Country Dog City Dog
We went back to school this month and had some fun experimenting with Science! We tried our hand at the Coloured Milk and Elephants Toothpaste experiments both with exciting and mildly explosive results!
We also got the chance to head back to school literally when Kuranui College kindly invited us to attend their school production of West Side Story. The show was fantastic and the residents that attended were all blown away by how talented the students were.
This year we have been lucky enough to be included as a part of the BNZ Closed for Good project. With the help of BNZ staff and other volunteers we are going to be building a native garden border on our Oxford St grounds. We are all very excited about the project so thank you BNZ! … Continue Reading
On the corner of Puruatanga Road and Regent Street is a sight that is new to most but familiar to those who remember the early days of winemaking in Martinborough. Don McConachy has restored the first wine press used in Martinborough for the commercial production of wine, and erected it on a handsome platform at the corner of his family vineyard. He says that when he and his wife Valerie came here a year ago to live and run the 10 acres of vineyard now named Devotus, the press was “just a piece of junk out the back”. However, after discovering its historical significance to Martinborough, Don decided to restore it and put it on public display “to commemorate and celebrate the great wines of Martinborough”.
The wine press was commissioned by Stan Chiffney, of what has since become Margrain Vineyard, in 1982. It was built by Stan Waugh of Waugh Engineering, whose son Rob remembers clearly the engineering detail that went into it. The press was used for the first time for the 1983 vintage and although it’s hard to believe now, production was so small that it was able to be shared between Chiffney, Ata Rangi, Dry River and Martinborough vineyards. … Continue Reading
August club night with our very entertaining guests “Kelburn Viaduct Municipal Ensemble Jug Band” featuring Neil Worboys, Pip Payne, Bill Woods, Maurice Priestley and Steve Carlyle, was great high energy music for a winter’s night. Their terrific rendition of “If You’s a Viper” is among the videos on our You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/crosscreekbluesclub
September will be “World Famous in Wairarapa!” members night, including a full line up of the accomplished musicians of the Cross Creek Blues Club. Among our members we have a musician who (back in the day) opened for Eric Clapton and Cream, and another who toured with New Zealand guitar legend Peter Posa. These and other blues musicians who have toured with bands internationally, now play their music right here in the Wairarapa and will perform on club night. … Continue Reading
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