and general public use. The portaloo costs $9000 to maintain,” asset officer Paul Edhouse said.

However, board member and district councillor Andrew Iles had indicated the board might wish to consider alternative locations. As a result the costs, advantages and disadvantages of constructing public toilets at the northern and southern ends of Mitchell Park were included in the report, as well as the option of building one at the Jack Knowles Reserve.

The assessment of each site included costs of installing Exeloo toilets, which have a stainless steel exterior, and the Permaloo option, with a precast concrete external casing. Each preference then included the cost of a roof.

Out of the six possible options, the cheapest was to install a permaloo at the south end of Mitchell Park that would include a disabled toilet and a single unit at a cost of $93,000.

The most expensive option, at $260,000, was building the Exeloo option at the north end of Mitchell Park with one disabled toilet, a single unit and a roof structure.

Mr Edhouse said building the permaloo toilet that included one disabled toilet, a single unit and a roof at the southern end of Mitchell Park would cost of $112,585.

However, the community board favoured building at Jack Knowles Reserve at a cost of $146,625. Mr Iles said the decision reflected high us of

Jack Knowles reserve by the community after the upgrade of the playground and barbecue facilities, co-funded by Tuhoe governing board Te Uru Taumatua and the council.

“This is now a real community focal point and it makes sense to ensure that adequate public conveniences are available where the demand for them exists.”

He said there were some details around the project plan and costs still to be finalised, which could reduce the budget set out in the report.

Under the Jack Knowles option, the council would be required to continue paying $9000 a year for the portaloo at Mitchell Park.

EXPERIENCED VOICE: Consultant chef Joel Martin says some home-based food sellers are hesitating to make the investment File photo

WHAKATANE eateries are on track when it comes to meeting new Food Act guidelines but some home-based food sellers have yet to catch up, a food industry consultant says.

Bay Culinary Consultants managing director Joel Martin says because of the costs involved in meeting the new guidelines, smaller food industry businesses are hesitating to make the investment.

“Absorbing those initial costs is probably the most difficult thing.

“They’re sort of burying their heads in the sand and hoping it will go away, I think,” he said.

The Food Act has a three-year transition period, with those businesses most at risk first in line for approval.

Companies that manufacture food for vulnerable people (the elderly, young, pregnant and those with compromised immune systems), manufacturers of ready-to-eat salads, of perishable sauces and other condiments, and licensed restaurants will be first in line.

“It’s being rolled out over three years with businesses at the highest risk, restaurants and cafes, those selling food to the public, first,” he said.

They will need to have approved food control plans in place and have staff trained by June 30, 2017, at the latest.

They will also need to apply to register their plan by March 31, 2017, to ensure an audit can be scheduled before the deadline.

Mr Martin said as companies began registering last March, the process had become increasingly easy.

“The more that the ministry of primary industries rolls it out, it seems to be easier for local businesses to do it. It’s just a matter of doing it,” he said.

Businesses that manufacture and sell food online and cafes not serving alcohol will have until June 30, 2018, to be under an approved food control plan. They must apply by March 31, 2018.

“You can cook and sell your products from home as long as you have a food control plan,” he said.

The Food Act did not change how food was supposed to be handled. It was only about keeping track of how it was handled.

“The food safety laws have been pretty much the same since 1974.

“They’re saying ‘so you think that you’re cooking your food to the right temperature and you’re storing your food properly, now prove that you’re doing that,’ and that’s all they’re asking,” Mr Martin said.

As such, food handlers are required to keep accurate daily records of the temperatures food is cooked and stored at.

The Food Act was expected to bring additional costs to the retailer and others in the supply chain.

“It’s more expensive because you have to pay to train your staff, you have to pay for the compliance costs but it gives more freedom to the person who wants their own boutique business,” he said.

It would almost certainly result in an overall rise in costs for pre-prepared foods.

Businesses would be audited on an annual basis to ensure they were compliant, he said.

mark.rieder@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

TIME ALONE: Jan Stanton and Fay Stewart enjoy a quiet moment.
Photo Paula Massey D4528.24

A GARDEN tour on Saturday attracted 120 participants and raised $2000 for Whakatane Hospital’s palliative care unit.

Organiser David Poole said two busloads of gardening enthusiasts and others in cars descended on seven gardens, starting at 9am and concluded at 4.30pm at the Muriwai Drive home of Bob Byrne and Gaye Murphy.

Other gardens visited included Dave and Leonie Sheaff’s Ohope property, lush with palms and tropical plants, plus vegetables, Raewyn Thompson’s Florida and pina colada-inspired resort garden in Peter Snell Street, Colin McGee’s Fijian-inspired Awakeri garden, devoid of grass, the Floyd family’s property, also at Otakiri and featuring lots of birds, roses and a commercial Christmas tree plantation, and Jos and

Karen Bylsma’s Otakiri garden, filled with New Zealand natives. The tour also took in John and Joy Horsburgh’s James Street residential garden.

Most people said it was very good value for $50 and the “general consensus” was that everyone had a good time, in spite of rain earlier in the day, Mr Poole said.

He said the event was organised by the Rotary Sunshine club and Pride Whakatane.

LEST your readers think that I am paranoid about being spied upon by the “She’ll be right, two-day delays in processing microbiology specimens are okay” Tauranga brigade, I add that my report of a stranger with camera in a parked car was written somewhat tongue in cheek.

Had you printed this additional comment: “Mr Milne said he and supporters had put two and two together, and believed the man may have pinged two female Jehovah’s Witnesses visiting him for the 42nd time, a power company meter reader, a mother and child on a trick or treat visit and his 77-year-old neighbour wanting him to help her get the lid off a jar of pickles,”your readers would have realised that I have lightened up after five years of deadly serious effort.

This whole petition deal has been a dead loss. The ministry of health staff who dealt with petition two repeated serious errors from the earlier petition, and the health committee utterly ignored our request that they should bail up derelict officials and seek explanations for the multiple omissions, errors and misinformation which led to the rejection of our first (huge) petition.

They did not do that and failed to contact any of the complaining doctors or patients. If other health issues are dealt with like this, and I bet they are, then God help us all.

For the record, I received two letters from Wellington on Monday, one from the chairman of the health committee telling me that the lab downgrade issue was dead. The other was the hard copy of an email from the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand confirming that Pathlab had dobbed me in for the illegal activity of offering to help reverse part of the loss of microbiology services by operating a free service from my home.

The good news is that top experts from the United Kingdom and the United States seem prepared to visit Whakatane in February and March 2017 in support of our campaign.

I am now, following consultation with Dr Mogens Poppe and others, preparing a response to the chairman of the health committee. I shall strive to remain polite.

Alexander (Sandy) Milne

FOR some time I have been trying to identify a tree on my property that was hidden from our sight. Perhaps a Beacon reader can assist.

Two months ago three Kenyan men from Hamilton turned up at my house asking if they could collect some leaves from this tree, a herbal remedy for diabetes.

I asked how they knew it was in there as none of our family knew. They said they had seen it from a nearby property (unlikely).
I gave the nod and they drove home with a sackful of leaves.

A few weeks later they arrived directly from Hamilton bearing 24 Steinlagers and asked if they could take more leaves. I warily agreed.
They borrowed a long ladder and attacked the tree with vigour and drove straight back to Hamilton with several sackfuls of leaves.

A problem is that they rang me again last week to advise me that they were on their way to Whakatane for another load of the mystery leaf.

I told them to turn back as they had mauled the tree on the second visit and would not be welcome for a month or two or until the tree recovered.

It happens that the tree was due for the chop soon in order to make way for a house. It is about 20-feet tall (six or seven metres). The trunk is branched into two at ground level and the branches are less than six inches thick at chest height. I know my native trees and do not recognise this one. Herewith is a picture of the leaves.

I offer a three-month subscription to the Whakatane Beacon to the first reader who can solve the mystery.

The winner should gift the subscription to a new resident in Whakatane.

Alexander (Sandy) Milne
Whakatane

COMING: Groups of runners make their way along the beach from the Ohope Top 10 Holiday Park to the surf club at Mahy Reserve. D4756-040

SOME participants in the annual Whakatane Surf Lifesaving Club Camp to Club run opted for the waves when they crossed the finish line at Ohope Beach on Wednesday.

The eight-kilometre track along the beach was run and walked by 160 people of all ages.
The 10th annual race from the Ohope Top 10 Holiday Park to the surf club at Mahy Reserve is a fundraiser for the junior surf club. The $5 entry fee buys equipment for the club.

Club spokesman Malcolm Rowson said entries were down on previous years.

He said there was a “bit of a head wind but still a good time by the winner”.

Last year, 250 people participated. The year before, 330 people joined the fun run.

The first person to cross the finish line was Whakatane man Aidan Campbell, 30, in 28 minutes and 14 seconds. The race record of 27.8 is held by former Whakatane resident Chris Morrissey.

Participant Tracey Bowers said the run was hard and long.
The Rotorua woman is a frequent runner, but is used to the Redwoods and its hill tracks.

“Running on flat sand was a bit different but I’m glad I did it and would do it again if I am here next time.”

She participated alone because she couldn’t persuade family members to join.

Phil Gulbransen, who crossed the finish line first in his family group, said they participated to support the community and surf lifesaving.

UPDATE:

A BODY found at Torere Beach, east of Opotiki, on Friday has been identified as 54-year-old Marama Lloyd, also known as Marama Greeks, from Otaki.

Police are investigating circumstances surrounding her death but it is not thought to be suspicious.

Police say the matter will be referred to the coroner.

The body was found just before 7pm on Friday at an area known as Morice's Bay.

A member of the public notified police after seeing the body.

EARLIER:

FAMILY members of missing Napier woman Marama Greeks, who was staying at Opape until recently, are conducting searches while Opotiki police are checking out tips from the public.

The 54-year-old woman was last seen on New Year's Eve, on a path leading toward caves on the beach at Opape.

Today, a family search group, led by daughter Waitiria Greeks, went to the cave area but found no clues.

Ms Greeks said her mother was from Opape Marae and was staying in the area in the lead-up to New Year.

Calls to the missing woman’s phone have gone unanswered.

It is understood the family group is now planning to search for her as far afield as Waihau Bay.

Opotiki police have received reports of sightings of the missing woman, which are being checked out, but so far the matter has not been resolved.

Police officers were seen at Opape this afternoon speaking with residents.

Waiotahe estuary

The Bryans Beach community group is seeking volunteers for its clean-up day at the Waiotahe estuary on Sunday.

Twenty-five people are needed to help collect rubbish along the high-tide mark on January 8, from 9.30am.

The initiative continues the first estuary clean-up the group organised in 2014 as part of its efforts to keep the area beautiful.
The Bryans Beach Community Group started in 2007 with six committee members representing about 80 households in the Bryans Beach area.

It takes on any project affecting the community, from installing speed bumps along the beach front to weed eradication, largely targeting gorse and pampas on stop banks, river edges and beach and back dune areas, and planting native trees.

Members have installed a series of predator traps and bait stations to help boost bird populations. They have placed 80 Department of Conservation traps from Ohiwa Harbour to the Waiotahe spit across from the pipi beds, and approximately 45 bait stations.

As a result, the number of shore and estuarine birds in the area has increased significantly. Many hours are also spent monitoring the New Zealand dotterel and variable oyster-catcher nests to help the chicks survive. Rat and mustelid numbers have dramatically decreased.

The group has also been involved with a trial to try and reduce rabbit numbers in the area to help with restoration planting and the regeneration of the coastal dune network.

Bryans Beach is on Ohiwa Beach Road, on the edge of Ohiwa Harbour.

Anyone interested in helping out can phone Judy Lewis on 07 3154686. Volunteers are advised to wear old clothes and bring gumboots and gloves.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is providing a barbecue lunch once the clean-up work is finished.

HORSE HIRE: Steve Drummond from Opotiki Horse Hire is offering beach and bush rides from his base at Tirohanga. He is pictured the Blue Mountains with his daughter Sammy Drummond and his moko Kadence, Saviah and Elias Moana. Photo supplied

There’s an easy, relaxed, communal feel as you enter the busy home of Tirohanga horseman Steve Drummond.

Everyone is looking out for the young ones, there are constant comings and goings, hugs goodbye and welcome are constant. Steve is very much the main man as he calmly oversees this busy household while also looking after his new business Opotiki Horse Hire.

“As you know my house is real busy, these fellas are getting back into horses.”

Some mates pull up, a gaggle of happy toddlers roam around, or delight in the clutches of older children. Several beautiful teenage girls sit chatting on outside sofas. A family member is cooking up delicious thin slices of venison that are being handed round. It is a harmonious scene.

Steve was born and raised at Snells Beach, his father a Scotsman and his mother a Chatham Islands Moriori. He was born with cerebral palsy, which has affected the muscle development in his left arm and leg, but has not held him back.

“I couldn’t really afford to get held back,” he says. “I used to wear braces and there weren’t too many guys like me in Opotiki so people looked out for me.”

When he was young his father remarried and the family moved to the Gisborne area where he first learned to ride with John Buchanan, who ran Riding for The Disabled in the city.

Years on, Steve remains an advocate for the organisation describing riding as “a good thing” for people with disabilities. “[Riding] a horse, it moves every muscle in the body; it’s got to be good for you.”
Horses have been part of his life, almost all his life. “I had a horse before I had a bike, we just rode horses. When someone came along with a bike we would try and swap them. Some of them weren’t into horses so you didn’t get to ride a bike.”

When he was older he started breaking in horses and doing track work for a living. “I did it a bit different from other people so it took me a while,” he says. “It is trust, it’s as simple as that. And respect. And if you ain’t got that you ain’t got nothing.”

Steve continues to work with horses and has recently started Opotiki Horse Hire, based next to the Tirohanga Store. He is offering rides along the beach, which he hopes will be a winner with families of young children staying at the nearby campground.

For the more adventurous there are rides in the Blue Mountains at the back of Tirohanga, through lush bush with spectacular views out to sea.

“We have a contract with the forestry up there to graze our horses, and we have to honour that,” he explains. “It’s great they have given us the chance to do what we want to do. The horses just run free, no fences.”

Having spent all his life riding in the area, he knows many treks varying from an hour to a few hours, even overnight.

He hopes to provide a pick-up and drop-off service in the future but in the meantime there’s plenty of parking at the forestry site.

This year he is planning a large group ride – bring your own horse or hire one – with a hangi meal. A forestry track suitable for a horse and cart means less able-bodied people will also be able to take part.

On the move: The move to Opotiki has been worth the ride for Reena Kainamu, whose latest ride is a 1690cc Softail Slim. Photo supplied

Opotiki’s Reena Kainamu is a nursing scholar, educator, writer and healthcare professional in the mental health and addictions field.

Say Our Beautiful Names is the title of her doctoral thesis in tracing the impact of colonisation in its many forms. The practice of anglicising tipuna (ancestral) names within her whanau during the 20th century education system is just one example.

From Northland and Auckland, Reena has been drawn to the Bay of Plenty. Once her children completed their schooling her “big plan” was to start a new life in the Bay.

She arrived in Opotiki in June 2014. A passion for motorbikes is one reason she wanted to make the move out of Auckland. She recalls weaving her way daily through peak-hour traffic.

She learned to ride motorbikes as a young nursing student living in the country. It was easier and more enjoyable to ride to the hospital on a motorbike. When the children were young she was involved in their education and home life was full-on.

Although motorbikes were a family interest, there was little time for riding. In the children’s teenage years, and with encouragement from her youngest brother, she bought a 550cc Yamaha Virago and, within months, sold this for her first Harley-Davidson. Four bikes and 10 years later, her current ride is a 1690cc Softail Slim.

“The first year down here I thrashed the coastal road to Te Kaha and back, getting into those bends and winding tarseaI,” she says.
With a group of friends and hundreds of bikers from around the country, she rode the Forgotten World Highway, State Highway 43 in Taranaki, in April.

She says there was excitement in seeing rows of motorbikes and a wash of bikers at the last fuel stop in Taumarunui.

Then, an exhilarating ride across all types of road. In particular, a narrow, gorge road with abysmal chunky gravel, loads of mud, drenching rain and oncoming buses and campervans was cause for self-talk. “Breathe deep, Reena, breathe,” as the bike’s tyres slid and gripped with more throttle.

Arriving at camp, bikers renewed friendships and hugged each other. Biker stories were shared, new connections were made and mountains of laughter pealed out.

She says bikers form loyal friendships bound by the love of adventure, a respect for machines and the thrill of riding.

Reena’s quieter moments are given to a black cat with a broken tail named Softail, editing and writing. She is crafting her first ceremony in her role as a civil union and marriage celebrant.

Alongside the mission of home renovation are other smaller projects like a children’s storybook about a nana rider, on a “mean-as motorbike” and the joy of poetry in expressing so much with so few words. The following is a poem penned at a local café one Sunday morning.

PITO/PIE – INSIDE THE HOT BREAD SHOP
Sunday silvered hair
barefoot stroll to aproned-lady.
brown-eyed rhubarb-coloured
plump-cheeks mokopuna
barefoot-too. he half-runs to
koro’s steady-step, clasping
camou-covered thick thigh.
huge hand falls gently
onto wispy head, the pito
connection seen, felt.
I-am-yours-moko,
you-are-mine…
wanna pie?

WHITTLER: At 92, Bruce Ferguson whittles as much now as he did when he first took up the hobby as a soldier during World War II.
Photo Louis Klaassen D4666-70

Bruce Ferguson rides the coolest mobility scooter in town. At 92 years, old, the Whakatane man and Ulysses club member who has long left British bikes in his wake, has recently added a new ride to his stable – a dashing Pride Sportrider mobility scooter.

Currently in contention for official recognition as the oldest biker in New Zealand, and possibly within Australasia, Bruce recently retired his last bike, a Honda 250, in a move towards something with more wheels.

But biking has not been the only enduring love of Bruce’s life. Whittling, the art of carving wood with a small knife, has been a constant for more than 70 years since Bruce took up the hobby in the final stages of World War II.

The finely crafted pieces that adorn the home Bruce shares with wife Paula, bear testament to great skill and craftsmanship. But Bruce is humble. He chooses not to exhibit or sell his pieces, instead, gifting them to friends and family. And while he’s “done a few commissions,” Bruce is happiest perched on his stool in his small backyard workshop, doing things in his own time.

“I love it,” he says, “but it’s a hobby, and I can’t see the enjoyment in having to get something made within a certain time”.

The simple tools he uses have enduring histories of their own. The knives are old and rustic, reminiscent of times past.

“They are the best knives for the job,” he says of the ability to work the strong old steel blades into the correct shape needed for whittling, and of their ability to maintain that shape. Most of the knives are more than 50 years old, and if Bruce needs a new one, he will scour antique shops until he finds one.

“The newer knives are no good,” he says, “they’re the wrong shape, and tend to quickly wear away”.

Bruce took up whittling after seeing an American soldier sitting on the back doorstep of a house in Auckland, carving a long unbroken chain out of a length of wood.

“It was 1945, and there were a lot of American soldiers in New Zealand at that time,” he says. A hospital in Greenlane was being used to treat soldiers wounded in the Pacific. As the soldiers recovered, Bruce says they would then be billeted out to local homes until their recovery was complete, and they could be repatriated. It was through a friend, that Bruce came to meet the American soldier at one of these houses. He introduced Bruce to the art of whittling that would become a constant part of his life.

“I went and bought a pocket knife soon after, ground it down to a workable blade and started to make my first chain.”

And he’s never really stopped. Using mostly hard, native timbers, Bruce has crafted many of the chains over the years, all staggering in their intricacy. “You start with a six-foot stick,” he says, and “go from there,” he says of the process that takes around 40 hours.

Chains were just the beginning. Bruce has whittled into creation all manner of figures, baskets, shoes, boots, animals and even jewellery over the years. Working with wood is clearly his calling. In an earlier diversion from whittling, he delved into making rocking chairs and small furniture items. But it’s whittling that has stayed with him.

According to Bruce, the practice originated in Wales. “A young man courting a young woman would visit her house. The parents would go out, leaving the two alone, but during the time they would be gone, the young man was expected to whittle a quality item, traditionally, a spoon,” he says.

“The idea being that the young man would be so busy creating his whittled piece, that the two wouldn’t have time to get up to mischief.”

On the parents’ return, a finished piece would need to be presented by the young man. If the piece was accepted, the two young people could officially become engaged. The American soldier who inspired Bruce to whittle, was of Welsh origin.

Following the end of the war, Bruce stayed on with the army as part of a contingent known as J Force. The force was required to follow the repatriation of 800 Japanese prisoners of war from a camp in Featherston, back to Japan. Bruce then spent a year with the occupation forces in Japan.

Wherever he was, he always had a block of wood and a pocketknife with him.

“I just took to it, and it was better than smoking,” he says.

Consequently, Bruce became known as the soldier who “always had a pocketknife and a piece of wood,” and pieces he’s made over the years have ended up far and wide.

“I’ve met old soldiers that I haven’t seen for years and years, and it’s incredible to hear them refer to a piece they’ve still got at home, that I made so many years ago.”

Bruce whittles as much now, as he did then. But the bike riding has surely slowed down. Long trips with Ulysses members are no longer on his agenda. “I meet them all at a café before a trip,” he says, and “when they all ride off, I hop on my Sportrider, and ride home.”

Bruce Ferguson's creations

GOOD HUMOUR: Long-time Opotiki teacher Sarah Pahewa. Photo supplied

SARAH Pahewa says her family has lived at Whitianga Bay, up The Cape, since the beginning of time.

“My mother was a Delamere. The Delameres have lived there probably since Noah was a young boy,” she says.

Sarah’s dedication to education has touched several generations in the area.

A teacher at Ashbrook School for 41 years, from 1966 to 2007, “or 2008, I can’t remember”, her good humour, intelligence and kindness have helped to shape the community’s nature.

Sarah has witnessed a variety of events in the region. She recalls the floods of 1964 and travelling in to Opotiki to see the aftermath.

“The tidelines on the buildings in the high street were above my head.”

And she is still amazed at the nature of the Hong Kong ‘flu outbreak of 1969 which saw the children get sick, “in really big numbers”, but none of the teachers.

She recalls that the school was very much the hub of the community, with trips to other schools a highlight and very popular in her early days of teaching.

“We went in cars, sometimes about 50 cars,” she says. “The whole school would go, everyone went. We had nice parents, fabulous parents.”

In the early days the girls wore gym frocks to school. “That’s what everyone played netball in.”

Sarah says at one stage the school roll would have been close to 500, “[but] I know we had a lot of families who left to go to Australia.”

IMPORTED:Above-far left, Klaus Madsen with his laser cutter imported from China. D4743-55

When Klaus Madsen advertised personalised Christmas ornaments for sale on a Whakatane buy and sell Facebook page, he never imagined the response he would get.

The Ohope graphic designer was inundated with requests for his laser-cut wooden tree decorations and in the weeks over Christmas turned out 586 of them to very happy customers.

Klaus doesn’t claim to have come up with the idea. Since importing his laser cutting machine from China five months ago he has done a lot of experimenting and browsing of the internet for ideas. He saw something similar online, came up with his own design – the person’s name surrounded by snowflakes – and began cutting.

“I thought if I sell 20 of these, that would be good, but I sold 586 of them. I never expected that … it’s totally crazy. People are even wanting to place orders for next year.

The Christmas section of his Facebook shop, Lasernz, also includes a Santa key, door decorations, nativity scene crosses and decorative trees.

Klaus grew up in Denmark and came to New Zealand nine years ago, living first in Rotorua then moving to Ohope four years ago to work for Mann Print. “I’ve been working most of that time as a graphic designer,” he says. “But I wanted to come to New Zealand because of the beautiful country, because I was also a photographer.”

He’s not quite sure where the desire for a laser cutting machine came from but after working with computers all his life, and coming from a design background, he could see its hobby and business potential.
“You can use it for lots of things. I like the technique about it and saw clips on YouTube and it was totally fascinating what you can do. When they came down in price, I thought ‘I have to have one of those’.”

Five years ago, he says he would have paid $40,000 for the machine which he purchased last year for $3500. With import costs, he estimates the total cost at around $7000.

He now spends most nights and weekends playing around with the machine in his basement, testing its capabilities with regard to designs, materials and products.

“For me as a graphic designer, it’s a great thing combining the laser cutting technique. It fits perfectly together, not only making your own designs but also the technique getting it from the computer to the machine.”

“I’ve been making a lot of prototypes; I have to make it [the idea] to find out [if it is going to work] and most of the time it is not turning out so well in the beginning.”

The 100 watt laser works using a combination of power and speed to create contrast, or cut through, whatever product is being used. It can cut through materials up to 6mm and do deep engraving but Klaus’ favourite material to work with is 4mm birch plywood.

One of Klaus’ most popular gift products at the moment is an engraved chopping board. At the moment, he’s buying the boards but says he hopes to be able to one day make his own boards.

The boards can be ordered from his Facebook page along with the Christmas ornaments, cheeseboards, wedding photo boxes and guest books, keepsake boxes, notebooks and engraved mobile phone covers and wallets.

He’s also cut bird houses, children’s toys, a replica of the Eiffel Tower and a VW van, metal business cards and wooden business cards using a fine bamboo material. “It is only the imagination or fantasy that sets the limit for what you can do,” he says.

HUM BOWLS: Hum Bowls founder Chloe Marshall creates and serves a smoothie in a bowl from her Ohope food caravan. Photo Louis Klaassen D4759-45

While in Bali, Chloe Marshall fell in love.

Not in love in the usual sense, although the object of her desire was certainly pleasant on the eyes – and mouth.

She fell in love with smoothie bowls and with this love still strong when she returned to New Zealand, she decided to share it with the Eastern Bay.

There are some smoothie bowl spots in Auckland and Mount Maunganui and Chloe wanted to give it a go in her home town, Ohope. And so her new business Hum Bowls was born.

Without a concrete plan, Chloe is testing the waters over summer creating delicious smoothie bowls from a pretty, pale teal-coloured caravan parked on Pohutukawa Avenue, next to Ohope Beach Realty.

The caravan came fitted out for food vending and the business was ready to go as soon as the electrics were installed and council registration obtained.

She came up with the name Hum Bowls herself, liking that it sounds like “humble”.

As well as selling smoothies in the usual tall cups for drinking. Chloe also crafts bowls of smoothie, artistically topped with a selection of fruit and muesli, to be eaten with a spoon.

She buys all her ingredients from supermarkets and produce stores locally and offers four Hum Bowls flavours, the most popular being “Man-goes Bananas”, made of mango, banana, oats, coconut cream, cinnamon, dates and turmeric, and “Berry Beauty”, which comes with blueberries, strawberries, oats, dates, coconut cream, vanilla and banana. The other two flavours are Death by Chocolate and Apple Pie.

Chloe created the flavours herself and says it was all trial and error. “There were a lot of smoothies to try.”

She says the smoothie cups have proven to be as popular as the bowls, which wasn’t her intention, but “it is what it is”.

“The response has been great. Everyone says they are some of the best smoothies they’ve had.”

Chloe says she’s always wanted her own business but wasn’t sure what sort of business. “It’s certainly a great first business to have. It’s fairly low investment and a product that I love.”

Hum Bowls has been open for over a week and Chloe plans to continue operation until the beginning of February. She’s uncertain what will happen next, saying it really depends if the Ohope population supports it.

With smoothie bowls a growing trend, globally as well as in New Zealand, she hopes they will.

She said Instagram was a platform promoting the trend because a smoothie bowl was a photogenic food.

Hum Bowls is open every fine day from 9.30pm to 4pm, selling smoothie bowls for $9 (small) and $12 (large). The bowls and spoons used are biodegradable.

EARLY START: A fishing boat heads out across the bar at first light.

Photography by Yan Ping Sun

The change of light is a great time for photographs with many stunning images taken at sunset and sunrise.
Eastern Bay photographer Yan Ping Sun is a regular early riser, relishing the opportunity to capture the scenic beauty of the region in all its morning glory. This week we feature a selection of her early morning and evening photographs, taken in Whakatane and Ohope over the last month. More examples of her photography work can be found on her Facebook page Yan Ping Photography.
If you would like the Eastern Bay Life to feature a spread of your images, email us on ebl@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

SEALED CHAMBER: Sue Hamill demonstrates the use of the hyperbaric chamber with
Don Richards. Photo Louis Klaassen D4748-10

ORIGINALLY used to reverse the effects of the bends, hyperbaric chambers have become an increasingly popular form of non-invasive treatment for medical conditions.

Whakatane businesswoman Sue Hamill uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy and pulse electro-magnetic field therapy to speed up healing for many medical complaints.

“It’s wonderful for anyone to increase healing. It increases nitric oxide, which is part of the body’s healing mechanism.

“It’s wonderful for head injuries, strokes, Alzheimer’s – any of those things. It’s shown some great results there,” she said.

Hyperbaric chambers enhance the body’s natural healing abilities by speeding up the reduction of inflammation.

“For a lot of disease, you’re looking at inflammation at the base of it and oxygen works to reduce that inflammatory response.

“Oxygen also helps with the removal of toxic waste quicker. This is really important when you have had an injury because the inflammatory response creates a lot of waste matter in your body. Your body does it anyway but this speeds things up,” she said.

For some people, hyperbaric chamber therapy might not be the best option.

“People who have had problems with their ears, that can be an issue. Or if they’ve had a lung collapse,” she said.

For the first-time user, lying in a hyperbaric chamber might be intimidating as it is a sealed compartment. But the user has command over the equipment.

“People actually have control inside the chamber. They can increase or decrease the pressure or they can switch it off,” she said.

The therapy worked to increase resistance to infection and toxins in the body.

“It’s increasing the natural killer T-cells, part of your immune system, and it’s increasing your white blood cell production,” she said.

The therapy was especially beneficial for speeding up recovery for high-performance athletes, she said.

The Mayo Clinic, a leading North American medical research facility, supports Ms Hamill’s claims by stating that the treatment “stimulates the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing”.

When it comes to healing, there is more than one tool in Ms Hamill’s shed.

“Not only do I have the chamber, I also have electro-magnetic pulse therapy. What this is doing is bumping up that healing,” she said.

“It’s actually a mat that you simply lie on.”

The use of electro-magnetic pulse therapy dates back to the late 1800s when John Kellogg used the technique at his Battle Creek sanitarium in Michigan.

“It’s very safe, it’s been around for a long time,” Ms Hamill said.

She explained the therapy worked by balancing the body’s natural electrical charge.

“All of our cells have a charge and what this therapy is doing is increasing the voltage, trying to get it back to normal.”

mark.rieder@whakatanebeacon.co.nz