What a Winter – at Hauraki District Libraries, this season has been anything but dull! Along with our normal services and activities at all the libraries, we have finally opened the Hauraki Plains Library and Community Centre. If you haven’t visited yet, you are missing out! After the formalities on 22nd July, we opened to the public on 23rd July and it was a special day indeed. In fact, it has been a wonderful first few weeks. So many people have signed up as new members which is great to see. But even more significant are the loyal library patrons who have been waiting for their new place for many years. Highlights of our opening week can be seen below.
Some highlights for me as Team Leader have been the reactions to our new community space: “Wow!” has been a common one; “I’ve been waiting for 15 years for this”; “This is so cooooool!”; “All these books…” and “I wanna come here every day, please Dad?”. From our elderly folk on their mobility scooters, to our youngest visitor who was just two weeks old, we welcome The Hauraki Plains community to be a part of He Pātaka Kōrero. We look forward to everyone taking part in the programmes we offer, or attending the events, or just coming to read a book!
Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or our website to see what’s on. We have an Author Event coming up at Waihī and various activities at Paeroa Library. Bring a friend and see you at one of our three fantastic libraries!
Family History Month
Celebrate Family History Month this August with Genealogy sessions at Paeroa and Waihī Libraries.
If you're looking for assistance with your family history research, drop-in sessions are available at:
Waihī Library on the 2nd Wednesday of the month
10:00 am to 12:00 noon.
Paeroa Library on the last Saturday of the month
10:00 am to 12:00 noon.
Hauraki Plains Library - COMING SOON! Watch this space for more details.
Hauraki Plains Library Grand Opening!
What an amazing opening week we had at Hauraki Plains Library and Community Centre | He Pātaka Kōrero! From greeting our very first borrower, Janet, to having our first author event with the amazing Malcolm Clarke, it was a week of successful firsts!
We are finalising our regular programmes and events for Hauraki Plains Library, and are excited to share what’s coming up:
1st THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH: Book Chat | 1pm - 2pm
FORTNIGHTLY THURSDAY: Digital Drop-In | 10am - 11:30am
FRIDAY: Craft Circle | 10:30am - 11:30am
LAST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH: Senior Film Session | 1pm - 3pm
SATURDAY: LEGO | 9:30am - 12 noon
News & Events
Kitty Cat Scavenger Hunt
8 August is International Cat Day and what better way to celebrate than with a Kitty Cat Scavenger Hunt!
Find the cats around the library, hand in your completed form and go in the draw to win a prize.
Open until 31 August.
Winter School Holiday Programme
Our Dr. Seuss-themed Escape Room was a huge hit these school holidays! We had over 150 people take part - wow! If you missed out, don’t panic as we will be bringing you more Escape Rooms in the future.
Book Launch & Signing!
Join us at Waihī Library on Saturday 22 August from 10am for the launch of ‘How Wishbone Got His Name’, the sequel to ‘Who Saved the Hens?’ by local author, Robyn Tucker.
Enjoy a reading of the book, grab yourself a copy and get it signed by Robyn herself!
Kick off the festivities on Monday 15 August at 10:30am with a special Story Time session at Hauraki Plains Library featuring the hilarious Kiwi favourite, Dazzlehands by Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan.
You can also grab the Children’s Book Week Colouring Competition sheet from one of our libraries. There are some amazing prizes to be won!
We’d also love to have your school or ECE visit our libraries this week! If you’d like to arrange a visit, email us at
hdc-library@hauraki-dc.govt.nz.
Senior Film Sessions
Our Senior Film Sessions continue to be a huge hit
at our libraries!
Paeroa Library: 11am - 1pm
Waihī Library: 1pm - 3pm
NEW for Hauraki Plains Library! 1pm - 3pm
Our August film is ‘Mr Holmes’. Sherlock Holmes, a retired detective, suffers from dementia. He is unable to remember the two unsolved cases that led to his retirement, but tries his best to learn about his past.
Our next film session is Friday 28 August.
Reading Challenges
Adult Spring
Reading Challenge
Our Spring Reading Challenge begins on 1 September!
In the meantime, you can catch up on our previous seasons’ challenges - pop into your local branch to ask for your challenge cards.
All entries go in the draw to win a prize.
Tamariki Term 3
Reading Challenge
Our much-loved Tamariki Reading Challenge is back for Term 3!
Pick up a challenge card at your local branch and hand your completed card in by
26 September to be in to win a prize.
Teen Reading Challenge
Join our Audiobook August Teen Reading Challenge!
Listen to an audiobook this month to go in the prize draw to win a Prezzy card! The more challenges you complete, the greater the chances you have to win.
Hand in challenges by
18 December.
I found this to be a beautifully-written book. I enjoy the historical genre that is based around the time when the Vikings or Northmen began invading England where they would raid, then leave, but many decided to stay and live. It was not an easy life with the constant threat of the Northmen in the air and one day Freda is the sole survivor of her burh, and she goes on a path to discover what her life is meant for. She has the skill of basic writing and finds her calling, but a man of the cloth has ulterior motives in encouraging her hand to write. A story of survival, rage, sisterhood, and the power of the written word.
Highly recommend! ~ Rochelle
‘Beneath the Stairs’ covers the murder of Tina Satchwell by her husband Richard. I found ‘Beneath the Stairs’ a very analytical book which really covered the murder case in detail. By unravelling the lies spread by her husband, the book also keeps Tina in the centre rather than letting her husband’s lies speak over her. As the book goes into a lot of detail about the murder case, the court case covered at the end of the book felt incredibly cathartic. I would strongly recommend this book to any fans of true crime, or anyone interested in Ireland, as the case travels across Ireland and the UK. ~ Nerissa
My favourite read of the year so far happens to be in a genre I don’t tend to gravitate towards. Sara Seager’s story is deeply awe-inspiring. She opens up about profound personal losses, including the deaths of her father and husband, the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated scientific field and the delicate balance between motherhood and ambition. Through it all, she reminded me that our time here is brief, that we should seize every opportunity and she gave me a captivating new perspective on the cosmos itself.
A brilliant woman and a brilliant book! ~ Natasha