Car fire suspicious
Police are treating as suspicious a car fire at Baylys Beach on Friday evening. Dargaville and Te Kopuru firefighters were called to the sand dunes about 11pm after a report of a car on fire. Police were also in attendance. A New Zealand Fire Service northern region spokeswoman said it was not clear whether people were in the vehicle when the fire was reported to emergency services. The car sustained moderate damage.
Kerikeri is NZ hotspot
Kerikeri was the warmest place in the country on Saturday, for the second time this year. Kerikeri recorded an official high of 26.2C on Saturday, with Whangarei coming in fourth hottest in the land at 25.3C. It's the second time this year Kerikeri has recorded the highest daily temperature - it reached 29.9C on February 4 - and at least the sixth time this year a Northland town has been the hottest in the country.
Murder case court date
A 38-year-old man facing a charge of murder will reappear in the High Court at Whangarei on March 16. The man, who has interim name suppression, is charged with the murder of Far North farmer Peter Linder Nilsson, 77, at Mr Nilsson's farm near Te Kao, on August 4 last year. The court has ordered a second psychiatrist report after the first report said he was likely fit to stand trial. The accused is in custody.
Crew battle island fire
A group of rural firefighters from Whangarei have helped contain a large peat fire on Chatham Island that has been burning since September. Whangarei/Kaipara principal rural fire officer Kevin Ihaka said the fire started from a controlled burn and lack of water supply and specialist firefighting equipment made their work difficult. Twenty firefighters were sent to the island in late September and were able to bring the fire under control. A small team of six still on the island are expected to return to Whangarei this week.