Recent Trip to Mount Maunganui by Tyrone Cook
On Tuesday the 19th of February, leaving at around 9:30, Eleven members of CFFD Waikato boarded the EasyRider bus for Mt Maunganui, where we were to be hosted by THRIVE and the Tauranga City Council.
I was excited as I had never been on an accessible bus before, we had Andrea come along, she attends Joy Ministaries but this day she was joining us, Cathy and Sheree were excited as they had not been to the beach in a long time (Cathy 10, Sheree 29 years).
When we arrived there had been car parks coned off for us to park our bus, and the beach welcomed us with sunshine and a gentle breeze. We were greeted by Dani Jurgeleit and Kieran Wall from the Tauranga City Council and the blue mat that allowed those in chairs to access the beach. Dani welcomed us and said that the mat ment Tauranga was now the most accessible city in the country as not only could they use it on the beach but also can be used to make other events accessible to wheelchair users “our plan is to eventually add extentions to the mat, so people can go right down to the water”, she said, but first they needed to find a contractor willing to meet the challenge, and how they were going to overcome the mat being pushed back when hit by the tide.
Members from THRIVE arrived and put on a spread of filled buns, juice, water, slices and fruit for us, then we got singing before we headed back up the beach for the ride home.
Reverend Heather Major said of the day “it was the most amazing trip, because for many years we have dreamed of being able to do a day trip to the beach and see some of Gods nature”
Tony said “I had a lovely day at Mt Maunganui, best in ten years”
Cheryl said “I will be telling more people about this fantastic mat on the beach, it’s great”
“It was the first one of the year and it was fun to hang out with everyone and have lunch and fellowship” said Danielle
Deirdre says “yeah fantastic day, great to share it with the group and great for them to get over there and enjoy themselves and have fun, it was wonderful”
Sheree enjoyed the day “it was such a great day, brilliant
Dirk says he enjoyed taking us and couldn’t wait to take us on Labour weekend to camp.
We would like to thank Annette and Dean Viviani, THRIVE, Tauranga City Council and Dirk from EasyRider for making this happen.
By Tyrone Cook
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Will these roadworks affect you?
Don’t expect a quick trip between Cambridge and Tamahere for much of this year, because major roadworks are starting.
Asphalt works on that section of Waikato Expressway will run from March through to late 2026, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says. Motorists are warned to plan for significant delays.
“Unfortunately the pavement, particularly in the slow lanes, has deteriorated faster than expected,” NZTA’s Roger Brady said.
Will these roadworks affect you? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
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