Remembering
Kahurangi
Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre is holding a day to remember Kahurangi, the special North Island Kōkako who recently died at the centre. Kahurangi was rescued and hand-reared as a chick, which made her too domestic to be released into the wild. Since 2005 she has entertained visitors to Pūkaha, and been the only bird of her species in the world to live in captivity. The team at Pūkaha are holding a community day of Kōkako themed entertainment, as a way to celebrate and remember her life. “Kahurangi was an absolute star, and she will be dearly missed by all who had the pleasure of interacting with her, but on this special day we wish to celebrate the role Kahu played in raising awareness for her species, by hosting a fun-filled Kōkako themed event,” said a spokesperson. “This will be a day of both celebration and remembrance, as we are determined to continue our efforts in protecting the North Island Kōkako, of which a small number exist free here in the Pūkaha ngahere.” The event is scheduled for January 5 and will begin at 10am. There will be a entry charge of $5.
Library closing
Libraries and librarians across the region will be taking a well-deserved break over the Christmas period. Masterton District Library will be closing at 12 noon on December 22 and will reopen at 9.30am on January 3, when normal hours will resume. All libraries that are part of the Wairarapa Library Service [Carterton, Featherston, Greytown, and Martinborough] will be closing at 12 noon on December 22 and reopen on January 8 for normal hours. All libraries across Wairarapa will also close their return slots while they are closed and ask that people hold on to their items until they are open again. No overdue charges will be applied.
Masterton express
This Friday, catch yourself a ride on the steam engine ‘Atlantic’ that will be chugging around Waipoua Island at Queen Elizabeth Park from 5pm in an event presented by the Miniature Train Society. You can also take a paddle boat around the lake or play mini golf. Train tickets are $1 cash only.
