Door to door from Wharekaka 

At the heart of the Meals on Wheels service in South Wairarapa is a busy kitchen at Martinborough’s Wharekaka Aged Care Community. Five days a week, chef Don and assistant chef Maddie will not only prepare the main meal of the day for Wharekaka residents, but also for clients in Martinborough and Featherston. Busiest days are Tuesdays and Thursdays when the Wharekaka team also cater for Meals on Wheels clients in Greytown. 

The two-course meals are made with the aim of delivering healthy, tasty food to those who might find it difficult to cook for themselves. Meals are freshly made each day and are drawn from a varied menu. The main meal could be anything from a roast dinner to a casserole or a fish dish. Side dishes always include potatoes or rice, and a generous serving of seasonal vegetables. Desserts are a treat, often featuring fruit or fruit salad. Any special dietary requirements are catered for, and meals are made with the elderly in mind. “Nothing too dry, we always include a sauce, ” says Maddie.  … Continue Reading

From the Mayor

It’s mid-winter, and we have just had the shortest day on the 21^st June. Usually, Martinborough is relatively quiet from a tourist perspective, but town seems to be continuing as if it is the summer holidays!

In Council, things have been just as busy, with the Annual Plan consultation process and the upcoming adoption of the Annual Plan on the 30^th. The plan should start fixing the issues we encounter every day in running an efficient Council, and getting a grip on infrastructure investment and resilience.

The Martinborough Manganese Reduction Plant has been installed and will be commissioned and operational by the start of summer. We, therefore, shouldn’t see the same level of water restrictions as we did last summer, although water conservation will continue to be a priority for our district, and region, as we all strive to act sustainably. The current bores and treatment plant are only a temporary solution until a permanent deep bore can be investigated.  … Continue Reading

From the Library

“’I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’” —J.R.R. Tolkien.

Staff were working away during Level 3: Sylvia was doing extensive planning for our upcoming events and programmes, and Ali was updating the non-fiction collection – removing some older books to make room for the new ones.  These books are available for sale, so if you’re after something in particular, we can look to see what’s available.

Level 2 saw the re-opening of the Library and we were delighted to welcome our community back through the doors.  Now at Level 1, we are excited to get our regular programming back on track; our preschool storytime has been rebranded – “Little Bookworms” is every Tuesday during the school term, at 10am in the Library.

Preparing for National Simultaneous Storytime in May was great fun – the idea was that libraries, schools, early-learning centres all across New Zealand and Australia read the same picture book at the same time. The book this year was “Chicken Divas” by Lucinda Gifford; members of the community (our flock) got involved by way of wearing tiaras, feather boas and sparkliness (no-one we asked “chickened” out!).  The pictures can still be seen in the Waihinga Centre window, or on our Facebook page. … Continue Reading

 Heritage classification for observatory

Iconic Carkeek Observatory a key part of Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve development plans

The unique and historic Stephen Carkeek Observatory near Featherston will play a key role in developing the Wairarapa’s dark sky reserve, the promotion group said today.

Wairarapa’s Dark Sky Association was commenting on the Heritage New Zealand decision to classify the 1867-built observatory as a Category 1 Heritage site on its New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero.

Efforts begun in 2017 by the Martinborough Dark Sky Society (now Wairarapa Dark Sky Association) to ensure protection and preservation of the remains of the oldest obervatory in the country, have been rewarded with the nation’s top historic listing, chairperson Viv Napier said. … Continue Reading