Rough seas ahead
Waves 4-5m high are likely along Northland's east coast on Friday as ex-Tropical Cyclone Donna passes close to the North Island. MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said heavy downpours were expected in most parts of Northland later tomorrow and most of Friday before the weather cleared on Saturday.
"Donna brings a lot of warm air which mixes with the low in the Tasman Sea and that means severe gales along Northland's east coast but there's a lot of uncertainty at this stage on where Donna is going to go," he said. Mr Adams said waves of between 4-5m high and severe gales of up to 90km/h were likely along Northland's east coast all the way down to the Chatham Islands.
Sentencing for paintball shooting
Sentencing for a Whangarei man who pulled out a paintball gun and shot "rapid fire" at six people in a drive-by attack will take place in two weeks.
Shane Paraha, 18, re-appeared in the Whangarei District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to the most serious charge of reckless disregard caused grievous bodily harm.
That charge relates to one woman who suffered a serious eye injury and has now lost sight in that eye. Paraha had earlier admitted to five charges of assault with a weapon.
The charges relate to him shooting at a group of people on the corner of Bank and Water Sts about 3.30am on December 18, 2016. He will be sentenced on May 22.
Artworks to be auctioned
The Hospice Charity Art Exhibition opens at Reyburn House this evening,
with the associated auction to be held on May 18 at Harcourts Auction Rooms. Whangarei artist Richard Cranenburgh and Shari Pickering, from On the Edge Design, have organised and held the art auctions most years since 2012.
The 2015 event raised $20,000 for North Haven Hospice. The artworks are donated by local artists, this year including from Dargaville and other areas outside Whangarei.
Agency focuses on travel trade
Northland's travel trade marketing has been a focus this year for regional development agency Northland Inc. Of particular interest are the India, Australia, North America, China and South America tourist markets.
Northland Inc's trade marketing manager Karly Bent will attend Tourism New Zealand trade events in each of those countries later this year to help key travel specialists effectively sell Northland as a place to visit.
In April, Ms Bent updated New Zealand based agents on new developments in Northland, and spoke to 50 travel agents from the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia who visited New Zealand last month.