38 Mahurangi Matters April 1, 2015 school holidaysfeature RAD Ballet • Jazz • Contemporary • Tap • Hiphop • Musical Theatre Warkworths premiere dance school supported by qualified & professional teachers All ages and abilities welcome Phone 021 129 0113 [email protected] www.talbotdanceacademy.co.nz Excellence in Dance ENROLING NOW COURSES FOR TERM TWO 2015 – WARKWORTH Mum’s Post-Natal Support Group Thurs 23 April • 10.30am-12.30pm • 12 wks • FREE Come along for a cuppa and a chat with this friendly group. Meet other mums, make friends and gain strength every week. Facilitator: Maria Collins Young Mum’s Educational Programme Wed 22 April • 10am-12.30pm • 11wks • FREE For mothers up to 25 years. Get in touch with other young mums, learn positive parenting, self-care, skills & strategies for raising healthy and happy children and much more. Runs weekly. Facilitated by Maria Collins Personal Development Tues 21 April • 10am-12.30pm • 9 wks • FREE A weekly support group for women that encourages learning, sharing and inner-growth in a confidential and caring environment. Introduction To Mosaics This course is run over 3 days in May • Cost $32 & materials Mon 11th 5-6pm; Sat 16th 9am-3pm; Sat 23rd 9am-12pm Learn the process of making a mosaic and create your own piece. Supported by Creative Communities Tutor: Paddy Sullivan Flax-Weaving/Harakeke Sat to be confirmed 9.30am to 3.30pm • Cost $32 If you have basic flax-weaving skills, come along to this workshop and make a waikawa/basket. You will also make and hand-dye flax embellishments to add to your waikawa. Supported by Creative Communities. Tutor: Kathy Stevenson Two Day Self-Awareness Workshop for 14 to 16 Year Old Girls Holiday Programme: Thurs 16 & Fri 17 April, 9am-3pm • Cost $30 Artwork, fun games and hands-on activities for girls, while discovering personal boundaries and learning about self-identity, body image, assertiveness and self-defence. Supported by Comprehensive Care and WPHO. Facilitated by Rana Moir DJ Workshop for Girls Aged 11 to 14 Holiday Programme: Weds 8 April, 10am to 2pm • Cost $20 Express your passion for music and have fun at this one day workshop. Learn the basic techniques of operating turntables and DJing. Supported by Creative Communities. Tutor: Maria Collins Counselling: Low Cost Sessions Available by appointment. Some conditions apply. Please contact the Women’s Centre Massage for Women: $45 for 1 hour Available on Tuesday afternoons by appointment. Please contact the Women’s Centre. Bookings essential: Contact us on 09 425 7261 or 0800 2DROPIN (0800 237674) Email: [email protected] • www.womenscentrerodney.org.nz Follow us on Facebook at Women’s Centre Rodney 10 Morpeth Street, Warkworth • 9.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday Most courses run in Warkworth. Please check details when booking. ART EXHIBITION FUNDRAISER: At The Woolshed Gallery, Matakana Country Park Opening Night: Fri 24th April, 5.30 - 7.30pm. Mark playing tunes. • Open daily Sat 25th April to Sun 3rd May, 10am - 4pm We are proud to present an Art Exhibition supported by well-known local artists to raise funds for our backyard community playground. All are welcome. fundays Tortoise holidays at Ti Point A 250-kilogram, 45-year-old Galapagos tortoise called Smiley is on holiday at Ti Point Reptile Park after a serious case of sibling rivalry. Galapagos tortoises are the largest tortoises in the world and one of the longest-lived invertebrates. Smiley is one of four Galapagos tortoise in New Zealand, which are all usually on display at Auckland Zoo. Park owner Ivan Borich says he has been separated from his two sisters and brother, Willy, as part of the zoo’s breeding programme. “The males can get quite aggressive with one another, so they separate them when they attempt breeding. “Inbreeding isn’t a big issue as they will never be released back to the Galapagos. It’s about increasing the population in New Zealand.” It is the second time the park has had a Galapagos tortoise, as Willy was at the park for about three years, but left two years ago. “They have quite distinct personalities. Willy was much more temperamental. Smiley is very mild mannered. He’s a nice tortoise.” Smiley is most active on warm days, but even then he takes things quietly. Despite his size he has a modest appetite, mainly eating carrots, oranges and cactus. It takes four people to lift him, but he is no giant by tortoise standards. They can weigh 300 kilos and live over 170 years, making him just a youngster. He is expected to go back to Auckland Zoo before winter. Ivan started the park about 50 years ago and now has more than 400 animals, including about 100 native lizards, three alligators and two capuchin monkeys. There are 10 surviving subspecies of Galapagos tortoise, with animals on different islands of the archipelago evolving different shell shapes to allow them to reach the different kinds of plants on each island. These distinctions were observed by Charles Darwin when he visited the Galapagos in 1835 and contributed to his development of the theory of evolution. Possibly the world’s most famous tortoise, Lonesome George, was the last surviving member of tortoises from the Galapagos island of Pinta. When he died in 2012 it was the end of his subspecies. Generally Galapagos tortoise numbers are strong thanks to recent conservation efforts. Park owner Ivan Borich says the Galapagos tortoise, Smiley, enjoys being stroked under the neck.