Greetings from LOCA and our best wishes for a great Christmas and New Year.
Enclosed with this newsletter is the reprint of the Community Phone Book which we hope you will find useful and whilst we have tried to avoid any mistakes please contact Carol on 362-8702 if you are unhappy with a listing so our records can be corrected. Carol has some spare copies if anyone would like additional.
The Lake Okareka Website www.lakeokareka.org has now been updated with additional links etc added. Our thanks to Mike Bannister and more recently Kierin Oppatt for the work that has gone into this revamp and we welcome comments and suggestions on further improvements. Please contact Kierin on 362-8240.
Funding for the new Okareka Fire Engine is now all in place and delivery is scheduled for early 2013. The purchase of this vehicle has been a major exercise with little help from the local Council as they were quite convinced the funds would not be made available and wanted Okareka to have another “elderly second hand vehicle”. Phil Muldoon and his team have proved them wrong and deserve a very big thank you from us all. The Fire Force team are now looking for more volunteers and they provide some invaluable training and teamwork for both male and female, young and old. Please contact Phil on 362-8874 or Kierin on 362-8240.
As residents are aware we now have a contract from DOC to manage the Okareka Camp Ground in Millar Road. Whilst this is a major commitment for LOCA your committee believes it is both an opportunity to work along side both DOC and the District Council and to protect and enhance the reputation of the area as an integral part of a “playground” for the residents and visitors to Rotorua.
There has been a delay in reopening the Camp due to maintenance and the installation of two new toilets which opened on 1 December. In the meantime Boyes Beach has had good patronage from campervans (15 to 20 most nights) reflecting the changes underway with domestic tourism and freedom camping.
If any residents or property owners would like information on our contract with the Crown (DOC) please contact myself on 362-8379 or Sandra on 362-8865. I would also like to thank two former DOC employees, Henry Weston and Brian Law for their very significant input to the contract and Sandra our tireless secretary for her patience dealing with a dysfunctional organisation (sorry DOC). We are looking for additional volunteers/helpers to assist with cleaning etc over the summer holidays and are able to reimburse. Please contact Sandra on 362-8865.
The District Council have now agreed to Okareka having its own Community Notice Board and we will shortly have a “kiosk” type structure on the fence at the boat ramp between the toilets and the lake edge. We plan to feature information on the history of Okareka, fish and birdlife, community organisations, coming events etc that may be of interest to both residents and tourists. We welcome suggestions.
It is pleasing to report that we had a very successful Carols & Father Christmas Picnic as part of the Pre-school nativity play this year (unlike last year when the weather was very unkind). Once again Father Christmas was the feature (thanks Mike), the Fire Engine was on time (thanks guys), the Sallies band had a lot of support, we didn’t run out of food (good planning girls), and many of those present stayed on and on (great!!).
Despite the apparent lack of action on the proposed Walkway from Boyes Beach to the DOC Campsite we are continuing to work thru various requirements with both RDC, DOC and the Regional Council. This project is “work in progress” and we hope we can get it underway in the New Year.
The other project that we would also like to get underway is the upgrade of the Picnic/Swimming/Small Boat area adjacent to the jetty and have a beach area similar to the reserve at Steep Street. Again “work in progress”.
Good progress has been made on the new walking track from the top of Summit Rd down to the Bus Shelter next to the Pump Station with its mural. This goes through some of the intensive shrub plantings in the area that is now starting to make a major contribution to a much improved entrance to Okareka.
Thank you Landcare Okareka.
It is mission impossible to list all the people (children included) who make a contribution to this community as volunteers in all sorts of ways however it is pleasing to note that one of the LOCA team, Carol Christian-Price, is the recipient of a volunteer services medal from the SPCA for her contribution to the SPCA. Carol received her medallion from the Governor General on 15 October at Government House in Wellington. Congratulations Carol.
Please note the Okareka AGM is at the hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday January 23rd and everyone is welcome.
As always we welcome your comments on any issues affecting Okareka and its residents.
Take care of one another and drive safely.
Geoff Palmer
Chairman
LOCA
Enclosed with this newsletter is the reprint of the Community Phone Book which we hope you will find useful and whilst we have tried to avoid any mistakes please contact Carol on 362-8702 if you are unhappy with a listing so our records can be corrected. Carol has some spare copies if anyone would like additional.
The Lake Okareka Website www.lakeokareka.org has now been updated with additional links etc added. Our thanks to Mike Bannister and more recently Kierin Oppatt for the work that has gone into this revamp and we welcome comments and suggestions on further improvements. Please contact Kierin on 362-8240.
Funding for the new Okareka Fire Engine is now all in place and delivery is scheduled for early 2013. The purchase of this vehicle has been a major exercise with little help from the local Council as they were quite convinced the funds would not be made available and wanted Okareka to have another “elderly second hand vehicle”. Phil Muldoon and his team have proved them wrong and deserve a very big thank you from us all. The Fire Force team are now looking for more volunteers and they provide some invaluable training and teamwork for both male and female, young and old. Please contact Phil on 362-8874 or Kierin on 362-8240.
As residents are aware we now have a contract from DOC to manage the Okareka Camp Ground in Millar Road. Whilst this is a major commitment for LOCA your committee believes it is both an opportunity to work along side both DOC and the District Council and to protect and enhance the reputation of the area as an integral part of a “playground” for the residents and visitors to Rotorua.
There has been a delay in reopening the Camp due to maintenance and the installation of two new toilets which opened on 1 December. In the meantime Boyes Beach has had good patronage from campervans (15 to 20 most nights) reflecting the changes underway with domestic tourism and freedom camping.
If any residents or property owners would like information on our contract with the Crown (DOC) please contact myself on 362-8379 or Sandra on 362-8865. I would also like to thank two former DOC employees, Henry Weston and Brian Law for their very significant input to the contract and Sandra our tireless secretary for her patience dealing with a dysfunctional organisation (sorry DOC). We are looking for additional volunteers/helpers to assist with cleaning etc over the summer holidays and are able to reimburse. Please contact Sandra on 362-8865.
The District Council have now agreed to Okareka having its own Community Notice Board and we will shortly have a “kiosk” type structure on the fence at the boat ramp between the toilets and the lake edge. We plan to feature information on the history of Okareka, fish and birdlife, community organisations, coming events etc that may be of interest to both residents and tourists. We welcome suggestions.
It is pleasing to report that we had a very successful Carols & Father Christmas Picnic as part of the Pre-school nativity play this year (unlike last year when the weather was very unkind). Once again Father Christmas was the feature (thanks Mike), the Fire Engine was on time (thanks guys), the Sallies band had a lot of support, we didn’t run out of food (good planning girls), and many of those present stayed on and on (great!!).
Despite the apparent lack of action on the proposed Walkway from Boyes Beach to the DOC Campsite we are continuing to work thru various requirements with both RDC, DOC and the Regional Council. This project is “work in progress” and we hope we can get it underway in the New Year.
The other project that we would also like to get underway is the upgrade of the Picnic/Swimming/Small Boat area adjacent to the jetty and have a beach area similar to the reserve at Steep Street. Again “work in progress”.
Good progress has been made on the new walking track from the top of Summit Rd down to the Bus Shelter next to the Pump Station with its mural. This goes through some of the intensive shrub plantings in the area that is now starting to make a major contribution to a much improved entrance to Okareka.
Thank you Landcare Okareka.
It is mission impossible to list all the people (children included) who make a contribution to this community as volunteers in all sorts of ways however it is pleasing to note that one of the LOCA team, Carol Christian-Price, is the recipient of a volunteer services medal from the SPCA for her contribution to the SPCA. Carol received her medallion from the Governor General on 15 October at Government House in Wellington. Congratulations Carol.
Please note the Okareka AGM is at the hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday January 23rd and everyone is welcome.
As always we welcome your comments on any issues affecting Okareka and its residents.
Take care of one another and drive safely.
Geoff Palmer
Chairman
LOCA
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