New Zealand Womans Weekly - August 2003

My Town: Haumoana There must be something in the water in Haumoana in the Hawke's Bay because living there certainly seems to bring out the creative side of its residents. There's skateboarding school principal Tony Roberts, who's definitely in with the kids; there's dinosaur lady Joan Wiffen, who discovered New Zealand's first dino­saur; and, of course, there's TV legend Paul Holmes, who grew up there. But perhaps the person possessed of the most vivid imagination in this rugged coastal resort is Andy Heyward, who prefers to be known as the King of Haumoana. "When the elections came up last year, I was thinking how boring it was, with no McGillicuddies, and I thought it would be funny to put a polling booth up in the yard saying, 'Vote Andy for King!'" he laughs. "I think I've got the figure and the beard for it - and I've eaten a roast with my fingers!" And it seems the residents of Haumoana agreed because Andy won nearly 600 votes out of a population of 2169. His wife Bec, who is training to be a midwife, says she is used to her husband's mad ideas. "I just sit there and laugh," she says. "It's actually really nice being married to someone who has these crazy ideas out of the blue." And it's perfect for Andy's job as a graphic designer on the local paper Hawke's Bay Today, where he has free rein over the kids' page, something his own kids, Jacob (eight), Madeline (six) and Malachi (two), love. It was partly. because of Andy's artistic tendencies that the couple decided to move from Havelock North to Haumoana nearly seven years ago. A talented painter, he has done a series of artworks on the theme of the Mona Lisa. His favourite, which takes pride of place in the couple's bedroom, is called Moana Lisa and features Da Vinci's famous subject with a moko. Says Bec, "We always said we'd live out here, although we'd never actually been here. Knowing it's close to the beach and that the community is nice and arty, we just reckoned it was right for us." Adds Andy, "The place has quite a family feel to it. Our new neighbours brought us over a meal and made us feel really wel­come. We just fell in love with that really." Haumoana can seem like a quiet little spot, especially in winter, but with stun­ning scenery all around it, such as Cape Kidnappers, a new golf course open­ing soon down the road and the area's reputation for great wines and quirky arts and crafts, there are plenty of visitors passing through. "It's very handy being halfway between Hastings and Napier," says Andy. "And it's nice having people at the shops who know the kids and there's a good school," adds Bec (29). Indeed, the annual market day at Haumoana School is so popular, it attracts up to 15,000 people from all over the Hawke's Bay. Naturally, the King was good enough to officially open last year's event. "I had my own King of Haumoana merchandise stall and I helped run the Polar Plunge, where people had to pay a dollar and then jump in the water before getting some hot soup and a certificate," says Andy (30). If they're not working or ferrying the kids to soccer, the couple often walk down to the beach to watch the birds or the fish­ermen. And when Bec isn't on night shifts and he's not looking after the kids, Andy hopes to help the parks committee raise funds for a new skateboard park and plant more trees on the beach. "I'm keen to help put some­thing back into the community," he says. Story by Maryvonne Gray - Photos By Kevin Bridle