Police three short of allocation
Police caught short as businesses are being urged to upgrade their CCTV cameras to provide better quality images. READ MORE.
LATEST EDITIONS
STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Ōtaki College Roll
A call-out by Ōtaki Today to discover which former students and staff have died in the past 60 years has revealed a list. READ MORE.
BRIEFS
New speed limits
From Friday (March 13), new speed limits will apply between Te Horo and Ōtaki on old State Highway 1, supporting its new status as a local road. Changes include: Taylors Road to north of Waitohu Valley Road – 100km/h down to 60km/h; Waerenga Road to Riverbank Road – 70km/h down to 50km/h; south end of Ōtaki River bridge to intersection with Ōtaki Gorge Road/old SH1 – 100km/h down to 50km/h; old SH1 through Te Horo township and Te Horo Beach Road intersection – 80km/h down to 60km/h.
Major Events Fund open
Kāpiti Coast District Council’s Major Events Fund – designed to attract high-impact visitor events – has opened for applications. Events are expected to deliver measurable economic benefit and align strongly with the district’s distinctive identity and strategic priorities. Applications close on March 30. See kapiticoast.govt.nz for eligibility criteria, guidelines, and application details.
One a day for brigade
Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade responded to on average one call a day during February. The 28 call-outs included seven for private fire alarms, and six for rubbish, grass or scrub fires. There were three each for motor vehicle crashes, storm-related wind damage, and “good intent”. The brigade attended two property fires, two medical emergencies, and there were two calls to assist the Levin Brigade.
LETTERS
Clip-on safer than bridge
The article in your January 2026 paper describing the cycle-walkway clip-on as unsafe and unusable is totally off the mark. As a user of the clip-on multiple times a week (including crossings on my skinny-tyred, single-speed bike in wet conditions), negotiation of the metal joins requires a minimal amount of bike skill. I suggest anyone having trouble crossing those would be a danger to themselves on the road anywhere. Taking a 90 degree approach to each join at a comfortable speed should be safe for any competent cyclist. It is certainly safer than crossing the bridge in the traffic lane or using the narrow old footpath. I celebrate any efforts to provide cycling infrastructure and off-the-mark unnecessary criticism does not help the cause. If anyone wants to criticise unsafe cycling, try riding through central Ulaanbaatar, or London, or Addis Ababa, or Cairo. . . . Lindsay Gault, Ōtaki
Thanks for the clip-on
As an ex-pat in New Zealand for more than 20 years and a frequent user of the recently installed Otaki clip-on bridge both as a cyclist and runner, I would like to comment on the recent article regarding the dissatisfaction Mr Zwartjes finds with the design of the pathway. Considering how dangerous it was for pedestrians to cross the river in the past I find this construction very suitable, safe and pleasant compared to nothing. This path is a shared space with pedestrians with or without animals, scooters, women with babies in pushchairs, disabled people, etc, and not a velodrome. If necessary according to the weather conditions – rain, wind, etc – or number of users, cyclists have to be aware, consider dismounting and walk. At no time is the clip-on dangerous for cyclists as long as they control their speed, just as drivers have to on the road. Be positive and thank NZTA for providing this project. Jean-Louis, Ōtaki
Joiners are uncomfortable
I don’t often feel moved to comment on an article but will do this time, just in case it is worth taking the story a step (pedal) further. When I read about Gerard Zwartjes’ opinion of the clip-on (Ōtaki Today, January 2026), when he was cycling over it on a road bike, it reminded me that I had the same reaction a year ago when I first rode it. Those joiners are seriously uncomfortable on a non-suspension road bike. It seems all very well for NZTA to say it was subject to a safety audit and that this was signed off by a chartered engineer, but has that engineer ever ridden over those types of joiners on a non-suspension bike with narrow tyres? I imagine not. They also say a wide range of stakeholders were consulted, including cycling advocates, but were any of them presented with an example of these joiners and given the opportunity to hammer their butt while cycling over them without the cushioning of suspension, padded seats or padded pants? I suspect not. Could you invite Jetesh Bhula to come down to the bridge with a road bike and ask them to cycle over the joiners at a reasonable speed. Perhaps we could invite the chartered engineer down, too, and make a party of it. Most bruised bum gets an ice pack. Peter Davis, Ōtaki
Kites back March 14-15
The 2026 Ōtaki Kite Festival will be on the weekend of March 14-15.
