January 2025 Library Newsletter

A word from the Libraries' Team Leader ...

"Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life." - Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007, American writer and producer) 

As the calendar year commences, we have so many things to look forward to, and we can reflect on the fun we had during the festive season, both in our Libraries and personally. We hope you were able to spend quality times with your loved ones, while still reading our wonderful books! 

Thank you to all of you who took part in the Library Wellbeing and Community Impacts Survey. We are pleased to announce that we had the third highest number of responses in the whole country – testament to your commitment to our libraries! We look forward to the qualitative results which are due to be released across New Zealand soon. 

Read on to see news of last year’s various Reading Challenge winners and our upcoming Challenges that will give you the chance to win some nice prizes. My challenge to you this month is to “Bring a Friend” and get them to join the library. We sometimes speak to people at community gatherings who say they “used to come to the library but don’t any longer” or they “have books at home”. Please encourage at least one of your friends to take advantage of the wide variety of material on offer at our libraries – from the latest bestsellers, to weekly magazines, to our digital offerings. Let us know at the Libraries or on our social media when you have recruited someone?

Let's Get Crafty!

The summer holidays are still in full swing and if you are looking for things to keep your tamariki busy, why not pop into one of our libraries at Waihī or Paeroa and get creative with our crafting table? Create your own microphone, buzzy bee, mermaid, sheep, ladybird or butterfly! All crafting equipment is provided and our wonderful staff will be on hand to assist should you need some guidance. 

Don’t forget our Beanstack Summer Reading Challenge is still running until 31 January! There are some great prizes to be won so make sure you head to the website to sign up.

Adult Reading Challenge 2025

Your Challenge, read 15 books ...

Join our Adult Reading Challenge for 2025! Read 15 books from 16 different prompts (see list below). Pop on in, grab yourself a card and start the Challenge today. We are also running our Challenge using the digital reading platform Beanstack. Click here to sign up OR download the app through your app store. Make sure to hand your completed Challenge in before 19 December 2025 to be in to win!

Adult Reading Challenge Topics:

Rural setting; Dual timelines; Overcoming adversity; NZ author; New genre ; Person facing away on the cover; Travel theme; Historical book; Made into a Movie/TV show; Set in New Zealand; Based on true events; Published in 2025; A young adult/teen book; A gothic novel; ‘Go Digital’ & download an item; A festive theme.

Teen Reading Challenge

Our Teen Reading Challenge for Terms 1 & 2 begins on 3 February. Pick up a booklet from one of our three libraries or complete the Challenge on Beanstack. Every participant who completes the Challenge will go into the draw for a prize. Entries close on 30 June 2025. Looking for inspiration for what to read? Check out our young adult fiction area or keep an eye on our catalogue for new teen releases.

Upcoming Public Holidays

All of our libraries will be CLOSED on the following upcoming public holidays: Monday 27 January (Auckland Anniversary) & Thursday 6 February (Waitangi Day)

2024 Reading Challenge Winners

Congratulations to all our 2024 Reading Challenge winners! 

Sisters Xanthe and Naomi won our Term 4 Children's Reading Challenge. 

Leah won our Teen Term 1 & 2 Challenge. 

Georgia won our Teen Term 3 & 4 Challenge. 

Jeanette won our Adult 2024 Challenge! 

We hope you can all join in with us for our 2025 Challenges! Our reading challenges encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and explore genres or authors you might not have considered before, with the chance of winning awesome prizes! 

Think of our challenges as fun games with fantastic rewards - more reading, more knowledge, and a whole lot of enjoyment!

Harpists in the Library

A huge thank you to our local harpists who kindly gave their time to come and play some beautiful Christmas Carols in December. If you missed them, don’t panic! We have plans to get them back in 2025 so keep your eyes on our website and social platforms for more dates. We look forward to having them again!

If you are a local creative or musician who would like a space to showcase your skills, please get in touch. We are always on the lookout for local community collaboration! T&Cs apply.

Genealogy Workshops

New for 2025! 

Genealogy workshops - 2nd Wednesday of each month (Feb-Nov) from 10am-12 noon. Run by volunteers from the Waihī Branch of the NZ Society of Genealogists. Bookings are essential - ring Vicki 027 372 9189.

Book Review

Timothy Blake Series by Jack Heath

Timothy Blake is a surprising character with a unique perspective on the world. He gets himself into many unlikely situations and works his way back out again in an even more unlikely fashion. All of these books have some grizzly scenes that will make you wince, but they are also interlaced with humour from a character who isn’t afraid to make light of his terrible situation. Jack Heath (author) has a manner of storytelling that makes the reader root for the underdog. He takes the concept of a traditional hero and twists it beyond recognition. It is important to read the books in series order as the later books do reference the events of previous ones and it helps to get the full development of the main character. 

Review by Sam - Library Cadet

Senior Film Sessions

Our Senior Film Sessions continue to be a huge hit at our libraries! Our January film is ‘Charade’, starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Romance and suspense in Paris, as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. These sessions do not need booking and are completely free! So grab a friend and come along! Our next film session is Friday 31 January.

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Website - https://library.hauraki-dc.govt.nz

Contact Us

Phone - 07 862 8609 

Email - hdc-library@hauraki-dc.govt.nz