The year is almost at a close and Christmas will soon be upon us. Like me I am sure many of you can’t wait for a quieter and more reflective time in the New Year. Maybe it is time to shape a New Year’s resolution or two? In my last column...... Read More

By the time this article goes to print it we will be almost mid-December and even the Grinches amongst us will have to accept that Christmas is near. I love Christmas but I know all about the stresses it can bring where money is concerned and so these...... Read More

More than 200 people took the opportunity to listen to experts and provide feedback at public open days last month to look at options for improving Warkworth’s notoriously congested Hill Street intersection. Members of the public met with representatives...... Read More

Island timing Looks like Cr Greg Sayers picked up some pretty smooth dance moves on his recent holiday in Rarotonga. Bird revenge A Mangawhai resident is wondering at the wisdom of a local blackbird, which has taken to hopping through the house...... Read More

Tale of two blokes Christmas when it is boiled down is, I reckon, mainly about two blokes. One from the North Pole and the other from heaven. The bloke from the North Pole comes every Christmas, weighed down with gifts for girls and boys – if they...... Read More

Looks like my broad bean dip is off the Christmas menu. Apparently, I am the nastiest mum in the world. These pointed allegations have been formulated by my family after I undertook the simple act of harvesting my broad beans. Of course, I was well aware...... Read More

Many cats and dogs develop changes in or under the skin that result in alterations to the skin appearance or texture. There are many reasons for skin changes, and it is a good idea to get these changes checked out by your local veterinary professional....... Read More

Often times in the garden my goals and practises clash with Mother Nature. That is the challenge of being a gardener – to both work with and against nature at the same time. Never more so than in the case of the birds and the bees. On the one hand,...... Read More

It was great to hear late last month that the Ministers of Conservation and Fisheries are planning to establish an advisory committee to assist with the implementation of the Sea Change Marine Spatial Plan for Te Moananui-o-Toi (Hauraki Gulf). Several...... Read More

Compliments of the season to one and all, and welcome to the last beer column for 2018. I have just returned from sampling some of the delights of Europe’s vast beer list on my recent trip to Germany. I was lucky enough to be near the Dutch border...... Read More

Christmas joy is not far away. Christmas is a time to spend with family, extended family and friends and gives us an opportunity to appreciate each other. Christmas does not need to be a huge expense, even though this is not what retailers would have...... Read More

Biddy Orr adored her grandmother, Elizabeth Karl. When Biddy was aged four-and-a-half she was brought north from the Waikato for Christmas and met her Puhoi family, including her great grandmother, Mary Remiger, who had emigrated from Bohemia as a child...... Read More

Firstly, I want to thank the Warkworth community for making me feel so welcome into our beautiful area. I have been the Warkworth Police sergeant for the past eight months, and I’m passionate about this place as I live and raise my own family here....... Read More

If you’re a serial eavesdropper like me, you might be picking up on a bit of a common theme around Christmas this year. Lots of people are saying things like, ‘I don’t need anything’ and ‘we’re not giving gifts this...... Read More

Season’s greetings and wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas. It’s appropriate timing to look into “Santa’s sack” to see what wins have been achieved with Auckland Council. The biggest has been the dramatic increase...... Read More

Pine trees are weeds when they are in the wrong place. According to an estimate made last year by the National Wildling Conifer Control Programme, weed pines could cover 20 percent of New Zealand’s landmass by 2030. Just a few million dollars a...... Read More

There’s one statement my clients hear me say on more than one occasion  – “It’s not how you move in the coaching sessions when I’m with you, but how you move in your daily activities”. What I’m getting at,...... Read More

The Coastguard Hibiscus crew meet many fantastic people while on the job; we swap photos, stories and experiences while helping them get home safely. On Saturday, October 6 we were tasked to a location northwest of Moturekareka Island to a very nice...... Read More

Earlier this year local school students were asked to give their views on life on the Hibiscus Coast. Some of them said they would like to see more of a sense of ‘community’ or ‘belonging’. This was a little surprising for in...... Read More