Kawakawa Railway Trip
On 16 August 2021 members and friends boarded a bus bound for Kawakawa for a trip on the Bay Of
Islands Vintage Railway. Weather was not too good but the rain held off. The train trip was longer this time as the obstructions from the first trip had all been cleared. We went as far as bridge 5 on the edge of the wooded bridge that crosses the Tirohanga. The guide on the train was very informative about the BOI railway. He explained that it was used to move the coal mined in the area out to the coast to be shipped elsewhere. The railway was started in 1864 and has continued until today with few interruptions.
During the height of the coal mining period the area boasted around 2000 people, all that remains now are one or two farm houses. The plan is to build the railway through to Opua to link up with an old steam boat, which is under reconstruction at present, to create a one stop tourist attraction by both rail and sea around the Bay of Islands. This will create more employment in the region and add to the tourist attractions in the mid north. I purchased two booklets on the railway and the surrounding area and I am willing to share these with anyone interested.
Report by Sue Lovelace
August Speaker - Steve Jennings
Our main speaker for August was introduced by Annette, his name is Steve Jennings who is in charge of operations and safety manager at the Whangarei Airport. The airport is co-owned by Ministry of Transport and the Council. Ministry of Transport are responsible for the air side of the airport which means the runways and surrounds, while the Council is responsible for the land side which is the maintenance of the buildings etc. Because Air New Zealand have put on an extra flight and have had over 700 landings in the last three months the airport now requires a Rescue Fire Service. Apart from getting funding from Ministry of Transport and Council all the planes that use the airport have to pay a landing fee and although the fees are not high – it’s a case of every little helps. Also anyone who uses any of the buildings surrounding the airport have to pay rent or a lease. The car park is another source of income – the first hour is free, after that is is $1.00 per hour but the price is capped at $10.00 for 24 hours and if a car is there for more than a week the price will be no more than $200.00. There are 5 full time workers and one part time as well as Mike (Manager) and Steve.
Covid caused a lot of changes to be made quickly and they only had notice 6 to 12 hours before the general public was told so things like security, masks, signs and sanitiser were some of the things that had to be done very quickly. The question was asked “Is NEST going to come to the airport”. Steve’s answer was “more than likely” and the reason given was because the airport is certified and signed off so the cost of going anywhere else would be much greater. So far $1,000,000.00 has been spent and there is still a new building and modifying two other buildings still have to be done. The new building (at this stage) is to be built around the Church Street area (close to Hill Street) and the plan is to put up noise walls as a barrier for houses and at this stage it is not expected that helicopter training will not be at the airport. If you plan to be flying anywhere in the future, allow plenty of time because the cut off is half an hour before departure, this decision is made in Auckland so the local attendants are not able to help those who arrive late. Thank you Steve for your most informative talk. We wish you all the best for the future.
Review by Shirley Royds
