Trial may ease coastal community’s battle against erosion         

Cape Palliser Road winds its way along one of the wildest stretches of coast in the world. A dramatic rise in severe weather conditions in recent years have also increased the number of road closures at the Cape, cutting off residents and creating expensive damage. 

It’s an ideal environment for a world-first trial of a new product called EcoReef by Wellington company Agmar Tools.Agmar’s managing director Fred Waiker spends much of his time in South Wairarapa and felt the coast would be the perfect place to put EcoReef to the test.  … Continue Reading

Ukraine donation

For the month of May, when Greytown MeNZ Shed’s mends or makes for the community, they’ll also help the Red Cross to help Ukrainians in great need.

Greytown MeNZ Shed came up with a way to try to help thousands of brave, innocent Ukrainians left homeless, hungry, cold, injured or having lost parents and loved ones as a result of the destruction of their homes, towns and villages caught up in the invasion by Russia.

Tom Bateman, Chair of Greytown MeNZ Shed said “We’ve always helped out on community projects and our wonderful institutions like pre-schools, schools, amenities and health service providers. This time we thought we’d try to stretch a little further and help people doing it tough further afield.  … Continue Reading

Wind over Wings

A perfect Wairarapa day. A cool morning warming to higher temperatures in the afternoon. In the spacious club rooms Stewart Barton reminded the club members to keep the wings and ailerons of the gliders level at take-off, to prevent being caught in the longer grass, despite the air strip having just been mown. 

Amy Smith outlined the tasks for each member, and the current weather conditions. Wind was 03 knots backing towards the East and predicted to rise in the afternoon. Flights were checked. Ollie Cartwright a 12-year-old visitor from Tauranga was warmly welcomed, and quite naturally confessed to being a little nervous about his first trial flight.  … Continue Reading

Under The Martinborough Stars 

Zodiac signs

You probably know your own one, you may often use this term to find out what is going on with your day, but do you know what the signs of the zodiac really are and why they are known?

I often get asked in my line of work if I’m an astrologer. Astrology has been around for centuries long before astronomy proper. People would look at the sky and try and work out what was going on with their lives. Whether there was a suspicious looking comet coming towards us which surely meant death and destruction for many cultures of the world, or where the planets were on the day of your birth, it was all meant to mean something; a sign from the gods.

If a particular planet was in your star sign on the day of your birth, it could mean all sorts of things. You could be emotional, powerful, clever, witty or many other characteristics.  … Continue Reading