Meanwhile, in Hastings....

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

[ssweetpea]

Jet aircraft fly that high over Hastings?

What flight path is it on? Or is that the point?


We seldom see them over Auckland as most aircraft aren't high enough to create one as they are landing or taking off. Auckland is a must see place you know.

They are very common over New Plymouth.

All those flights from Auckland to Christchurch.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Historic home gutted by fire

By MARTY SHARPE - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Wednesday, 14 July 2010


BURNT OUT (left): The scene of the blaze this morning. — MARTY SHARPE/The Dominion Post.
TRANQUIL SCENE (right): Built in 1914, the two-storey homestead in Hastings' Pakowhai Road
became part of the neighbouring Hettinga Estate winery when it was founded in 2000.
 — TIM WHITTAKER/Hawke's Bay Today.

ONE OF HASTINGS' most historic homes has been gutted by fire.

The two-storey Pakowhai Road homestead was built in 1914.

It has been part of the neighbouring Hettinga Estate winery since it was founded in 2000.

The fire service was called to the fire at around 8pm last night.

Five fire engines fought the blaze with the last leaving the scene at 3am this morning.

The four-bedroom house and the vineyard had been on the market for about two years.

They were advertised for $2.2 million.

The house was usually rented out but was unoccupied when it burned down.

A Hastings fire spokesman said today the blaze was not thought to be suspicious but fire safety officers were investigating.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/3917325/Historic-home-gutted-by-fire


Homestead owner moved back in on day of fire

The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Thursday, 15 July 2010


BURNT-OUT SHELL: The homestead had been done up and was fully furnished. — MARTY SHARPE/The Dominion Post.

THE OWNER of a historic homestead in Hastings had moved back in the day it was engulfed in flames.

Rimmer Hettinga, who bought the 1914 Pakowhai Road mansion after migrating from Holland in 1999, watched as the two-storey building of native timber turned to cinders on Tuesday night.

"It was terrible," he said. "Nearly everything I brought with me from overseas was in there, my great-grandmother's cabinets and other antiques ... and it's all gone. That is a strange feeling."

Mr Hettinga started the neighbouring Hettinga Estate winery in 2000.

"I did it [the homestead] completely up. When I got it, it was quite rundown. I brought it back to its original style with the leadlights and balcony and everything."

He and wife Kerry had moved out of the house about a year ago and it had been tenanted until Monday. "We moved in on Tuesday but we didn't sleep there because we weren't ready. We had been living in Napier."

Mr Hettinga got a call from the fire service on Tuesday night to say the house was burning. The fire started at 8pm. They drove the short distance from Napier "but by the time we got there it was almost gone".

The house had been rented out fully furnished. Everything was insured "but I'm not even thinking about these things at the moment".

He did not know how the fire started, or what he would do with the site. The homestead and winery, on 8.8ha, had been on the market for about two years for $2.2 million.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/3919636/Homestead-owner-moved-back-in-on-day-of-fire

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Mountain of rubbish mars landmark peak

By DIANE JOYCE - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Saturday, 16 October 2010


ALL MESSED UP: Tyres rolled off Te Mata Peak in Hastings stack up on a farmer's land.

AN "astounding" 10 tonnes of rubbish has been dumped from the top of Hastings' most well-known landmark, Te Mata Peak, risking its international reputation as a tourist attraction.

It is listed as a "must see" on national and international tourism websites, including the New Zealand Tourism Board's "100% Pure New Zealand".

A traffic count in the height of summer last year recorded 329 vehicles in one day, with a peak of 90 an hour.

But the amount of rubbish — including washing machines, driers, 44-gallon drums, stacks of tyres, street signs, wheelie bins and road cones — is risking its reputation.

Johnny Ryan, organiser of a "massive" working bee next month to clean it up, said it would take a huge effort.

"Literally tonnes of rubbish and tyres have been thrown ... it has got to the stage where it's spilling from the crevices and valleys in the cliffs on to the flat land."

The 97-hectare park is run by an independent trust.

The 399-metre peak is in the eastern corner, and much of the rubbish ends up on private land below the crest.

Te Mata Park Trust Board member Mark Holder said the trust was fully involved in the rubbish removal.

The board had cleaned up before, the last time about a year ago when two truckloads of tyres were hauled out.

The situation had become a lot worse since.

"It's astounding how much stuff there is ... since they started chucking whiteware and orange road cones off there, it's really obvious."

The board's biggest concern was when youths set fire to tyres and rolled them down the face in summer, risking setting fire to dry grass.

Mr Holder believed a lot of the rubbish was thrown by youngsters for a thrill, while others did not want to pay to take large items to the tip.

"The other day someone told me they'd seen a tradesman-type van up there and guys throwing building site rubbish off the peak," he said.

Hastings District Council said it would prosecute anyone caught "fly-tipping".

"There is no need to fly-tip when many things being dumped off Te Mata Peak can be recycled for free at the transfer station."

The working bee organisers have lined up corporate backers to help remove the estimated 10 tonnes of trash, including Waste Management — which wants its 29 wheelie bins back — paragliding club members, and a 4x4 off-road club.

Abseilers will clear rubbish off the peak face, throwing it down to the flat, and a helicopter and four-wheel-drive vehicles will pick it up a week later on November 13.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4239763/Mountain-of-rubbish-mars-landmark-peak

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Camberley a quiet suburb? 

When I lived in Hastings, Camberley was a bad-arse state-housing area that hosted the Mongrel Mob prior to their eventual move just a little bit further west to Flaxmere. It was a place where you didn't go wandering around by yourself after dark!

I wonder what the noisy suburbs in Hastings are like? 


Street brawls erupt in quiet suburbs

The Dominion Post | 9:44AM - Thursday, 14 July 2011

WEAPONS, including knives, axes, a shovel and a golf club have been recovered by police called to a series of street brawls in Hastings last night.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dave de Lange, of Hastings CIB, said officers were called to five fights in the suburb of Camberley between 6pm and 10pm.

"The fights appear to have initially involved two or three people but later escalated to a stage where up to 30 people were fighting.  Some of those involved are believed to be gang members," Mr de Lange said.

A 43-year-old gang member received a cut to his head and a cut to his leg and required hospital treatment for these injuries.

Five men aged between 17 and 21 were arrested on charges including disorderly behaviour and possession of offensive weapons as a result of these events. They will appear in Hastings District Court next week.

Further charges may be laid, Mr de Lange said.

He said nine weapons including knives, axes, a shovel and a golf club were recovered at the scene of one fight.

"Police were very concerned by the level of violence involved in these fights, the use of weapons and the apparent willingness of people in the area to join in.

"The police will certainly be patrolling the area and taking a very firm line with anyone identified as involved in any events involving disorder or violence," he said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5282774/Street-brawls-erupt-in-quiet-suburbs

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Name corrected after 80 years, but incorrectly

By MARTY SHARPE - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Tuesday, 06 September 2011


AT LAST: Jenny Adrian is delighted that after so many years
the name of her great-grandfather, William Hunt, has been
added to one of the memorial plaques listing those who
died in the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
 — EVA BRADLEY/The Dominion Post.

FOR 80 YEARS his family have waited for William Hunt's name to be added to a memorial for those who died in the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.

Now they will have to wait a little longer after Hastings District Council agreed to their wish — but the engraver got his name wrong.

Two hundred and fifty-eight people were killed in the disaster, 93 of whom were in Hastings and whose names are remembered on plaques on the city's clocktower. But William James Hunt's name was not among them.

The 56-year-old was at a meeting at the Trades Hall in Karamu Rd when the quake struck. Granddaughter Eileen Linyard, 85, who recalls visiting his grave with his widow, Elizabeth Hunt, every Saturday, said he had got out of the building safely but returned to save a friend and had been struck by a falling beam.

Mr Hunt was among casualties taken to Waipukurau because Hastings could not cope. It is unclear where he died, but he was buried at Waipukurau.

Mrs Hunt saved for two years to have his body exhumed and buried in Hastings, where she made her weekly visits with bunches of flowers until she died in 1969.

When the plaques were erected in 1995, Mrs Linyard was astonished to find Mr Hunt's name had been omitted.

She took up the matter with Hastings District Council but to no avail, with staff insisting there was no record of him dying in Hastings.

Mrs Linyard was five and at her second day at Parkvale primary school when the quake struck. She recalls living under a tarpaulin in the days afterwards, and relatives trying to find Mr Hunt.

"I remember sitting on the grass verge outside the [Hastings] hospital and my grandmother telling me they couldn't find him and that he may have been moved to Waipukurau," she said.

In the lead-up to this year's 80th anniversary of the quake, Mrs Linyard's daughter, Jenny Adrian mentioned Mr Hunt's missing name to a Hastings librarian who pursued the matter, corrected the library's records and contacted the council.

Council staff then acknowledged Mr Hunt's name was missing and agreed to put it right.

The plaques were removed and his name was added last week.

But when Mrs Adrian went to the engraver's for a photograph for The Dominion Post yesterday, she realised he had been identified incorrectly as James William Hunt.

The plaques had been due to go back on the clocktower tomorrow, but that will now have to wait while the engraver re-engraves about 30 names.

Mrs Linyard is not too bothered: "I'm just very pleased that at last it's been recognised after all this time."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5568969/Name-corrected-after-80-years-but-incorrectly

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Ngati Kahungunu launch water claim

By TRACY WATKINS - The Dominion Post | 2:50PM - Tuesday, 04 September 2012

A LANDMARK Waitangi Tribunal report on water rights has potentially opened the floodgates to more claims.

Hawke's Bay tribe Ngati Kahungunu has announced it is lodging a statement of claim in the Waitangi Tribunal relating to the country's second largest aquifer.

The significance of their claim is that it is unrelated to the sale of State owned power companies and appears to be in response to the tribunal's suggestion that Maori have a residual property right in water.

Prime Minister John Key yesterday announced a delay in the sale of State-owned power company Mighty River Power after the tribunal urged a delay while water rights within Mighty River Power's catchment were discussed with iwi.

Ngati Kahungunu spokesman Ngahiwi Tomoana said in a statement last night the iwi was aware that most of its hapu claims had not been settled yet "and see this as an opportunity to bring definition to the merits of those claims, before any rights are sold off."

"Ngati Kahungunu has taken a direct approach to protecting their whanau, hapu and marae interests in freshwater. Today they instructed their lawyers Chen Palmer to file a statement of claim in the Waitangi Tribunal."

"Ngati Kahungunu has the second largest aquifer in New Zealand and it is paramount that this treasured resource is protected," Mr Tomoana said.

"Ngati Kahungunu looks forward to engaging constructively with the Government during upcoming consultation."

The iwi has 22,000 registered members and its rohe, or territory, stretches from Mahia, Hawke's Bay, to Wairarapa.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7610337/Ngati-Kahungunu-launch-water-claim

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Gas bottle explosion at Hastings school

The Dominion Post | 12:49PM - Tuesday, 20 November 2012



EMERGENCY SERVICES are responding to reports of a gas bottle explosion at a primary school in Hastings.

A Fire Service spokeswoman said a call for help was received from Mayfair School, Willowpark Road North about 12.30pm.

It is understood a 35-year-old woman has been taking to hospital with moderate injuries to her neck and shoulder.

The school's principal Tanya Bunny is expected to make comment later today.

More soon.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hawkes-bay/7973883/Gas-bottle-explosion-at-Hastings-school

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

UPDATED STORY....

One injured in Hastings school explosion

The Dominion Post | 1:02PM - Tuesday, 20 November 2012

ONE PERSON has been injured after a disposable gas canister exploded at a primary school in Hastings.

A Fire Service spokeswoman said a call for help was received from Mayfair School, Willowpark Road North about 12.30pm.

It is understood a 35-year-old woman has been taken to hospital with moderate injuries to her neck and shoulder.

The school's principal Tanya Bunny is expected to make comment later today.

The incident will be investigated by fire service staff.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hawkes-bay/7973883/Gas-bottle-explosion-at-Hastings-school

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Man dies after Te Mata Peak car accident

By MORGAN TAIT - Hawke's Bay Today | 11:44AM - Tuesday, 22 January 2013


The crash scene this morning on Te Mata Peak. — Photo: Patrick O'Sullivan.

A MAN has died after a car plunged down a steep gully on Te Mata Peak in Havelock North.

A member of the public alerted emergency services when they saw the car upside down in the gully near the top of Te Mata Peak Road just after 10am today. It is not known when or how the car crashed.

The driver of the car has not yet been identified. He was the only person in the vehicle.

St John Hawke's Bay district operations manager Stephen Smith confirmed the man's death earlier.

"All we can say at the moment is a car that has gone off the road up there and we can confirm that ambulance staff, fire and police have attended," he said.

The Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating.

Te Mata Peak Road will be closed for some time while the vehicle is retrieved from the gully.

In November, a man survived a 200m plunge in a vehicle on the eastern side of Te Mata Peak.



http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/man-dies-after-te-mata-peak-car-accident/1726112

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Quake risk closes Opera House

By TRACEY CHATTERTON - The Dominion Post | 2:08PM - Tuesday, 04 March 2014


QUAKE RISK: Hawke's Bay Opera House, formerly the Hastings Municipal Theatre.

THE CURTAIN has suddenly come down on Hawke's Bay Opera House with engineers now saying the building is earthquake prone.

The region's premiere theatre has been shut while testing is finalised.

Engineers are worried that the 12-metre side walls of the theatre could collapse on an audience during an earthquake.

It came as a surprise to Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule when he was given verbal advice last week.

The council spent $11.2 million structurally upgrading the complex between 2004 and 2007. A 2013 report assured that the building was safe but further work needed to be done, Mr Yule said.

Following the report, the council commissioned invasive testing of the structure and foundation of the Hastings Street building.

Mr Yule said the council was acting swiftly on the new information. Wellington City Council staff were arriving in Hawke's Bay tomorrow to offer advice and share their experience in dealing with the earthquake prone Town Hall.


SHUT DOWN: Hawke's Bay Opera House has been closed because it is too much of a quake risk.

The theatre would be closed until mid-May. Next week's Sol3Mio concert and the graduation ceremony for Eastern Institute of Technology had been moved to Napier Municipal Theatre.

"Safety of theatre goers, staff and performers is paramount and the board was united in opting for closure," Hawke's Bay Opera House board chairman Chris O'Reilly said.

The five businesses that operate from the building will continue to operate.

There was no immediate danger to Opera Kitchen, Ticketek, Dish Catering, HB Winegrowers and Hutchinson Furnishers, Mr Yule said. Engineers were concerned about the theatre part of the building only.

The council owns the building and the responsibility of funding any remedial work falls on the council and Hastings ratepayers.

In 2011, ratepayers were asked to put an extra $1.5 million into the building over seven years to cover increasing operating costs.

Engineers will have a final report to council by March 21st.

People who have purchased tickets to up-coming events are asked to contact Ticketek to gain a refund or book at an alternative venue.

The Opera House designed by Wellington architect Henry Eli White and opened in 1915 was listed as a category 1 building with the Historic Places Trust.

The plaza, with its retractable roof remain open. The $50,000 roof was thought to be the first of its kind in 2007.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hawkes-bay/9788701/Quake-risk-closes-Opera-House

[Alicat]

The Opera House designed by Wellington architect Henry Eli White and opened in 1915 was listed as a category 1 building with the Historic Places Trust.

It was named the Hastings Municipal Theatre back then. It was and always will be the Hastings Municipal Theatre. The powers that be changed the name in recent years to The Opera House to prevent Napier Municipal Theatre and Hastings Municipal Theatres causing confusion. That was an idiotic reason as the Muni Theatres in both cities had survived for many, many years without confusion.

For me, The Opera House is in Wellington.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from Hawke's Bay Today....

Quake concerns hit Opera House

By SIMON HENDERY | 10:00AM - Wednesday, March 05, 2014


The Hawke's Bay Opera House's theatre building has been closed, with keep-out signs placed on doors
to warn it is earthquake-prone. — Photo: Paul Taylor.

AN expensive question-mark hangs over the future of Hawke's Bay Opera House's historic theatre building, as engineers continue to assess the extent of the council-owned facility's vulnerability to earthquakes.

Thousands of ticket holders had their event plans scuttled or thrown into confusion yesterday as the Hastings District Council announced the immediate closure of the 99-year-old theatre, after experts raised the alarm over the structural integrity of its two 12m-high side brick walls.

The theatre will remain closed for at least two months while more engineering work is done to determine the extent of the problem — and investigate possible solutions — but the council says surrounding businesses in the Opera House complex are not in danger and will stay open.

The jobs of 16 Opera House staff are also safe for now.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said he was "very surprised" to learn last Wednesday that engineers believed the theatre was earthquake prone because a $13.6 million Opera House upgrade between 2004-2007 had included work to bring it up to code.

After receiving last week's verbal briefing from engineers that the theatre was "well below" the baseline 34 percent mark in terms of the national building standard, meaning it was earthquake prone, the council was now awaiting a full written report, due by March 21st.

That report will be peer-reviewed before the council makes a decision on what to do about the theatre, most likely in mid-May.

Hawke's Bay Opera House, the company that manages the facility for the council, has been scrambling to relocate coming events to other venues in the region.

Two events booked for this month — Grease the Movie and Motown — have been cancelled while EIT's two-day graduation ceremony and a sold-out SOL3 MIO performance have been relocated to Napier's Municipal Theatre.

Opera House staff are continuing to work with the promoters of 10 other events booked between now and the end of May, including Rhys Darby and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, on relocation options.

Hawke's Bay Opera House chairman Chris O'Reilly said ticket holders should contact Ticketek for refunds or to rebook at alternative venues. "We're working as hard as we can and as quickly as we can with all of the promoters on a range of events to see which of those can still be hosted in the wider [Opera House] facility and if not we'll do whatever it takes to find an appropriate venue for them," Mr O'Reilly said.

The company was "absolutely driven by a safety-first policy," he said, so it had been a "no-brainer" to close the venue as soon as the seismic issue was raised. It was too early to assess the financial impact on the business.

Council chief executive Ross McLeod said there had been no events at the theatre since the problem came to light last week.

"There was a Wednesday-night event [a performance by Australian comedian Carl Barron] that was happening as we were hearing the news and we really only got a real handle on this on Thursday."

Mr McLeod said the facility's staff would be kept on.

"In the short term they've got quite a lot of work to do with the management of the Opera House. We'll be wanting to receive the engineering reports looking at the longer-term plans before we make any decisions of that nature."

Mr Yule said the information the council would have in May would enable it to make a decision on whether strengthening work on the side walls was an option ahead of re-opening the facility.

"We have some options, potentially — not many, I don't think — to find a quick fix to make it safe enough to be able to be continued to be used [from May].

"If there aren't those types of solutions then we're looking at a much longer period of closure and a much more significant cost in upgrading."

Mr McLeod said: "The council quite appropriately took professional advice in 2004 and then followed that professional advice to undertake earthquake strengthening and a structural upgrade. That work was undertaken but the council then, to be safe, commissioned assurance work in 2013 and now we're doing further assurance work which has led us to this."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11214192

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from Hawke's Bay Today....

Past efforts not enough to protect Opera House

By SIMON HENDERY | 3:00PM - Wednesday, March 05, 2014


Work under way to restore the Municipal Theatre (as it was known) after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
 — Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library.

THE Hawke's Bay Opera House was opened in 1915.

Historian Michael Fowler said after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake the south side wall had to be almost entirely pulled down and was rebuilt and reinforced.

The post-earthquake rebuild project took a year and included rebuilding the backstage area of the theatre, which was also damaged in the quake.

The theatre was reopened on February 23rd, 1932.

Mr Fowler says the next major upgrade to the building was the $13.6 million upgrade which began in 2004 and continued until 2007.

Mayor Lawrence Yule says the council specifically commissioned earthquake strengthening work as part of the 2004 refurbishment project.

Last year, a local engineering firm was commissioned to review past assessments of the seismic performance of the building structure and undertake a general and visual assessment of the facility.

The review estimated the seismic performance of much of the building was between 34 and 67 percent of the national building standard with some areas of the facility scoring much higher than that. (A score of under 34 percent indicates a building is earthquake-prone).

In its report the firm recommended the council undertake further assessment and investigation to improve the accuracy of its findings and the council subsequently contracted another consultancy, to undertake further testing and modelling on the facility.

Last week the consultancy's engineers verbally advised the council that it had found the theatre's rating was well below the 34 percent mark and therefore was earthquake-prone.

It did not provide a specific rating but will detail its findings in a written report, which is due on March 21st.

The council plans to have that report peer-reviewed and says by mid-May it will have the information required to make a decision on the future of the theatre.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11214360

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Curtain falls on Hastings' unsafe opera house

By MARTY SHARPE - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Thursday, 06 March 2014


THE OPERA HOUSE: Quite a weak old 85-year-old lady after all.

HAWKE'S BAY's opera house was "the strongest 85-year-old lady in the Bay", the engineer behind its $13 million upgrade proclaimed just seven years ago.

But changes in the way unreinforced masonry buildings are assessed have meant it's actually quite a weak old lady, who could fall over in an earthquake and kill someone.

LHT Design structural engineer Krish Shekaran was quoted in June 2006 as saying he knew exactly where he would want to be if an earthquake were to shake Hawke's Bay — in an alley beside one of the upgraded opera walls.

Sadly for Mr Shekaran, those walls have now been found to be earthquake-prone, causing the opera house to close on Tuesday because they could collapse on an audience.

An assessment by LHT Design in July last year put the theatre and adjoining municipal building at 34 percent to 67 percent of the national building standard and suggested more invasive testing to get a more accurate figure.

The testing was done by Strata Group, which last week verbally advised Hastings District Council that unreinforced masonry in the building would not meet the 34 percent threshold. Strata has not put a figure on the strength of the masonry. Strata will complete its report on the building by March 21st. It will then be peer reviewed and the council will decide what to do with the building.

LHT Design director Alan Thompson said he was confident in the work his company had done on the building, and he was sure Mr Shekaran believed what he said at the time.

"The industry's knowledge, awareness and culture has moved on a long way and we know a lot more now," he said.

LHT Design had worked on other projects in Hastings, including Flaxmere Waterworld. Mr Thompson said he had "absolute confidence" in the company's other projects.

Those who had tickets to upcoming events were being asked to contact Ticketek for a refund or rebook at another venue.

Next week's Sol3Mio concert and the graduation ceremony for Eastern Institute of Technology have been moved to Napier Municipal Theatre.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9795179/Curtain-falls-on-Hastings-unsafe-opera-house

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from Hawke's Bay Today....

Editorial: Shaken by theatre finding

By COREY CHARLTON | 5:00AM - Thursday, March 06, 2014

HASTINGS MAYOR Lawrence Yule was reported to be surprised to hear of the earthquake prone issues facing the Hawke's Bay Opera House theatre building.

I had a similar reaction when I heard Tuesday's news for similar reasons — a previous $13.6 million Opera House upgrade had included work to bring it up to code.

My time in Hawke's Bay comes to an end in three weeks and I feel obliged to confess, in my two-and-a-half years in the Bay, I have not visited the theatre once.

In hindsight, it ranks third on my list of Hawke's Bay ‘should-haves’, following closely behind surfing Mahia Peninsula and walking Lake Waikaremoana.

Perhaps it is a bit rich of me to wax lyrical of the theatre when I have not stepped foot inside it. But, in testament to its cultural status, one needs only to be vaguely familiar with it to know it is synonymous with Hawke's Bay.

The historic old theatre is of massive value to the Bay. Not only in its logistical importance hosting the region's flagship events — but as a cultural icon for our entertainment scene.

The opportunity to rectify my apathy has now well and truly passed, with the theatre closed until at least May, when the council will have a better understanding of whether strengthening the structural integrity of its two 12m-high side brick walls is an option.

Maybe my reaction to the theatre's closure, and the question mark over its future, is the motivation I need to pack the surfboard and hastily organise a trip north.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11214964


from Hawke's Bay Today....

Quake-risk experts fly in for talks

By SIMON HENDERY | 7:26AM - Thursday, March 06, 2014


Chris O'Reilly, Hawke's Bay Opera House chairman, on the stage of the historic theatre,
which was closed this week over earthquake-safety concerns. — Photo: Paul Taylor.

HASTINGS DISTRICT COUNCIL staff grappling with the problem of the earthquake-prone Opera House theatre building have met their Wellington contemporaries who are facing similar issues with the capital's Town Hall.

It was revealed on Tuesday that engineers had raised concerns the 99-year-old council-owned building was well below the standard for earthquake preparedness, despite a multimillion-dollar refurbishment and strengthening project completed seven years ago.

The theatre has been closed for at least the next two months, forcing the cancellation or relocation of 14 events, as the council seeks more detailed assessments of the issue. The closure does not affect other facilities or businesses in the Opera House precinct, including the Assembly ballroom, the Shakespeare Room, Opera Kitchen, Ticketek, Dish Catering, Hawke's Bay Winegrowers and Hutchinson Furnishers, which have all been deemed safe to continue operating.

Yesterday, Wellington City Council manager of earthquake resilience Neville Brown and senior project manager Geoff Snedden flew to Hawke's Bay to discuss their experience dealing with the earthquake-prone Wellington Town Hall.

Both buildings are listed as category 1 buildings on the Historic Places Trust register.

Hastings District Council's group manager of community facilities and programmes, Alice Heather, said the meeting was worthwhile.

"The two buildings have a number of similarities, as far as use is concerned. The information we received is likely to prove very beneficial as we move forward with the decision-making process for the Opera House," she said.

"It is important that we use every opportunity to learn from others' experiences in these situations, and the meeting has provided us with some interesting pointers on process and planning as we consider the way forward for the Opera House."

Chris O'Reilly, chairman of Hawke's Bay Opera House, the company that manages the facility on the council's behalf, said he did not attend the meeting with the Wellington managers because his focus was dealing with the the fallout of event cancellations.

Opera House staff were yesterday continuing to work with event promoters and other venue operators, including Napier's Municipal Theatre, to try to reorganise events.

So far two events have been cancelled (Grease — Movie Night and Celtic Thunder). One had been moved from the Opera House theatre to the Assembly Room (Bill Haley jnr and the Comets) and three had been relocated to the Municipal Theatre (Sol3 Mio, Paul Potts and 2degrees Comedy Convoy).

The fate of eight other events, including a Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performance scheduled for late May, has not been decided. Ticket holders have been told to check for updates on the Opera House website and to contact Ticketek for new tickets and refunds.

Mr O'Reilly said the Opera House was battling an incorrect perception that the whole facility had been closed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11214836

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from The Dominion Post....

History gives way to container shops

By MARTY SHARPE | 5:00AM - Friday, 10 October 2014


COMING DOWN: Looking much as it does today, this photograph taken circa 1921-1926,
shows Hastings' oldest building, the Albert Hotel, which was built in 1882.
 — HENRY NORFORD WHITEHEAD/Alexander Turnbull Library.

HASTINGS' oldest building should be coming down before Christmas and is to be replaced with a large green space surrounded by retail outlets in converted shipping containers.

Albert Hotel owner Michael Whittaker said he hoped to demolish the 1882 building in the coming months.

It has been vacant for more than four years, after Hastings District Council deemed it a dangerous building.

Last July, North Peak Properties, owned by Whittaker, was granted council approval to demolish the category II listed hotel at the prime central city site, on the corner of Heretaunga Street East and Karamu Road.

Whittaker yesterday said he had decided to proceed with the development. “We're working with council to create a green space on the site and complement that with a container park, similar to the Re:Start park in Christchurch.”

“It's an integrated approach with council to start rejuvenating that part of town. It's a long-term plan all about bringing people and vibrancy back into that area, and complementing the retail outlets and cafes that are in that part of town.”

A major hurdle to the project was overcome last year when Heritage New Zealand announced it would not oppose the building's demolition. “The process to get the building down has not been uncomplicated, but we're nearly there,” he said.

Fully developed, there would be up to 15 tenancies in shipping container-type stores. Some would comprise 1-2 containers, others would be in 4-5 containers. “We've got significant interest and believe we will have a number signed up quite quickly,” Whittaker said.

The green space, which would include trees, would cover around 1,000 square-metres.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/10599992/History-gives-way-to-container-shops

[reality]

..mm...silly question...why are you posting stuff that is 2 weeks old.. that (considering we probably all have internet access) have already read??

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

..mm...silly question...why are you posting stuff that is 2 weeks old.. that (considering we probably all have internet access) have already read??

I posted it to piss you off, and because you are STUPID.

Now go back to sleep, clown!

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

A colourised photograph of Hastings in 1913 looking towards Te Mata Peak in the distance; showing the Albert Hotel on the far corner of the intersection in the foreground, as well as the old Sacred Heart church way in the background (it was burnt down during the Springbok Tour), but note NO Municipal Theatre as it hadn't been built then....

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Hastings Blossom Parade (not sure which year) with the Hastings Hotel in the background.

If you can remember the Hastings Hotel (which was demolished to build a Woolworths/Deka store), then you are an old bugger.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from Hawke's Bay Today....

Demolition begins on historic Albert Hotel

By HARRISON CHRISTIAN | 9:52AM - Tuesday, November 25, 2014


Demolition work has begun on Hastings' historic Albert Hotel. — Photo: Paul Taylor.

THE demolition of Hastings' oldest building has begun, with new projects waiting to occupy the Albert Hotel's soon-to-be-vacant site.

Albert Hotel owner Michael Whittaker said yesterday the process of demolishing the historic hotel had commenced last week.

A team from Hastings Demolition is currently working on the interior of the building.

“Our aim is to get [the demolition] completed as soon as we can, around Christmas time or soon thereafter.”

Following the demolition, a two-level container development will spring up on the site with up to 16 spaces for lease, modelled on Christchurch's successful Re:START container mall.

Danny Blair of Colliers Hawke's Bay, who is overseeing the development, said no spaces had been snapped up but he had received a lot of interest.

“Once the Albert [Hotel] physically comes down, we'll start to secure tenants.”

A growers' market run by the Hastings City Business Association will also take place on two blocks of Heretaunga Street East, including the hotel site, every Saturday starting this weekend.

City centre manager Susan McDade said the market would run from 7am to 10.30am and was part of an initiative to revitalise the east end of town.


The Albert Hotel's structural integrity is so below par that the only solution is to take it down.

The Albert Hotel is Hastings' oldest inner-city building and was built in 1882 by William Dennett, an Australian immigrant who became mayor of Hastings.

The two-storey wooden building withstood the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake and was given category two protection by Heritage New Zealand because of its cultural and aesthetic value.

Hastings councillor Kevin Watkins said he was saddened by the hotel's demise.

“It's sad to say goodbye to a little bit of history, but there's no other option.”

Mr Watkins was just 11 years old when the Hastings fire brigade used fire hoses to deter an angry mob outside the historic hotel during the Blossom Festival Riot — otherwise known as the 1960 Battle of Hastings — which happened when the annual Blossom Festival Parade was cancelled due to wet weather.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11363976

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from Hawke's Bay Today....

Landmark hotel may be gone by Christmas

By HARRISON CHRISTIAN | 6:49AM - Wednesday, December 10, 2014


A demolition team is halfway through the demolition of Hastings' Albert Hotel. — Photo: Duncan Brown.

THE demolition of Hastings' oldest building has surpassed the halfway mark and is on track to be completed before Christmas.

Albert Hotel owner Michael Whittaker said a team from Hastings Demolition was “midway” through the process of demolishing the building after it began work last month.

“We're still hoping to have the bulk of the building down by Christmas. It's going as planned and it's exciting to have it coming down.”

The demolition team was working methodically through the building, pulling out any parts that could be recovered or recycled.

It had so far not found any hidden treasures in the historic hotel.

Mr Whittaker didn't know when the hotel's facade would come down.

But a ceremony was tentatively planned for the final stages of the demolition of the two-storey wooden building, which withstood the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake and was given category two protection by Heritage New Zealand because of its cultural and aesthetic value.

Following the demolition, a two-level container development will spring up on the site with up to 16 spaces for lease, modelled on Christchurch's successful Re:START container mall.

A growers' market run by the Hastings City Business Association also takes up two blocks of Heretaunga Street East, including the hotel site, every Saturday morning.

The Albert Hotel is Hastings' oldest inner-city building and was built in 1882 by William Dennett, an Australian immigrant who became mayor of Hastings.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11371773

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from Hawke's Bay Today....

Demolition of Hastings landmark nearly complete

By ALICE LOCK | 12 NOON - Saturday, December 20, 2014


LAST DRINKS: The Albert Hotel will soon be a pile of rubble. — Photo: WARREN BUCKLAND.

THE Albert Hotel's aged facade is quickly disappearing and could be gone in the next few days.

Aged and decaying, the well-recognised frontage of the Hastings hotel started to undergo demolition this week with owner, Michael Whittaker saying “everything is going well so far”.

The landmark had been vacant for the past four years after being deemed dangerous in 2009 by the council.

Mr Whittaker bought the property in November 2012 and in July 2013 North Peak Properties was granted council approval to demolish the building.

More than half of the hotel has been demolished leaving just the front still standing, with the back section filled with rubble.

The owner said they are on track to having the physical structure down before Christmas but the site won't be cleared until mid-January.

“I can't complain, they are doing a great job, all is going to plan and we have had no surprises or significant setbacks.”

The hotel is Hastings' oldest building, being built in 1882.

Mr Whittaker said the building held a strong place in people's hearts, but generally he has had great support.

“People realise Hastings is moving forward.”

He lodged consent for the container development yesterday and now has to wait for the plans to be worked through the council.

It was not yet known when the new development would begin.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11377299

[shef]]

I only ever had a couple of drinks at the Albert, from memory it was the pub that opened early and on Sundays (although on Sundays you had to use the back door ) But it has become a mouldering eyesore, will be good to see it gone. I'm still undecided on how I feel about a 'container mall' tho.