our place
Celebration time at Whatipu
“There were no roads. Everything was taken in by boat or bush track,” Bruce says. Today the collection of historic buildings at the lodge continues to attract guests and holidaymakers and the area is renowned for its wild beauty and historic sites. The 150th celebrations were postponed last year due to Covid-19 but are going ahead this month -- Saturday, May 22 at 1pm. They will involve walks and talks led by local identities followed by afternoon tea. It is a dog-free zone. For catering purposes, RSVP to Bruce Harvey on 817 3651 or email him at brutrix@xtra.co.nz
‘There were no roads. Everything was taken in by boat or bush track.’
– Moira Kennedy
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Entries are now open for the 2021 Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards Keep New Zealand Beautiful has launched the 2021 Beautiful Awards. The Beautiful Awards are run annually by the not-for-profit organisation to provide a benchmark for environmental excellence. The awards acknowledge schools, individuals, communities, towns and cities who are working hard across Aotearoa to keep New Zealand beautiful. Keep New Zealand Beautiful is a charitable organisation that has been encouraging New Zealanders to ‘Be a Tidy Kiwi' and 'Do the Right Thing’ since 1967. There are 13 different awards across four categories: Individuals, Community, Places and Towns & Cities. They celebrate individuals such as the Young Legends and Tidy Kiwis of New Zealand, as well as the champions of community environmental initiatives, the Most Beautiful Small and Large Town and City, the Most Sustainable School, Best Street and even the Best Loo in New Zealand! Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson says the awards are a fantastic opportunity for communities to showcase the beautification and sustainability initiatives being achieved across Aotearoa, and to reward and recognise New Zealand’s champions of environmental excellence. Nominations and submissions to the Beautiful Awards opened last month and will close on August 4, 2021. Winners will be announced on Thursday, October 28, 2021 at Auckland Zoo. For more information about the awards and how to enter, please visit knzb.org.nz.
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WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN IN THE WEST...
A celebration to mark the building of Whatipu Lodge 150 years ago will be held later this month. At the heart of Auckland’s milling industry from the mid-1860s, the renowned Gibbons family built a mill in Whatipu Valley and in 1870 Nicholas Gibbons built the lodge for mill workers. They lived there during the week, returning to their families – mostly in Huia – on Sundays. Local historian, 90-year old Bruce Harvey, says he warmly remembers holidays at wild and remote Whatipu as a child. His mother, Laura Gibbons was born there. “It was a great retreat for our family and as kids we just loved it, fishing and swimming. They were wonderful days.” Before Laura’s marriage to John/Jack Harvey (Bruce’s father), he would ride from his work as the manager at Rayner’s farm in Piha, to see her, often playing the accordion in the famous giant cave where a dance floor had been built about 1899 for the regular dance parties that attracted crowds from far and wide.
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Ph: 09 817- 9937 Tonic_MothersDay_Fringe_03_2021.indd 1
w w w.toni c s pa.c o .n z The Fringe MAY 2021 7 7/04/21 6:49 PM
