Miraz Jordan

This Covid–19 version of Waikawa Beach, with roads empty of cars, vans and trucks, is how some longtime locals remember the good old days: “Waikawa the way it used to be”, as one said on Facebook. So, how did it used to be?

Waikawa Beach (sometimes known as Manakau Beach) was an extremely busy place back in the 1800s. Māori had lived here since long before, making a good living from the sea and lagoons.

But before that even there were moa and moa hunters. Moa bones were found along Takapu Road in 1962.

Te Rauparaha settled here for a while in the 1820s — there’s a Heritage Trail information sign along Waikawa Beach Road pointing out where his pa used to be.

By the 1840s Europeans arrived and started farming and other activities such as flax and flour milling and boat building. There was a hotel, and the beach was the main, or only route, between Whanganui and Wellington. According to the book Bitter Water there were at least 3,000 people living here in 1845.

The late 1800s though brought road and rail nearby, and as time moved on, of course, life changed and the population dwindled.

By the time Bob Semple, Minister of Public Works, built a bach at Waikawa Beach in 1935, there were very few people here, and only a handful of baches.

Things started to pick up in the 1950s when Arthur and Drake Streets came to be. In the 60s a small dairy, public toilets, and the northern half of Manga Pirau Street arrived. In the 70s more small streets were added and the Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association was formed. Its primary concerns were river erosion, fire safety and a public telephone. By 1978 there were 8 permanent residents.

In the last 40 years there has been more development, with additional housing in Strathnaver and the area around Emma Drive. Life has become busier, but there are no shops or cafes. Daily life bubbles along, but in other years an influx of holiday makers has been the way of life at Easter and other holidays.

This year, of course, Waikawa Beach is quiet; quieter than it has been for decades. It’s rather pleasant…

Acknowledgement: the now out-of-print book Bitter Water by Deb Shepherd and Laraine Shepherd.

Photo: from the Archive of the Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association, aerial photo from 1962, showing Drake, Arthur and the northern part of Manga Pirau Streets.

Published in Ōtaki Today 17 April 2020, Page 18.

👍 decisive action. On the chart the red line is the model for how many Covid-19 cases Aotearoa New Zealand could have had. The black line is the actual cases we do have, thanks to a stringent shutdown instituted almost 4 weeks ago. Thank you Government who acted on science.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes high quality sci-fi. Recommended:

Diving Series is 1/2 off! First novel in the series, Diving into the Wreck, is free in ebook for a limited time, the rest of the ebooks in the 8-novel series are $2.99 each, while the four novellas are $1.99 each.

I really enjoyed reading Nefarious Doings by Australian Ilsa Evans. Engaging text and character, wonderful dry humour. The whole Australian (stands in for Kiwi) vibe. It's so refreshing to get beyond UK / US writing. I'll be reading more for sure. 📚

Thanks to John McWhorter in the excellent Lexicon Valley podcast episode The Many Meanings of Too for playing part of this wonderful track Cow Cow Boogie by Ella Mae Morse. If you need cheering up, give it a try. 😀 Or just listen anyway. 👍 🎶

I did sleep last night but with winds gusting up to 80+ Kph it wasn’t a good sleep by any means. Our house is on 6 metre piles and shakes even with the washing machine or a heavy footstep. Gusts of wind meant constant motion, and noise. Exhausting!

I just finished reading Nichelle Clarke Crime Thrillers, Books 1–3 by LynDee Walker, and enjoyed the books enough to buy the next box set. The books are well written, hold my attention and the solutions follow from the clues but are far from obvious. 👍 📚

The farmer next door runs dairy (not by us) and beef (over our fence). Today though there were 4 sheep in his next-but-one paddock.

Two very surprising finds in the news: first name only and lack of upper case for Queen Elizabeth and Pope Francis. I’ve never seen either simply referred to by name without title before. Next up: Lizzy and Frank? I’m neither monarchist nor Catholic but this does ‘startle’ me.

I’m glad homeless people will have (temporary) houses, but what bugs me about this is the phrase ‘homeless community’. No-one should be homeless in Aotearoa New Zealand. These should be homeless people. The ‘community’ phrase accepts a permanent status à la ‘Thai community’.

This ‘fountain’ in our back yard was courtesy of the warning light on our septic tank. First I jiggled the pipe that makes a stuck pump run and reduces the fluid level in the main chamber. The pump hummed but nothing else. So I found the release tap and thar she blew. Success. ☔️

This is such a clear explanation: How Privacy-Friendly Contact Tracing Can Help Stop the Spread of Covid-19

Nicky Case, working with security & privacy researcher Carmela Troncoso and epidemiologist Marcel Salathé, [explain] how we can use apps … while protecting privacy.

There was a bit of a swell in the sea today. First walk on the beach together with Deb in ages.

Apparently the farmer’s tractor, with post hole digger attached, is the place for all the cool cats to hang out today.

👍 👍 Maybe handy:

Axel Scheffler has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. …expert input: …and …advice from … teachers and a child psychologist.

Waaaaay back on 13 February 2020 (about a lifetime ago now) I ordered a pair of neoprene booties from AliExpress. Today they finally arrrived, but I can’t go kayaking in a Level 4 Alert so I can’t try them out. They fit fine though. I wish the bike carrier trunk would arrive.

When things happen at Waikawa Beach the caring side of the community really shines through. A few weeks ago numerous black-backed gulls were found distressed and dying on the beach.

Several locals immediately started to help, scooping up sick birds and caring for them, taking some to Massey Vet Hospital and calling in various bird rescue groups. It seems possible the birds had ingested a poisonous substance, but the virus outbreak has interfered with getting toxicology back from Massey.

Then along came Covid-19. The Waikawa Beach Facebook group members immediately started checking in with folks, offering practical support as well as a safe way to chat. A new Reay Mackay Grove sprang up too, getting a roll call going and again offering chat and even a free piano concert by a local.

The Ratepayers Association of course also provided a lot of information on its website and encouraged people to look out for their neighbours. We have reports of some older community members receiving multiple offers of help and expressions of concern.

Quite a few people left their usual city residences and came out to the beach to wait out the Level 4 Alert period, while others offered their baches to guests who needed a place to self-isolate.

If you're out for a walk there are plenty of cheery waves from others taking exercise. It's a delight to reclaim the streets for pedestrians and cyclists. There are no worries about tradie vans, and trucks servicing the various building sites around the place.

Waikawa Beach is pretty quiet at the best of times, but now it's rare to hear any vehicles at all. There's a bit of mainly silent gardening going on and it's mainly birds and a few buzzing flies providing the soundscape.

Waikawa Beach has always been at the end of the line, because it's not on the way to anywhere. At this unique time in history it's also in its own little bubble.

Originally published in Ōtaki Today, April 2020, page 12.