A Matangi couple have launched a website to take holidaymakers off the beaten track and into rural accommodation.

The premise is simple. There’s a wealth of beautiful spots on private land in New Zealand, and land owners could share this with holidaymakers for a fee.

“Not everyone wants to holiday with a thousand other people at one of the hot spots,” said founder Michele Connell.

Tamahere resident Philppa Stevenson has been selected by the Green Party to contest the Waikato electorate seat at this year’s general election.
The award-winning journalist and former agricultural editor of the Waikato Times and NZ Herald, has lived in the Waikato all her life, the last 28 years in Tamahere.
“I love the Waikato. I am thrilled and humbled to be selected to stand for a region that is such a vital part of New Zealand,” Stevenson said.

With its neatly trimmed topiary, groomed lawns and pristine flower beds, you could be forgiven for imagining that a team of gardeners were at work maintaining Pat and Denise Donnelly’s large Tamahere garden. But no.

“It’s just Pat and I – team Donnelly,” says Denise. “And it’s nowhere near as labour intensive as it looks.”

Tamahere is becoming a fruitful area for child care enterprises.

Building is underway on a new centre on Tamahere Drive, which is expected to be open mid-2017.

And an existing centre in Devine Rd is expanding.

Tamahere man Tim van de Molen has has been selected by the National Party to contest the safe Waikato electorate at next year’s general election.

A farmer and rural banker, van de Molen became a member of the Tamahere Community Committee at its October election.

Waikato is currently held by retiring, long time National MP Lindsay Tisch with a majority of more than 16,000.

Tamahere School librarian Theresa Kewish has issued 16,000 books this year and believes everyone can read for pleasure.

The key is to find the right book or series and hook for a particular child.

It is a personalised journey finding the genre, author or style of book to fit a particular taste.

Tamahere has a significant number of home-based businesses, which more than likely means more than a few of us make and take business calls in our PJs.

Along with the short commute, that might be one of the advantages of working from home but as many have found it can also have a social downside.

That’s prompted local Maxine Yearsley to put the call out to Tamahere people who work from home who’d like to meet some of their business neighbours.

John Butcher will be partly remembered for the horses he owned and trained: Susan Blue, Shanandoah, Val Averil, Gay Reel, Ponty, Lorator, Prince Polka, Tobias, Desiree, Mathias, Josias, Abdias, Onias, Sophanias, Count Isa, Smooth Performer, Tooraloo – to name but a few.

Others would probably recount his wins as a driver – 305 at least, although no one is quite sure of the real total.

Alternatively, perhaps, the measure lies in the 717 winners he turned out as a trainer in his own right or in partnership with his son David, an achievement that led to his election to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

Can a book build a swimming pool?
The inspired and hard working Tamahere women behind the impressive Divine Eats, a cookbook from the heart of Tamahere, are giving it their best shot.
The 432-page, hardback book they have created features 285 recipes, stunning photographs of food but also of so much else local that it makes for a beautifully rendered slice of Tamahere in time.

Tamahere’s Jenny Jack has never been more supportive of the World of WearableArt – WOW – show.

This year her entry has been accepted for the Bizarre Bra section.

A casual glance at a bunch of paper clips inspired Jack to make a bra.