Issue June 2014

While at Scots College in Wellington, John Mowbray realised that he could turn his own stamp collecting hobby into a money-making business. Fifty years later, he's still at it!

About 750 native trees, shrubs and grasses were planted near the Otaki River estuary on Arbor Day by Friends of the Otaki River, (FOTOR) 20 plus children from Otaki School and some special guests.

Ōtaki College – A High Performing School Recently the New Zealand Herald and Dominion Post ran stories on the recent ERO report which highlighted the...

The soup and stew season is upon us again — time to savour chervil, a stalwart for winter use, and one which deserves to be grown more widely. Chervil enhances all basic winter standbys, such as casseroles, soups and stews, as well as some of our favourite cheese and egg dishes — it makes a great substitute for parsley in scrambled eggs. It’s also one of the best culinary herbs for making herb butter because of its clean, fresh flavour.

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable with a delicious taste and delicate texture, but shop-bought spears can be expensive, and stems are often disappointingly tough and tasteless. If you’re planning to grow your own, it’s worth putting in time preparing the ground to give them a flying start in life. A sunny or partially shaded spot is ideal, with a light, free-draining but moisture retentive soil.

I love the colour purple — it combines the cool restfulness of blue with the heated excitement of red. While a blue garden is calm...

 by Ann Chapman A joy in the winter garden are the Helebores — unpretentious and appearing uninvited. They will happily infiltrate your garden with seedlings in...

Donate your used books at Otaki Library, Otaki New World, Edhouses, and First National.

The old Soapbox factory next to New World is awash with books being sorted, stacked and readied for sale, but more are needed. If you...

Put 26th & 27th July and 2nd & 3rd August in your diary to stock up on books again. 

Join the Debate! Celebrity Debate! Otaki Memorial Hall will come alive on Friday 4th July at 7pm when Otaki Rotary and Otaki Surf Club join...

New Ōtaki Playcentre Secretary Nancy Neale started work in May. Her job is to help manage administration so the whānau who attend can focus...

Flower garden Apply mulch around trees and shrubs to retain moisture for spring and summer months. Prune deciduous shrubs which flower in summer, most roses and...

Rahui rugby under 10 team go on attack in their attempt to get the ball from the tackled Paraparaumu player, while his team mates...

A crowd of over 50 people enjoyed the Winter sunshine last week for the opening on the MenzShed in the old Nurses' quarters at the old Maternity Hospital. Menzsheds are a nation-wide organisation, bringing men together in a community space to share their skills.