Why no swimming at Beach Haven
Beach Haven has had a black mark against it on the SafeSwim website for some time now. This means that there is a very high risk of illness if you enter the water at Hilders Park/Larkings Landing Reserve. Please do not swim and do not let children or dogs swim. Please don't jump off the wharf.
I've followed this up with Watercare and can confirm that:
* The water is being regularly tested and is finding unsafe levels of bacteria at the beach.
* Watercare believe that it is likley to be from a major slip at the end of Kia Ora Road, where broken pipes are leaching wastewater into the stream at Rangatira Reserve. This is then flowing to the sea. Due to the scale of the slip, WaterCare have not been able to access the site to install a temporary solution, but expect to be able to do so after 20 March.
I'm also following up with Healthy Waters (stormwater dept) to see whether residents have been notified where the affected stream runs through private property.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.