Election gibberish

 As our country's general elections get closer we are getting more rubbish spouted by the different parties about who is better, false promises and childish finger pointing. I haven't been paying much attention to any of it as I don't believe any of the parties are any better than each other. I'll be very happy when it's all over and done with - life goes on...

Linking up with Skywatch Friday, All Seasons and Tom's Signs.

Rawene Bus Stop Mural

 On the way to Rawene is this little old bus stop painted (a few years ago by the look of it) with mostly Maori art and a Christian cross. Upon researching this I suspect the art was painted by local group Akau based in Kaikohe.

Linking up with Mural Monday.

On the car ferry

A few days ago I decided to spend the day with B while he was out working. Because he's a technician that fixes peoples internet and phone lines etc he travels every day. He had a job to go to in Rawene so after he finished it we took the car ferry over to Kohukohu, sadly we didn't get to stop and get photos of Rawene township because just as we got to the wharf the ferry was already there ready to go. We were at the back, one of the last cars on.

Oh btw I got my 2nd covid vaccination yesterday - yay!

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

Rawene Courthouse

 Smack bang in the Hokianga is Rawene and one of the many historic buildings there is the  Rawene Courthouse - classic bit of history, having been built here in 1876, to the plans of government architect William Clayton. It has been said that even after the Treaty of Waitangi, Maori controlled justice in Hokianga, and the building of this court may have marked a change. 

As well as criminal courts, Maori land hearings took place here, and some proceedings to do with a civil disruption called the Hokianga Dog Tax Rebellion in 1898. This building also used to double as a Police Station and there is a separate lock up out the back. The building has moved neatly into retirement service as the town library. 

Linking up with Weekend Reflections and The Weekend Roundup.

Rawene Methodist Church

Most of you out there know by now I have a thing for old historical churches and cemeteries - this one I had been meaning to explore for some time.  The Rawene Methodist Church is on NZ's heritage list and was built by a William Cook in 1876 and is an example of a timber building made in gothic style.

Due to a failing congregation the church is now privately owned and the owners were granted $18,000 in 2019 to carry out work on it that respects the history as part of the National Preservation Incentive Fund. Apparently it will be transformed into an artists studio - I can't wait to see it when it's finished. 

Linking up with Skywatch Friday. 

Tuis and Monarchs in Rawene

I'm one of those people who likes to walk around other towns looking to take photos of things I see that others don't think much of. Last week in Rawene while B was spending a penny I spotted this mural on the front of a garage door in the main part of town. It's a NZ Tui bird with what looks like a monarch butterfly to the right - I've no idea who painted it, despite researching but I think it's a very pretty piece of Kiwiana.

Our Tui live throughout the country, they have different coloured feathers of blue green and bronze hues with a tuft of white featers under their necks.  They are not a threatened species but love to eat fruits and nectar such as Puriri, Kowhai, Fuchsia, Rewarewa, Flax, Pohutukawa, Gums and Banksias.

It is such a treat seeing them as they are so different from other birds. 

Linking up with Mural Monday. 

The Wedge - Rawene

Last time we were up in Rawene I took a photo of this unusual building on the corner of 2 streets while I admired the different bright colours.  Apparently it was built in the late 1940s to be used as a 2 storey joinery workshop and it's known as "the wedge" because of it's triangular design.

A few business have occupied different parts over the years including Prime Minister David Lange back when he was a young lawyer early in his career but nowadays it has a real estate at one end and a puzzle shop at the other.

But with a view like this why wouldn't you want to be in there?

Speaking of colour I've been out in the garden here again, I had ordered some little plants online which ended up being way less expensive than I would buy in a nursery. Because we have mostly native plants here I stuck with the theme and ordered some Hebes, some Cuphea and some Brachycome which are mostly low growing but will fill up some bare spots. When I'm out walking sometimes I pick some cuttings out of public gardens to taken home and root so when it rains I will put those out too.

We did get the go ahead from our landlord to remove a noxious plants that had self seeded everywhere, one of which is called Bear's Breeches which can grow up to 2 metres wide and high in the right places and with our garden being quite small it was taking over our lemon tree and flaxes. After digging half a dozen out there were 2 left that were stuck in corners I couldn't get to so I will wait for the other half to help when he has time.

Linking up with My Corner of the World and Wordless Wednesday.

First things first

We visited this spot early last year across the shore from Rawene which involved a ferry ride taking us to Motukaraka.  There is a Marae nearby and a historic church but apparently there are also pig hunting blocks of land for hunters but you need a permit from DOC.  The Hokianga region covers a mixture of coastal forests, with Kauri, Manuka, Totara with sand dunes and mud flats - these are wildlife habitats that are home to native bats, kiwi, dotterils and kauri snails. It's good to know that any hunting dogs are required to have completed Kiwi aversion training which means they aren't interested in birds.

So next week we are due to drop down to Alert level 3 which is kind of similar to Alert level 4 except business can open for online deliveries and drive through. When we are down to Alert level 2 first thing I'm itching to do is to visit the nearest beach, Opito Bay and take the boat out onto the water for a fish. What's the first thing you're going to do?

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

Rawene's Boatshed Cafe

Along the Esplanade in Rawene near the Ferry wharf is the Boatshed Cafe and apparently they make and sell very delicious food such as a Salmon Cream Cheese gourmet pizza. But they also sell arts, crafts and the best fish and chips in the Hokianga Harbour.

Us kiwis love our pizza and there are all sorts of weird and wonderful varieties here. My favourite one ever is from the Waipu Pizza Barn and it has avocado, shrimp and sour cream on it, another one is a Vegetarian pizza from Dominoes. What's your favourite pizza?

Ferry ride to KohuKohu

There is a car ferry which runs from Rawene to Kohukohu every hour each day but passengers can also get rides on it too. We were one of about 10 cars waiting to get on and once on we had to stay in our car after paying. This was the view of the coastline that I took with my camera from my side, in the distance (you can't see it) there is an old church with a very tall steeple that we will come back and visit at some point.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

The Dog Tax War Mural

On the side wall of the Rawene 4 square (kind of like a corner shop or small store) is this mural painted in memory of the historic Dog Tax War of 1898. Apparently the annual tax was introduced because many people, especially Maori around the area owned dogs for hunting and they thought it was a type of discrimination against them.

In the 1890s a dog tax was introduced of 2 shillings and sixpence. The Maori people from Kaikohe West through to the harbour were opposed to it including Waima's Hone Toia not only because many used their animals for hunting but because the tax represented the erosion of their chieftainship. Toia said "first they're going to tax dogs, then they're going to tax people". The stand off occurred when an armed Toia with fewer than 20 men marched to Rawene. Although no blood was shed, the government sent a 120 strong force to the town where he was arrested and served time in old Mount Eden prison.

Unfortunately I've been unable to find the artist of this work but it is located near the Rawene Ferry wharf at the bottom of the main street in the Hokianga.

Linking up with Monday Murals and Our World Tuesday.

Our Lady of Omanaia

We spotted this rather strange looking statue in the middle of nowhere and thought to ourselves "what the.....?!?!?". In Omanaia, just off the Rawene turnoff there is this icon place strategically up on a hillside and after googling it I've found out that it's known as "Our Lady"placed there by the mostly Catholic community of this area to protect motorists from accidents.

Apparently it was created about 150 years ago in France from melted down armaments collected from the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 and was bought to Napier here in NZ in 1890 to be used in St Patrick's Church before being moved to Auckland in 1990. Time and weather had taken it's toll but the locals have had it restored nicely by the look of it.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday.