E kore koe e noho mokemoke ana.
You are not alone.
Manga Hapahāpai is here to support anyone with concerns regarding anxiety – no referrals or diagnoses needed. Read on to get an idea of what the spaces are like, and what you can expect upon showing up.
Manga Hapahāpai offers:
Drop-in anxiety support
Receive an on-demand Listening Ear from one of our trained peer support workers
Resources and tools
Get equipped with coping strategies for dealing with anxiety
A safe space to 'be'
Peruse our mini library, get busy with arts and crafts, or try out a colouring book in our Activities Room
A low-sensory area
Complete with sensory tools – take some time out and decompress in our Recharge Room
Tautoko/support groups
Both for people with anxiety, and the whānau and friends around them
A kete of workshops
Such as Kindfulness, Resilience Builders, Stress-Busters, Find Your Calm, Anxiously Awesome, Healing Breath, and Watercolour Art
Finding Manga Hapahāpai
Manga Hapahāpai is part of Waimanako; which is down the Metro Plaza located at 33 Devon Street West, in the New Plymouth CBD. In other words, we’re opposite the Huatoki Plaza under the big blue awning! We also have a flag out the front to help signal where we are.
Once you’ve located Waimanako, all you need to do is head down the corridor until you see Manga Hapahāpai / The Confidence Centre on your left. One of our friendly Team will be on-hand to greet you.
We are currently open from 12:30pm-4:00pm, Monday-Friday.
Finding Manga Hapahāpai
Manga Hapahāpai is part of Waimanako; which is down the Metro Plaza located at 33 Devon Street West, in the New Plymouth CBD. In other words, we’re opposite the Huatoki Plaza under the big blue awning! We also have a flag out the front to help signal where we are.
Once you’ve located Waimanako, all you need to do is head down the corridor until you see Manga Hapahāpai / The Confidence Centre on your left. One of our friendly Team will be on-hand to greet you.
We are currently open from 12:30pm-4:00pm, Monday-Friday.
Uru mai – The Welcome Space
This is the first point of contact. We awhi each and every person who steps across this threshold.
Upon entry, one of our friendly team members will be there to greet you. If you’d rather not talk – ka pai, we also have a simple non-verbal system which lets our Team know what you need, without you having to say anything.
You’re welcome simply to have a look around, try out our comfy seats, scan our resources wall, or watch the fish navigate their tank. No pressure, no expectations – this space is here for you.
Uru mai boasts a range of seriously cool features, including:
A fish tank
A selection of sensory tools
Comfy, cosy seating
Nature-inspired design
Te Kakahu – The Cloak
A kakahu made from harakeke and feathers adorns one of the walls of Uru Mai.
Janette, its designer, says “A cloak is about comfort, shelter, embrace.” A perfect symbol for anxiety support.
Made from natural, biodegradable materials, te kakahu also ties in with the natural theme of Manga Hapahāpai.
From Uru mai, you can head through the door to…
Kia mahi – The Activities Room
In the morning, Kia Mahi / The Activities Room hosts workshops and support groups. After 12:30pm, the space is generally available for use, and boasts a range of arts and crafts supplies and colouring books.
It can also be used as a safe, cosy space for working on your own creative project, or snuggling down with a book.
To learn more about the workshops and support groups we offer, please check out our workshops page!
Following on from Kia mahi is…
Kia Tau – The Recharge Room
Kia Tau, our Recharge Room, is a low-sensory space designed to be calming and restorative. Take a sensory tool from our shelf in reception, settle down on a beanbag, tune into the gentle soundscapes playing in the background, and breathe deeply as you watch the natural scenes projected onto the wall.
Seemingly, we find natural environments to be inherently calming. This involves being physically ‘in’ nature – wooded areas, gardens, and ‘green’ spaces – but also indoor features such as the natural light and scenery provided by windows, or the presence of potted plants. Even simulated nature, including recorded soundscapes, synthetic plants, and photos or paintings of natural environments seem to create a calming effect. Whether this is because finding solace in nature is evolutionarily advantageous, or because it simply provides restoration from the demands of our day-to-day lives, it makes sense, surely, that we find it to be so calming. As well as reducing stress levels, it also improves focus, has been shown to boost energy and performance, and it seems, in some cases, even has a meditative effect. With that in mind, let this room reinvigorate you.
Resources
Here are a few anxiety resources to get you started. We’ve got a whole lot more available on our resource wall at Manga Hapahāpai – come check it out!
Havening – a 60 second anxiety hack
The surprising benefits of anxiety and how you could harness them
E kore koe e noho mokemoke ana.
You are not alone.
Manga Hapahāpai is here to support anyone with concerns regarding anxiety – no referrals or diagnoses needed. Read on to get an idea of what the spaces are like, and what you can expect upon showing up.
Manga Hapahāpai offers:
Finding Manga Hapahāpai
Manga Hapahāpai is part of Waimanako; which is down the Metro Plaza located at 33 Devon Street West, in the New Plymouth CBD. In other words, we’re opposite the Huatoki Plaza under the big blue awning! We also have a flag out the front to help signal where we are.
Once you’ve located Waimanako, all you need to do is head down the corridor until you see Manga Hapahāpai / The Confidence Centre on your left. One of our friendly Team will be on-hand to greet you.
We are currently open from 12:30pm-4:00pm, Monday-Friday.
Uru mai – The Welcome Space
This is the first point of contact. We awhi each and every person who steps across this threshold.
Upon entry, one of our friendly team members will be there to greet you. If you’d rather not talk – ka pai, we also have a simple non-verbal system which lets our Team know what you need, without you having to say anything.
You’re welcome simply to have a look around, try out our comfy seats, scan our resources wall, or watch the fish navigate their tank. No pressure, no expectations – this space is here for you.
Uru mai boasts a range of seriously cool features, including:
Te Kakahu – The Cloak
A kakahu made from harakeke and feathers adorns one of the walls of Uru Mai.
Janette, its designer, says “A cloak is about comfort, shelter, embrace.” A perfect symbol for anxiety support.
Made from natural, biodegradable materials, te kakahu also ties in with the natural theme of Manga Hapahāpai.
From Uru mai, you can head through the door to…
Kia mahi – The Activities Room
In the morning, Kia Mahi / The Activities Room hosts workshops and support groups. After 12:30pm, the space is generally available for use, and boasts a range of arts and crafts supplies and colouring books.
It can also be used as a safe, cosy space for working on your own creative project, or snuggling down with a book.
To learn more about the workshops and support groups we offer, please check out our workshops page!
Following on from Kia mahi is…
Kia Tau – The Recharge Room
Kia Tau, our Recharge Room, is a low-sensory space designed to be calming and restorative. Take a sensory tool from our shelf in reception, settle down on a beanbag, tune into the gentle soundscapes playing in the background, and breathe deeply as you watch the natural scenes projected onto the wall.
Seemingly, we find natural environments to be inherently calming. This involves being physically ‘in’ nature – wooded areas, gardens, and ‘green’ spaces – but also indoor features such as the natural light and scenery provided by windows, or the presence of potted plants. Even simulated nature, including recorded soundscapes, synthetic plants, and photos or paintings of natural environments seem to create a calming effect. Whether this is because finding solace in nature is evolutionarily advantageous, or because it simply provides restoration from the demands of our day-to-day lives, it makes sense, surely, that we find it to be so calming. As well as reducing stress levels, it also improves focus, has been shown to boost energy and performance, and it seems, in some cases, even has a meditative effect. With that in mind, let this room reinvigorate you.
Resources
Here are a few anxiety resources to get you started. We’ve got a whole lot more available on our resource wall at Manga Hapahāpai – come check it out!
Havening – a 60 second anxiety hack
The surprising benefits of anxiety and how you could harness them