Quarry Gardens to get an Infrastructure Boost
Whangārei’s landmark Quarry Gardens will get some desperately needed access upgrades over the next year, thanks to a $781,000 grant by the Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF).
Whangarei District Council successfully applied for TIF funding for a 53% contribution to the total $1,481,000 upgrade planned for the Quarry Gardens on Russell Road.
The TIF grant will be used to extend car park areas and provide enough space for buses to turn and park safely.
The narrow, one-way gravel drive to the Gardens will also be replaced with a wider, asphalt-sealed driveway with a new pedestrian path from the roadside carpark to the visitor centre.
This work will make it safer and easier for visitors to access the Gardens and handle increasing visitor numbers.
The Quarry Gardens are located on Council-owned recreation reserve land, bordering the larger Coronation Scenic Reserve, which includes walking tracks through forest-clad hills, archaeological pa sites and pits, historic gold mining areas, and a scenic lookout.
For the past 20 years the Whangarei Quarry Gardens Trust, through the work of many dedicated volunteers, has been developing the formerly abandoned quarry into a stunning sub-tropical garden, visitor centre and café, which is now visited by people from all over the world.
Currently ranked a Garden of Significance, it requires only a few more points from the judges to become a Garden of National Significance.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Holiday water update 💧
Our dam levels are fine but it sure is dry out there. Please use water sensibly this summer.
Whau Valley Dam is at around 90% of its full capacity, and Wilsons Dam is at 99%. However rainfall has been low recently, so river levels are low and the District is "running on batteries" by taking water from these dams.
So it's time to shake off any heavy-use habits from the winter when rain water was abundant. Turn off taps when you're not using them (especially hoses), get leaks fixed promptly, and don't over-water gardens or lawns.
If you're leaving your house for more than a few days, turn off the valve by your water-metre. That's not only to cut down on slow leaks, but some insurance policies do not cover water damage in vacant houses unless the water has been turned off at the valve!
We've got more water saving tips at this link:
www.wdc.govt.nz...
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