Matariki celebrated

On 13 June, Hau Ariki Marae hosted a Matariki Celebration from 4-5.30
for all whanau and community to come and share what they knew about
Matariki and to learn what Matariki was all about. We were fortunate to
hear from Wiremu Dawson and hear his stories of Matariki. After we had a
listen in the Wharenui, we headed outside to sing to our ancestors by
candlelight before heading into the Wharekai for hot chocolates 🙂
Huge thanks to Kevin Haunui, Nanny Jo, Trevor Hawkins and Jonny Shaw
for organising the evening.

Martinborough’s Rising Stars

Mel and Pip Maynard are well known around Martinborough, but they may have been less easy to recognise recently with their new short and stylish haircuts. This is the first time since they were small girls that either sister has had short hair. Mel said, “My hair was always part of my personal identity, so it was quite a big thing,” and both admitted to finding it challenging to go through with. Mel confessed that Pip kept her on target when she wavered.

The sisters chose to cut their hair short during Pink Ribbon Month for breast cancer awareness, both saying emphatically that “we wanted to do it for ourselves”. Cutting their hair was a way of raising awareness, giving back to the community, and showing their gratitude for what has so far been, as Mel describes it, “a fantastic year for us”. … Continue Reading

Library News

Martinborough Library are now up and running in our new warm and cosy spot behind the Village Café.    We are now back to our usual hours of 9.30 to 5 weekdays and 10 to 12 Saturdays.   There is ample parking behind the library including a disabled parking bay.
  
We are still settling in but loving the warmth and close proximity to coffee.  We have got the books in order now but are trying to catch up on the inevitable backlog of new books which accumulated while all the changes were taking place. … Continue Reading

Know your town

Factories
Up until the 1930s there were numerous factories operating in and around Martinborough. An early one was the timber mill at Moiki run by Greenaway and Sholes. A huge amount of timber was milled for the buildings going up in Martinborough and the surrounding district. Timber from this mill was also used for the boxing of the current Ruamahanga bridge.

There was a tannery upriver from the present Huangarua bridge, however little information is available on this factory. There was also a flax mill at Mahaki owned by F Wall. … Continue Reading