North Canterbury News: December 23, 2020

NEWS
4 North Canterbury News, December 23, 2020
Kaikoura ahive of summer action
By DAVID HILL
Kaikoura remains abustlingseaside
community,evenwithout international
tourists.
DestinationKaikoura acting general
manager Louise Frend says thesupport
fromfellow New Zealanders hasgiventhe
townaboost since Covid­19closed the
borders.
“We have enjoyed abusier than ever
winter seasonand, while thisis
surprising, it is off arelatively lowbase,”
she says.
“However, we do wishtothank all those
Kiwis who havemade the efforttospend
timeand money to support ourregion.”
The towncentre is lookingsmart after
the completionofseveralclean­up and
beautification projects, whilethe new
Cultural Art Trail will make the journey
more attractive, whether travelling from
the north or south.
Walking and cycling trailsare always
popular withvisitorsand theholiday
parksare busy, she says.
“Hotelsand motels are doingitabit
toughand they needthe support of
travelling Kiwis, too.
“Short lead times on bookingsare
making it difficultfor planning and
staffingfor both the tourism and
hospitalitysector.
“We as acommunity wishtoremind you
of thebeautyofKaikouraand also
expand on whatyou mightknow about
what thereistoenjoyhere.”
Louise has plenty of suggestionsfor
summer road trips to Kaikoura.
Thereare “cool bike tracksfor all levels
of ability”,withthe MiddleHill
mountainbike trail beingapopular
choice and“we arehearinggreatthings
aboutthe Kaiterau”.
To findout moreabout cycle trails,goto
coastalsports.co.nz/bike­kaikoura/orfor
Kaikourawalksgotokaikoura.co.nz/seedo/kaikoura­walks/.
Forthe adventurous, there is kayaking,
fishing and raftingonthe Clarence, while
Dive Kaikouraisrunning acrayfish
divingcourse,and the localfishing
operatorsare ready to serve.
Nature lovers canvisitthe seal colonies
or come and seethe Hutton’sshearwater
birds.
Forfamily fun,there is the “Coastal
Encounter” fromEncounterKaikoura,
where visitors can “seemorewildlife
than justalbatross or dolphin­specific
tours”,orplay around at Emporium mini
golf wheremum anddad canenjoy abeer.
If the weatherisnot playing nice,pop
School navigates memorable opening year
NorthCanterbury’snewest
school is looking forward to
continued growth in 2021 aftera
challengingfirst year, principal
DannyNichollssays.
Te Matauru Primary School
opened in February witharoll
of 88 and will enrol its200th
pupilduring2021.
It wasthe firstnew school to
open in North Canterbury in 52
years, aside fromPegasusBay
School, which was created in
2014 from therelocation of
Waikuku School.
‘‘We hadareally memorable
opening year despite the
challenges that2020 threwup
for everyone, andweare now
really lookingforward to a
second yearthatbuildsonthose
strong foundations.’’
The school leadershipteam,
whichalsoincludes Rachele
Poole, Jessica Bergs and
Amanda Papps,have selected
‘‘cultivate’’ as theschool’s focus
word for 2021.
‘‘We believe thatthis word
encapsulatesmuch of whatwe
are planningtoachievethrough
our strategic and operational
plans.
‘‘We arepositioned as a
central hubfor the growth
taking place in west Rangiora.
We wanttointentionally
cultivateour community,our
curriculum and ourinternal
capabilities.
‘‘We arealso opening our
Maukatere technology centre so
Student leaders ... George Hoskins, centre, and Annabel Hurst chat to Te Matauru Primary School
principal Danny Nicholls.
PHOTO:SUPPLIED
will be hosting an additional 600
Year 7and 8students each week
from other schools on our site.’’
Underanagreement withthe
MinistryofEducation, the
school accepts only in­zone
enrolments, althoughthisis
subjecttoareview which is
plannedfor mid­2021.
AnnabelHurst andGeorge
Hoskins are twoofthe senior
Year 8studentleaders for2021
andare lookingforward to the
newschoolyear.
‘‘Iammost excitedabout
beingone of theleadersthis
year at school,’’ George says.
Annabel added:‘‘I really
enjoyed being partofthe
sporting opportunitieslast year
and, as aseniorstudentin2021,
I’mlooking forward to the
leadershipopportunities
ahead.’’
intothe Kaikoura Museum in the
KaikouraCivic Building or catch amovie
and view theart exhibitionatthe newly
rebuilt Mayfair Theatre.
There arealso plentyofeventsin
Kaikourathissummer, including Music
on theLawn at FyffeHouseonJanuary 23,
the Kaikoura A&P Show on February27,
and Kegkourareturns in March.
New Zealandband Katchafire is
stopping foraconcertinthe Kaikoura
Memorial Hall on January6aspart of the
SummerRoadietour (forticketsgoto
tickets.ticketspace.co.nz/event/
katchafire­nz­tour­kaikoura).
Fusionevents is bringing theElements
Kaikoura multisport race to town on
January 24, where competitorscan enter
eitherindividually or as ateam for the
1.5km swim, 48kmmountain bikeand
8.5km run.
Summer
eye care
Specsavers Rangiora
Optometrist May Young is
warning local residents of the
permanent damage the sun
can cause to eyes.
She urges everyonetobe
more sun smart this season.
New research commissioned
by Specsavers
found that 73% of Canterbury
residents aren’t aware that
the sun can permanently
damage eyes, causing things
such as cataracts,cancer or
maculardegeneration.
She says while 94% of
people are concernedabout
long­term damage to their
body, eyes tend to be
forgotten, withjust 28% of
Cantabrians concerned about
the long­termdamagetotheir
eyes from the sun.
‘‘We are exposed to
dangerous levels of
ultraviolet (UV) radiation, yet
almost half of Canterbury
residents (46%)admit that
they don’t wear sunglasses
most of the time when they’re
outside, and manyofthose
who do, don’t wear sunglasses
with UV protection,’’ she says.
‘‘Mostpatients I’ve seen
don’t know what to look for in
sunglasses when it comesto
sun protection.’’ She
recommends polarised lenses
because they offer protection
against UV and most glare.
Happy Holidays,
North Canterbury
Our clinic is open for
appointments through
24 December and will
reopen 5January.
PLUMBING -new builds, bathroom, kitchen &
laundry alterations, maintenance
LOG FIRES - installs, assessments, permits
PUMPS AND WATER TANKS
-new setups, installs and assessment
BACK FLOWS - new installs and testing
Thank you for your support during avery challenging 2020!
Call 03 423 3158
Amberley |Rangiora |Cheviot |Hanmer
Phone: 03312 8947
Mobile: 027 471 7479 –Warwick
or 021 149 4266 –Sue
Email: info@warwickkirwanplumbing.co.nz
2313388