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ISSUE 154, NOVEMBER 2016

INSIDE >> Bricks and ceramics Festivals and theatre The Matuku Link

community news, issues, arts, people, events

directory The following advertisers support us and our community by making this publication possible. They deserve our gratitude and support.

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contents

Bricks for the future................................................................. 4 25 years of community vibe..................................................... 5 Lighting up the Village.............................................................. 6 The road to freedom................................................................ 8 Woodlands Park School wins EcoMatters Award..................... 9 Art and about with Naomi McCleary.................................11-12

5

Finalists hand-picked for Portage Awards.............................. 13 Places to go: Events listing................................................14-15 Bandstanding: Chelsea Nikkel, AKA Princess Chelsea............. 16 On stage, news from Titirangi Theatre................................... 17 Kickstart your creativity; Words on Wine with Lindsay Nash......................................... 18

9

Feature: gifts and giving....................................................19-21 The Matuku Link – A conservation challenge......................... 22 Putting the Eden in Glen Eden............................................... 24 Growing West: introducing miro, a pigeon’s favourite........... 25 Walking West with Mick Andrew............................................ 26 Live @ the lounge.................................................................. 27 On our cover: The weather may have had done its best to keep people at home but West Lynn Garden and Monarch Butterfly House still attracted big smiles from those who took part in its recent Spring Festival. The festival was also an opportunity for the gardens to launch its new regular craft market to be held on the second Sunday of each month from 10am (the next one is on November 13). The craft market will also feature at the garden’s Christmas Carols evening with the New Lynn Salvation Army Band on Friday December 2, 6-8.30pm, with a sausage sizzle from 5.30pm. The gardens are at 73 Parker Road, New Lynn. Phone 827 7045. Photo by Moira Kennedy.

WIN

A Hamper of Christmas treats

24

www.fringemedia.co.nz 20,600 copies delivered free to letter boxes, post boxes, libraries and selected outlets throughout Titirangi, Glen Eden, Green Bay, New Lynn, Kelston, Konini, Wood Bay, French Bay, South Titirangi, Waima, Woodlands Park, Laingholm, Parau, Cornwallis, Huia and Oratia.

Published by: Fringe Media Ltd, PO Box 60-469, Titirangi, Auckland 0642

Editor: Bevis England 817 8024, 027 494 0700 bevis@fringemedia.co.nz

Advertising: Ed King

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The Fringe has a ‘Gourmet Christmas Hamper’ worth $150 from Gaia Food to give away. To enter the draw to win this delicious treat write Gaia Food’s physical address and your name, address and phone number on the back of an envelope and post it to Fringe Hamper Competition, PO Box 60-469 Titirangi, Auckland, 0642 or you email your answer and contact details to info@fringemedia.co.nz with Hamper Competition in the subject line. All entries must reach us by November 16.

Every issue of The Fringe (and the Titirangi Tatler before it) since April 2011 is on-line at www.fringemedia.co.nz. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ FringeWest) to hear when each issue is available and get other updates. please support our advertisers – they support us

Features: Moira Kennedy 817 2204, 021 723 153 moira@fringemedia.co.nz

Writers: Tony Waring, Jade Reidy, George Shiers.

Contributors: Geoff Davidson, Ken Ring, David Thiele, Lindsay Nash, Janie Vaughan, Naomi McCleary, Susannah Bridges, Phoebe Falconer, Mick Andrew.

Advertising deadline for December: November 16 The Fringe NOVEMBER 2016

3

our place

BRICKS FOR THE FUTURE 25 concerned New Lynn residents have formed an action group that is dedicated to preserving the finest examples of buildings built with bricks supplied by the once-thriving local brick industry.

The New Lynn Protection Society may sound like a euphemism for local gangsters but it is actually a diverse group of individuals who came together in 2013 to stop bulldozers removing structures built of bricks made in the 13 brickworks that utilised New Lynn clay in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The last of these brickworks disappeared in 2015 when the Monier plant in Rankin Avenue closed. All that remains are a collection of roads that bear the names of brick pioneers such as Crum, Parker, Gardiner and Clark, and some public buildings and houses that may be under-appreciated now but which the Society believes will be sorely missed if not preserved for future generations.

The Society has its origins in Astley Avenue, where there is a cluster of houses built by the wealthy owners of some of the brickworks, positioned on a rise looking over where the factories once stood.

Society President Penny Laybourn lives amid this cluster, in a house formerly owned by Barry Crump. A couple of doors up the road from her, at number 70, is one of the finest examples of a New Lynn brick house, built by William Parker and one of six Astley Avenue houses protected as Heritage Scheduled Buildings by Auckland Council.

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"Missing from the list is number 43 [above], on the corner with Islington Avenue," says Penny. “It is a beautiful Californian bungalow which 84-year-old Ian Crum, a veteran of the brick industry, recently identified as being constructed with a double skin of bricks fired at the Gardiner Brothers and Parker Hoffman kilns in the early 1920s.

The house now belongs to Bupa, and we fear it may be demolished for expansion of their adjacent retirement village.”

However, Bupa Care Services National Property Manager, David Tilley, who met with the Society and Whau Local Board members earlier this year says the company has no intention of demolishing the building at this stage. "We are aware of the significance of this heritage building and have every intention of retaining the house as part of our overall development plan. Currently we’re in the process of renting the property out," says David.

"Saving 43 Astley Avenue was the initial impetus for starting the Protection Society but I and the other members now see that, with New Lynn embarking on a period of commercial development and residential intensification, there is some urgency required to ensure the classic brick buildings of our heritage are not lost," says Penny.

The New Lynn Protection Society is also involved in the preservation of the brick-built strip of shops on Totara Avenue, and the St Andrews Sunday School Hall on the corner of Margan and Rankin Avenues. New members are welcome: contact them on newlynnprotectionsociety@ gmail.com.

– Tony Waring advertise with the fringe & reach 70,000+ readers

books

25 years of community vibe It started as a fund raiser by one class at Titirangi's Rudolf Steiner School and 25 years later the Titirangi Village Market continues to be one of the area's favourite go-to events each month.

The market still happens at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall, where it began, and now features 140 stalls and a reputation for village ambience with good food, good music, good fun and quality wares.

Manager Tess McGowan says some stall holders have been part of the market for nearly 25 years and many others have been regulars for 10 or 15 years.

"There's also a good sprinkling of up to 30 casual stalls that can move in if some of the regulars have changing circumstances in any month," she says.

What doesn't change is the quality for which the market is renowned says former manager, Tanya Harre.

"We have reasonably strict guidelines. There's nothing that's mass produced, there are no plastic products and very limited imported goods," she says.

Tanya Harre and Tess McGowan "There's a strong emphasis on our stall holders being owner operators and people who're putting themselves out on a limb. It's a place for artists to display their wares in a social environment. We embrace upcoming talent and being able to support those people is the market's strength,” says Tanya.

Tess says the social aspect of the market is important too. "It's a real community event that people really look forward to. It's a meeting point and friendships have developed there over the years.

"There's a really good vibe among the stall holders and the visitors, and the food and music contribute to that."

The market's zero waste initiative has been a success too. There's a wash station with food stalls serving their goods on reusable plates, and composting food scraps.

The market is usually on the last Sunday of the month, between 10am–2pm. The exceptions are December which has two markets – on the 11th and 18th this year – and January when it isn't held.

And the future? "Another 25 years!" says Tess. "There are always inquiries from new people wanting to be part of the market. And it will continue to be a great dog-friendly family day out."  – Moira Kennedy 

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Lighting up the Village The last two years have seen a passionate and dedicated team of 12 volunteers spend hundreds of hours bringing the Glow festival to Titirangi Village.

The event has proven to be a huge success with an estimated 3000 people attending the 2015 event, believed to be the biggest event ever held in the Village.

Equally important, the event has collected over 1500 gifts and 900 food parcels which were distributed to the event’s three selected charities: Family Action, Key Assets and Refugees as Survivors.

Family Action is a registered charity formed following a collaboration project between Waitakere Abuse and Trauma Counselling Service (WATCS), Western Refuge (WRS) and ManAlive. At the beginning of 2012 it was decided that WATCS and WRS should merge to form Family Action.

The charity now works with women, children and families who have experienced domestic violence, abuse and trauma and provides refuge housing, outreach and advocacy services.

Key Assets is a not-for-profit NGO providing specialised foster care services for children and young people throughout New Zealand. It believes in a team approach to foster care, working with carers and the department of Child, Youth and Family to achieve a service that best fits the needs of the child or young person in placement.

Refugees as Survivors began work late last century as a torture and trauma service for refugees in Auckland. The organisation

works to assist with the psychosocial resettlement of refugees and to raise community awareness about torture, refugee trauma and resettlement issues.

In 2016, the team behind Glow plans to build on the foundation of the last two years to once again make Titirangi look beautiful at Christmas and to celebrate the unique Titirangi community. With the support of its many sponsors, the team plans to extend the Christmas lighting to the rest of the trees in the village and there will also be more lights along the roof trusses.

“We are very grateful to have received sponsorship from everyone in Titirangi and we have also received funding from The Trusts Community Foundation and the Waitakere Ranges Local Board,” says Natasha Berman, chair of Bright Lights – Little Village which organises the lighting and the Glow event.

One of the most important parts of the event is The Donation Tree. Everyone who attends the festival is asked to bring gifts and food parcels and place them under the tree. Cash donations will also be accepted. with funds being used to buy even more gifts and food parcels. All the gifts and parcels will then be donated to the three charities before Christmas.

The festival kicks off with a programme of kids’ entertainment from 4.30pm with the main show starting at 6.30pm. The focus this year is on rhythm and dancing and a street party atmosphere with crowd participation. There will be a marimba band, dancing from local children, Christmas carols and performances from local schools.

Jackie Clarke will be headlining the concert at 8pm. There will also be spot prizes for the best Glow costumes and children dancing.

Glow 2016 will take place in Titirangi Village on Saturday, December 3, 4.30-9pm, with the lights being switched on at 8.45pm.

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people

The road to freedom

Camilla Rombouts loves her tiny house. Photos by Rick Mayne.

Camilla Rombouts says she has a lot more 'head space' these days. "I'm not so concerned with things that used to concern me. I have more flexibility. I can spend more time with friends and family and doing things I really enjoy doing."

And the reason?

Camilla has just completed her own tiny house, a concept she first explored about three years ago with her sisters before starting her own project a year ago.

"For a long time I've been interested in the environment and off-grid living and the freedom and independence it affords. It's always been a dream to do a small-scale eco home."

With a career as a registered nurse, Camilla's dream became a passion when she began to notice how stressed so many people were with the busyness of their lives and the expense of living.

"There's a lack of connection with the environment and the environment is very important to me in helping to look after us.

"I love the idea of off-grid homes looking after all our basic needs – the sun for power, harvesting water, looking after our own waste, using grey water in the garden.

Essentially you have all you need," she says.

And on top of that is financial freedom. "I'm more flexible in my independence. Living on a small scale, there's so much less to do looking after the space and being off-grid takes pressure off paying bills. That just opens up a space for different things in your life."

Camilla's tiny house plans came as a package but there's flexibility to make your own variations. Her

house is 7 metres long, 2.5 metres wide and just under the height regulations of 4.25 metres. "You need to make sure your plans meet the New Zealand road code and building and weight regulations including the trailer. These are quite important considerations."

Camilla's tiny house includes a full kitchen with a bench the full width of the house and a gas cooker and fridge. There's a wood burner and plenty of space in which to relax and the good-sized bathroom features a shower with half a wine barrel as its base, a composting toilet and vanity. Her sleeping zone is on the mezzanine floor above.

"I still need to do maintenance – make sure the batteries are topped up and that the solar panels are kept clean. But they're just little things compared with running an average-size home."

While Camilla recently moved her home to land in the The Fringe's readership area, she's wary of sharing her address as she doesn't want it to be focal point for sightseers on what is private land.

"The biggest challenge in a city is finding somewhere to put a tiny house. If you're a bit out of the city, it's ideal on a big section or as a place to live if someone wants a nice home while they're working on a bigger build. Or there's the option of the simple life on a lifestyle block," she says.

While tiny houses are still quite a new concept in New Zealand, they have taken off in post-quake Christchurch. "People are also becoming more aware of off-grid living and starting to understand just what you can do in a small space.

"I love being on wheels and minimising my impact on the environment, and I feel healthier."

Camilla has designed her tiny house to accommodate a partner in time, saying she has friends with a child who live in one of a different design.

"It's like a land-boat really, a similar sort of space you're functioning in. I hope to develop a veggie patch and a green wall that can be taken down if I move. Yes, I have plans for a garden in the future. And a dog." – Moira Kennedy

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our place

Woodlands Park School wins Award

Woodlands Park students with their award. Left to right: Issey, Ellie, Brenna, Sean, Emily and Kalo.

Woodlands Park School’s long standing commitment to empowering children to make a difference to the environment was recognised when they were awarded the Karaka Award at the inaugural 2016 EcoMatters Love Your Place Awards.

According to principal, Dr Liz Manley, the school was honoured and thrilled to be nominated for the Love Your Place Award as an environmental champion on the basis of their work both at the

school and in the Waitakere Ranges in general.

“This is recognition of our consistent commitment to education for sustainability. We would like to thank those who nominated our school and of course, EcoMatters for this prestigious award,” said Liz. As a strong Green Gold Enviroschool, Woodlands Park students have the environment firmly in their sights at all times. Their most recent project focused on the installation of a new bee hive.

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Remembering the huia Woodlands Park author Julian Stokoe and Oratia publisher Peter Dowling have collaborated to produce 12 Huia Birds, a 32-page hard-cover children’s book.

12 Huia Birds, illustrated by Stacy Eyles, brings the extinct huia back to life for younger readers through gentle rhyme and colourful imagery and, while doing so, conveys a message about conservation and the importance of taking care of our environment.

Through the story, Julian hopes to plant the seed for children Early orthodontic assessment to become young Dr Nitin Raniga a wise investment environmentalists.

Orthodontist Dr Nitin Raniga, local member of the New Zealand Association of BDSsays (Otago), (Otago), (NZAO), the best ageDCInDent for your child to see a The Fringe has a copy of 12 HuiaOrthodontists Birds specialist is as soonMOrth as you notice a problem.

“If you’re concerned, RSCEd, MRACDS (Orth) you definitely shouldn’t wait until your child has all their adult teeth, to give away. To go in the draw to win this and you don’t need6 a referral from a dentist Exminster St, or dental therapist.”

An orthodontist is a registered dentist who has gone on to complete an book write your name, address and additional phone2-3 years ofBlockhouse Bay education in specialist fulltime postgraduate university orthodontics. All members of the NZAO are trained in the appropriate use of Auckland 0600 the full range of available orthodontic appliances, and undertake continual number on the back of an envelope and study and professional development to stay on top of the latest trends and Phone (09) 627 3555 improvements in orthodontic treatment. post it to: Fringe Book Competition, PO Box Dr Raniga says early treatment by a specialist can reduce or occasionally nitin@aucklandortho.co.nz the need for more extensive treatment at a later age. “Orthodontists 60-469, Titirangi, Auckland 0642 toeliminate reach spend a great deal of their post graduate training studying facial growth and www.aucklandortho.co.nz development,” says Dr Raniga. There is us by November 16, or you can email your much less stigma around wearing braces and orthodontic appliances, compared with what parents may recall from their contact details to info@fringemedia.co.nz own childhood. “Teenagers will actually Mum and Dad for an appointment. (with Book Competition in the subjectnag line).

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art & about with naomi mccleary A Table of One’s Own: The Creative Life of Ann McCahon Anne McCahon is best known as the wife of New Zealand’s foremost painter, Colin McCahon. However, she was in fact a successful artist in her own right and her contemporary Rodney Kennedy described her as “the best artist of her generation” in the 1930s.

Anne was a significant presence in what is now known as McCahon House in French Bay, where the family lived from 1953-59, running the household, hosting guests and supplementing the family income through illustration work. The exhibition title comes from a story her daughter Victoria Carr tells, in which she recalls arriving home to find her mother packing away NZ Journal illustrative materials from the all purpose family table.

It is not unusual for visitors to the McCahon House museum to feel a strong sense of connection to the woman who raised a family of four and supported her husband in such a tiny and humble cottage.

This exhibition, presented by McCahon House in association with Te Uru, with support from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Art Studies is curated by Linda Tyler and coincides with and celebrates the 10th anniversary of the museum and artists’ residency at McCahon House. It runs from November 19 to February 12, 2017 at Te Uru. November 19 also marks a very significant anniversary for arts in the West: it was on this day in 1986 that the Lopdell House Society (now known as Te Uru) opened the Waitemata City Arts and Cultural Centre in Lopdell House.

Titirangi is home to some of the country’s finest ceramic artists.

During the Auckland Festival of Ceramics there is a the chance to visit their studios and also view the work of ceramicists from across the nation at exhibitions in a month-long ceramics extravaganza.

Beginning on November 11 with the nationally prestigious Portage Ceramics Awards exhibition at Te Uru in Titirangi, the festival closes on December 4 with Auckland Studio Potters Big Clay Day Out in Onehunga, where you can try your hand on a potter’s wheel, pick up a bargain, or cheer on potters in the Clay Olympics as they compete to make the best pot while blindfolded. Festival managers, local historian Robyn Mason and ceramic artist Suzy Dünser, are keen for “people to really engage with the ceramics community”.

This year the festival is offering Clayathon coach tours on November 12 and 13, visiting ceramic exhibitions at public and dealer galleries from Titirangi to Hillsborough, the Central City, the North Shore, Matakana and Albany. There are scheduled talks at participating venues by curators, artists and dealers and ceramics experts will be on the coaches. To book email: festivalofceramics@gmail.co.nz On November 26 and 27, Clay Out West includes a firing with members of Nga Kaihanga Uku at Corban Estate Arts Centre, the Remains of the Clay walking tour of New Lynn (with Robyn Mason) and, at Te Uru, a collectors’ clinic with connoisseurs of Crown Lynn and New Zealand pottery, Valerie Ringer Monk and Evelyn Williams.

The festival is presented with support from Creative New Zealand and the Blumhardt Foundation, and in partnership with Te Uru, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Auckland Studio Potters and Open Studios Waitakere 2016. For more information check out www.facebook. com/festivalofceramics please support our advertisers – they support us

Open Studios Waitākere 2016 is a weekend opportunity for over 60 artists resident in the Waitakere Ranges Local Board area to open their studios to the public.

This much anticipated event is a unique opportunity to meet some of Waitakere’s most celebrated artists in their own studios and glimpse the processes and sheer hard work that lies behind the finished artworks. The range is wide: sculptors, painters, jewellers, illustrators, ceramic artists and photographers.

Visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour at their own pace with the event’s Open Studios Map and mobile app, or jump on an Open Studios Bus Tour. This year Vevo Foodstore in the Village has collaborated with the event to offer an Open Studios Lunch Box, which can be pre-ordered and enjoyed while out on the road.

It has been 18 months since a working party first met at Corban Estate Arts Centre and conceived TEMP, a project to explore the transformative power and potential of arts science collaboration.

The aim was to involve communities in conversations that can broaden and deepen an understanding of climate change science and to advocate practical ways to be part of a sustainable environment and healthy habitat. Since then five project teams referencing climate change subjects Air, Water, Food, Weather and Shelter, have grappled with the issues and challenges. For example, what does a bag of rubbish generating 4.67 kg of CO2 actually mean? How do we render the invisible visible? This is where the arts have much to contribute.

TEMP 2017 will open for four weeks at Corban Estate Arts Centre next March with four large-scale anchor installations in the field, a range of support art and education programmes, a sustainable product village, a pledging station and a conversational information Continued on page 12 >>

Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 November 10am–4pm Visit some of Waitākere’s most celebrated artists including sculptors, painters, jewellers, illustrators, ceramic artists and photographers.

With over 60 artists involved, and 40 studios from Piha to Glen Eden, Titirangi to Te Henga, it’s going to be an inspiring weekend out and about.

Take a self-guided tour at your own pace with our Open Studios Map and mobile App, or jump on an Open Studios Bus Tour.

For more information visit openstudioswaitakere.co.nz or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Funded and supported by

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art & about with naomi mccleary zone. TEMP Air will go live at Te Uru with an immersive analogue experience and an online virtual forest.

However, before the major 2017 event, TEMP Forum ll will take place at Corban Estate, timed to coincide with the COP22 summit held in Marrakech. Worldwide, great art continues to contribute to mobilising public awareness and major mitigation action gains momentum. Yet (un)surprisingly in New Zealand, changes in CO2 habits continue to lag behind. This forum will bring together experts, the concerned, the wider TEMP team and new partners to deepen our knowledge and strengthen our motivation to ensure TEMP 2017 experiences are meaningful, relevant and compelling. The keynote speakers will be Jim Salinger and Niki Harre and the forum will take place in St Michaels Church, Corban Estate, November 15, 10am-4.30pm. Register with Becky Fitzpatrick, becky@ceac.org.nz or phone 838 4455

Artist of the Month: Lois McIvor

At their recent AGM, members of Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery Inc. paid tribute to three valued and long-standing supporters and presented them with Honorary Life Memberships: artist Lois McIvor, local body politician and arts and culture advocate Janet Clews, and cultural advisor, master carver and musician Rewi Spraggon.

Lois McIvor bestrode the Titirangi arts scene for decades. A colourful and imposing figure with a commanding presence and matching voice, she was an influential teacher and a passionate artist.

She lived in Wood Bay where she had raised a gaggle of sons and painted and exhibited throughout her professional life with complete and utter focus and commitment. She is well known for her luminous, evocative landscapes inspired by the Waitakere Ranges and the

Manukau Harbour. The famous and influential arts dealer, Peter McLeavey, is on record as saying that she was the finest exponent of translucent oils in the country.

As one of her many students during the 1970s and ’80s, I experienced her Back row (L to R), Andrew Clifford (Director, unique teaching Te Uru), Marcus Williams (chair of Lopdell style – intense House Society, the governance body behind encouragement and Te Uru) and Robyn Mason (secretary of LHS). scolding in equal Front row (L to R) Lois McIvor, Heather Carter (founding member of LHS) and Janet Clews. measure. She would sail into the room in boho gear, most often purples and blues, a wild halo of black curls, often claiming that her job was to stop us when a work was finished and before it was ruined. Her greatest gift to me was an understanding that one should work intuitively from the gut and not the head. Although her massive mood paintings of the Manukau Heads are her major legacy, I treasure a small still life of a blue vase of flowers which leaves just enough unsaid.

She was a near neighbour and friend of Colin and Ann McCahon during the ’50s and beyond and had been tutored by Colin in earlier years. She was also a founding member of the Association of Women Artists.

213 – 215 Woodlands Park Road, Titirangi, Auckland 0604 Phone: 09 817 8495 or 09 817 6188 www.kenturnermotors.co.nz

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The Fringe NOVEMBER 2016

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places to go

Finalists hand-picked for the 2016 Portage Ceramic Awards When Janet DeBoos arrived in Auckland from Canberra, Australia, last month she came with a singular mission: to look at the best ceramics New Zealand has to offer.

DeBoos has an international reputation as one of Australia’s leading ceramicists and author of several books. As the judge for this year’s Portage Ceramic Awards, she was charged with the task of whittling the 234 entries down to a number of finalists.

The judging is a two-stage process. A tome of files, which included images, bios and artist’s statements, were sent to DeBoos to assess.

She then selected her short-listed entries, and flew over to view them in person. Over the course of a week, she spent time with the shortlisted entries, which were on display in Te Uru’s workshop, occupying every spare plinth and surface available.

“On actually meeting the works (and by implication – the artists) for the first time in Auckland, I was pleased to see that the majority of works that I had selected fulfilled my expectations”, says DeBoos.

“There were works of many styles, many genres, variable scale and in different ceramic media, as well as a few mixed media works.”

Like all past Portage Ceramic Awards, this year’s final selection of 52 works is eclectic, ranging from installations and vessels to ceramics that defy definition.

The Portage Ceramic Awards, an annual competition organised and hosted by Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, has built a reputation over 15 years as New Zealand’s premier showcase for ceramic arts and the country’s best-known barometer for developments in the field of ceramics. Though the format of the awards lends itself towards works that are intimate (and shippable)

Portage judge Janet DeBoos with one of the short-listed entries. Photo

by Haru Sameshima.

in scale, a list of past years’ participants reads like a who’s who of New Zealand ceramics, with some interesting moments of risk-taking sprinkled among excellent examples of finely-honed practices.

On November 10, a month after her first trip, DeBoos will again be at Te Uru, this time to announce the award winners during a special ceremony. The overall winner of $15,000, the recipient of a Peters Valley School of Craft workshop programme, and up to three merit award winners will be announced. The finalists works will be exhibited at Te Uru from November 11 to February 5, 2017. Timed to supplement the Portage Ceramic Awards, the city-wide Auckland Festival of Ceramics will also take place through November and December.

Limited tickets are available for the Portage Ceramics Awards night. Email info@teuru.org.nz or call 09 817 8087.

AWARDS NIGHT: 10 NOVEMBER 6.30PM For tickets call 817 8087 | teuru.org.nz/portage Exhibition (free entry) 11 Nov 2016 – 5 Feb 2017 420 Titirangi Road, Titirangi

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places to go

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN IN THE WEST...

Event organisers: Do you have an upcoming event you'd like listed in The Fringe? Send the details, including a contact person and number, to info@fringemedia.co.nz.

Readers: While we take care to ensure listings are correct, errors may occur. Check with the contact person wherever possible.

november w – 6, On Repeat: The Disruptive Copy, artworks by

Rachel Bell, Julian Dashper, Michael Parekowhai, Superflex and Chris McBride; Te Uru. Phone 817 8087. w – 13, Kalapani: The Jahajis’ Middle Passage; an installation by Andrew Ananda Voogel; Te Uru. Phone 817 8087. w – 13, Bitter Sweet, a memorial for black-birded South Sea Islanders by Jasmine Togo-Brisby; Te Uru. Phone 817 8087. w – 13, Cause and Effect, ceramic works by John Parker; Te Uru. Phone 817 8087. w – 27, Inspired by JOHN GREEN, works by and inspired by the loved artist; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; Wednesday – Sunday, 10am-5pm. Contact 812 8029 or www.westcoastgallery.co.nz. w – December 11, Christmas time at Middlemore, Virginia Leonard’s visceral clay forms that characterise her experience of chronic pain; Corban Estate Arts Centre.

Phone 838 4455. w – December 11, like a little sphere of soapsud drifting ..., contemporary ceramics by Harriet Stockman and Kelsey Stankovich; Corban Estate Arts Centre. Phone 838 4455.

w – December 11, Site Unseen, a collection of Outsider w 12 – 13, Community Earth Oven Making with Grant Art objects brought together by Sue and Peter DalyHughes, on public display for the first time; Corban Estate Arts Centre. Phone 838 4455. w 2, West Auckland Historical Society: Capturing the West Essay Competition Prize-giving; St Michael’s Church, Corban Estate; 6.30pm. Phone 833 4692. w 6, Waikumete Cemetery Walks: The Deadly Scourge – murder, tragedy, a ghost story, the influenza epidemic and more; meet at The Chapel of Faith in the Oaks; 10am-12pm, or 4-6 pm; Gold coin donation. (Bring suitable shoes, drink and weather protection.) Phone Ruth 818 4352 or find Friends of Waikumete on Facebook. w 6, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732. w 8, The Western District Women’s Dinner Club meets for dinner and speaker; Te Atatu RSA; To book and for more information please phone Margaret 827 1525. w 8, Make Do Mend, an evening of DIY and craft; EcoMatters Environment Trust, 1 Olympic Place, New Lynn; 5.30-8pm; koha for refreshments. Email fiona@ ecomatters.org.nz or phone 826 4276 to register. w 12, Craft Out West, fundraiser for Hospice West Auckland, with over 75 art and craft stalls; West Wave Recreation Centre, Henderson; 10am to 4pm; Admission $5, children 12 and under free. facebook.com/ craftoutwest w 12, Titirangi Folk Music Club Concert with guest artist Sue Hill, floor singers in the first half; Titirangi Beach Hall, Titirangi Beach Road, Titirangi; 8pm; $8, members $5, under 18 free. Phone Ian 813 2305.

Steven; EcoMatters Environment Trust, 1 Olympic Place, New Lynn; 9am-4pm; $60. Book at ecomatters.org.nz/ learn or phone 826 4276. w 15, Wellness and Healing Fair, stalls, food, tea and coffee, therapists, workshops; Green Bay Community House, 1 Barron Drive, Green Bay; 10am-4pm; Free entry (workshops $10). Phone Claire Chateau 021 251 7338. w 15, SeniorNet West Auckland monthly meeting; Kelston Community Centre, corner of Awaroa and Great North Roads; 10am; $2.00 Phone 837 7600 or 827 2336. w 15, West Auckland Historical Society: Annual General Meeting; Opanuku Room, Corban Estate; 7.30pm. Phone 833 4692. w 17, Waitakere Forest & Bird talk: Richard Jakob-Hoff from Auckland Zoo on Gerald Durrell and the Jersey Zoo; Kelston Community Centre, corner Awaroa and Great North Roads; 7:30pm; Koha appreciated. Phone Liz Anstey 833 4145 or email lizanstey@hotmail.com. w 19, Lions Club of New Lynn Book sale; 3063 Great North, New Lynn; 9am-4pm. w 20, Advent Fair, fundraising for Titirangi Steiner School. Crafts, market stalls and more. Free shuttle bus between 10:30am and 2:30pm with pickups at Tititrangi War Memorial Hall, Woodlands Park School, Fawcett Road and Tangiwai Reserve. Phone Anusha 021 144 5652. w 22, Titirangi U3A with a range of activities including study groups, discussions, speakers and more; Green Bay Life Church, 14 Vardon Road, Green Bay; 1.30pm. Contact maggie.u3a.titirangi@gmail.com. w 24, Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect presents a talk about his latest

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The Fringe NOVEMBER 2016

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places to go

december w 3, Tell the Christmas Story, a walk-through interactive

display for adults and children of all ages; St Francis Church, corner Park and Titirangi Beach Roads; 11am-3pm; Free.

Phone Donna 817 5412. w 4, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.

There is so much happening in and around our community, including many weekly events, that we can’t fit everything into these listings. To find out more about whatever you are interested in, from Air Scouts to yoga and almost everything in between, visit:

www.fringemedia.co.nz/ourplace.

l WHERE IT’S AT:

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN IN THE WEST...

book The Best of Adam Sharp; Glen Eden Library; 7pm; Bookings required on 892 4943 or email gleneden. library@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz. w 25, Titirangi Folk Music Friends on Friday. Share your music with a small friendly group; Titirangi Beach Hall, Titirangi Beach Road, Titirangi; 8pm; $3, under 18 free.

Phone Rosemary 814 8897 or Margaret 818 1434. w 26, Artist talk with Virginia Leonard, Kelsey Stankovich and Harriet Stockman discussing their exhibitions, followed by a specialist talk by John Perry about Sue and Peter Daly-Hughes’ Outsider Art Collection; Corban Estate Arts Centre; from 11am; Free. Phone 838 4455. w 27, Titirangi Village Market, art, craft, produce and music; Titirangi War Memorial Hall, 500 South Titirangi Road; 10am-2pm. Contact Tess tvm.manager@gmail.com 022 631 9436.

• Corban Estate Arts Centre, 426 Great North Road, Henderson, 10am–4.30pm daily.

838 4455.

• Kelston Community Centre, corner of Awaroa and Great North Roads, Kelston.

• McCahon House Museum, 67 Otitori Bay Rd; 1-4pm, Wednesday – Sunday, except public holidays. Outside these hours by appointment. 817 6148 or mccahon@mccahonhouse.org.nz.

• Playhouse Theatre, 15 Glendale Road, Glen Eden. 818 5751.

• EcoMatters Environment Trust, 1 Olympic Place, New Lynn, 10am–4pm Mon-Fri, 10am–1pm Sat, or by appointment. 826 4276; info@ecomatters.org.nz.

• Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, 420 Titirangi Road, Titirangi, 10am–4.30pm daily. 817 8087; email info@teuru.org. nz.

• Titirangi Theatre, Lopdell House, Titirangi, 817 5812; infoline 817 5951; www. titirangitheatre.co.nz.

• Upstairs Gallery, Level 1, Lopdell House, 418 Titirangi Road, 10am–4.30pm daily.

817 4278. www.upstairs.org.nz.

• West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha, Wednesday – Sunday, 10am–5pm. 812 8029. www.westcoastgallery.co.nz.

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For your legal needs Phone 818 1071

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We help thousands of birds each year We are community focused Every bird in New Zealand is a NZ bird to us A gift of a bequest would ensure that New Zealand Bird Rescue Charitable Trust in Green Bay can continue to do the work that we have been doing for over 30 years.

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Contact us for more information

Office Manager info@birdrescue.org.nz or phone (09) 816 9219 x1 The Fringe NOVEMBER 2016

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bandstanding – music in the west with susannah bridges

“It’s good to soak up as much good music as you can” Chelsea Nikkel grew up in Oratia, Glen Eden and Titirangi, but admits to a current obsession with Rotorua.

“I just got back from showing some friends around the North Island. I think Rotorua’s the most amazing place in the world. I mean we were sitting in a hot creek in the middle of the woods drinking chardonnay and no one else was around.”

Chelsea – also known as Princess Chelsea – joined her first band (Teenwolf) at the age of 18. “After Photo by Brad Fafejta.

Teenwolf I joined the Brunettes who were an Auckland band signed to Sub Pop at the time. I played keys, learnt the saxophone and percussion and had my first experience of international touring – through Europe and the US for a few years”.

Learning piano and other instruments as a child gave Chelsea her musical background and she taught herself the saxophone while touring. “It was sort of similar to the clarinet which I learnt at school.

I wasn’t very good at saxophone, but could play some really easy basic notes. That was all I needed for the one or two songs I played sax on for The Brunettes. But then we began touring supporting Broken Social Scene and Beirut and we were playing huge theatres to sold out audiences. I remember both bands asked me and another member of the Brunettes, who played trumpet, if we would join them on stage for a few songs. So I found myself on stage with my saxophone with these bands who had really amazing horn players.

One of the Broken Social Scene songs was really complicated so I just had to sort of pretend to play… Lol!” This was back in the late 2000s when Chelsea was not even 20, so when the international touring ended and The Brunettes split in 2009 she headed back to Auckland, landing in a Kingsland flat and started working on solo projects.

Three albums have since been released: Lil’ Golden Book in 2011, The Great Cybernetic Depression in 2015 and Aftertouch, a collection of covers, which has just been released. “I’ve been recording since

16

The Fringe NOVEMBER 2016

2010. Covers are a thing I’ve always recorded in-between my own writing to motivate me musically and I guess to try out ideas for arrangements.

The songs I choose are all melodically strong. I find it super easy to arrange if there’s a strong melody and they're all songs I suppose I’ve had some sort of moment with in my life”.

Work on her next studio album is already underway “which is a bit intimidating but exciting too.”

Chelsea’s sound has been described as Space Pop: “lots of vintage synthesisers that make you feel like you’re a kid watching The NeverEnding Story. The New Zealand Herald has praised her "angelic vocals and acerbic wit" and her best known song, The Cigarette Duet received significant press exposure after its distinctive video went viral on YouTube in 2012, getting over 20 million views. This led to her being featured in The Guardian’s ‘New Band of the Day’ column.

“I’d say The Cigarette Duet has a lot to do with me getting more international attention. I’d say my fan base is pretty loyal and I seem to have fans that most likely discover me on YouTube then explore the music further. So it does seem quite grass roots still,” she says.

When asked about her musical influences she says “it’s probably just all the music I’ve ever liked so it could be in some ways my first cassette by Ace of Base right up to some Philip Glass pieces I listened to last week. It’s good to soak up as much good music as you can but don't study it too much or try to emulate it or you’ll just be making a B-grade version of whatever inspired you.”

When she’s not busy recording and writing, Chelsea composes for TV and web series. “It’s a pretty good way to earn money as a musician and I really enjoy it.” Work on the new album is set to be full-time over the summer with the aim of having it finished early next year. “Then I’ll start all that crazy touring and rehearsing business which drives me up the wall. I hate it but also love it!” princesschelsea.co.nz

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on stage This year’s pantomime has probably one of the biggest casts to be gathered at Titirangi Theatre, combining as it does the two classic tales of Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs – both of which involve a wolf.

All the expected elements are present including granny in her bed and the straw and twig houses being blown away. But did you know that Little Red Riding Hood had an older sister, Big Red Riding Hood?

And do you know exactly why the wolf is involved?

A young man in his 20s with a beard is not the obvious choice to play an elderly grandmother but Robin Lane is thrilled to continue the tradition of the Pantomime Dame (even if it means having to shave his beard off). Robin is keen to hear lots of noise and shouting from the audiences during the show, no matter your age, because, after all, this is a pantomime.

Allan Howie has performed in a lot of pantomimes and other shows as a child/teenager but had a big break last year when he got the role of Howard Cunningham in Happy Days at the Playhouse. He says it’s great to be back doing panto again and is loving the part of Rob the Builder, a wicked man who hires the wolf to knock down granny’s house and the houses of the three pigs.

John McGowan was always the reluctant thespian but first trod the boards as Bert in Harold Pinter’s The Room, over 50 years ago when a maturing teenager. He was again dragged onto the stage in Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters as a guard.

In this year’s panto John plays the long-suffering mate of Rob the Builder with some inane lines to suit the dimwit that he’s not. In the final scene he gets his justifiable promotion but Rob gets the cake.

Sally McGowan also starred in Wyrd Sisters, in various roles, in her first theatre experience for many a year. She is really loving her role as Nanny in this pantomime.

Ella Bernstone is 18 years old and has been doing amateur theatre since 2010 when she appeared in Dick Whittington and Bob the Cat. She has always kept an eye on panto season at Titirangi Theatre and getting the chance to come back and play The Prince is exciting for her.

This is Jason Woolston’s second theatre appearance, his first being the production of Wyrd Sisters. While hesitant to perform in a

pantomime (he wasn’t sure what one was) he has found it to be great fun especially with such a talented creative team from the Director/ writer, Chris Lane, to the stage manager through to the wonderfully talented actors, young and not so young, who have contributed all the fun they had been hiding at home.

Red Riding Hood and the Three Pigs runs from November 22 to December 3 at Titirangi Theatre, Lopdell House, Titirangi. Tickets are available online from the theatre website or Titirangi Pharmacy.

For bookings and information about the theatre visit titirangitheatre. co.nz – Phoebe Falconer Local artist and illustrator Anna Crichton is curating an ‘Outsider’ art exhibition at Upstairs Gallery in November and December. The exhibition, entitled The Man who Mistook a Picasso for his Pot (reflecting on Oliver Sack’s famous book The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat), features illustrated ceramics by artists with intellectual disabilities alongside decorated wall-hung plates by Anna (as illustrated, above). The artists all come from A Supported Life, an organisation that offers adolescents and adults with intellectual challenges a wide range of support opportunities and residential options.

The exhibition opening is on November 10 at 6pm and will feature The Mutes (from Mars) playing music in the foyer beside the gallery. This band is also made up of adults from ‘A Supported Life’.

THE CLUB TITIRANGI

November 1, 7pm: Fringe Ukes Family & Friends Night November 8, 7.30pm: Quentin’s Quiz, Restaurant Open November 11, 8pm: The Recliner Rockers are back!

November 24, 1pm: Quentin’s Quiz, Restaurant Open November 29, 7.30pm: Quentin’s Quiz, Restaurant Open

New members always welcome.

Join Titirangi RSA online.

Buy tickets online.

News & events 24/7.

www.titirangirsa.co.nz or phone 817 6415

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places to go

words on wine with lindsay nash

Kickstart your creativity

Chardonnay: all things to all people

Summer means different things to different people: baches, beaches, music festivals or just relaxing. For some though, the January holidays provide the ideal time and space for creativity to flourish and the downtime to catch up with artistic projects.

If that sounds like you, then you’re in good company. Summer School returns to Corban Estate Arts Centre in early 2017, bringing together artists from around New Zealand for a week of hands-on FLOX and students in 2016 workshops and inspiration.

Summer School 2017 consists of eight classes designed to kickstart your creativity and promises a rich and rewarding experience.

A few favourites from recent years will be returning, including FLOX with her nature-inspired stencil art and Nicki Stewart who will be sharing the ancient art of encaustics. Alongside this Liam Barr invites students to explore a world of magical realism in portraiture, Fiona Rennie-Schwieters provides a unique opportunity to work with glass casting and, for the metal heads, there’s aluminium casting with Mark Scafer and David McCracken. Elena-Jean Scott brings a feast of colour, exploring paint manipulation, and for those with an interest in illustration, Claire Delaney opens up the endless possibilities of mixed media. Or join Duncan Pepe Long and get ink under your fingernails experimenting with monotype printing.

Find out more at www.ceac.org.nz.

If you’re a member of the ABC* brigade, you can skip the next few paragraphs. However, chardonnay has featured prominently with wine makers and writers recently talking about ‘the great New Zealand chardonnay renaissance’. It’s probably the only grape that can be all things to all people: light, crisp, medium, full-bodied, weighty, oaky or fruity.

I was interested to hear a Hawkes Bay winemaker saying he was trying to “bury” the fruit, that is, make a leaner, subtler style. I know what he meant. My memories of a Montrachet and Meursault tasting, the great wines of Burgundy, was of intense, complex flavours with little evidence of fruit. New Zealand and other New World country chardonnays on the other hand benefited from their bountiful fruitiness, a different style, not necessarily better or worse.

I asked John Hancock, a man with a distinguished track record with chardonnay at Delegat’s, Morton Estate and now Trinity Hill, what style he was aiming for, and he replied, “the one that we make.”

Understandably his wine copies no model and establishes its own pedigree. His 2015 Chardonnay ($35) was smooth and creamy with just a hint of oak to sustain its finish, a restrained, subtle wine.

Top wine in the Cuisine chardonnay tasting was Babich’s 2015 Hawkes Bay Chardonnay (about $22), an unoaked style. It’s a distinguished drop, with a gentle grainy aroma, a fruity vibrant flavour, and a lengthy slightly spicy after taste. At the other end of the scale Tim Turvey at Clearview makes no apologies for producing a big “vibrant and explosive” chardonnay. The 2015 Reserve Chardonnay ($39) has an oat-mealy aroma that leaps from the glass, and a full bodied, complex mouth feel that lingers beguilingly.

There were some classy wines at a recent tasting to celebrate 24 families: 12 of Australia’s ‘first families of wine’, and 12 of New Zealand’s ‘enduring, artisanal wineries.’

I met Katherine and Caroline Brown from Brown Brothers. Their entry level Cabernet Sauvignon (about $15 on special) is our house red, my wife’s favourite. I tasted their flagship wine, the Patricia 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($55). It’s a deep, opaque wine, with a big smokey aroma, and an equally striking flavour – chocolate, berryfruit and plum. There’s a smooth balance of oak and acid as it lingers on.

The Titirangi Wine and Food Society’s latest event was a blind tasting but even more challenging, a blind smelling. Each table had 12 glasses of ‘white’ liquids and 12 red, which we had to identify by smell alone. It was a demanding but entertaining task, leading to animated discussion and much guessing in the dark. Drainwater, floor polish and kitchen cleaner were rather wide of the mark.

Our table had more luck with our selection of wines, which we could taste as well as smell. We had no trouble with gewürztraminer, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc, but surprisingly couldn’t pick the riesling, from Stoneleigh. We weren’t so sure of the reds. The pinot noir stood out, but we couldn’t distinguish the merlot, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel. If you’re interested in such frivolities, contact titirangiwineandfood@gmail.com. It’s jocund company.

Summer School 2017 Eight inspiring workshops with talented New Zealand artists Mon 16 – Fri 20 January Corban Estate Arts Centre 2 Mt Lebanon Lane Henderson, Auckland

18

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Image above: NIcki Stewart, Foreshore (2016) (detail) Encaustic—beeswax and damar resin on woodpanel

January | 5 days

To find out more: (09) 838 4455 www.ceac.org.nz

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feature: gifts and giving

Herb & Spice at 3024B Great North Road, New Lynn, has an exciting range of specialist foods and ingredients including the East Kitchen range of seven new cooking mixes – unbelievably easy and tasty and available online today.

GIFTS AND GIVING: A Fringe special feature

Looking for something different to add to your Christmas giving? Our local retailers and businesses have all sorts of great ideas to share with you. Some of their ideas are featured on this, and following pages. And don’t forget: supporting local businesses is great for our communities.

Linden Leaves' new range 'In Bloom' is now in-store at HealthPost. Linden Leaves uses natural, effective ingredients that are pure and gentle on all skin types and are delightfully packaged and beautifully scented making perfect gifts.

Feel party-fabulous Look your best with these party essentials:

Gecko in the village is always getting new and different stock in store, including some very attractive ceramics such as this work from Pacific Painters. And for the truly local touch, some of Gecko’s plates and platters contain black sand from Muriwai suspended in the glaze.

• a professional make-over for that special look and increased confidence – $75 • a full body spray tan to make your skin glow – $50 Ask us for more information 402a Tit ir a n gi Roa d , Tit ir an gi V illa ge P h : 09 817-9937 w w w. t o n i c s pa.co.nz

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feature: gifts and giving Shop 2, 400 Titirangi road, Titirangi (Next to the Postshop) 09 817 8126 www.geckointhevillage.co.nz

in the village

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Gaia Foods in New Lynn has a great range of confectionery and specialist foods available. They also do a range of gourmet hampers that have proved extremely popular with locals over many years.

Open 7 days December 1 - 24

9a Binsted Rd, New Lynn Phone 826-0203

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feature: gifts and giving

Clam Shell Melts are scented cubes of wax that are placed into a burner and heated, allowing their fragrance to be released. They’re very easy to make and make great gifts. And now you can own your own Clam Shell Melt kit – or give the kit as a gift. This kit has all you need to get started and makes 48 soy melts. It is available from PureNature, online at www. purenature.co.nz or in store at 34b Te Pai Place, Henderson.

SPECIALTY FOOD & GIFTS

Factory Shop OPEN Mon to Thurs 9 to 5pm, Fri 9 to 4pm OPENING Saturdays in December 10 to 2pm 3024B Great North Road, New Lynn, Auckland.

Ph: 827 8242 www.herbandspicemill.co.nz Online shopping now available

Address : P O Box : 60582, Titirangi 0642.

Ph/Fax : 09 8173080 ONE STOP SHOP 1/400 Titirangi Rd, Titirangi 0604.

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GIFTS AND GIVING: A Fringe special feature

Have your fun in the sun and then some! This Sport Essential COOLA travel set available from Tonic in Titirangi Village includes a quartet of the newest and most popular organic and natural sun care products for high performance protection this summer.

our place

The Matuku Link – A conservation challenge At the nothern end of the Waitakere Ranges, there is a valley down which the Waitakere River flows into Auckland’s largest wetland. The river descends from the Waitakere Reservoir through Centennial Park, over the Waitakere Falls and down the valley through privately-owned properties.

One of those properties is a 37 hectare block, predominantly good kauri and coastal broadleaf forest that has never been fully cleared and the natural balance of forest species remains on the steeper slopes. The river cuts through a broad flat expanse of 5 hectares of pasture where today horses graze, but where wetland forest of kahikatea, pukatea and swamp maire once stood. These trees protected the lower wetland of sedges and rushes from the extremes of flooding and siltation, moderating the extreme flows and catching sediment to build the alluvial flat that today feeds the horses.

In the adjacent forests and the downstream wetland, Ark in the Park, Forest & Bird and Habitat Te Henga have been expanding the areas they maintain to keep predators out and introduce former native species that would have inhabited the region. The recently released pateke (brown teal) have already bred, and the new families will once again swim, flap and waddle widely through the swamps and hills of the valley.

The 37 hectare ‘Matuku Link’ is pivotal in the broader picture.

With Forest and Bird’s Matuku Reserve to the West and Ark in the

Park protecting Auckland Council reserve land to the south, it is on the route for expanding populations of teal, whitehead, tomtit, kokako and maybe one day kiwi to pass through. These burgeoning populations of our more endangered species are a thrill for us to experience, but the moment the rare and vulnerable species leave the safety of the controlled areas they are at risk. The continuing task of pest control requires we minimise the risks and add to the controlled zones.

The Matuku Link property is now for sale and the newly established Matuku Reserve Trust wants to acquire it and make the linkages secure. A fund has been established and has already reached $1 million dollars with generous contributions from a government agency, The Nature Heritage Fund, and an NGO, the New Zealand Native Forests Restoration Trust. But the Matuku Reserve Trust requires as much again to purchase the property, and return it to the type of forest and wetland it once was.

If you can assist in the fund-raising please make electronic contributions directly to the Trust’s bank account 38 9018 0039553 01, Please put your email address as a reference, and send notice of your donation to info@artants.co.nz. Alternatively you can visit the trust’s Givealittle page: www.givealittle.co.nz/project/matukulink.

If you don’t have a computer you can write to the trust at: Matuku Reserve Trust, c/o 64 Parker Road, Oratia, Auckland, 0604.

A video and more information is available at http://www.nzherald. co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11718280. >> EcoMatters

Award winners, continued from page 9.

Funded by the Waitakere Ranges Local Board and hosted by EcoMatters Environment Trust, the awards are organised to celebrate volunteer efforts across the Waitakere Ranges Local Board area.

Among the other winners in the 2016 Awards were Oratia Native Plant Nursery which won the Nikau Award, recognising a business making a contribution to improving the environment, and June Henderson who won the Rata Award, in recognition of her work to reduce pest animals. Bruce and Trixie Harvey won the Barfoot & Thompson Glen Eden Kahikatea Award in recognition of their efforts working on a significant local environmental issue.

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The Fringe NOVEMBER 2016

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our place

Putting the Eden in Glen Eden members passionate about their four A recent agreement between the main area of activity: environmental Waitakere Ranges Local Board restoration, food production, waste and Glen Eden Transition Town management and sustainable transport.

(GETT) will see the community Over the past year its members group carrying out spray-free have been involved with a number weed maintenance on a local of projects including a Food is Free cycleway. The cycleway links festival and Gotcha Bag Glen Eden?, an Savoy Road and Inver Street in initiative aimed at reducing the use of Glen Eden, and connects to the plastic bags. The group also maintains a northern edge of Ceramco Park. number of community gardens.

GETT’s Sarah James says the GETT is also keen to remain actively cycleway is used by many children engaged with local board planning with as a route to and from school, plans to build on their zero waste focus. and it’s an important area to look One plan presently under discussion after, and the board’s Sandra is the development of a Glen Eden Coney agrees.

Repair cafe, defined as a ‘free meeting “I was delighted when the Monique Olivier (left) and Sarah James of Glen Eden Transition space all about repairing things group came forward to offer to Town signing the spray-free MOU. carry out spray-free weed control. “There is a lot of concern in the together.’ The cafe would be stocked with tools and materials and community about using chemicals to control weeds, so for GETT to run by volunteers to help locals with any repair projects they have.

The group is always on the lookout for new members interested in put their hands up and do something about the issue is wonderful,” community action, zero waste, local food and sustainable transport.

Sandra says.

“After securing a self-managed, no-spray zone with Auckland Parks They can be contacted through Facebook at https://www.facebook. along one of our cycleways, we are now excited about getting the com/glenedentransitiontown or email glenedentransitiontown@ community involved in helping us to maintain the space,” says David gmail.com.

Lorson, a GETT group member.

– George Shiers GETT has been working in the Glen Eden area since 2012 with

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The Fringe NOVEMBER 2016

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growing west with geoff davidson

Miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea) Pigeon love this tree. The New Zealand wood-pigeon, that is, or kereru or kukupa (Hemiphaga novaezelandiae). Kereru are known to nest high up in the 25-30m tall trees but it is the relatively large, red, succulent, juicy fruit, tasting of turpentine, that really attracts the bird. Gorging themselves on the fruit, the wood-pigeons become heavy and flight is laborious.

Miro is both a gymnosperm and a podocarp.

Most New Zealand podocarps are dioecious with male and female cones on separate trees. Podocarps are a family of conifers which are better known as pines. Pines of course have needles for leaves, and cones which produce seeds. The word podocarp means ‘seed on a foot’ with totara, rimu, and kahikatea being the best native examples.

Miro is most closely related to matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia) and they are distinguished from other podocarps by both their needles and their cones. Female miro and matai both have hard wooden shells surrounding the single seed and, like a plum, it is all encased in the fleshy red fruit. Other podocarps have seed encased in a crisp endocarp or husk which sits on a fleshy base or foot. In both cases the fruit are in fact modified cones with the cone ‘scales’ becoming fleshy and attracting birds which eat the fruit and disperse the seed, unlike most conifers which have winged seed that are dispersed by the wind.

The male miro has single, axillary, small (1cm) cones or strobili which grow near the tips of the foliage and in a good year can turn the tree a dusty brown colour.

Miro foliage has a dark green, soft, feathery look. The individual leaves, or needles, are small at 2.5cm long and barely 3mm wide.

They are arranged in a manner that is described as “distichous” which means arranged alternately in two opposite vertical rows, or two rows on opposite sides of the axis, quite unlike the needles of pines and other conifers. It is distinguished from matai by the needle being sickle shaped, green underneath and gradually narrowing to a point.

Matai needles are straighter, glaucous underneath and rounded with a sharp point at the very tip. The scientific genus name for miro and matai is Prumnopitys from the latin ‘prymnos’ meaning ‘behind’ referring to the species having a resin duct behind the midrib and ‘pitys’ or ‘pine’. ‘Ferruginea’ means ‘iron coloured’ although you

have to dry the foliage and store it in a herbarium to see the distinctive iron colour develop.

The bark of miro is also distinctive with it flaking and leaving clear irregular blotches. Matai is similar but has regular blotches looking as if a hammer has been used to attack the bark.

Endemic and found throughout New Zealand, miro is a common tree in most forests up to 1,000 metres above sea level where it typically grows in association with rimu. Slow growing and generally preferring rich moist soils, miro will need your help to establish well in your garden. Staking, fertilising, pruning and watering in summer will all be beneficial. But don’t hesitate: kereru will thank you for growing a miro by visiting regularly.

Geoff and Bev Davidson established the family-owned Oratia Native Plant Nursery at 625 West Coast Road, Oratia, in the early 1970s. Since then it has become arguably New Zealand’s best native plant nursery, an achievement confirmed in 2005 when it won the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network’s inaugural award. www.oratianatives.co.nz

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walking west with mick andrew

The oddities of Ian Wells

The mouth of the abandoned manganese mine on the Ian Wells Track.

‘Lock it or lose it!’ cautions the sign as we park the first car at the Scenic Drive end of Cutty Grass Track. I do as I’m told and jump in the second car, a rare luxury which opens up a whole network of tracks whose extremities are hours apart. As opposed to convenient loop tracks, having to traverse an entire track in both directions can take ages: a second car can make the expedition more seamless.

We drive for 15 minutes and turn right into Piha Road, parking at the start of the Ian Wells Track just up from the busy Upper Nihotupu car park.

The track follows a level 4x4 access road for 10 minutes before reaching a junction, the right path of which leads to a grassy clearing and disused auxiliary dam. A fast moving stream runs beneath it and through the dam’s apertures we can see patches of vibrant pink and orange hues; conspicuous colours in such a landscape. Exploring down a small path on the opposite side, we enter the cavernous interior and find that it has been almost completely decorated in a motley of graffiti art. Confined to the inner walls, it is not at all incongruous and combines with the rushing stream and outside trees to offer a unique multicoloured spectacle.

Heading back to the junction, we walk up the

weather by the moon Due to ill health, Ken Ring is unable to provide his weather predictions for November. We are looking forward to welcoming him back on board in the November issue with his predictions for December and the summer!

Ken’s Weather Almanac for New Zealand for 2017 (Random House), is available from Titirangi Post Shop. © Ken Ring 2016. www.predictweather.com.

other path where another portentous sign warns of the perils that await inexperienced trampers. I take a glance at our gear. My feet are well clad in robust hiking boots but one of my companions is adorned in luridly pink tennis shoes and a purple cotton scarf. A little mud never hurt anyone, I decide. At least we’ll be fashionable.

The track ascends moderately along a clay surface, gradually growing more boggy. At one point we pass two women who stare disapprovingly at my friend’s choice of impractical attire.

“I’m quite worried about your shoes,” one says. “It gets worse you know.”

“We’ll be alright,” I confidently declare, concealing a growing sense of irritation at my negligence and poor advice.

After about 30 minutes the track deteriorates into a full-blown mire. My friend, who has been skirting round the edges of the mud, finds herself stuck and has no choice but to sink shin deep into the sludge, rendering her shoes a little less blinding. As the track levels out, the bush closes in and we encounter a series of manageable stream crossings.

After one of the crossings we find an open tunnel cut into the earth. It veers to the right and leads to the mouth of a dark cave, apparently an abandoned manganese mine. It appears empty, but when I take a photo the flash briefly illuminates the walls and ceiling, revealing dozens of cave weta suspended just above my head. Careful to avoid the dangling antennae, I carefully back out of the cave and the James Cameron movie scene, returning to the safety of the stream.

We continue on and the track starts to descend.

After another 20 minutes we reach the intersection with Cutty Grass Track and the last flat stretch to Scenic Drive.

Exiting the bush, I find that some confused soul has mistaken my car with one that contains valuables and smashed one of the windows. Curiously, they neglected to take any of my second-hand paperbacks or Hank Williams CDs. Sometimes you just get lucky!

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live @ the lounge

Yeah gidday. Lizard here.

A mate of mine lives by the adage: “Always meet 12 new people a day.” Well, today I met just one who well and truly made up for the missing 11.

I was sitting on the water’s edge at Cornwallis with my trouser legs rolled up, just cooling my corns, when he sat down beside me. He was a boney-faced old man with a huge frame and an alarmingly full head of greasy hair. The way his old suit hung gave the impression he had recently lost a huge amount of weight, while at the same suggesting that he could gain it all back overnight. His skin was the colour of over-stewed tea and when I shook his outstretched hand I noticed his fingernails looked like broken piano keys.

He pulled out a handkerchief from his tatty jacket pocket, mopped his deeply carved brow, leaned back on his elbows and farted. I'd been saving one up, so I let it rip. Nothing was said. We just sat quietly, gazing out over the harbour, occasionally breaking wind.

After a few minutes, he leaned over with a twinkle in his eye and said: “I've spent the last 10 years looking for my ex-girlfriend’s killer, but no one will do it.” We watched The Spirit of Resolution slowly make her way to Onehunga. “It's a very high tide,” I said. “I know when I'm going to die,” he replied. I almost choked. “It will be when the Warriors win the Grand Final.” Blimey, this old guy is going to live for ever I thought.

“Have a look at this Lizard,” he said while rolling over on his hip and pulling his wallet from his suit trouser pocket. In it was a photograph of an attractive young couple on a dance floor. They were obviously professionals going by their amazing outfits. The man had raised the lady to a full arm’s length above his head. “We were a real show stopper around the jive halls back in the day,” he giggled. “The telly killed all that, or maybe it was when I went to the works. Are you a religious man, Lizard?” I remembered quite

enjoying the picture books of Noah's Ark and stuff at Sunday School but said nothing.

“People are waiting for a miracle to confirm their faith,” he went on. Are we still talking about the Warriors I thought? “Miracles. Rubbish. You just need to swallow your anger. Let's go for a stroll.”

I felt oddly comfortable with this old stranger – as at ease as being with a neighbour’s dog that I'd known for years but never patted.

“Life was simpler when I was young,” he said “We got married as soon as we could and then had sex with anyone that said yes. Half my kids look nothing like me. I don't ask questions. What does it matter if they're getting fed? Back then, the bloke with the money bought the beers. The bloke with a car drove us around. If a chap caught some fish he didn't do the dishes. We worked hard to get a house, not an investment. You put a little away for a rainy day not to get ahead of the other bloke or get new boobs. No one dreamed of selling their house. Why would you want to move away from where you were raised?”

When we got back to the van, the sun was streaming into the back so I opened the tailgate and we stretched out on the mattress. I opened a couple of beers.

“I'm having Christmas right here on the beach again this year Lizard. Why don't you bring everyone here?

Things are getting far too formal. It's too tough on the women. I give every kid 50 bucks and they buy what they like at the Boxing Day sales.”

I must have dozed off because when I woke up I was alone and all the beers were gone. I went for a stroll and came across a message scratched in the damp sand. “I don't need to tell you how to live but I can teach you how to die.”

Silly old bugger. Still, Christmas Day on the beach with a bunch of Westies does sound like fun.

Later, Lizard.

“I know when I’m going to die ... it will be when the Warriors win the Grand Final.”

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Opinions expressed in the The Fringe are solely those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the publication or its publisher. Fringe Media Ltd is not responsible in any way for the contents of any advertisement, article, photograph or illustration contained in this publication.

While every reasonable care will be taken by the Editor, no responsibility is assumed for the return of unsolicited material. © Copyright 2016 by Fringe Media Ltd. All content in this issue is the property of Fringe Media Ltd and may not be reproduced in any way or form whatsoever without permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

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