The View From Opoutere
Useful information about the Opoutere area brought to you by the Opoutere Ratepayers and Residents Association.
First Dunes Planting Day THIS SATURDAY!
REWILD OPOUTERE…
this time it’s ON!
FIRST DUNES PLANTING SESSION – Come and help to plant the future on Saturday August 2nd
With a more encouraging forecast for this weekend the planting team are raring to go! The plants are in situ and all we need are keen volunteers to get them in the ground. It will be a wonderful thing to be a part of – bring the kids, but please leave your kuri at home (dogs are not permitted on the spit as it is a wildlife reserve).
When: Saturday August 2nd 9.30am-12.30pm. Light lunch at Wharekawa Lodge (the old YHA) after the planting. *Please note the venue change from the hall as advertised on the flyer below.
Where: meet at the sand ladder that crosses the spit from estuary to ocean beach.
Follow the red flagging tape and signs from the Waiponga Reserve carpark to the planting site.
Thanks to all who offered to help last time – extra special thanks to those who put their hands up again. We would love any donations of baking if you aren’t able to help with planting but would still like to contribute.
SECOND DUNES PLANTING SESSION…
Wait – there’s more! There are more plants coming and we need the community to help us complete this year’s planting in the Wharekawa Spit dunes.
If you are not able to attend on Saturday the 2nd or you just love getting amongst it and want to do more planting, we have good news for you.
Join the gang – same place, same time, different day.
When: Saturday August 23 9.30-12.30. Light lunch at Wharekawa Lodge following the planting.
Where: meet at the sand ladder that crosses the spit from estuary to ocean beach.
Follow the red flagging tape and signs from the Waiponga Reserve carpark to the planting site.
REWILDING OPOUTERE!
| This winter your help is needed to plant several thousand small native shrubs and trees to rewild the Opoutere Beach Reserve. |
This is the start of a plan to repopulate the beach reserve with natives, as envisioned by the Opoutere/Ohui community under the CCC agreement. DOC has given Ngāti Tara Tokanui a grant to organise planting of two areas of the reserve with community involvement. The area at the northern end will include shrubs and trees, and over time the birds will distribute seeds through the pines. Future generations will benefit from our efforts to preserve this special place. Three planting days are planned to make this regenerated vision of the beach forest a reality. Please put these dates in your diary and round up the family for a fun day planting the future! Planting day #1: Saturday June 21 Matariki w/end 9.30am-12noon Ohui end of the beach, Wahitapu cave Planting day #2: Saturday July 12 time tbc Spit end of the reserve (hot food at the hall after!) rain day July 19 Planting day #3: Saturday August 2 time tbc Spit end of the reserve (more hot food!) PLANTING DAY #1 Saturday June 21 9.30am-12noon Where: The grassed area of the Beach Forest Reserve near the cave in front of Ohui Lodge (formerly Prana) see map. Follow the track through the pines or from the beach and look for red tape to show the way to the meeting place. There is NO VEHICLE ACCESS to the site but there is limited parking available at a nearby address. PLEASE RSVP TO restoreopoutere@gmail.com FOR PARKING DETAILS. From the parking area the planting is a relaxed 500m walk north along the forest track – look for signs and red flagging tape! |
What to bring: gloves, trowels, something to kneel on
Can’t make it? How about donating some baking to feed the troops? We would love your help to make and distribute some food on the day.
TO RSVP (or offers of delicious baking) please get in touch with Louise Furey and Ngāti Tara Tokanui Trust at restoreopoutere@gmail.com
Happy New Year, Ōpoutere!
It was wonderful to see today’s news that long-term Ōpoutere resident Peter Skelton has been named a knight companion in the New Year 2025 Honours list.
From the New Zealand Herald – “Sir Peter Skelton, a former long-time Environment Court judge and later Environment Canterbury commissioner during the devastating earthquakes last decade, was surprised to hear of his knighthood, although there’d been “inklings”.
Skelton, an honorary professor, also spent several happy years teaching at Lincoln University where the students’ “inquiring minds…kept me up to scratch”.
Most recently the 85-year-old was the inaugural Chief Freshwater Commissioner, retiring last year.
While he received the accolades, they wouldn’t have come without the efforts of many, Skelton said.
“There were a lot of other people involved, and that was certainly the case with the earthquake recovery.”
The Ōpoutere Ratepayers & Residents Association has enjoyed a decades-long connection with Sir Peter, benefitting from his sage advice and expert opinion on many occasions. We extend heartfelt congratulations to Sir Peter, Lady Kathleen and their family.
PLEASE DON’T BURN OUR HOUSE DOWN! (OR YOUR OWN…)
New Year’s Eve is upon us and you may be planning to get giddy on your neighbour’s chardonnay and then launch some fireworks into the night. But, beware! Even though there might be some passing showers the fire risk to our precious community is extremely high at the moment, especially with strong winds in the forecast. Tonight there will be fire fighters patrolling the village and beach, their finely tuned senses will pick up the sizzle of a fuse on a pahū ahi and the response will be swift and direct!
If you are concerned that fireworks are being lit please contact Fire Chief Jo Adams immediately on 0274493034.
REMINDERS:
New Year’s Eve party and housewarming 8.30pm at 19 Ngahere Terrace
Ōpoutere Ratepayers & Residents Annual General Meeting Thursday January 2 at 9.30am in the Ōpoutere Community Hall
Ōpoutere Regatta Saturday January 4 at 11.30am in Bruce’s Bay, with prizegiving in the Michael King Reserve at 5.30pm, BYO picnic.
Opoutere Summer Round Up
The Ōpoutere Ratepayers & Residents Association (ORRA) extends the warmest seasonal wishes to the whole community – bring on a wonderful summer and a happy 2025 for us all!
It has been a good year for the ORRA team – mangrove working bees and our usual trapping beat have kept us busy (and grubby). We have purchased another five of the highly effective AT220 resetting traps for use on private land around the village. They are designed and made in Aotearoa and have proven to be very appealing to rats and possums. The traps cost $565 each and we are grateful to the Department of Conservation for funding to purchase them. Alongside the resetting traps we are also replacing old stoat and rat traps that have been battered by the elements on the beach – again thanks to DOC for funding to keep this equipment safe and effective. Further funds have been used for non-toxic lures to make our traps more interesting to our target species (looking at you rats, mustelids, mice and hedgehogs). To date we have taken 1140 mammalian predators out of the environment!
If you are one of our backyard trappers don’t hesitate to get in touch at opouteretrapping1@gmail.com if you need a replacement snap trap on your property – we still have a few left that were purchased with funding from the Whangamatā Community Board.
Trapping volunteers are needed! Please email chair@orra.org.nz if you’d like to join our merry band of trap checkers. It’s wonderful exercise and so satisfying when you find an exterminated varmint in a trap – we provide gear, training and company for anyone who is keen.
Mangrove seedling control: ORRA collaborated with the Wharekawa Catchment Care Group to hold the line against this year’s onslaught of mangrove seedlings. Through a series of WRC-consented winter working bees the thick carpet of green seedlings has visibly thinned. Thanks to everyone who did their bit to keep the waterways open and to preserve the native grass and sedge habitats that are home to precious birdlife. We networked with the Whangamata Harbour Care group and shared tools with them as well as enjoying their company out on the mudflats. Thanks to Waikato Regional Council for supplying new tools and to all our working bee attendees – see you next autumn!
ORRA AGM
The Ōpoutere Ratepayers & Residents will hold their Annual General Meeting at 9.30am Thursday 2nd January 2025 in the Opoutere Community Hall. The agenda has been mailed out to all ORRA members and will be posted on the noticeboard.
Treasurer Needed
Our current treasurer, Galina Hayes, is stepping down. We thank her for her work and would like to invite another keen person to join the ORRA committee in this role. It’s not an onerous job and there is plenty of institutional knowledge on the committee to provide support – please contact us on chair@orra.org.nz if you have any questions.
Ōpoutere Regatta
The annual regatta will be held this summer on Saturday January 4 at 11.30am, with prizegiving in the Michael King Reserve at 5.30pm, BYO picnic.
It’s a great day for the whole community to gather in Bruce’s Bay for the little kids’ bucket race then the swimming and kayak races for all age groups. The competition gets fierce during the infamous (and brutally physical) family kayak relay. Thanks to the regatta team for keeping this lovely tradition going.
New Year, New House – Let’s Party!
The most talked-about house in Ōpoutere is finally finished! (I am sure we’ve all done the drive-by). Gavin and Shan are inviting you all to view the works and celebrate their new house at 19 Ngāhere Terrace for a New Year’s Eve Party. They are very thankful for everyone’s patience during their works and want to share their new views with the community.
Come along from 8.30pm, BYO – though they ask no stilettos (or ice skates, hobnail boots or golf shoes!) on account of the lovely new floors. We look forward to seeing you all there.
Fire Risk
It’s shaping up to be a very dry summer – farmers have reported extremely low moisture levels in the soil and that is concerning the local fire fighters. Onemana Fire Chief Jo Adams heads up a team of dedicated volunteer fire fighters who are fully-trained first responders. To back-up this local support Ōpoutere is developing a Community Response plan in conjunction with FENZ (Fire & Emergency NZ) and TCDC, but the best protection we have is prevention.
It’s critically important to be careful with fire at this time of the year – Ōpoutere is surrounded by forest, has one road in and out and has poor cellular service throughout much of the village, beach and Ohui areas.
We are vulnerable to a catastrophic fire event and the danger to human life is high.
If you are in any doubt about fire safety or permits, visit the Check It’s Alright website https://www.checkitsalright.nz/
For any emergencies call 111 immediately, then call local Fire Chief Jo Adams on 0274493034. Put his number in your phone and don’t hesitate to call him in an emergency – his team are ready to respond to any situation where human life is at risk.
DOC trapline in the forest reserve
Te Papa Atawhai/Department of Conservation have recently established an impressive network of traplines criss-crossing the forest reserve south of the beach access track. The traps have had an immediate impact on the many rats, possums and feral cats that were breeding in the closed-off area of the forest. Providing a last line of defence for the precious ground-nesting birds in the Wharekawa Wildlife Reserve (on the spit) the DOC trapline complements the good work being done by ORRA’s two traplines in the forest to the north of the spit area. ORRA volunteers assist with checking the traps and have regular contact with the DOC field team who are keen young people with good knees and boundless energy! We have high hopes for a good nesting season on the spit with this extra protection.
Dotterel/tuturiwhatu Watch
During the peak summer holiday period volunteers help out on the Wharekawa Harbour spit at low tide – the crucial feeding time for nesting birds. The inside of the spit is roped off to allow the birds to feed and also to teach their chicks the same skill. The volunteers are an important backstop at the busiest time of the holiday break when visitors to the area may not be aware of this restriction. It’s an easy couple of hours sitting by the boardwalk over the spit, chatting with lovely people and watching the dotterel and oystercatcher/tōreapango chicks darting about. A roster will be posted on the noticeboard by the 25km bend in the village and there is an official t-shirt to wear while on duty – please help out!
Have a look at this lovely video from Mark Samson to see what you’ll be helping to protect.
DOC Pest Control Hui at the Hall
In December the DOC Hauraki Community team organised a ‘community group networking hui’ at the Ōpoutere Hall. Members of ORRA and the WCCG were among the 50 people from various Hauraki volunteer community groups and dotterel minders who came together to share ideas and inspiration.
Ken from DOC’s biodiversity team spoke about the online trapping tool TrapNZ and community rangers brought out the kauri virtual reality goggles. Guest speaker Lynn Miller from Wildways NZ held a session on wildlife rehabilitation including awareness on the Avian bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1). Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to network with each other and DOC rangers – overall, a successful day!
Thanks to all who attended and ngā mihi to volunteers around the Coromandel for their dedication towards conservation!
Michael King Reserve Bench
“In the rise of mist from the estuary and the fall of rain, in the movements of the incoming and outgoing tides, I see a reflection of the deepest mystery and most sustaining pattern in all of life…that of arrival and departure, of death and regeneration” – Michael King
2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the untimely death of New Zealand historian and Opoutere resident Michael King and his wife Maria Jungowska. He had lived in Opoutere for ten years and wrote The Penguin History of New Zealand from his house overlooking the Wharekawa Estuary.
The Michael King Reserve’s spectacular view is usually best enjoyed from the macrocarpa bench installed by ORRA beside the Barry Brickell clay sculpture dedicated to Michael and Maria. However, the bench was showing its age and has been sent away for repair – at the same time the garden area has had a “glow-up” in the form of some new mulch and a bit of weeding. Thanks to everyone involved but especially Peter Le Heron and Angela Peters for masterminding this very thoughtful tidy-up of a special place.
Dog Rules/Opoutere Beach Dog Restrictions
Refresh your memory of the district-wide dog rules here and remember that there are NO DOGS permitted south of the yellow benches on Opoutere Beach, look for signage. North of this entrance (towards Ohui) dogs must be on-lead at all times. Please consider the nesting birds on the beach and keep your dogs well away from any fenced-off nesting areas.
The TCDC bylaw outlines location-specific rules for dogs – go to Schedule 1 for the Whangamatā Community Board Area restrictions. Don’t worry, it’s not all fun-police finger-wagging – your canine buddy is free to run in the pine forest reserve (away from the beach and sand dunes) north of the yellow benches as long as they are under your control. It’s great way to exercise your dog in the heat of the day as well as letting the birds on the beach hatch their chicks in peace.
Summer Rubbish Collections
Peak Summer Collection days start on December 26 when ALL bins can go out together. All bins will be collected on Tuesdays plus an extra day each week for recycling only (glass and yellow topped bin)- visit the Thames Coromandel District Council website for the complete summer collection timetable, more information on what can go in each bin and the locations of local transfer stations.
WCCG Working Bee
The Wharekawa Catchment Care Group continue their hard work in the Kapakapa wetland area and are holding a weed control session after Christmas.
Saturday 28 December 10am, meet at the big puriri tree up the forestry track by the wetlands, bring gloves and gardening tools.
With a final wish for wonderful times with whānau and friends – even in the face of a slightly damp Christmas forecast – MERI KIRIHIMETE!
Ka kite ano, arohanui!
Ōp-HoHoHo-outere Christmas News
Of Bridges, Blossoms and Bus Shelters …
Bringing extra joy to our Christmas season this year is the sparkling new bridge at the top of State Highway 25a (the Kopu-Hikuai). Speed restrictions are in place, but due to many areas of new seal there’s been a few broken and chipped windscreens reported – so make sure you keep an eye on your speed to lessen the risk to your fellow motorists.
You’ll barely recover from the sheer ecstasy of driving over the new bridge and then you’ll be hit with the brilliance of this year’s pohutukawa blossom. If you think the flower display is bigger and brighter this year – you’re correct! This is a “mast seeding” event caused by heavy rainfall and warm temperatures – the trees will flower profusely and then produce a vast amount of seeds. The bats, birds and bees are loving it!
This year we said goodbye to the iconic Opoutere bus shelter. A complaint from a member of the public attracted the attention of the Council who deemed the structure illegal and removed it. A few local heroes stepped up – an ORRA-lead design team was assembled and the Council were positively engaged to provide funding. Some master craftsmanship was performed by Marty Kingsford and Grant Stuart, a new noticeboard was built by Mike Broome and Chips Jones created an artwork from weatherboards salvaged from the old bus shelter. Thanks to all involved for this smart and useful addition to the village.
Staying Safe In Opoutere This Summer
FIRE RISK
There is always concern over wildfires during summer and this year is forecast to be even hotter and dryer than normal. Onemana Fire Chief, Jo Adams, held an information session in the Ōpoutere Hall in November to share grave concerns about the risk to life and property if there was to be a fire in our area. His primary message was to be prepared – to keep trees and plants clear of houses and to have an evacuation plan for each household. One of his greatest fears is a fire starting from an appliance/ tool battery – never leave a battery charging unattended.
A great source of fire safety information is on the Fire and Emergency NZ “Protecting Your Property” page.
IN CASE OF FIRE – CALL 111. Then call Jo Adams on 0274493034, he and his team are minutes away and can provide other emergency crews with local knowledge.
SURF DANGER
In early 2023 a tragedy unfolded on Opoutere Beach. Rough surf following a cyclone event caused an entire family to be caught in a dangerous rip, resulting in the loss of two precious lives and the hospitalisation of two other people.
There are now a couple of donated surf-skis and lifebelts along the beach to help rescue people who are in trouble – but the beach remains unpatrolled and requires extreme caution at all times.
IN CASE OF A WATER EMERGENCY – CALL 111. Then call Jo Adams on 0274493034, he and his team are minutes away and can provide other emergency crews with local knowledge.
OPOUTERE HAS A DEFIBRILLATOR/AED UNIT
Mounted on the front downstairs wall of 299 Opoutere Road (“Heron’s Hide”) is a fully automated, user-friendly defibrillator unit. Always call 111 before heading for the defibrillator. For more information on defibrillators check out the Hato Hone St John website.
Many thanks to Peter le Heron and Angela Peters for providing a home for this vital piece of safety equipment.
Dates for the Diary
ORRA AGM
9.30am Tuesday January 2 2024 The Opoutere Ratepayers & Residents Association is holding its AGM at the Opoutere Hall (note change of venue this year!).
WORLD FAMOUS OPOUTERE REGATTA
1pm Wednesday January 3 Come to Bruce’s Bay for the bucket races for the kiddies and stay for the swimming and kayaking events. The day culminates in an all-out brawl when the family kayak relays take place and all manner of bad behaviour and outright cheating is normal. There’s a BYO picnic and prize giving in the Michael King Reserve shortly afterwards. *Keep your eyes peeled for notices closer to date, as times may change.
Start practising your swimming, kayaking and cheating now!
SUMMER RUBBISH COLLECTION SCHEDULE
Extra summer rubbish pick-ups start on Wednesday December 27. All the info you need to be on top of your recycling and rubbish needs is here on the TCDC website. This information is specific to Ōpoutere, Onemana and Whangamatā North. Don’t forget to stock up on the tags for the red-lidded bins!
KAPAKAPA WETLAND RESTORATION SITE WORKING BEE
10am-11am Saturday January 6th 2024 All welcome to help the Wharekawa Catchment Care Group to control weeds around recent planting.
Meet at the big puriri tree on the west side of the Kapakapa causeway with gloves, spades, clippers. Rain date 14th Jan 10am.
Nesting Birds, Dogs and People
Sadly, these three things don’t go together well.
Please obey all TCDC and DOC signage relating to dogs near and on the beach, especially at this very important time for our nesting shore birds. The dotterels and variable oyster catchers are good parents but don’t stand a chance against marauding dogs and careless humans. The Wharekawa Spit is a gazetted Wildlife Refuge and is the only place that our avian whānau have protected access to low-tide feeding grounds. The estuary side of the spit is roped off and is off-limits to everyone except DOC officers and their designated volunteers. During the busy holiday period around Christmas and New Year there will be Dotterel Watch helpers at low-tide to protect this feeding area.
Join the Dotterel Watch team this summer – put your name on the roster on the spiffing new noticeboard (replacing the bus shelter) and lend a hand for an hour or two.
Wharekawa Catchment Care Group membership form.
Join the WCCG today and help protect Opoutere’s vital waterways.
COMMUNITY MEETING
FIRE DANGER
IMPORTANT MEETING TO PREPARE FOR THE FIRE RISK THIS SUMMER
OPOUTERE COMMUNITY HALL
SUNDAY OCTOBER 22
2PM – 3PM
DISCUSSION TO BE LEAD BY JOE ADAMS, ONEMANA RURAL FIRE FORCE
ANY QUESTIONS CALL JOE 0274493034
Spring Update
Fire Danger Warning
Your Fire Chief would like a word…
Last week a fire was lit in the base of an old pohutukawa tree on the side of the estuary. Thankfully, the Onemana Fire volunteers were able to put the blaze out, but the fire had the potential to spread to nearby houses. It remains to be seen if the grand old tree will survive the event.
With recent fires in Twizel and Lake Ōhau in mind Fire Chief Jo Adams has a message for all of us – please clear any scrub, weeds and trees that are near your homes. There’s been a lot of growth this year and a dry summer has been forecast, unfortunately a bad combination that elevates the fire risk.
As recommended by Fire & Emergency New Zealand on their website http://www.fireandemergency.nz :
- Prune tree branches to a height of 2 meters or more so ground fire can’t ignite them
- Remove all trees, long grass, shrubs and logs branches, twigs and needles within 10 meters of your house, as they are fuel for fire
The fire crew have noticed several properties in Opoutere with overgrown gardens and trees right up against houses. If you have any questions about this warning Jo Adams is happy to chat with you – call him on 0274493034
Please be vigilant this summer around the village, in the forest and along the beach – if you see something, say something. As Jo said about the recent fire at Opoutere “That tree didn’t light itself”.
Any sign of fire call 111 and Jo Adams (0274493034) straight away, we recommend that everyone has Jo’s mobile number in their phone.
Opoutere Community Hall Society AGM
This Saturday Sept 30th 1pm the new hall society is holding its AGM, please come along if you are interested in the future of the lovely Opoutere Hall. A lot of repair work has been done on the building by the new committee and it will be a good chance to hear what the plans are for the future. All financial members of the hall society are able to vote on matters at the AGM.
See you there!
Bad News For Rats!
It’s that time of year when rats’ thoughts turn to warm, cosy places to nest – that means your garage or, even worse, your house!
Predator Free Opoutere has a backyard rat trapping program that is providing traps to Opoutere Ratepayers & Residents members. The Whangamata Community Board has kindly donated funding for materials that volunteers have made into rat traps – these are safe for pets and perfect for backyard trapping.
Our last lot of traps disappeared very quickly so don’t muck around – if you would like a rat trap for your property see Victoria or Daniel at 305 Opoutere Road and we can set you up with the tunnel, a trap and some delicious lure to tempt your neighbourhood rats to their doom.
While we are talking rats – would you like to get involved with our other trapping activities? We have 40 traps in the beach reserve that are regularly checked, cleaned and baited with non-toxic lures like peanut butter and eggs. If you like the occasional walk in the forest and don’t mind an expired pest then email the team at opouteretrapping1@gmail.com. You can do as little or as much as you can manage and we will provide training and all the safety gear required to do the job (we don’t use any poisons and our traps are all NAWAC approved and humane). We would love to expand our team and welcome some new trappers into our mammalian correction unit!
The birds will love you for it.
The View From Opoutere 