RWC 2011 and Waihi Beach

Tonight we are hosting a photographer from Italy who is out here to take photos to use in publicity for the coming RWC 2011. The plan is to take him up to the Waihi Athletic Rugby club in Waihi and let him loose with his camera. I have no idea what will come of this but hopefully it will offer readers  an insight into the kiwi national game, the kiwis who play it and kiwis in general.

His brief is to show readers a story about rugby in New Zealand through images.These images will relased throughout Europe in many publications to show what can be seen and done in between games in the coming RWC 2011.

In Waihi he will watch the guys train and get up a real close view of how rural kiwis do their rugby thing and as they say "a picture tells a thousand words."

If you want more information on the RWC 2011 at Waihi Beach check out www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html

Romance at Waihi Beach

Image courtesy of Mike Hill Photography

Not sure what it is about Waihi Beach - must be something about the beach air - there has just been another engagement at Waihi Beach Lodge. That is not the first engagement we've had at the lodge ( probably the fourth or fifth) and the action all seems to happen down on the beach.

Zac & Clare from Queenstown confirmed their news after Zac proposed and she said "yes" down on the beach under the stars last night - fantastic news

Congratulations to Zac & Clare - we wish them well for the future

To find out more about honeymoons at Waihi Beach www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/specials.html

Waihi Beach Fresh Produce Market

The Waihi Beach Fresh Produce Market is now operating on every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month instead of weekly opposite the pub in WIlson Rd.This is due to weather, lack of stall holders and buyers alike as well as lack of produce.

Yesterday I wandered down to the market on a stunning autumn day and there were 15 or so stall holders and a reasonable  number of buyers looking for their weekly fresh produce. A welcome addition  yesterday was the stall with fresh fish - Kawahai and Mullet - we bought a fat Kawhai less than 24 hours old - half was headed for the smoker with the other half being turned into fish cakes - bloody beautiful.

To find out more about the Waihi Beach Fresh Produce Market www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html

Birdlife & Rats - Waihi Beach & Great Barrier

Several things really stick in my mind from our trip to Great Barrier - the real beauty, the  overall size, the isolation, the dependence on alternate power sources, the stunning beaches, the friendliness of the locals,the total dependence on boats, planes and the weather to get to and from the island - its not always in your favour when you want to get places and by certain times

But the one thing that struck us as odd was the lack of bird life in the bush. The bush is thick and dense and they are possum free but we had a walk for an hour or so one day and saw or heard only 3 or 4 birds. We heard they have a rat problem and it's not a small problem. One cafe owner from Motu Cafe told us he was getting at least 1 rat every 2 days but since he really go onto the problem the bird life around his property had really flourished to the point that he had a bell bird come and visit every day and this year now it now had a mate.

You could see in the bush the effect of no possums - the lower fauna and the smaller trees really thrived  and it got me wondering about the birds. The cafe owner and his wife do a lot of conservation work for DOC and explained that they look after a couple of islands close by and they were doing all they could to stop the spread of rats to those islands as rats were swimmers and they had a lot at stake.

Having just been for a ride down our coastal cycle track here at the beach I saw more birds in 2 minutes than I saw on the whole weekend  at the Barrier- tuis singing, wax eyes, fantails, quail and pheasants all doing their thing - makes you realize how lucky we are here on the mainland and particularly here at Waihi Beach. To find ourt more about Waihi beach www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html

Cone watch

Just an update on the cone above - it has shifted in the last few days and is in danger of falling down completely - not sure how or why but it is not secure like the one atop the tree further along the road.

As a suggestion whoever put it up there some remedial work is required to stabilize the cone - who ever you are I just thought you would want to know.

To find out more about Waihi Beach www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html

Passing visitor

Late last night we had an unwanted & passing visitor at the lodge. We are not sure who it was as all we heard was this loud bang - like a big shunt really. Ali & I rushed outside to se what had happened - we thought may be a car had hit something and we may have been able to help - what we found was amazing with trees and branches everywhere.

Someone had come inside the power pole in picture 1, hit the fence a couple of times and taken out trees and bush etc along the way in picture 2 and last but not least taken out the Mako road sign and carried on
down Seaforth Rd - sorry it should be grass verge - and narrowly missing the power pole a house away.To come inside the power pole when you are sober would be a big ask and you would need a small car!

The driver is very lucky to be alive( we are assuming he/she may have been a little under the weather) and not injured - again a bit of a leap of faith but we don't know so we are giving them the benefit of the doubt - we know the car will be badly scratched and missing an indicator light and who knows what else!

To find out where Waihi Beach Lodge really is www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/map.html

Paeroa to Waihi cycle trail

It is pleasing to see the Paeroa toWaihi cycle trail getting underway and those key players involved - the various land owners all in agreement so the cycle trail can proceed.

Also I would compliment the project team for going and looking at one that really works - The Central Otago Rail Trail - set the benchmark high and measure your self against the best - top marks - I can't wait to see the project completed and opened - may be part of it in time for the RWC 2011.

The cycle trail will be great for tourists as it will potentially give them more to do and their stay will be longer in our Southern Coromandel region. The cycle trail will also compliment the stunning walks in the Karangahake gorge as well as the various walks in and around Waihi and Waihi Beach.

For more activities to do in and around Waihi & Waihi Beach www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html

RWC 2011

Image supplied by Mike Hill Photography

It is interesting to read in todays NZ Herald the piece by rugby writer Peter Bills on the costs in the UK for tourists coming to the UK.

In the piece he writes that businesses in the  UK are grossly over priced for everything from attractions to hotel accommodation and wine and he apologises for giving the impression that New Zealand was over priced. Compared to the UK, New Zealand would not hold a candle to the everyday overpricing he has seen.

What I think many businesses fail to grasp - wether you are charging $100.00 or $1,000.00 you need to offer great value for money so the client leaves wanting to come back and will refer business your way. To do the reverse is criminal and bad for not only individual businesses but the industry and the country as a whole.

For kiwis, unless you are earning pounds or euros, the UK has always been expensive as we are paying for our trip with NZ dollars and we currently pay approx 2 to 1 or previously 3 to 1 for our accommodation, meals, fuel and attractions etc

For the RWC 2011 the task for all in the tourism & hospitality industry in New Zealand is to host guests and give them such a great time that they want to return and they will be telling their families and friends about us and we will get the benefits over the coming years ala the Lord of the Rings. The benefits we have recieved in tourism from that trilogy can not be understated - we had guests from the UK recently and on their wish list was a  trip to Hobitton over near Matamata. How many years ago did the last of the trilogy come out???

For more information on RWC 2011 and Waihi Beach Lodge www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html

The Cones

Just a note to give progress on the cones resident in Island view here at the beach - the one above has withstood all the elements have thrown and still sits proudly on top. Strong winds and rain seem not to matter as the cone sit atop the tree proud as ever.

Waihi Beach & Great Barrier

                                            

Whilst we were on the Barrier last weekend they were running a fishing competition "the Black Jug" where entrants put in $100.00 each and the person with the heaviest fish took the total prize money - in this case approx $3,500.00

The heaviest fish was 19.5kg snapper but there were also 15kg snapper unfortunately my phone camera shots do not show up that well so I can't show you the fish). The heaviest king fish was 15.5 kg caught on a 4kg baitrunner rod & reel by a young woman - amazing feat to bring in that fish.

I am sure the Barrier would give Mayor Island a run for it's money fish wise - something about the deep blue water.If you want to find out more about fishing at Waihi Beach www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html

Waihi Beach & The Barrier

Just had a great weekend away over on Great Barrier with some friends. It was the first visit for us all and what a special place it is."We will be back" as  Arnie says as there is so much to make you want to go back.
Stunning coastal scenery all round the barrier is matched by dense bush and lush green pasture. All the beef, dairy cows & sheep looked in great nick as they had such good grass to munch on.
The folk over on the barrier are very friendly and welcoming and once you get talking to them you are able to work out why things cost what they do and why things are done as they are over there.
As there is no power they need a combination of solar power, generators and in some cases wind power to get things working and keep them working. There is a need also for a back up system as generators often  break down for whatever reason and so you need to have another on stand by.
We were in Curachs, the Irish pub, on Friday afternoon when the generator crashed so it was a series of calls around to find someone who could get it up and running again smartly as the cash register relies on power to function so they used a hand written tab system  until the generator was fixed - relying on the honesty of patrons to come back and pay their bills next day.The local say thats what happens on Barrier - get used to it! All tabs were settled the following day - no questions asked and no one complained.
One thing really stood out  to me was how lucky we are at Waihi Beach to have power to run everything, hot showers when we want - all at our finger tips with the push of a button. We take it for granted in a big way and don't have to worry too much if the solar system had been working while the sun was out doing it's thing and was it the washing machine dragging too much power that caused the generator to over load.
At Waihi Beach we have the odd power outage with lines going down or someone hitting a power pole and we have been known to start a guest's breakfast on the stove and finish it on the bar b que due and we complain about it - but to the folk on Barrier just take it in their stride "thats what happens on Barrier - get used to it!"
If you want to see more images of Waihi Beach www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/photos.html

Waihi Beach and RWC 2011

Great to see that there is a link with Waihi Rugby in a series of  commercials promoting the RWC 2011 that feaure occassionally on various TV chanels.

Waihi is a very old rugby club dating back to the late 1800's and has links to great rugby history.

There are 3 videos on youtube promoting RWC 2011 and are a great promotion for Waihi and the RWC 2011 www.youtube.com/watch?v=56pnKNMnBAY

To find out more about the RWC 2011 www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html