: Rainwater Mondays I check the level in our rainwater tank. It doesn’t rain much in the summer months …

: A gorgeous day What a gorgeous morning! Clear skies, inversion layer over the paddocks, sun about to rise.

: 1.2 metre shark on the beach It’s common to spot small dead sharks on the beach, but this one was quite big: about 1.2 metres. I …

: Ring-necked pheasants Another bird that's hard to get photos of is the Ring-necked pheasant, even though there are loads …

: Hawks, kāhu We have plenty of hawks around here, but it's not easy to get photos of them. My friend Jan Jordan …

: Native trees are suckers for E. Coli Waikawa river has high levels of E. Coli, unlike the Waikawa Reserve site about 10 Km upstream. …

: Rock, tide, sand Many kids have taken their bucket and spade to the beach and enthusiastically built a sand castle. …

: A delightful beach interlude Next week the Council is scheduled to do a River Cut — cutting a channel to send the river more …

: How will slower and wetter storms affect Waikawa Beach? The globe’s hurricanes have seen a striking slowdown in their speed of movement across landscapes …

: Beach photos, April 2018 <p>With no to few vehicles on the beach these days things feel very relaxed. It's also my …

: Photos from a drone <p>A professional operator with his own DJI Inspire v1 drone visited recently and took a few …

: Flounder and mullet on a high tide <p>It was about high tide when I took the dogs to the beach on this stunning Good Friday …

: Water, water, everywhere <p>See the previous posts in this series: <a …

: Why more houses here? See the first post in this series: What we have and what we need in February 2018. Forecasts suggest …

: What we have and what we need in February 2018 <p>Waikawa Beach is a wonderful place to live in and to visit. It offers a quiet little …

: A word about rainwater tanks <p>Waikawa Beach doesn't have town water, so everyone uses either or both of rainwater, …

: Meeting the Kawau, Pied Shags by the bridge <p>Today this novice kayaker braved the reach just north of the footbridge &mdash; a 20 …

: Matuku Moana, White-faced Heron <p>Matuku Moana, White-faced Heron on Waikawa Stream. </p><p>A kayak's great: you …

: Red river blues <p>Whichever way you drive along State Highway 1 to Waikawa Beach Road you must cross one of …

: Taranaki at one o'clock <p>I recently figured out how to find Mt Taranaki on the horizon, and it's quite easy. The …

: Good news for dog owners who visit Reay Mackay Grove <p>After some wrangling last year, I succeeded in getting the Council to give us rubbish bins …

: When By the Wind Sailors come to shore <p>About 10 days ago the winds brought a fresh covering to our beach: millions of small dead …

: A gas bladder, not a tooth <p>I bumped into neighbours on the beach and they showed me a piece of plastic rubbish they'd …

: A kekeno seal photo shoot <p>As the dogs and I walked south on the beach this morning I spotted what I thought was a …

: In the steps of the Takapu Road moa <p>I've been doing some reading up on the history of this area, and now every time I drive …

: The changing river path <p>Where the Waikawa river meets the sea is a fascinating area, constantly changing. Sometimes …

: On a clear day you can see 200 Km <p>When conditions are right, usually in the winter, you can see Ruapehu, to the north along …

: Spanking down the level beach, in a horse-drawn coach <p>The beach used to be a road &mdash; so says anyone around here. In my mind, that meant …

: A new year at Waikawa Beach, 2017 <p>We're coming close to the winter solstice &mdash; from 4.24 pm Wednesday 21 June 2017 …

: A terrible state of confusion, in 1855 <p>On 23 January 1855 at about a quarter past nine in the evening a massive earthquake around …

: Welcome to the (historic) swamp <p>This last summer has been characterised by rain, and warmth. My personal weather station …

: Enjoy the dark — it's a rare treasure <p>Step outside on any dark clear night then look up and south. You should be able to see the …

: Game bird hunting starts 06 May 2017 <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 600px;"><img …

: Oops, don't eat the shellfish just now <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 600px;"><img …

: Love Waikawa Beach <p>Waikawa Beach is a quiet gem in the Horowhenua. </p><p>This site celebrates …