Someone is Copying Us!

A Youtuber by the name of Lofangas, yes Lofangas is uploading unusual and useless videos of anything random! I have been getting many e-mails about  this matter and have even e-mailed the owner of the channel. But the funny thing is that the owners email is my email! A hacker is one the loose and we should stop him from ruining this blog.




Here is the Channel and some of his most 'popular' videos.

Town of The Week-Maketu

This Week for Town of The Week we look at mighty Maketu! Why is it so special? Because it this the so called landing place of the Te Arawa canoe, one of the original canoes which came from Hawaiki to New Zealand in around 1340. Despite this Maketu is dropping considerably, dropping from about 1176 in 2006 to about 1047 in 2013.

About Maketu:

My opinion: Use the space you have!

When I look at the picture to the right of mine, I

always think why the heck would they claim that much land for 1050 people? If you have land why don't you just use it for damn farming! But back to what you want to know, Maketu's population has an unpredictable increase and decrease, just look at the table thing below:

Year Population Increase

1996       990          N/A

2001      1002     12 People

2006      1176     174 People

2013      1047    -129 People       

Now don't get me started on Businesses! As of 2006, there are only 29 actual 'businesses buildings' in Maketu. Terrible considering there are 1047 people in this town! Do I always have to be negative about this town? Hopefully the "What To Do" section will get me in a happier mood!

What To Do?

Maketu Pies-Yum! Yum! Yum!

I hope I don't find a hair in mine!

These pies are one of the last great things left in Maketu! But with a dropping population, they can barely sustain their business.  The end result is that they have spread throughout New Zealand. Honestly, if you ever decide to stop by a shrinking village near almost nothing, you should try it's pies. Boy I wish I was paid to advertise local products! 

Maketu Marae-Historic Wonderland!

It looks so beautiful!

If you want to get into a bit of Maketu's history, look no further than the Maketu Marae!(Well, because there isn't much after the marae!) The marae has a awesomely carved meeting house named Auaukiterangi after the famous Maori chief. There are two easily visible stones there, Hani and Puna, which mark the burial place of the Tainui Waka. The sad thing is that you need permission from a Maketu Marae Committee.(Money will be accepted greatly!) But in all seriousness, if you want to experience a bit of Maketu Maori culture, then the Maketu Marae is a definite must go.

See You Next Time!
Lofangas:
Twitter, Google+, E-Mail

Town of The Week-Katikati

Currently in the Western Bay of Plenty there is a dry period of news. Just like the NSW fires which were raging on and on. So we will have have to juice out all those juicy stories! All right! Let's get into this week's Town of the Week! Featuring Katikati!


Katikati is mostly known for it's murals which were originally painted in the 1990's. Katikati's population has been increasing at a modest pace after the murals were painted. Katikati looks set to be in 'boom' mode like Paengaroa but to a smaller degree. But nowadays, the current populaion trend is simple. People are leaving small towns to go to the big cities. Katikati seems to be defying according to the latest statistics. The stats say that there were 2916 citizens in 2001, 3579 in 2006 and 4059 people in 2013. Let's move on to Katkati's founding shall we?

Founding of Katikati

This photo seriously freaks me out!

In 1875, George Vesey Stewart brought a group of 238 settlers to what is now Katikati. He had decided on the location because of it's views and because it was close to Tauranga(Then a small village!). Over the next 44 years, George Vesey became the mayor of Katikati and held many other 'titles' till his death in 1920, aged 87. At least his descendants have a claim to fame.

What To Do?
Katikati's Haiku Pathway-The only Haiku pathway in the southern hemisphere and the only one outside of Japan. With thirty boulders and more planned, by the time you get there there may be fifty!
The Famous Murals-There are now 44! How amazing! So get off your bum and go to Katikati and check out the murals. Or if your lazy then Click Here.
Watchin The Whales!-Hop on a Jetty and cross your fingers and you might see a grthroup of Orca's swimming by. Besides who wouldn't want to be on a Jetty anyway?

That sums it up everyone! Keeping in mind more than half of our visitors are American, it's pretty likely no one is going to go to Katikati, unless this blog becomes an overnight success. But if you got this far, then thank you for reading. If something is wrong then why don't you message us in our new Guestbook!




Thanks,
Lofangas

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/taurangablog/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/app/basic/107203380618542978657/posts?cbp=phtsayrd5rp1&sview=25
E-Mail: lofangas@gmail.com

Town of The Week-Paengaroa

We have started a new series of posts, named Town of The Week. This series will tell you about towns in the Western Bay of Plenty, not the Eastern Bay of Plenty. This weeks town is small Paengaroa.


Paengaroa is a small town located near the boundary of the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Paengaroa has a population of 906. Though this seems small, Paengaroa's population is rapidly growing, well at least for village standards. 831 in 2001, 897 in 2006 and 906 in 2013. Paengaroa's population is set to grow when the Tauranga Eastern Link is opened. This will not only bring growth to Paengaroa, but also the Eastern Bay of Plenty. For more information on the Tauranga Eastern Link check out this. With all this projected growth, Paengaroa might even contend with Kawerau and even Whakatane. But what about now? Don't worry a new, state of the art building. Named Comvita Experience, it has joined the Comvita Visitor Centre to attract tourists from around the globe.

With all these predictions and forecasts, Paengaroa is looking to become the Bay of Plenty's new superstar town, but the question is. Will the population do it's part?

Paengaroa's Comvita Experience will open this November.

(The original post was from WBOP Blog which has merged with us.)

Thanks,
Lofangas-lofangas@gmail.com