Weekend Reflection: Waipu

The beautiful Waipu beach.


Steve and Lynn Peeters, this photo was taken on a farewell party for us at Gary's place in 1990. We were leaving for Singapore.




The little Northland Township holds a special place in my heart.

Twenty one years ago, when my baby Andrew died, I was miserable with empty arms and grieving. My friend Steve Peeters invited me to his mother Nelly's kiwi fruit farm near the beach in Waipu. There I found solace as I sat by the little jetty looking at flounders lie on the shallow creek. Steve's dad had just passed away, and Nelly told me that life had to go on. She had to, because she had a big kiwi farm to run.

We came back to Auckland, and I found inspiration to live on.

Recently a friend quoted this: “Let your dreams be greater than your memories.” I want to marry the two, a dream based on memories. I hope to succeed and have a reunion of all my friends who helped me during that very difficult time.

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Parents march taggers to police
5:30 AM Saturday Jan 1, 2011


A northern resort town blighted by a graffiti attack has got its own back on the vandals after they were marched to police by their parents to confess.

Three young men owned up to defacing 27 of Waipu's shops and commercial buildings on Sunday night and Monday morning.

The trio - aged 14, 18 and 20 - were taken to the Waipu police station by their parents, who were ashamed to learn their boys were responsible for tagging the buildings and scratching shop windows.

On Thursday, all three were removing or painting over graffiti on shops in Waipu's main street and apologising to occupants of buildings they had tagged. Relatives kept them hard at work and made sure they paid attention when older Waipu residents sternly rebuked them for the tagging. "They got heaps of stick," a businessman said.

The mood of people in Waipu yesterday was far lighter than the anger and resentment expressed on Monday morning after the discovery of the destructive tagging, which had been expected to cost thousands of dollars to remove. Waipu Business Association chairwoman Judy Guy said: "It's wonderful they have owned up and their fathers have brought them down to repair the damage. What more can you ask?"

It also means Waipu will be able to show a newly scrubbed face when the 140th annual Caledonian Games get under way today.