THUMBS UP & DOWN
■ Thumbs up to the kind lady and man who stopped and picked up our lovely old huntaway dog Zac on Poihipi Rd and returned him to the farm. Thank you so very much.
■ Thumbs up to Graeme of Sharrp Kitchens Taupo¯ . Just before Easter, we discovered a water leak from the under bench hot water cylinder, causing serious damage to our lovely kitchen cabinet. Our insurance company declined full restoration due to a gradual damage clause. We spoke to Graeme, who had installed our kitchen 10 years previously. He was round the next day to measure up and a brand new cabinet was installed the day after. This was service one can only dream about. We are in our early 80's so imagine how we felt when Graeme told us there would be no charge.
■ Thumbs up to M21 Meats for donating meat towards George Cross's funeral. Always commendable seeing the community rally to help those struck with sudden grief.
■ Thumbs up to the Saturday market at Nukuhau. Love the stalls, love the people. It's a nice morning out to meet and greet each week.
■ Thumbs up to Val and her team for producing the Senior Expo, such a wealth of useful information available and a great display of useful aids, questions answered by cheerful stallholders, the Great Lake Centre was like Aladdin's cave. A cup of tea available to keep the spirits alert, it really was a wonderful day for seniors. A big thank you to all involved.
■ Thumbs down to the destruction of trees. A banksia tree opposite Paetiki shops has been felled this week and this tree fed tui and bellbirds all through winter. Conifers on Tauhara Rd were felled recently and they also provided valuable bird habitat.
■ Thumbs down for continuous issues getting the correct medicine for my elderly parent. This is an ongoing issue and is causing unnecessary worry and stress.
■ Thumbs down to the temporary bike track along Acacia Bay Rd. The stones are too big and it is a challenge to mountain bike over them. Please can they be compacted down further and pick smaller stones in the future?
■ Do you have a bouquet or a brickbat? Email your thumbs up/ thumbs down to us at news@taupoweekender.co.nz, message Taupo Weekender on Facebook or drop them into our office in Waipapa House, Paora Hapi St, Taupo¯ . Thumbs up/thumbs down may be edited or abridged. Personal attacks or thumbs down that refer to easily-identifiable people, businesses or groups won't be published.