November 8
Big Beach day, lots of visitors, took pictures of dune posts area... conclusions of my own... surfed at 7:30pm... possibly best day of surfing I will ever have in my life!
November 7
Ratepayer meeting...
This one really opened my eyes to the community aspect of Piha. For my project the Conservation and Environment part is fairly easy, the Financial and Infrastructure part was a bit more difficult but is near completion.... the Community however.... WOW. Talk about a wrench in the gears of progress. I got to attend a Residents & Ratepayers meeting to be the quiet observer with no agenda or any long term resources to look after in Piha. I got to be the unique "outsider" who could be as close to non-bias then anyone in the room comparatively
Right off the bat at the meeting the floor is open and Duncan Clark stands up and produces a speech. Recently in Piha (the night before) "someone" went out and pulled up all of the new posts along mid beach for fencing. Everyone at this meeting knows Duncan was the one who did it and he is quite proud that he did. He had some helpers as well, stacked all the posts neatly out of peoples way and also got 60 some signatures. The problem here is COMMUNICATION... as I continue this is the cause of a lot of problems in Piha. Auckland Regional Council installed these posts but failed to tell the R&R or the community whos view is/was blocked with "ugly" fences. Renee from ARC stated they did tell everyone as it is a part of their 5 year ongoing project. R&R is upset because they had to pay for the posts and Duncan pulled them up. Duncan and the community is upset because R&R and ARC didnt tell them about the posts going in. ARC is on the outside kind of saying, what happened happened lets move on and find a compromise and solution. Then a fourth contender comes in, Coast Care, the ones responsible for replanting the dunes and making sure people use the desginated trails to limit damage to the dunes. Makes sense and is great. Big fuss over how people will find the trails and needs to plant spinifex tomorrow.... Coast Cares also argued the plants need to go in because people like to walk on them when the sand is hot.... wait... so you want fences so people know where to step and not to step, you want plants so the dunes arnt damaged, but you also want plants so people can walk on them and not burn their feet. So planted dunes minus fences is actually the best option. Of course people need some kind of direction hence the fences, but if people are going to walk off the track anyways to avoid burnt feet what is the point of trails and dunes and plants. Its like trying to plant on an asphalt path, lots of people will use it, some will keep to the path, others will hop into the grass or cut corners.
Now I've been down there before and midbeach dunes are very heavily vegetated compared to south piha. The trails are wide and a lot of damage is being done in THOSE areas, why plant and fence an area that is perfectly fine. Comparing photos of South Piha and the midbeach its not that bad and really doesnt require fences, sure it could use some more plants but why bother when other places need them so much more. Back to the real issue at hand, why have fences? Its not going to deter someone if their feet are burning at all. If my hand was on fire and their was an aquarium next to me chances are I would not care if I poked or damage one of the plants or fish. Second point if there needs to be some kind of way to indicate to people where to walk the best way to achieve it is a sign or a visual reference. Instead of having the 60+ posts one every meter you could place one at the base of the dune, one at the top of the dune, and another at the other side of the dune. As long as the posts are visable from one of the other posts people will find their way to it. And in this case heavily plant the areas that are not off limits.
If I have to choose a side here it would be Duncan, it is not his fault that R&R, Coastcare, or ARC failed to tell him and the community. I think he is looking out for the best interests of the people of Piha. Very ironically Guy Fawkes did a similar thing; Duncan saw organizations and government was overreaching its grasp and basically forgot who all of them are working for. The community is what matters not the dunes, not the rates, not the posts or fences. If the community is forced into getting something they dont want they are going to bite back.
So Renee from ARC says ok we will pull out the temporary posts figure something else out that is unobtrusive, visually fits in the character of Piha, and to minimize the number of posts/fences.... *sigh* solution: less posts, plant the edges of the paths, mark begining and end of trails. !!! wish I was allowed to speak at this meeting, could have saved so much time!!!
Next on the list: National Surf Competition in January. That is awesome, should bring in a lot of visitors as well as income for Piha, as well as a lot of impact to environment. Funny enough nobody mentioned dune damage during this or last years event of the Thundercats. BUT they didnt so apparently a non-issue with big crowds. However one of the big problems during these events is the rubbish bins overflow. ARC proposes a new type of rubbish bin, much bigger and also includes a seperate recyling bin (wonder why they dont have those already) and also should be scheduled to pick up rubbish at a new time in order to take the heavy load of the events.
Another great example of lack of communication. ARC went through and replaced the old trail signs as well as old picnic tables. One of the tables was simply placed by the bridge by someone but the ARC contractors came through and replaced it with a brand new one. Nobody complains about the new piece of furniture even if ARC never consulted with anyone to install a new picnic table.
The last couple of things were about grease traps working in the Domain. Another case of improper communication of ARC spraying herbicides to kill grass by the LifeGuard station in South Piha.
Towards the end of the meeting there was mentions of the library vs post office conflict, someone stood up and said that Piha is so split over this why not at Barnett Hall. Seems like a good idea to me, best I've heard so far actually.
And the point of Piha community being split is such an understatement. Split usually refers to something divided in two. Piha could be described as being fragmented and/or pulverized. There are so many rival factions and groups and dare I say clicks here, and everyone has a different agenda or is trying to get what they want only. What I saw at the meeting was simply a gross display of self interests, too many people trying to get their name recognized, too many people trying to get what they want.
You have
R&R,
ARC,
CoastCare,
WCC,
Post office in the library people,
people against the post office in the library,
the Librarian group (dont know official name),
Pro-cafe,
Anti-cafe,
Various Waitakere groups,
Piha Heritage Society,
and God knows how many other groups their are that I have yet to come across
Final thought is: Cut the fat, merge groups, force communication to EVERYONE
This one really opened my eyes to the community aspect of Piha. For my project the Conservation and Environment part is fairly easy, the Financial and Infrastructure part was a bit more difficult but is near completion.... the Community however.... WOW. Talk about a wrench in the gears of progress. I got to attend a Residents & Ratepayers meeting to be the quiet observer with no agenda or any long term resources to look after in Piha. I got to be the unique "outsider" who could be as close to non-bias then anyone in the room comparatively
Right off the bat at the meeting the floor is open and Duncan Clark stands up and produces a speech. Recently in Piha (the night before) "someone" went out and pulled up all of the new posts along mid beach for fencing. Everyone at this meeting knows Duncan was the one who did it and he is quite proud that he did. He had some helpers as well, stacked all the posts neatly out of peoples way and also got 60 some signatures. The problem here is COMMUNICATION... as I continue this is the cause of a lot of problems in Piha. Auckland Regional Council installed these posts but failed to tell the R&R or the community whos view is/was blocked with "ugly" fences. Renee from ARC stated they did tell everyone as it is a part of their 5 year ongoing project. R&R is upset because they had to pay for the posts and Duncan pulled them up. Duncan and the community is upset because R&R and ARC didnt tell them about the posts going in. ARC is on the outside kind of saying, what happened happened lets move on and find a compromise and solution. Then a fourth contender comes in, Coast Care, the ones responsible for replanting the dunes and making sure people use the desginated trails to limit damage to the dunes. Makes sense and is great. Big fuss over how people will find the trails and needs to plant spinifex tomorrow.... Coast Cares also argued the plants need to go in because people like to walk on them when the sand is hot.... wait... so you want fences so people know where to step and not to step, you want plants so the dunes arnt damaged, but you also want plants so people can walk on them and not burn their feet. So planted dunes minus fences is actually the best option. Of course people need some kind of direction hence the fences, but if people are going to walk off the track anyways to avoid burnt feet what is the point of trails and dunes and plants. Its like trying to plant on an asphalt path, lots of people will use it, some will keep to the path, others will hop into the grass or cut corners.
Now I've been down there before and midbeach dunes are very heavily vegetated compared to south piha. The trails are wide and a lot of damage is being done in THOSE areas, why plant and fence an area that is perfectly fine. Comparing photos of South Piha and the midbeach its not that bad and really doesnt require fences, sure it could use some more plants but why bother when other places need them so much more. Back to the real issue at hand, why have fences? Its not going to deter someone if their feet are burning at all. If my hand was on fire and their was an aquarium next to me chances are I would not care if I poked or damage one of the plants or fish. Second point if there needs to be some kind of way to indicate to people where to walk the best way to achieve it is a sign or a visual reference. Instead of having the 60+ posts one every meter you could place one at the base of the dune, one at the top of the dune, and another at the other side of the dune. As long as the posts are visable from one of the other posts people will find their way to it. And in this case heavily plant the areas that are not off limits.
If I have to choose a side here it would be Duncan, it is not his fault that R&R, Coastcare, or ARC failed to tell him and the community. I think he is looking out for the best interests of the people of Piha. Very ironically Guy Fawkes did a similar thing; Duncan saw organizations and government was overreaching its grasp and basically forgot who all of them are working for. The community is what matters not the dunes, not the rates, not the posts or fences. If the community is forced into getting something they dont want they are going to bite back.
So Renee from ARC says ok we will pull out the temporary posts figure something else out that is unobtrusive, visually fits in the character of Piha, and to minimize the number of posts/fences.... *sigh* solution: less posts, plant the edges of the paths, mark begining and end of trails. !!! wish I was allowed to speak at this meeting, could have saved so much time!!!
Next on the list: National Surf Competition in January. That is awesome, should bring in a lot of visitors as well as income for Piha, as well as a lot of impact to environment. Funny enough nobody mentioned dune damage during this or last years event of the Thundercats. BUT they didnt so apparently a non-issue with big crowds. However one of the big problems during these events is the rubbish bins overflow. ARC proposes a new type of rubbish bin, much bigger and also includes a seperate recyling bin (wonder why they dont have those already) and also should be scheduled to pick up rubbish at a new time in order to take the heavy load of the events.
Another great example of lack of communication. ARC went through and replaced the old trail signs as well as old picnic tables. One of the tables was simply placed by the bridge by someone but the ARC contractors came through and replaced it with a brand new one. Nobody complains about the new piece of furniture even if ARC never consulted with anyone to install a new picnic table.
The last couple of things were about grease traps working in the Domain. Another case of improper communication of ARC spraying herbicides to kill grass by the LifeGuard station in South Piha.
Towards the end of the meeting there was mentions of the library vs post office conflict, someone stood up and said that Piha is so split over this why not at Barnett Hall. Seems like a good idea to me, best I've heard so far actually.
And the point of Piha community being split is such an understatement. Split usually refers to something divided in two. Piha could be described as being fragmented and/or pulverized. There are so many rival factions and groups and dare I say clicks here, and everyone has a different agenda or is trying to get what they want only. What I saw at the meeting was simply a gross display of self interests, too many people trying to get their name recognized, too many people trying to get what they want.
You have
R&R,
ARC,
CoastCare,
WCC,
Post office in the library people,
people against the post office in the library,
the Librarian group (dont know official name),
Pro-cafe,
Anti-cafe,
Various Waitakere groups,
Piha Heritage Society,
and God knows how many other groups their are that I have yet to come across
Final thought is: Cut the fat, merge groups, force communication to EVERYONE
November 6
Massive headache today... incapacitated, possibly due to the heavy inhalation of smoke from my hoodie
November 5
Remember remember the 5th of November. Today is Guy Fawkes Day. The name sounded familiar until I heard the story. Guy upset about the government decides it would be a good idea to blow up the Parliment Building. Celebrated as a symbol of power of the people over the government. If one needs a movie reference "V for Vendetta"
For New Zealand I guess it is celebrated as their "Independence Day" over British rule... *cough even if the Queen of England is still considered top dog cough*
BUT just like the USA's 4th of July fireworks and explosives are obviously the best way to celebrate. In New Zealand fireworks are only sold for a few days legally throughout the year, so people tend to go a little nutty buying hundreds of dollars of explosives just because. Of course fireworks in New Zealand are the same as the US; projectile explosive comes out one end and everyone goes oooo and ahhh. HOWEVER!!!! Apparently in New Zealand its okay for people to hold the fireworks as they blow up. Now I've never LIT a firework nonetheless hold one as it goes off. I have a hard enough time trying to use a lighter as my hands were built for playing video games rather then starting fires. But instead tonight they were holding onto "Auckland Blasts", "Solar Flares", and the "grunty" firework aptly named "Gollum's Revenge" We all would light them and take turns shooting at the man made of straw and twigs and someones old clothes with a name tag on "Guy Fawkes"
Also as an added bonus to something I would never do at home made "Maori Bottle Bombs" Basically you cannot buy anything like a M80 or anything louder or explosive then a fire cracker. But with some Kiwi ingenuity and creativity you can make 3 fire crackers and a coke bottle become something similar to a C4 armor piercing landmine. My ears are still ringing and I smell like I just got off the set of the movie Backdraft
For New Zealand I guess it is celebrated as their "Independence Day" over British rule... *cough even if the Queen of England is still considered top dog cough*
BUT just like the USA's 4th of July fireworks and explosives are obviously the best way to celebrate. In New Zealand fireworks are only sold for a few days legally throughout the year, so people tend to go a little nutty buying hundreds of dollars of explosives just because. Of course fireworks in New Zealand are the same as the US; projectile explosive comes out one end and everyone goes oooo and ahhh. HOWEVER!!!! Apparently in New Zealand its okay for people to hold the fireworks as they blow up. Now I've never LIT a firework nonetheless hold one as it goes off. I have a hard enough time trying to use a lighter as my hands were built for playing video games rather then starting fires. But instead tonight they were holding onto "Auckland Blasts", "Solar Flares", and the "grunty" firework aptly named "Gollum's Revenge" We all would light them and take turns shooting at the man made of straw and twigs and someones old clothes with a name tag on "Guy Fawkes"
Also as an added bonus to something I would never do at home made "Maori Bottle Bombs" Basically you cannot buy anything like a M80 or anything louder or explosive then a fire cracker. But with some Kiwi ingenuity and creativity you can make 3 fire crackers and a coke bottle become something similar to a C4 armor piercing landmine. My ears are still ringing and I smell like I just got off the set of the movie Backdraft
November 3
Flood Plane Mapping shows interesting facts about Piha. Most of Piha is not so suprisingly in a flood plain. The surprising part was that everyone knows it here and there are warning sirens for it. Back home I'd be shocked if people knew what a flood plain was!
November 2
Tidal Pool and Beach Walking
Today was an interesting day, it was low tide during the middle of the day so I decided to check out tidal pools as Scott mentioned they could be quite neat. In fact I did find a lot of tidal pools but not much in them, I walked all the way out to the front of Lion Rock sat there for a while and looked at the ocean.... and realized the rocks were all moving. The "not much in them" thing I thought earlier was just my way of saying I didnt look hard enough the first time. Not only was there stuff in them there was a HUGE variety of creatures I've never seen before. The most exciting was seeing a pool filled with starfish of all shapes and sizes, as small as a fingernail and one the size of a basketball. There were clams and snails and mollusks and all sort of bivalves. Snails and crabs and little brine shrimp. Anemones of all different colors grabbing bits of food in the calm pools. Squishy things rock like things. Birds that looked like boobies or gannets but werent, ducks and seagulls and albatross. A dead seal which I thought at first was a suitcase until I got close enought to smell it.
Just so much diversity in such a small area and such a fragile ecosystem as well. Most ecosystems need a major event to distrupt every creature within it. Tidal pools however could be desimated by someone stepping in them, or a rock rolling into it. Even what makes the tidal pools possible a wave could crash down on it and wipe out everything inside. BUT they exist. Almost just to say yes its difficult, nearly impossible for this to be sustainable in any way but we're here and what happens happens. Living in the here and now
Today was an interesting day, it was low tide during the middle of the day so I decided to check out tidal pools as Scott mentioned they could be quite neat. In fact I did find a lot of tidal pools but not much in them, I walked all the way out to the front of Lion Rock sat there for a while and looked at the ocean.... and realized the rocks were all moving. The "not much in them" thing I thought earlier was just my way of saying I didnt look hard enough the first time. Not only was there stuff in them there was a HUGE variety of creatures I've never seen before. The most exciting was seeing a pool filled with starfish of all shapes and sizes, as small as a fingernail and one the size of a basketball. There were clams and snails and mollusks and all sort of bivalves. Snails and crabs and little brine shrimp. Anemones of all different colors grabbing bits of food in the calm pools. Squishy things rock like things. Birds that looked like boobies or gannets but werent, ducks and seagulls and albatross. A dead seal which I thought at first was a suitcase until I got close enought to smell it.
Just so much diversity in such a small area and such a fragile ecosystem as well. Most ecosystems need a major event to distrupt every creature within it. Tidal pools however could be desimated by someone stepping in them, or a rock rolling into it. Even what makes the tidal pools possible a wave could crash down on it and wipe out everything inside. BUT they exist. Almost just to say yes its difficult, nearly impossible for this to be sustainable in any way but we're here and what happens happens. Living in the here and now
November 1
Maori Place Names
Today was a really unique lecture at Barnett Hall. It was about the Maori place names and the stories behind them sponsored by the Protect Piha Heritage Society. It was told by Graeme Murdoch who spent a lot of his younger years with Maori people and he asked what the places meant and figured out what possibly their English names derived from. Many of the place names I've never heard of but I'm told they are all around Piha and Waitakere. These places all have a story to them which is where they get their name from the Maori they used to reside in Piha (Te Kawerau a Maki) The only land they own now is Taitomo Rock. It is interesting to see that the place names are all still there but nobody really understood what they meant to the Maori. Many of the places now have an English spin on them for the people arriving not understanding the Maori language came up with something that sounded similar to it.
Kerekere Beach just south of Piha there is a giant rock called "The Watchmen" the Maori know it as "The Parent" it got that name from a story of a parent (large rock) and 2 children (smaller rocks) when NZ was being created rocks could walk around. 1 child stayed with the parent and the other bad child went out into the ocean, then Sunlight was created and all the rocks froze in place. The bad child always to be away from its parent in the water. This land feature was not only an explaination of why the rocks were the way they are but also as a parabol type story for parents to tell their children to behave and listen to them to stay out of trouble.
Kawhiti (Kah-foot-ee) is also an important person for Piha, he apparently killed a child, this obviously made the Maori upset. They chained him down by the present day "Gap" close to where Kawhiti lived. He was said to become some kind of sea monster. The big flat area that exists now is where his tail thrashed about and showing his destructive nature. The Gap to the Maori is known as "The writhing of Kawhiti"
Te Maki is another character in Piha he is like a tribe leader figure head type character for the Kawerau people. There is a rock on North Piha Beach that sits and watches over the ocean, it is called Maki-maki which to Europeans sounded like monkey and it is known as Monkey Rock now.
Whites beach = 2 tongues
Waitetura = North Piha Beach
Kanui = Sea spray at North Piha
Onewheru = Red rocks at North Piha (Paint made from fish oil and rock)
Taitomo = Sea Cave of Kawhiti (Camel Rock)
Pua-ohtu = Blowhole Bay "Foam of the Sea"
Karakaramea = Glenesk Camp
Pakurikuri = Pacutty Rock
Maungaroa = Central Pa (lookout)
And last but certainly not least "Te Piha" Lion rock is THE focal point in Piha and is fitting that the village of Piha would be named after it... or so I thought. Lion Rock is simply a Pa. A lookout or last stand type fort for the Kawerau in case of invading tribes. "te piha" is Maori is actually the effect made by a canoe in the water. The water comes at it and the wave breaks and bends around the canoe. Very similarly to how it breaks and bends around Lion Rock. It is really a neat way to look at landscape as the Maori have stories about almost everything and why it is how it is. The naming comes from a history and a culture far different from the arriving colonials and is interesting to see that it kept its name mostly but is covered by the dust of time. Few people know about where the names came from and very little has been written down, the history has been mostly been handed down through stories.
Today was a really unique lecture at Barnett Hall. It was about the Maori place names and the stories behind them sponsored by the Protect Piha Heritage Society. It was told by Graeme Murdoch who spent a lot of his younger years with Maori people and he asked what the places meant and figured out what possibly their English names derived from. Many of the place names I've never heard of but I'm told they are all around Piha and Waitakere. These places all have a story to them which is where they get their name from the Maori they used to reside in Piha (Te Kawerau a Maki) The only land they own now is Taitomo Rock. It is interesting to see that the place names are all still there but nobody really understood what they meant to the Maori. Many of the places now have an English spin on them for the people arriving not understanding the Maori language came up with something that sounded similar to it.
Kerekere Beach just south of Piha there is a giant rock called "The Watchmen" the Maori know it as "The Parent" it got that name from a story of a parent (large rock) and 2 children (smaller rocks) when NZ was being created rocks could walk around. 1 child stayed with the parent and the other bad child went out into the ocean, then Sunlight was created and all the rocks froze in place. The bad child always to be away from its parent in the water. This land feature was not only an explaination of why the rocks were the way they are but also as a parabol type story for parents to tell their children to behave and listen to them to stay out of trouble.
Kawhiti (Kah-foot-ee) is also an important person for Piha, he apparently killed a child, this obviously made the Maori upset. They chained him down by the present day "Gap" close to where Kawhiti lived. He was said to become some kind of sea monster. The big flat area that exists now is where his tail thrashed about and showing his destructive nature. The Gap to the Maori is known as "The writhing of Kawhiti"
Te Maki is another character in Piha he is like a tribe leader figure head type character for the Kawerau people. There is a rock on North Piha Beach that sits and watches over the ocean, it is called Maki-maki which to Europeans sounded like monkey and it is known as Monkey Rock now.
Whites beach = 2 tongues
Waitetura = North Piha Beach
Kanui = Sea spray at North Piha
Onewheru = Red rocks at North Piha (Paint made from fish oil and rock)
Taitomo = Sea Cave of Kawhiti (Camel Rock)
Pua-ohtu = Blowhole Bay "Foam of the Sea"
Karakaramea = Glenesk Camp
Pakurikuri = Pacutty Rock
Maungaroa = Central Pa (lookout)
And last but certainly not least "Te Piha" Lion rock is THE focal point in Piha and is fitting that the village of Piha would be named after it... or so I thought. Lion Rock is simply a Pa. A lookout or last stand type fort for the Kawerau in case of invading tribes. "te piha" is Maori is actually the effect made by a canoe in the water. The water comes at it and the wave breaks and bends around the canoe. Very similarly to how it breaks and bends around Lion Rock. It is really a neat way to look at landscape as the Maori have stories about almost everything and why it is how it is. The naming comes from a history and a culture far different from the arriving colonials and is interesting to see that it kept its name mostly but is covered by the dust of time. Few people know about where the names came from and very little has been written down, the history has been mostly been handed down through stories.
October 31
Today is Halloween in New Zealand
Halloween here was slightly disappointing, its a holiday that isnt really celebrated outside the US. It is my favorite holiday so it was difficult to not make a stink about it. I went down to the library for the little Halloween event they had going on there for the children... plus me. It was all decorated and there were all the kids from Piha dressed up. There was even a magician as entertainment! It was all really quite small but cute and really nice for the community to get their children together to play dress up kinda.
After that went surfing on my first longboard... I dont like longboards now. Then watched Nightmare Before Christmas as I always do and went to bed
Halloween here was slightly disappointing, its a holiday that isnt really celebrated outside the US. It is my favorite holiday so it was difficult to not make a stink about it. I went down to the library for the little Halloween event they had going on there for the children... plus me. It was all decorated and there were all the kids from Piha dressed up. There was even a magician as entertainment! It was all really quite small but cute and really nice for the community to get their children together to play dress up kinda.
After that went surfing on my first longboard... I dont like longboards now. Then watched Nightmare Before Christmas as I always do and went to bed
October 30
Today I went around Piha and tried to get "Visual Hotspots" I think its important to note the places where people stop and take notice to scenery. Something I tried to note at each place was signage or something that is supposed to speak back or tell the viewer something other then just a view. Still trying to figure out how to add stupid pictures to this
Wow an image actually got thru!!!! Only took 4 hours! still good news, maybe upload some pictures overnight
October 29
Today the weather was full of off... off-full.... awful. ugh. Very rainy, very cloud, very miserable. Fortunatly I got a package from home which lifted my spirits quite a bit. I received a lot of Mexican food and salsa and spicy stuff, which was very much needed for the severe shortage of spices in New Zealand. I also got the movie "Nightmare Before Christmas" I was exceptionally worried that this year would be the first time I would go without seeing the movie before Halloween since its release in 1993. Luckily I also got to goto the grocery store today so I got to plan some nice meals ahead. Worth noting that instead of the usual just under $100 at the store I spent a little under $200... ouch
October 28
Today I decided to really get into the surf culture. At this point I have gone surfing a few times, talked to some surfers, and kind of just messed around in the waves a bit. Also seeing as the wetsuit that I have been borrowing says "Life Guard" on it I figured it would be in my best interest as well as everyone elses to get my own that specifically does not state that I will save your life if you are drowning. I head up to the most prominent surf shop in Piha.... the Piha Surf Shop owned by Mike Jolly. I explained to Mike why I was there and what I was doing. He seemed interested but pretty busy as well. For the winters here he carves and creates custom surfboards (around $950 to $1100 nz) He says he is always busy with something weither its shaping surfboards or being in commercials, he is in a Mercury energy commercial on tv as a NZ small business owner showing kiwis sense of ingenuity and do it yourself. He said he keeps himself busy during the winters with board making but when summer rolls around he is frantically busy. With making boards he also fixes damaged boards (dings) and with the sheer amount of surfers during the summer he is consistently busy. Along with his surfing business upstairs is a small art gallery and a camping ground. All of these contribute to enable Mike to do what he wants and loves which is all about surfing.
So I ended up buying a wetsuit from him after a successful little meeting. And of course I made sure the wetsuit (Bodyline) is made in New Zealand. <(^.^)>
So I ended up buying a wetsuit from him after a successful little meeting. And of course I made sure the wetsuit (Bodyline) is made in New Zealand. <(^.^)>
October 27
Today is Labour Day! There is a big market in Piha today at the North area. I decided to walk up that way. Lots and lots of traffic, more so then I've seen even on weekends with great weather attracting crowds to the beach. I couldnt tell if the majority of people were visitors or locals but there were certainly enough of each of them. Before I even got to the actual market I realized that there was a bit of a lack of parking. People were parked on the sides of the road on one side and there were traffic cones blocking them from parking on the other. I assume the parking cone side was designated pedestrian walking area but the shoulder of the road was too small and people were walking in the street instead. The market itself was tents set up in a little semi circle, different vendors with things ranging from junk to homemade jewelery. It was all very flea market type stuff which I was a bit turned off by. I was hoping for more of a local arts and crafts thing rather then people hawking 30 year old readers digests and rusty spoons. There were some homemade jewelery items but I'm pretty sure I saw the same guy in Auckland City selling the same bone pendants for $5 a necklace. Regardless it was really neat to see the community all together like this, very active and bustling day.
October 26
Went to the RSA for dinner and some drinks tonight, I need to make a second visit here with a camera as the walls are just covered with really neat pictures. Life guards, surfers, awards, surfboats, rescues all sorts of really cool things. The inside of the RSA was very nicely done, it felt very comfortable even being the youngest and most inappropriatly dressed individual there. The ceiling has a giant surf boat hanging upside down above all the dinner tables. It felt very much like a less commercialized Ruby Tuesdays how the walls and everything was just covered with neat stuff to look at. So there were 2 English girls, 2 Kiwi guys, 1 Czech, and me. Geoff says ok were going to head out of here so hurry up and drink the rest of your beer and we'll go.... and the typical American college male, one gulp and gone.... Geoff nearly swallowed his tongue, the girls were wide eyed and I felt the cold look of people looking at me most likely thinking.... where did the beer go?!? Hes a witch!! I then break the silence with "I'm an American in college what did you expect?"
Note to self, dont do that again.
We left the RSA to goto a party down the street, people were again dancing just to dance and having fun. I didnt want to stay so I chose to walk back home. Tonight I realized Piha does not have very many street lights and the speed bumps were particularly troublesome when you cant see them.
So I got back to the house made some food and as I'm washing the dishes I glance out the window to see a monsterous bug crawling across the window frame. The bug was about 5-6" in length and about as thick as a chair leg. Ughh a WETA! I saw these things at the zoo and museum but OMG who let them outside! These things are gross. Geoff claims they normally dont climb up that high, normally a ground dwelling insect. I remove my sheets and double check for any movement and nervously fall asleep.
Note to self, dont do that again.
We left the RSA to goto a party down the street, people were again dancing just to dance and having fun. I didnt want to stay so I chose to walk back home. Tonight I realized Piha does not have very many street lights and the speed bumps were particularly troublesome when you cant see them.
So I got back to the house made some food and as I'm washing the dishes I glance out the window to see a monsterous bug crawling across the window frame. The bug was about 5-6" in length and about as thick as a chair leg. Ughh a WETA! I saw these things at the zoo and museum but OMG who let them outside! These things are gross. Geoff claims they normally dont climb up that high, normally a ground dwelling insect. I remove my sheets and double check for any movement and nervously fall asleep.
October 25
Its Saturday the beginings of a holiday weekend, so I head down to the beach asap. There are an unbelievable amount of people already! Beach towels, chairs, sand castles, umbrellas, beach balls, boogie boards, flip flops, coolers, and people lots and lots of people! I try to go ahead and write down what the majority of people do on the beaches, but decide maybe counting is not the best way of doing this part of my project, visually I try and determine numbers and estimate what is going on
It seems that age groups plays a bit of a role in what people do on the beach as well as genders, while not crucially important the gender aspect was interesting to me.
young children (m/f)
The young kids tended to play in the sand close by their parents, usually had toys of some kind or something to facilitate in playing with the sand. Good place to note that children were either bundled up with little brimmed hats or completely nude. I heard from Geoff that children are often in the life guard station for burnt feet and minor cuts from digging in the sand.
teens to young adults(m)
The male group of say 15-25 seem to have the worst case of what I like to call "ants in the pants syndrome" these guys cant stay still. Some will lay down for a bit but then get up and do something else, a LOT of them come in groups and play ball or rough house a bit. Its pretty funny to watch someone who was brought up on rugby their entire life try throwing an American football around! haha hilarious results ensue! Some of them go out into the water messing around in the waves. None of them really bring furniture or towels, just bathing suit and a ball to throw around.
teens to young adults(f)
The female portion of this age group is a stark contrast with the opposite gender. The girls get to the beach bringing towels and hats and umbrellas and chairs and books and radios and drinks and nearly anything beach related. They find a spot set up their fortress and from afar could be pronounced legally dead if they didnt roll over or swat the occasional fly every once in a while. This group was very inactive compared to the boys.
Adults (m/f)
This group was the most relaxed group I think. They mostly kept to themselves sat quietly reading books or talking with someone. This group also seemed to move around a lot more as well, possibly because of rough housing boys or just wanting to stretch their legs. This group could be seen walking up and down the beaches, buying food, having picnics. A lot brought cameras and took pictures of the ocean and scenery.
People with children (m/f)
This group was a bit on the outside of the rest of the group, they were mostly adults which one would think would conform to the rest of the adults aka relaxing. But on the contrary this group was more active then even young boys. This group was seen to me as the entertainers or jesters really. They would be building castles, flying kites, feeding kids food, chasing blown away beach stuff, chasing their children, FINDING their children, shooing away seagulls, carrying their kids, trying to get their kids to stop crying from the wind that kicked up sand, putting their children on boogie boards and pulling them through the small waves, playing with their children, cleaning their children, putting suntan lotion on reluctant children, and my favorite carrying their children on their shoulders only to get icecream on their forehead!
There are always exceptions to the groups but people on the beach fall into two categories in the very much landscape architect groups of Active and Passive recreation
Active Recreation:
Ball throwing/sports
Running/jogging/exercising
Surfing/boogieboarding
Playing
Swimming
Horseback riding
Fishing
Climbing dunes or rocks
Passive Recreation:
Lounging/tanning
Reading/socializing
Walking
Picnicing/eating
Nature, scenery, or people watching
Tidal pool viewing
It seems that age groups plays a bit of a role in what people do on the beach as well as genders, while not crucially important the gender aspect was interesting to me.
young children (m/f)
The young kids tended to play in the sand close by their parents, usually had toys of some kind or something to facilitate in playing with the sand. Good place to note that children were either bundled up with little brimmed hats or completely nude. I heard from Geoff that children are often in the life guard station for burnt feet and minor cuts from digging in the sand.
teens to young adults(m)
The male group of say 15-25 seem to have the worst case of what I like to call "ants in the pants syndrome" these guys cant stay still. Some will lay down for a bit but then get up and do something else, a LOT of them come in groups and play ball or rough house a bit. Its pretty funny to watch someone who was brought up on rugby their entire life try throwing an American football around! haha hilarious results ensue! Some of them go out into the water messing around in the waves. None of them really bring furniture or towels, just bathing suit and a ball to throw around.
teens to young adults(f)
The female portion of this age group is a stark contrast with the opposite gender. The girls get to the beach bringing towels and hats and umbrellas and chairs and books and radios and drinks and nearly anything beach related. They find a spot set up their fortress and from afar could be pronounced legally dead if they didnt roll over or swat the occasional fly every once in a while. This group was very inactive compared to the boys.
Adults (m/f)
This group was the most relaxed group I think. They mostly kept to themselves sat quietly reading books or talking with someone. This group also seemed to move around a lot more as well, possibly because of rough housing boys or just wanting to stretch their legs. This group could be seen walking up and down the beaches, buying food, having picnics. A lot brought cameras and took pictures of the ocean and scenery.
People with children (m/f)
This group was a bit on the outside of the rest of the group, they were mostly adults which one would think would conform to the rest of the adults aka relaxing. But on the contrary this group was more active then even young boys. This group was seen to me as the entertainers or jesters really. They would be building castles, flying kites, feeding kids food, chasing blown away beach stuff, chasing their children, FINDING their children, shooing away seagulls, carrying their kids, trying to get their kids to stop crying from the wind that kicked up sand, putting their children on boogie boards and pulling them through the small waves, playing with their children, cleaning their children, putting suntan lotion on reluctant children, and my favorite carrying their children on their shoulders only to get icecream on their forehead!
There are always exceptions to the groups but people on the beach fall into two categories in the very much landscape architect groups of Active and Passive recreation
Active Recreation:
Ball throwing/sports
Running/jogging/exercising
Surfing/boogieboarding
Playing
Swimming
Horseback riding
Fishing
Climbing dunes or rocks
Passive Recreation:
Lounging/tanning
Reading/socializing
Walking
Picnicing/eating
Nature, scenery, or people watching
Tidal pool viewing
October 24
Today was the life guard trials. Really really neat. Its like a test to see what the lifeguards are made out of. A gauntlet if you will. They did sprints, they had to swim, they had to show their first aid skills, and they had to drive the rubber boats out and do rescues! I enjoyed watching the rescue boats the most as they would hurdle themselves over huge waves... wahhhhh...foomp....thud. wahhhhh. It was also neat because the age groups. There were little tiny children "Nippers" wanting to be volunteer lifeguards. It was just amazing that people and children wanted to be apart of the life guards at all ages, not for the money of it but to be apart of the community. See, the lifeguards have their lookout station on the top of the dune, during the weekends there is about 25 guards on watch. They all lounge around and talk and joke and hangout. Its like a social group that also saves lives at the beach. I mean if people are going to be at the beach anyways might as well put some use to it. I just find it amazing that so many people are willing to be a part of it, and they start them out so young too.
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