2 August 2024, Rangitoto Observer by Devonport Flagstaff

Veteran marks daughter in prems netball clash... p3

Alarm raised over Hurstmere Rd safety... p4

Sacred Grove clean-up finally happening... p7 Issue 134 – August 2, 2024

Waitress left shaken after near-miss in Takapuna

A waitress at a Takapuna restaurant has told the Observer of her shock after narrowly avoiding being hit by a car which lost control and mounted the footpath.

Karen Edde (29) was taking a break outside Botticelli restaurant on Anzac St, at 10.43pm on 29 May when she saw a car

speeding towards her. She ducked back into the restaurant, narrowly avoiding being struck by the vehicle, which witnesses said was a BMW.

“I’m lucky the door was open,” she said. Police say she is lucky to be alive.

A 19-year-old has since appeared in the

North Shore District Court in relation to the incident, charged with dangerous driving. He was remanded to appear again this week, when he was expected to enter a plea.

Edde said the incident was “very very scary”.

To page 4

Winter festival spreads wings

Angelic moment... A trip from Taiwan to stay with friends in Takapuna provided a heavenly holiday snapshot for Tseng Wan Chun and Tseng Yi Han at the Winter Lights Festival last weekend. More pictures, pages 8-9.

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AT replaces slippery yellow-dot surfaces around Takapuna centre

Work to replace hazardous yellow-dot tactile surfaces on Takapuna town-centre footpaths has finally been completed. This include resurfacing on the corner of Campbells Rd and Anzac St where a resident slipped and broke their leg in three places in 2022, one of three known serious incidents there.

Auckland Transport (AT) said the bulk of its recent work was done on Lake Rd, in conjunction with a bus-station shelter upgrade which began in June.

The tactile component of the project cost just under $125,000, it said.

The lookalike replacements for the yellow plastic dots are slightly more raised and textured, to be less of a slip risk when wet.

found to degrade in sunlight over time.

New tactile surfaces have also been installed outside the Toka Puia car park. Sites in Hauraki were upgraded first, at a cost of $50,000.

These included the Lake Rd corners of Hart Rd, Harley Rd and Cameron St. The corner with Rewiti Ave was yet to be done, AT told the Observer last week, but it was on a high-priority list.

MP for North Shore northshore@parliament.govt.nz simonwattsmp

The previous version of the dots – installed to assist the visually impaired – were

Lobbying to replace the surfaces has been ongoing for around five years, with a series of slip incidents reported across Auckland. But AT said budget limitations meant replacement work had to be staged. AT did not provide a requested figure for city-wide replacement surfaces, but previously said each site costs around $15,000 to resurface.

Authorised by Hon Simon Watts, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

Popular veteran’s mid-court grit runs in the family

Netball can these days be a mother-and-daughter tussle for Shore Rovers veteran Lisa Foster, who has clocked up a remarkable 30-odd years in the North Harbour premier grade.

The 47-year-old Milford resident, who has played 100 top-level games for Rovers and even more before that for the Commodores club, has in recent years played alongside her daughters Tayla and Charli.

Turning out for the Rovers 2 team in the top grade, she last month had the job of marking Charli, who was playing for Rovers 1, having just returned from duty with the Northern Marvels in the National Netball League (NNL).

Lisa is a popular personality at Netball North Harbour’s Barfoot & Thompson arena, where she has been a regular since her teens, only taking breaks from top grade for the births of her three children.

She first joined Commodores as a senior high-school student. Then, during her 13 years with Rovers, the area’s biggest club, she has both captained and coached Rovers 1.

“Quite a lot of people here have known Mum through netball,” says Charli. “They say you look exactly like your mum.”

Comparisons are also made with Tayla, who like Charli and Lisa played for Shore Rovers 1 and North Harbour representative sides, but now lives in Australia.

“I hope I play like mum,” says 21-year-old Charli. “We definitely have similar mindsets through sport – we’re very driven and like to be in control.”

All three Foster women are gritty mid-courters – the playmakers who do the most running in the game – making Lisa’s longevity all the more notable.

The daily gym-goer and relief daycare teacher says she has been lucky to have had only one serious injury in her time in the sport. “As long as I can play and it’s not to the detriment of the team, I’ll keep playing,” she says.

Charli says her step up to NNL – a feeder competition to the ANZ championship – was exciting and challenging, in both training and travelling around the country to play. “You have to turn up mentally,” she says. Play was “a lot more physical”.

Tayla, who is seven years older, made the Marvels herself in 2018 and 2019, but is not playing netball currently, having had a second baby.

When Lisa was a young stay-at-home mother, she found netball was a great way to get out of the house. “I’ve always used netball as my outlet. I’d have my hour or two away and I never stopped.”

She still loves getting together with teammates each week and letting off steam.

After all her years in action, “my body knows what to do,” she says.

But the odd calf niggle this season means

for the first time she is less driven to be on court for the whole 60 minutes. “I don’t think I’ll play for ever,” she concedes.

She will continue her own “fitness journey”, however, with workouts, dog walks and supporting Charli’s progress.

“I hear your voice wherever you are in the stadium,” her daughter says with a laugh.

The family’s sporting focus is not limited to netball. All, including Lisa’s husband Joel and son Caleb, 24, have played touch for North Harbour. Joel is a national touch coach and Charli played for the Open New Zealand side against Australia in 2023.

Netball has now taken precedence for Charli, however. Growing up the two sports were complementary, but having made the Marvels on her third attempt, she says: “This year was a novice season and next year I’d like to cement myself.”

Going through Westlake Girls High School, Charli was a Year 11 member of the netball side that made the national secondary schools final in 2018.

She was later picked for the New Zealand Secondary Schools development camp, but no national team played in 2020, her last year at school, because of Covid. “That year has gone right out of my mind,” she says.

Now a first-year accountant after studying at Auckland University of Technology, Charli has gained resilience over the years.

Not getting picked for Rovers 1 at her first trial in the lost 2020 year – when Lisa last coached the side – was part of that process.

She won selection the following year (having previously turned out for Rovers 2) and has had three years with the team, playing alongside a former Westlake and New Zealand touch team-mate, Ellie Minton.

Charli says she probably plays a little more riskily than her mother, who controls tempo and reads the game particularly well.

Both play mainly at centre or wing attack. Lisa says Charli is a real “out there” third child, but adds: “I can remember being an emotional player when I was younger.”

They have learned to navigate the mother-daughter sporting relationship carefully.

When Charli first started playing premier grade – which Lisa says “isn’t always nice” – she kept a protective eye on the opposition targeting the youngster.

“Wing attacks cop it,” she says. But she says she has also been “very hard” on her daughters at times, because she had the confidence they could cope.

Charli’s take: “As much as I got smashed, I was figuring it out on the court.”

In advice for other sporting parents, Lisa says over the years she has avoided talking sport too much on the after-match car ride or at home. Sometimes, she knew her kids just needed space.

Charli says: “I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing when to have convos with my mum as my coach or Mum as my mum.”

Netball is definitely the sport they most enjoy. “It’s always just been the way of my life. I just love it,” Charli says.

Family time... Milford residents Lisa and Charli Foster both play in Netball North Harbour’s Premier 1 club competition, in Shore Rovers two top teams

Briefs

Amaia lights upgraded

Auckland Transport is installing sensors for the Esmonde Rd traffic lights near the Amaia development, where stoppages for “ghost cars” have maddened motorists for months. Takapuna Beach Business Association chair Terence Harpur has been lobbying AT to end the holdups, which he says were caused by lights being on an auto-set schedule, with red lights on Esmonde Rd, even when no traffic needed to turn into or out of the site.

Battery disposal offered

Residents can drop off old batteries for responsible recycling at an Eco Pop-Up at the Takapuna Library foyer on Monday 5 August, from 10am to 2pm. The free service has been organised by Pupuke Birdsong Project.

Board tops questions list

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members sought answers from council staff during June at twice the rate of any other of Auckland’s 21 local boards. The DTLB lodged 56 elected member requests during the month. The Rodney board was next with 26 requests, followed by Albert-Eden with 24. Six boards filed fewer than 10 queries.

Burnouts seen before lucky escape

From page 1

She said she struggled to breathe and was shaking afterwards, as if she was having a panic attack. She had to be calmed down by customers and other staff at the restaurant. “It was horrible.”

The driver fled from the area without stopping his vehicle.

Edde, who has been working at the restaurant for five years, said she didn’t see what happened before the near-miss, but customers told her the driver was doing burnouts moments before. Witnesses who work at the nearby Takapuna Bar told the Observer the vehicle was driven up Anzac St from the beach-end roundabout.

Security-camera footage from both the bar and Botticelli’s was provided to police.

Edde said she had to take a couple of days off work to recover from the incident. She had tried to return the following day but suffered badly from anxiety being back at where it happened

“It is probably by sheer luck that we were not investigating a fatality because of this idiotic behaviour,” Police Sergeant Christopher Lindsay said last week.

“The public should be able to feel safe on our roads, free from preventable incidents such as this,” he said. “When this sort of illegal behaviour happens on the road, those drivers not only put other motorists and members of the community in danger, they also put themselves at risk.”

The alleged offender appeared in court on 25 July. He was given name suppression until his next appearance.

Brass prodigy blows hot for national title and Carnegie concert

Nine-year-old Sunnynook trumpet player

Celine Wu has had a series of successes recently, being crowned a national champion and playing a world-famous American concert hall.

The Sunnynook Primary School pupil, who has only been playing trumpet for two years, won the under-15 cornet championship at the New Zealand Brass Band Championships last month.

She won the same award last year and has played the ‘Last Post’ at the last two Devonport Anzac Day parades.

In April, she played at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The opportunity to play at the famous venue resulted from Celine’s entry in an American woodwinds and brass competition, for which she had to submit a

video of a performance.

She earned the judges’ distinction award and an invitation to play at the hall.

When performance day arrived, she was unfazed by the legendary surroundings.

She says she hasn’t really been nervous other than the first time she played the ‘Last Post’, which was the first piece of music she had to memorise.

Celine and her mother, Lisa Wu, both play in bands at North Shore Brass, Celine in the youth band and Lisa in the community band.

Celine started by picking up a second-hand trumpet Lisa had at home.

“The second day she picked up the trumpet she could play simple songs,” Lisa said.

Trombone player Lisa tried to get her daughter lessons, but teacher Mark Close

Do you need help with your ears after hours? Teresa Burns Hearing are now offering late night Wednesday appointments until 7pm. Book in for a hearing test, hearing aid help, wax removal, or tinnitus consult and see the most experienced team on the shore. Hear Every Time. Now Open Late Wednesdays.

initially refused, saying Celine was too young.

“One day I had my trombone lesson here (at the North Shore Brass hall) and she just picked up the trumpet and played in front of my teacher, and after she played a few notes he stood up. “He was so surprised.”

Celine rehearses up to four hours a day. Her other interests include cooking, drawing or making models out of clay. “I cook along with YouTube videos and then let my mum eat. I like to see her eating happily.”

The Wus have been living in Sunnynook for three years and New Zealand for the past five after immigrating from Thailand.

Celine said she’d like to become a soloist or trumpet teacher in the future. • Band’s other individual winners, page 15.

Bold as brass... Sunnynook nine-year-old Celine Wu with her mother, Lisa, and (right) on stage at Carnegie Hall, New York City

Winter warmers

Isn’t winter delicious? We just love hunkering down in a warm restaurant, so we’ve hunted out eight top Takapuna spots for eating hearty and watching the raindrops run down the windows.

Dinner and dessert at REGATTA BAR & EATERY

You can’t beat a sea view at any time of year, especially when you can dine on something delectable. With panoramic glass to see the weather (and heaters to stop you feeling it), Regatta is the perfect spot to hunker down. We’re opting for the beef short rib with tasty parmesan polenta and eggplant relish and rounding it out with the indulgent baked Belgian chocolate custard.

Southeast Asian delights at TOK TOK

Been a minute since your last trip to Bali? We’re dreaming of that day-and-night heat right now. Head to Tok Tok Takapuna and get a delicious meal with a side of nostalgia for the spice of Southeast Asia. Get into a roast duck with hot ‘n’ sour dressing, or a delightful crispy hapuka dry red curry.

Heartwarming gnocchi at AL FORNO ITALIAN RESTAURANT

Chilled to the bone? Gnocchi is the answer – and Al Forno is where it’s at for authentic, hand-crafted gnocchi. With leek, gorgonzola and walnuts all in a creamy white sauce, potato has never been so glamorous. From the Italian wine selection, the Phiagia is just the thing for a long evening indoors.

Ramen from AJISEN RAMEN

Nothing says comfort like eating a hot bowl of ramen noodles and slurping up piping hot broth. Topped off with pork, mushrooms and a delicious egg, Ajisen Takapuna’s signature ramen with pork-bone broth warms up your insides a treat.

Feel the heat: Barbecue at EL HUMERO

Sit at the bar to watch – and feel – the action as the El Humero chefs expertly grill over a glowing bed of charcoals. Try the classic Colombian punta de anca – a lean, flavourful steak barbecued to perfection. Or order up a tomahawk – 900 grams of marinated rib eye on the bone, grilled to your taste. You can always tell yourself you’ll share it, right?

Miso and donburi : DODO SUSHI & DONBURI

Miso soup is just the very essence of satisfying on a cool day. Get your dose of warm, umami goodness at DoDo Sushi & Donburi, along with a delicious donburi or Korean-style bibimbap. Tasty and, as a bonus, really well priced too

Soul food and stout at ELEPHANT

WRESTLER

Daylight savings has stolen our evening sun once again, so what to do after work? Collar a colleague, call in at the Elephant Wrestler, order yourself some soul food and pair it off with a nice stout. We’re eying the warm caramelised onion ciabatta loaf with some southern fried buttermilk chicken – or maybe the beef brisket pizza? And we might just top it all off with a assiduously autumnal apple pie waffle.

Biryani and spiced chai from KARAM EATERY & BAR

Curry it up at Karam Eatery & Bar. India has just the perfect cuisine for rainy days. Our move? Hog a whole lamb biryani, along with as many spiced chais as we can handle.

Find more Auckland food inspiration

Still searching for a meal that hits hot and hearty? Check out all our lovely Takapuna eateries in the handy I Love Takapuna directory at ilovetakapuna.co.nz Happy eating!

Ajisen Ramen Elephant Wrestler

Clean-up finally scheduled for litter-strewn Sacred Grove

A clean-up of rubbish in Te Uru Tapu / Sacred Grove at the northern end of Takapuna Beach is set to begin this month.

This follows the appointment of a contractor by Auckland Council for work to be done within the fenced-off pōhutukawa grove.

The grove was described as being in a “heartbreaking state” by chair Toni van Tonder in June, when the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board decided it should remain closed to the public and have its boardwalk removed.

The clean-up of dumped rubbish, including bottles and cans, is the first stage of an ecological-enhancement plan adopted for the area.

Council area operations manager Sarah Jones said the work would likely start in August and take less than two weeks. Trees would then have dead wood removed.

Council staff would meet arborist contractors on site this week, she said, to scope the pruning.

“All trees that are part of the grove and within public land will be inspected and have major deadwood removed,” Jones said.

Signage would be installed at and near the site to let the community know what was going before the plan got under way, she said.

The board would also communicate through social media.

The future of the grove has been at issue for a number of years, with many in the community wanting the boardwalk retained for easy high-tide access along the beach. Arborists and mana whenua wanted the site kept closed to preserve the integrity of the old trees.

Apartment residents above the grove have criticised the council for neglect of the grove and inaction over the health of the trees, a number of which are propped or chained up.

Jones said the council wanted to work in partnership with the board and mana

whenua to protect what was a wahi tapu site. Planting and pest control is envisaged.

“We also plan to talk to some of the local volunteer groups and local residents who want to be involved in the project, about what they might be able to help with. We plan to communicate with them about this by the end of September, after weed removal has started.”

A tender and procurement process would be followed to engage a contractor to take down the boardwalk.

Jones said council expected to have a contractor confirmed by the end of August, with hopes of work starting soon after, depending on the contractor’s availability.

A resource consent for the dismantling was not required, she said. “This is a permitted activity.”

Engineers and designers would be engaged to assess the feasibility of extending the beach rock wall to protect the roots of two pōhutukawa at the north of the site, Jones said.

Granny flats proposal sparks concern on North Shore

Plans to loosen rules around granny flats have drawn opposition from local politicians and heritage advocates.

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board member Melissa Powell noted ‘minor dwellings’ had been swept into a Sunnynook culvert during the January 2023 floods.

Having worked with migrants in poor housing, she also pointed to issues in dwellings with inadequate ventilation. Such problems underlined the need for standards, she said.

The government is proposing to allow flats up to 60 square metres to be built without needing a building or resource consent.

matter last month, with member George Wood flagging that “Devonport people in the heritage area could have these places plonked on their neighbours’ sections.”

Other board members were less concerned about the moves to cut red tape but all wanted safeguards included in upcoming legislation.

The board gave its views to Auckland Council (ahead of councillors making a submission) supporting the intention of making granny flats easier to build, but expressed concern that without going through council compliance processes, new buildings might fail to meet Building Code standards.

Unconsented dwellings would make it harder for council to keep track of growth

and plan for infrastructure, rubbish and parking. Council would also miss out on development contributions, the board said. Insurance might prove difficult for residents of unconsented dwellings to obtain, it noted.

The board wants Healthy Homes Standards to apply to minor dwellings and for construction to follow the Auckland Unitary Plan. It wants a minimum section size specified.

Devonport Heritage says it is submitting in favour of existing protections to prevent flats being built in front of heritage houses.

Submissions about granny flats can be made to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment until 12 August.

Better work stories... Two guards from Mealamu Security in prime position by some light sails to ensure everyone stayed safe around the sculptures, some musical, that were set up across Waiwharariki Anzac Square

Creation stories... Under the arches leading to Potter’s Park, steam and light and knowledge passed on by Ngati Whatua kaumatua was used to illustrate ancestral accounts of how the local landscape was formed

an accessibility tour organised by Phab and Yes Disability. Phab’s

helped with the tour, which included a treat stop at Duck Island for free ice-cream.

Selfie starter... Terence Harpur, chief executive of festival host the Takapuna Beach Business Association, snaps a group enjoying an early look at the lights on

Lexi Longman (second from left)

Winter Lights brightens spirits in Takapuna

Crisp clear nights for much of the four-day Takapuna Winter Lights Festival helped draw big crowds to the town centre last weekend, with numbers estimated at more than 50,000, up by 5000 on last year. The event’s regionwide popularity caused a motorway tailback to Onewa Rd on Saturday night. In its fourth year, the festival for the first time included a ‘Shine’ tour, allowing early access for those with accessibility issues. Businesses looked to be benefiting from the influx of people, and despite chilly weather the mood was warm.

Sister act... Forrest Hill girls Issy and Mila McElwee got their glow on carrying lighted balloons. Stalls selling illuminated accessories proved popular as darkness fell.

Family outing... Laura and Brendan McNamara with daughters Sienna (6) and Bianca (4) came from Hauraki to check out the action

Electric entertainment... North Shore violinist Hannah Lee lit up for the occasion. Below: Cary Coons and son Ryan explored an interactive light panel on Hurstmere Green

PICTURES: KATHRYN NOBBS

Unfancied Takapuna steps up to run rivals close in

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Former Westlaker carries the flag

Former Westlake Girls High School student

Jo Aleh carried the New Zealand flag at the Olympic Games opening ceremony last week, sharing the honour with cyclist Aaron Gate.

One of the school’s six Olympians in Paris, sailor Aleh won a gold medal in London in 2012 and silver at Rio in 2016 and is this year competing with Molly Meech in the 49er FX. Aleh and fellow Westlake Girls alumni kite-foiler Justina Kitchen and canoeist Tara Vaughan were among athletes who featured in our 19 July round-up of Games competitors.

The three other former students in Paris are:

• Moira Koster, aged 34, who began competing in judo under her maiden name de Villiers and is at her second Olympics, having competed in London in 2012. She has two Commonwealth Games medals – silver from 2014 and bronze from 2022.

• Sailor Greta Pilkington, who is making her Olympic debut. Pilkington has won two national Optimist titles and won the ILCA 6 national championships in 2022. She competes in the ILCA 6 in France.

• CJ Bott is in the Football Ferns for her second Games, having played in 2020 in Tokyo. The 29-year-old, who plays for Leicester City in England, has 42 caps and was a part of the 2015, 2019 and 2023 World Cup Squads.

So close... Takapuna fullback Tseard van der Mei (15) commiserates with former All Blacks prop Karl Tu’inukuafe at the final whistle after falling short in the North Harbour championship final against North Shore. Tu’inukuafe was last week named in the 2024 North Harbour squad, along with clubmates Tristyn Cook, Talimoni Finau, Aisea Halo, Fine Inisi, Lotu Inisi, Shilo Klein, Moses Leo, Sofai Maka and Tamarau McGahan.

tense rugby final

Takapuna almost caused a massive upset in the North Harbour premiership rugby final, losing 20-15 to hot favourites North Shore after dominating possession for much of the second half.

The blue-and-golds had a nail-biting run to the final, with a last-minute try securing a 26-24 semi-final win against Northcote after a 34-28 victory over East Coast Bays in the quarter-final.

By comparison, North Shore was unbeaten in pool play, had a bye in the quarter-final and enjoyed a comparatively easy 40-12 win over Mahurangi in the semi-finals.

In the final, Shore sprinted out to a 14-0 lead, was ahead 20-5 just after half-time and looked to have the championship in the bag.

Takapuna’s scrum was being monstered in the first half. But when its secret weapon – former All Black prop Karl Tu’inuafeke – came on, the game swung. The scrum stabilised and Shore was put on the defensive for virtually all of the second half.

Tries by Tika Lelenga and Caleb Falloon cut Shore’s lead to 20-15 with 15 minutes to play. Takapuna had the defending champs under the pump into several minutes of injury time, with the home side defending grimly until the final whistle.

Takapuna outscored Shore by three tries to two. Five missed shots at goal proved the difference between the two sides.

Captains convene... Marty Brink of Takapuna and Shore’s Donald Coleman after the final

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