Kohitātea / January 29, 2026
Nga mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou, happy new year everyone! Now that the holidays are over, it seems that people want to DO STUFF! This newsletter is packed with what you can do right here in Haewai Houghton Valley.
The banner photo this time was taken by a local, sitting up late on Te Raekaihau to catch the Aurora Australis from the latest solar storm.
Koha Coffee at the community hall
Saturday, 7 February, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm
Come along to the Community Hall at 80 Houghton Bay Road on Saturday week (save the date!) for the first Koha Coffee of the year. It’s a great way to catch up with locals and find out what’s happening. And of course the hall is worth a look if you haven’t been before – it’s our community secret treasure. Bring along some kai or a koha. Andrew is hosting.
Haewai Summer Celebration Dinner
Saturday, February 21, 5.30 – 8.30 pm
Time for another Seeds-to-Feeds local food celebration at the Community Hall! It’s dinner this time and the meal will include locally grown and foraged ingredients as well as some from not far away. We have another delicious vegetarian menu with plant based and gluten free options including:
- Mushroom tortellini, ratatouille, quinoa salad, foraged salad and ciabatta and rye bread;
- Fruit and nut-based cakes and desserts;
- Drinks from the wild South Coast.
Please sign up soon so that we have a good idea of numbers leading up to the event. Bookings are koha based, with a recommended $20 for an adult and $10 for a child if you can afford it. Otherwise you can just pay what you can afford, or if you can’t afford anything we don’t mind, we’d love to see you anyway!
Meet the local horses
Sunday, February 22, 10 am – 1 pm
The Wellington City Light Horse Club is having a Community Day with pats, grooming and pony rides. This is at their Houghton Bay Club grounds, half way between the school and Sinclair Park. Access is from the Southern Walkway route (the Gut Buster) either from Buckley Road down or the field below the school up.
Events at Te Kawakawa Commons
The beginning of March celebrates both Children’s Day (March 1) and Local Food Week (March 1-7). So our local community garden Te Kawakawa Commons is hosting two events at the garden in Hornsey Road (It’s a lovely bushy place up behind the bus stop near No 44). So come along and join in the fun!
Children’s Day: Sunday, 1 March, 10 – 11.30 am – Make a seed bomb, and a picture using fresh and pressed petals, flowers and leaves from the garden. Please let them know if you are coming, and how many children so they can prepare enough supplies: aileendavidson16@gmail.com
Using herbs every day: Saturday, 7 March, 10 – 11.30 am – fresh herbs are a great way to add homegrown flavour to your day. Join them over herb tea and muffins to discover flavoursome herb oils and vinegars, delicious herb and vegetable dips, and soothing herb teas. No garden? No problem! Many herbs can be grown in a pot on a sunny windowsill. Registration required: aileendavidson16@gmail.com
Other community involvement opportunities
What else is going on that you can join in with? Here is a sample:
- Poetry on the headland – on the first Saturday of each month until May (7 February, 7 March, 4 April and 2 May) there are some informal poetry reading and discussion sessions at the Alice Krebs Lodge on Te Raekaihau from 5 – 6.30 pm. For the theme of the month and confirmation closer to the time go to the Meshes of the Afternoon website;
- Te Ohu o Te Raekaihau – every second weekend of the month, alternating Saturdays and Sundays, this forest restoration group holds weeding sessions during the summer months and weekly planting sessions in the winter months. For more information sign up for their newsletter or go to their FaceBook Page;
- Haewai Community Bookshare – do you have books you love sitting on your shelves that you would be happy to let others read? Inventaire is an open source book-sharing platform that turns personal book collections into an interconnected local distributed library. Join the Haewai Community Bookshare Group to extend your reading and meet new people;
- Haewai Houghton Valley Community Association – our committee is looking for a few more people to join them. We are a great group interested in building community connections and enhancing our beautiful environment. We are open to whatever role you would like to take on, but there are a few roles that we need covered: including Secretary, Hall Bookings and Membership, or even something simple like keeping the community noticeboard up-to-date. If you would like to help in any way please contact admin@haewaihoughtonvalley.org.
(172 recipients, 85 opens)