Welcome to Convbridge
Convolvulus is conquering Cambridge, or so it seems. Ipomoea Indica, or Blue Morning Glory, and its pink/white companion Calystegia Silvatica, also known as Greater Bindweed, are both frost tender, so good Waikato frosts have kept them under control.
We don’t get those frosts anymore, and the convolvulus species are loving the warmth, the rain and the CO2.
They are swamping both our and Waipā District Council plantings, along with ad-hoc plantings by other groups. They are climbing the riverbanks, the trees, the hills and the gullies. The white Calystegia is even climbing over the Council’s mulch depot in Thornton Rd. What can we do? We could just surrender, and become the Town of Convolvulus instead of the Town of Trees.
You think I exaggerate? Go for a walk and see the hectares of rapidly- spreading convolvulus. One of the ad-hoc plantings on a bank by Lake Te Koo Utu is now a sea of convolvulus with lumps in it where the trees are. It was planted a bit over a year ago.
On my walk to the Tree Trust, I pass a construction site where a house is being built. It started late last year, so it’s been going for about 3 months.
Across the front where the driveway will be, the builders have the usual wire mesh fence. On it, grow convolvulus plants, with pretty pink flowers. The vines have reached the top of the fence and are looking for somewhere to move on to.
It’s no wonder plantings and gardens are getting swamped.
David Phillipps, Cambridge Tree Trust
Convolvulus
Love our neighbour
Rev Julie Guest
The community should look at ways to support the Waipā council in the same way Paihia residents in Northland recently did, The News columnist Julie Guest writes today.
Te Awamutu could be a community where everyone benefits by loving our neighbour to ensure they have an environment to thrive in.
See: Love your Neighbour
Polo fest for Waipā
Polo action
Mystery Creek Polo Club will host its inaugural festival of polo starting tomorrow. The club’s Kaipaki Rd base is home to leading polo players John-Paul and Nina Clarkin – the club’s president and secretary.
The festival will feature international teams and more than 600 horses – and two public events. International Day – tomorrow – features a Trans-Tasman clash, featuring men’s and women’s teams. Finals Day, on Sunday, brings together teams who will compete for the Mystery Creek Festival of Polo 2024 Champion Team in various grades.
Get connected
The Cambridge Connections programme business case will be completed by May and include the priority projects from a list of ideas which includes increasing cycling and walking, improving passenger transport and addressing safety and congestion. It will also address whether Cambridge needs a third vehicular bridge over the Waikato River. Stakeholders will be invited to information sessions to provide feedback on the preferred programme.
Coach stop
Trucks using the newly-established coach stops will be moved on.
Two newly-established coach stops in Lake Street, Cambridge have got the tick of approval from tourism operators. Pacific Tourways said if coach drivers knew there was dedicated parking in a town, they would come. Having two spaces means up to 100 passengers could flow through into retail and hospitality businesses. Waipā council installed the stops after representations from the Cambridge Community Board and Destination Cambridge.
Trucks will have to use a nearby loading zone rather than the coach stop.
Be heard
Cambridge Chamber of Commerce will host a parking strategy meeting later this month to discuss the removal of carparks in the town. The chamber says parking is not a new issue but the squeeze on spaces has intensified prompting a need for a conversation between stakeholders and Waipā District Council.
Place of rest
A new sculpture in Tauwhare, which stands several metres tall, was unveiled recently. It was designed by artist Marti Wong and constructed by Tauwhare Hall chair Lockie Verner. The sculpture, next to the War Memorial Hall, is called house or place of rest and will be formally celebrated soon. A Waikato District Council arts grant and local support saw the project to fruition. Plantings around the site will soon follow.
Lake warnings
Te Whatu Ora Waikato have issued health warnings for Lakes Arapuni and Whangape. Warnings remain in place for Lakes Rotoroa (Hamilton Lake), Ngā Roto, Hakanoa, Waikare, Kainui, and Rotokauri. Scientific observation and monitoring of the water quality for Lake Arapuni suggests a recent rise in the concentration of cyanobacteria while Lake Whangape has seen a dramatic rise in measured cyanobacteria biovolume.
Operation Neptune
Waikato’s harbourmaster stopped 819 on water vessel stops and 179 on boat ramps vehicle inspections during its just completed Operation Neptune operation. There were 350 breaches, most regarding life jacket rules, speeding offences and towing without observers. At Lake Kārapiro, the harbourmaster conducted 24 individual patrols and stopped 145 vessels.
