With the huge pylons in place and the girders starting to be placed on top of them, the fifth bridge across the river at Puhoi is taking shape. The first bridge, built in the 1880s, was known as the drawbridge, although its 22-foot centre span was turned...... Read More

Jeanette Fitzsimons, who died this month, didn’t know me. But I certainly knew her. She was my lecturer for the Environmental Science paper I did as part of my degree at Auckland University and she filled our heads with the urgency of global warming...... Read More

Ideas for a permanent solution to the Hill Street intersection continue to flood in. Richard Papworth suggested to the Warkworth Area Liaison Group that this traffic light configuration might just do the trick.     ... Read More

Watercare concerns Jasper and Catarina Militia, Gulf Harbour (abridged) We read in Hibiscus Matters February 19 the title ‘Watercare says What Water Shortage?’. First thought that came to mind was Marie Antoinette and “let them eat...... Read More

The thing I hear most often from Hibiscus Coast residents is how beautiful the beaches are and how lucky we are to be near this coastal environment. At the same time, rubbish is dropped everywhere and a lot of it ends up on the beach or in the sea,...... Read More

The response to the annual Hibiscus Matters Christmas appeal for food and vouchers for Coast families, who might be doing it tough this Christmas, has again been heartwarming. Several businesses have opted to donate instead of running a Secret Santa,...... Read More

The response to the annual Mahurangi Matters appeal for presents and food for families who might be doing it tough this Christmas has again been heartwarming. Warkworth Lions, always so reliable, came in with boxes of toys, and the Warkworth Golf Club...... Read More

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Close encounters Politicians and journalists have an uneasy relationship at the best of times. Things got a little more strained when Mahurangi Matters ran a story about Rodney First’s unhealthy control over community social media pages. Nevertheless,...... Read More

Still a little bit country A reader sent in the photo above as a reminder that although we might be part of Auckland, the local drinking establishments don’t quite have that gentrified Ponsonby air about them ... well, not yet anyway! Speaking...... Read More