April 6, 2016
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Harvest dash in wet vintage Local vineyards have been busy with grape picking this week, as wineries work to get this year’s crop in before more rain arrives. Long humid spells combined with regular rainfall and occasional storms have caused more than a few headaches for grape growers this summer, with reports of severe damage in some vineyards (see feature p24). There’s still plenty of good fruit to come in, however, like this pinot gris being picked at Matakana Estate last week. Leading vineyard hand Bradley Crane’s mother, Carol Crane, is pictured here with Ritu Sodhi, one of a large group of pickers who travelled up from Auckland to pick grapes throughout the Matakana region.
Multi-million dollar revamp for Waiwera New plans for a multi-million dollar development in Waiwera have surfaced, which the developer say will turn the “rundown resort” back into a national tourist destination. But the proposal has stirred up opposition, with residents concerned a proposed high-rise hotel could erode the coastal character of the town. There has been a long string of development plans for Waiwera over the past two decades, but few have eventuated and visitor numbers have plummeted over the past decade. Waiwera Properties owns all the main commercial land in the town and plans
to invest millions of dollars in a range of facilities. The company bought the hotel site in 2007, the Waiwera Thermal Resort site and former Woodies Bar and Grill in 2009, and the old campground in 2014. Its parent company, Urban Partners (formerly Retail Holdings), also owns a significant amount of land on the waterfront at Paihia and Mission Bay. On its website company executive director Jonny Staples states the company was able to buy key sites in Waiwera following the global financial crisis. “Urban Partners has a deep respect
for the special character and history of the area, and is undertaking master planning work to ensure that it is returned to its former glory and international appeal.” Representatives from the company presented to the Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel in Queen Street, Auckland, last month in a push for changes to development restrictions on building height and commercial intensity. Legal representative Julie Goodyer said it intended to create “a world class, regional tourism and hospitality attraction”. “This would potentially include
the activities of mineral water bathing, mineral water bottling, visitor accommodation, conference facilities, bar and restaurant facilities, a health and wellness spa, permanent residential accommodation, visitor information and community services.” An intensive development was necessary to make it viable, she said. Visitor numbers to the hot pools have more than halved over the past decade, plunging from 305,000 in 2002 to 180,000 last year and it is running at a loss. “The only way it can continue to be developed and made accessible
off the drawing board this month . . .
New Home - Sandspit
awell Graham SARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER
PH 425 9759
9 Falls St • Warkworth
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