Arnie organised a very special farewell gift for the Dyck family. Arnie travelled especially to Te Kauwhata to purchase a beautifully carved waka. He originally went for some poenamo but in the end it was the waka that really spoke to him. The waka was presented by Arnie on behalf of the whole community to … Read More
In June we had a week of staff development with Hilary Foged and part of this was an afternoon of team building on the Hillary Outdoors high ropes course. Many of us were full of fear and trepidation about doing the course – a first for many. It was great to see people push through … Read More
When the marae at Motairehe celebrated Matariki with the opening of their new Dark Sky viewing facility we all got up early for the ceremony at 5:30am on Whangapoua beach followed by a wonderful breakfast back at the marae. It was a privilege to share this special occasion with them.
How blessed we are to have so many children here at Orama. Before the Raikes left for Hawaii we had 18 children with eight on the school bus each day. Containing their seemingly boundless energy during meal times can be an issue – but getting them to sit quietly during grace before dinner is working … Read More
The winter months June, July, August are slower here at Orama and a good time to get projects done. Here Alex and Andrew prepare for new shelves in the kitchen for storing our trays. John Shulz helped with the woodwork and did the final painting. Andrew also took the time to replace the old electrical … Read More
After neighbour’s night on June 13th we had our first open mic night. The evening was arranged at the last minute by Kimberley and was open to all-comers. Word spread quickly and we had a great turn-out with lots of great acts from within the community and the wider community including: Eileen Ngawaka singing a … Read More
You really know winter has hit you when the cold south westerly blows into the bay. You can see these shots from Fountains Bach where the surf’s up and the spray blowing over the road.
As part of our winter teaching series Andrew gave us a presentation on how we should be managing waste here at Orama with a particular emphasis on the 3 R’s – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. With the local council changing the waste collection and recycling regime from the 1st July we all need to do our … Read More
It’s always sad when members of our community move on to the next stage in their journey, and even though Hillary Outdoors instructors aren’t formally part of our community they are very much part of our Orama family. After three and a half years with Hillary and living on-site at Orama Kevin Hogan has gone … Read More
Demelza Scott-Weekly is volunteering for the month of June. She has been spending her time working in the kitchen and also helping Arnie in the garden. Demelza has a great sense of humour (guess you have to be when you’re in the back-cracking business – she’s an osteopath) and has fitted easily into community life.
