New World Havelock North car park
Sitting in my work van, in the new New World carpark and I’ve been getting dirty looks. I get it. My van is halfway into the driving area. Literally. If you look, even from a distance, you’ll see my back end is almost hard against the fence, with my towball around the corner of the fence.
My work van is over 6m long and the car parks are only about 4.5m. The only spaces I can park out of the way are the nearest and the furthest corners from the door. And that still means parking across another carpark. Today, both those parks were taken.
Now, before you point out that I shouldn’t bring such a big vehicle to the supermarket, 1) why not? Everyone needs to shop; and 2) I drive a retirement village resident passenger van. And they have as much right to shop as anyone.
Okay, so park in the mobility parks. Nope. I don’t have a Mobility decal or placard. And, those parks are the same length as all the others.
So, if you want to get me to stop blocking the way, do the supermarket survey on your receipts and ask for one way driving around the carpark (clockwise is the most logical and safest) and oversized parks. Almost every other supermarket has them. Vehicles are getting bigger, parks aren’t.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.4% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.