697 days ago

New fun activity at Hanmer Springs

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Hanmer Springs has a new fun, family activity - and it’s free.

A nine-hole disc golf course opened at Brooke Dawson Reserve last month and it has already caught the attention of visitors and enthusiasts for the game.

‘‘It has only been open for a couple of weeks, but there is a lot of people going through and the word is getting out,’’ local resident Graham Frith said.

‘‘I’ve had people from Christchurch, Nelson and the West Coast ringing to find out when we will have this course and now I can tell them to come.

‘‘My vision was to have it so everyone staying in the village could do it for free and eventually if we have some guns come here, even better.’’

Frith came up with the idea for a disc golf course while serving on the Hanmer Springs Community Board.

It came at a cost of $7500 to buy the baskets, which were used instead of tees and were installed by volunteers.

Disc golf is like ordinary golf, except you throw a frisbee or disc and aimed to get into the baskets in as few throws as possible.

All you need is a frisbee and some mates, or your family, Frith said.

‘‘The other day three of us went down there with one frisbee. We just took turns throwing it and walked around and had a great chat.’’

Frith has been behind several initiatives in recent years, including the Hanmer Springs food forest and Music and Arts Hanmer Springs.

He was also working on developing mountain bike trails around Mt Isobel.

‘‘I just like to stir things up. If you are not going forward you fall off your bike.’’

Frith says the ideas tend to flow when he is out on his bike.

With a five month cycling tour in Central America planned from next month, more ideas were sure to follow.

‘‘We are travelling through Mexico and I will no doubt see something and think ‘that will work in Hanmer Springs’.’’

The Brooke Dawson Reserve, in Bath Street, Hanmer Springs, has a toilet block and picnic area, making it the ideal spot for families.

There was the option of extending it to an 18-hole course if it proved to be popular.

A map of the course is available on the Hanmer Springs app and on Facebook.

*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

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More messages from your neighbours
17 hours ago

New Year, Same Brain Teasers!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

A man was found dead with a cassette recorder in one hand and a gun in the other.

When the police pressed “play,” the tape said, “I can’t go on,” and then there was a gunshot.

Yet, the police knew it was a murder.

How?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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27 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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19 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 63% Summer
    63% Complete
  • 35.6% Winter
    35.6% Complete
  • 1.4% Other - I'll share below
    1.4% Complete
2552 votes