Local Happenings

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

16 February, 2012

This newsletter is missing, and should have included the build up to the Archaeological Dig. The post below may have been part of it.

13 February, 2012

Mt Albert Aerial Noise: Thanks to all those who supported our plight to WCC by signing the petition. It seams we have finally after about 3 years had a cessation of the harmonic emanating from the communications towers. The WCC had contractors scale the towers on a noisy day and find the cause of the fluting, and capped them off.

If anybody hears any further noise, please let me know and I will go back to them. Please record the day, time and wind direction/speed if possible. (http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/wellington) – James

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

2 February, 2012

This newsletter is missing, but the post below may have formed the basis for it.

January, 2012

Wellington Bus Review: The Wellington Bus Service Review is due to go out for public submissions in February 2012. The Review will propose a significant shakeup of bus services in the Wellington City area. It will affect all suburbs South of Grenada. The review is essentially focused on two key things:

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

19 January, 2012

New people are still joining the newsletter every week, so welcome to them.

Community Archaeological dig: Planning is proceeding apace for this Saturday February 25 event (see last newsletter). The organising group is now seeking information about:

1. What activities are of interest to the Houghton Valley community;
2. How people wish to be involved.

You are also invited to the second meeting of the organising group on Monday January 23 at the School, 6 – 7.15 pm. For more information, or if you have ideas about the day, please ring Grant.

For planning purposes can you please complete and return this questionnaire by Monday January 23, putting an “X” inside the brackets for all the activities of interest.

[    ]      We plan to come down on the day to see what has been found (detailed programme to follow);

[    ]      We are interested to listen to Mary’s talk about the site and local history;

[    ]      We will bring down a contribution to lunch/afternoon tea – details to follow;

[    ]      We would be interested to bring down a treasure or two for Peter Wedde to have a look at – see below;

[    ]      We would be interested to assist on the day; e.g. washing artefacts, helping with catering, organising displays;

[    ]     We are interested to help with the preparations beforehand;

[    ]      We do not expect to get involved.

If you have offered to assist please provide contact details, name and phone number here …

Note: The idea of a community version of Antiques Roadshow as part of the day – see last newsletter – is going to happen. Wellington dealer Peter Wedde, who has featured in a NZ equivalent of this TV programme in the past, has agreed to donate his time to look at and value your family heirlooms.

Esplanade/Houghton Bay Rd intersection: Work is due to begin this month on the upgrade to the Houghton Bay Rd/Esplanade intersection. Local people involved with negotiations with Council traffic engineers (up to mid-December) believe the final proposal is a major improvement on previous versions.

A principal feature is the creation of a large traffic roundabout which has the objective of slowing traffic from all directions down to 25 km an hour. Another feature is changes to parking and traffic flows at the beach.

SWAP AND SHARE

A message from Miranda of Hornsey Rd: I would like to invite locals to participate in a writing circle every second Friday morning for 2 hours at 56 Hornsey Road, from 10 am – 12 midday.

While the writers will ultimately decide what they write about, an initial focus could be on our relationship with our house, garden, and wider environment and community. I envision it as part of a wider arts group incorporating painting, craft, music etc that can be shared with the community. People need to bring pen, paper or journal. Friday 27 January would be a good date to start as most people are back from holidays by then.

About myself: I am local artist and writer. Thanks Miranda: Please give me a call to confirm your interest.

A message from Jenny of Houghton Bay Rd: If anyone wants some free 3D glasses for watching the Tintin movie, I have 5 pairs.

A message from Jan: Thought I would let you know I have added a life web cam for Houghton Valley, which you might mention in your next newsletter.  This is still in development and I intend to keep it online, but we know the problems computers can provide. It is mainly for weather demonstrations in this area as our family in other parts of the world is not familiar with the weather changes. If you click on the time box at the bottom it will provide also a lot of information about Wellington. I am not a programmer thus further development will take some time.

Regards, Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

15 December, 2011

Welcome to the new members who have just joined, (now 127).

Sustainability upgrade for Alice Krebs Cottage: Most people will be aware of this small retreat, run by the Kae Miller Trust, in the View Rd Park. This week Negawatt Resources began work on substantial energy efficiency improvements to the building. Full details of their extensive sponsorship, what is happening and when to come and have a look, will be published early next year.

Message from Mary of View Rd: Note that the Houghton Valley school patrol is working well on the Houghton Rd pedestrian crossing by View Rd. But a reminder it’s for everyone crossing the road when the patrollers are working – not just the school community!

Toilets for the playground: For those of you who have not seen the article prominently featured in the latest Wellingtonian, the PlayCentre is calling for toilets to be built near the playground, in lower Houghton Bay Rd. Ward Councillor Gill supports the proposal and is going to be taking it to Council. Has anyone else thought about this and has something to contribute?

Christmas is coming: And across the road from the playground, I guess most people would have noticed the Christmas decorations on the house on the corner of Houghton Bay Rd and Hungerford Rd. Brenda has been doing this for many years, and its become such a feature that one year when she was a week late putting them up, one person asked her if it was going to happen at all that year.

A nocturnal visitor: A ruru (morepork) has been making late night visits to the valley, anyone heard it?

EVENTS CALENDAR 

A Summer Solstice potluck picnic: This will be held on Tuesday 21 December on top of the Beacon hill in View Rd Park. Everyone is welcome. Bring food, something to cover the ground, something to drink and enjoy the sunset. Starting at 6 pm (if the weather is dicey, an email will be sent out by 5 pm).

Archeological Dig: The weekend of 18 and 19 Feb has been set for this dig. Put it in your diary as everyone is invited. We will provide details closer to the time. Attached is a map of the area, showing some of its history. Most of the information came from talking to people who lived in Houghton Bay in the 1930s.

This will be the last newsletter for 2011. The next one will come out early in the new year, so have a great Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!

Regards,

Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

1 December, 2011

Welcome to the new members. We have 123 members on the email list now.

A message from James (from Hornsey Rd): “We have a telecommunications tower on the top of Mt Albert. Since Sept 2008 it has started to ‘harmonise’ in a Nor-wester, specifically. So when the nor-wester comes rolling over the hill from Newtown, we all in its lee hear an annoying hum/buzz at the same constant drone. 

I have been on the council for months (possibly over a year now) trying to get to the bottom of the cause (started in September 2008) with the intent to have it fixed. I have suggested, checking records for work done to tower around September 2008, I have asked for all fixtures to be checked for harmonic potential, I have asked for an explanation of council policy regards noise pollution, and I have asked for an acoustic engineer to be consulted to try and fix the problem. Nothing to date. It affects certainly my end of Hornsey Rd, but may well extend over on the other side of the ridge on Houghton Bay Road. Could I reach out through your newsletter for others affected, for support (response with numbers), advice, etc? Thanks.” – James

A message from Stuart Bullen, Team Leader Traffic – Infrastructure, WCC: “The upcoming traffic safety improvements for The Esplanade/Houghton Bay intersection was due to start this week , unfortunately the projects is now planned to start on the 29 November (on Tuesday). Weather and delays encountered at the contractors current job are why we have not been able to start on the due date. The plan is still to finish the majority of the physical works including the large traffic islands by Christmas with the footpath upgrade possibly being delayed until early January.”

Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TRiG): We have worked out a planting plan for next winter. We will plant around 650 trees and shrubs from May until September around the Alice Krebs Cottage. So keep a few Saturday afternoons spare to come out and do something satisfying and fun. However we are continuing our fortnightly working bees to look after what has already been planted, remove weeds and take out some of the larger trees that don’t belong to make room for the new ones. (All welcome!)  Sometimes it feels like we are taking out more biomass than we are putting in but the restoration of Te Raekaihau Headland is not about how many trees we can get planted so we can stop feeling guilty about using our cars (there are easier ways of doing that, check out white roofs.  It’s about bringing back the special identity of Wellington’s coastal forest, so that we can identify ourselves with the place we live in. The sense-of-place a place radiates comes in part from a sub-conscious knowing that the forest and natural environment around it, although constantly changing and adapting, has in essence always been there and always will.

Watch out in the next days for new track signs for the View Rd south / Te Raekaihau Park. Locals got together about a year ago and named the tracks that traverse the park. The WCC supported this idea and has now created the signs and will install them soon.

Regards,

Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

17 November 2011

Last Saturday at Houghton Valley School: A feature of the long established school fair has been the extent of the community’s involvement beyond families with children at the school. Last Saturday was no exception. When a call for help went out through this email newsletter many locals responded with goods and offers of assistance on the day. People ‘came out of the woodwork’ to drop off hundreds of plants at a stall run by those involved with the community garden. Along with a raffle of vegetables this raised several hundred dollars for the school.

Great food and coffee at great prices, great music for – and from – young and old and the rain held off just long enough. Friendly, a generous spirit and plenty of what people wanted. Local MP Annette King was an early visitor (has she got something else on right now?) went away with plenty of plants to tuck into her garden.

It’s not a new House!: Residents along the Hornsey Road ridge below the Mt Albert water tank, with assistance from the WCC, have started a hillside bush regeneration project. A large area of established blackberry has been cleared in preparation for autumn / winter 2012 planting. The area will include the bus stop area, along with the bare part of the gully across the road. We have been working on developing Road Reserve land on this corner recently stripping it of Cape Ivy, blackberry, Kooch Grass, Ivy etc and replacing with natives. We will be applying for a grant to fund the provision of materials to build some steps and a walking track to connect the road with the southern Walkway on the ridge above. The gully was used as an informal community tip in the past and we are having all surface rubbish removed. We will keep you informed of progress as it happens! – James of Hornsey Rd

LOCAL CONTACTS:

The following was compiled for a leaflet handed out at the school fair; it’s an up to date list of contacts for local activities.

• Houghton Valley Community Garden: Turn up at 2 pm any Sunday to see what’s going on; see also the Houghton Valley Facebook Page;
• Hornsey Rd Neighbourhood Group: If you live in Hornsey Rd you might know what’s going on, otherwise contact James;
• Archaeological Dig: Will take place early next year on the site of the original dairy farm in Houghton Valley. See future issues of the newsletter or contact Grant;
• Friends of Buckley Rd Reserve: Planting group, contact Kate and Ian;
• TRiG – View Rd Reserve: Te Raekaihau Restoration Group for tree planting and weeding, contact Jenny;
• Alice Krebs Lodge: For bookings contact Brenda;
• Te Raekaihau Coast Care – seashore at Te Raekaihau Point: Planting and coast care group, contact Sunita;
• Upgraded Esplanade/Houghton Bay Rd intersection: Contact Norman for more information;
• Civil Defence Register: Contact Norman to register any useful resources you have;
• Houghton Valley PlayCentre: For session times see: http://www.wellingtonplaycentre.org.nz/index.php/find-a-centre-mainmenu-39/58-houghton-vally-playcentre.html (Link not current)

Regards, Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

03 November 2011

HV Community Garden: more locals are discovering the garden. Some took advantage of the fine weather on Sunday afternoon to visit – see photo.

EVENTS CALENDAR

November 12, Houghton Valley School Fair:  Message from the school: Our fabulous Fair is just over 1 week away! Thank you so much to everyone who has volunteered so far – your help is really appreciated. HVS is a Decile 9 school, which means that the school gets less funding per child than Decile 1-8 schools and so we are more dependent on fund raising to do things like buy computers and pay for extra teaching resources.

We still have some jobs that need filling, so if you don’t have a job yet, please help out.  It is always lots of fun being on a stall, so don’t miss out! We need:

• 1 person for china smash
• 2 people for the bouncy castles
• 1 person for face painting
• 2 people for the henna stall
• 1 person for the treasure hunt (in the sandpit)
• 2 people for the spin art stall
• 1 person for the lolly lei stall

If you can help with any of these, contact Jane. We also need 4 – 5 people for a couple of hours to give people on stalls a break so that they can get food, go to the toilet etc.  Please contact Sarah if you can help with this. Or you can:

• Make a large salad for the salad stall – a potato salad, chickpea salad, pasta salad or roast veggie salad would be fantastic. You could do this instead of donating a cake;
• Make delicious little sandwiches or savouries for the Tea Room – these are really popular and sell well;
• Make a large pot of dal or veggie curry;
• Donate books, clothes and toys;
•  Give us lots of clean plastic shopping bags.

We still urgently need donations for the Silent Auction. Things that sold well last year were: artworks, furniture, ornaments, retro objects, quirky things (like an old fire extinguisher!), vouchers for things such as hotel stays, coffee, dining out etc. – anything considered.

We urgently need donations of lemons to supply the homemade lemonade stall at the School Fair. If you have a tree at home, know someone who does, or would like to donate some bought lemons for the cause, please contact Claire . Alternatively, if you would like to make some of the cordial and donate that, here is the recipe:

• Juice of 12 lemons (6 with rind on, 6 with the rind taken off)
• 8 cups of water
• 1 tbsp citric acid
• 1 tbsp tartaric acid
• 3 cups sugar (may need to add more if the lemons are tart) –

In a nice bottle, the cordial also makes a great Christmas gift!

Sweets, cakes and biscuits sell out fast so we need lots of baking done. Now is the perfect time to whip up some biscuit, slices, cakes, fudge or coconut ice. Store it in an airtight container and it’ll be fresh for the fair.

A wonderful single quilt is being raffled as part of the school fair. The quilt is available for viewing in the school office. Raffle tickets can be purchased from the school office $2 per ticket or 3 tickets for $5.

A fabulous wool knee rug/blanket (1 metre x 1 metre) made by some parents and Sandra (ex HVS parent) is being raffled for the fair as part of the craft stall. Raffle tickets and blanket are on sale in the school office ($2 per ticket or 3 tickets for $5).

Questions, suggestions, donations?  Contact Sarah.

November 12 Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TRIG): We had another working bee again on Saturday 29th and finished the Peace Grove Loop Track. Dr Maggy Wassilieff also came and gave some good advice about what trees to plant in the open or under a tree canopy, which we can plant lots of and which only a few, and when we can make use of the karo and when it is better to chop it out, so we are now in the process of developing a Restoration Plan for the bushy area around the Alice Krebs House to turn it into something more resembling a South Coast Forest. We shall work on weed control and site preparation over the summer and plan to plant 500 – 700 trees next winter. We have another working bee on November 12, so come on up after the School Fair to the seat just beyond the cottage and the beacon (2 – 5 pm)  and help us with a bit more planting which we are fitting in seeing as there has been so much rain. For more information or to join our newsletter list email Jenny.

December 1,  Urban Agriculture Workshop 6 – 8 pm: Focusing on food distribution. Bring along all your ideas, including thoughts on People’s Markets, produce swaps, preserve-making workshops. Mezzanine Community Room, Central Library.

Neighbourhood watch: A car was broken into on Houghton Bay Rd. This time last year there was a mini crime wave, so everyone keep a watch out.

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

20 October, 2011

Houghton Bay intersection upgrade: Update from Stuart Bullen, Team Leader- Traffic, WCC. Planning is proceeding taking into account community input, with a November start to the work still planned. He will provide a copy of the final version of the plan, which will included in a later edition of this newsletter. The plan will include improvements to Cave Rd intersection as discussed with people on site, Traffic section are in discussion with Parks and Reserves about re-location of boulders to improve parking, foliage which obstructs view of traffic from Princes Bay will remain. – Norman

Track signs for the View Rd south and Te Raekaihau Reserve: These tracks have been named and soon signs will appear on the reserve. A map showing the tracks and names is below.Alice Krebs Lodge: A reminder that that the lodge can be booked if a night or two in the beautiful bush overlooking the coast is desired. It is fully self contained with beds, kitchen, shower and wood burner. Contact Brenda.

Neighbourhood watch: An unregistered white motorbike has been seen on the bush tracks between Buckley Rd and Houghton Bay Rd. It’s not a good thing at a number of levels, and its not permitted. If you see him you might like to point this out.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Saturday 29 October (1pm ): Launch of the Wellington South TimeBank at Island Bay community centre (137 The Parade). You’ll have the opportunity to sign up as a TimeBank member, and meet some of the other traders in your community.  Plus there will be food and games for the whole family, and music.

October 31, Community Preparedness Grant update: Several locals are in the process of preparing an application. The plan is to apply for funding for the following projects:

• Community Archaeological dig (planned for January);
• Welcome to new residents kit;
• Development of a community website;
• CD register.

If anyone else would like to contribute please get in touch asap.

November 12 Houghton Valley School Fair: Donations needed!  Contact Sarah .

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

6 October, 2011

EVENTS CALENDAR

Houghton Valley Progressive Association Meeting: This Sunday at 4 pm in the Community Hall.

October 15, TRiG Working Bee: “The Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TRiG) met on last Saturday afternoon (Oct 1) and had a very enjoyable 3 hours cutting, pruning and forming about half the Peace Grove Track, which will loop around below the Alice Kreb Cottage. At the next Working Bee on October 15, (Saturday 2 – 5 pm) we will work on the track from the cottage end and meet up in the middle.” For more details contact Jenny.

October 31, deadline for the Community Preparedness Grant: Several locals are keen to put an application in. If you have any ideas of community based events that you think would benefit us all, let me know.

November 12, message from Sarah (the Houghton Valley School Fair Coordinator): “Donations needed! The fair is on 12 November, and we are in urgent need of donations of clean clothes, toys and books to sell at the Fair. Sorry, we are not doing White Elephant this year because of lack of space. The money raised from the Fair will go towards the building of a new classroom, which is urgently needed! I’m happy to come and pick up any donations. Many thanks.”

Houghton Bay History: In the 186’s and 70s the whole of Houghton Bay was part of a sheep farm, owned by Alexander Sutherland (aka Sutherland Rd). The following is another story told by his grandson, about Alex’s daughters:

“A few [Maori] families lived at Houghton Bay; and at the head of the valley of Houghton Bay, near the foot of Mt Albert, was another camp situated in a clearing surrounded by beautiful native forest.” Sutherland A. (1947), ‘Sutherlands of Ngaipu’, Pub: A.H.Reed & A.W. Reed, Wgtn NZ.

There is a photo album being passed around the area which is full of early Houghton Bay photographs. If you would like to see it, let me know and I will drop it off.

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

22 September 2011

HV Community Garden: we received several fruit trees this week from ‘Operation Green Thumb’, (www.communitygardenz.org.nz link not current) so on Sunday the gardeners will be deciding where to start a fruit tree grove.

EVENTS CALENDAR

September 25 (9.30 am – 2 pm) The Great Living Legends Muck-in: at the Berhampore Golf Course. Native trees are being planted to celebrate NZ Rugby Legends. Refreshments will be served after the planting. Register online at www.livinglegends.co.nz. before Friday. Go to the Wellington Town Belt in an area that passes behind Berhampore Golf Course west of Adelaide Road. Bring sturdy footwear, spades, gloves. 

October 1 (2 – 5 pm) TRiG Working Bee: The Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TriG) will meet at the seat on the main track about 25m past the Beacon near the Kae Miller Cottage. We will be working on forming the beginning of the Peace Grove Track. We will also tidy and chop up some of the cleared material from the last two sessions. Tools needed are pruning saws, loppers, secateurs and spades for shelving the track.  Also gloves and afternoon tea. If you would like more information or would like to be on the TRiG newsletter list please contact Jenny.

October 31 Community Preparedness Grant: This funding application may be of benefit to locals. Check it out. (Link not current)

November 12 HV School Fair: lots of help is wanted with the fair. If you can assist, contact Sarah.

Houghton Bay History: In the 1860s and 70s the whole of Houghton Bay was part of a sheep farm, owned by Alexander Sutherland (aka Sutherland Rd). The following is a story told by his grandson, about Alex’s daughters:

’Houghton Bay itself was not of much interest to the girls, but frequent reference was made to the charming bush which clothed the sides of the valley right up to the foot of Mount Albert. After the citizens of the growing town had depleted the Bay shore of a tremendous quantity of drift timber they attacked this valley and tipped the logs over the steep hill bordering the bay’. Sutherland A. (1947), ‘Sutherlands of Ngaipu’, Pub: A.H.Reed & A.W. Reed, Wgtn NZ.

Regards, Grant