Trees take out power
An overgrown shelterbelt touched powerlines causing a fire and a four-hour power cut near Kerikeri. Kapiro Rd resident Katy Jane Taylor said she heard a big bang and an electrical explosion and saw the fire. She phoned the fire brigade just before noon on Sunday. A person with a hand-held extinguisher came and put out a good majority of the fire before firefighters arrived. A large part of Kapiro Rd lost power, which was restored about 4pm.
Boiler replaced
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust has a much bigger job than fixing steam engine Gabriel's boiler on its hands. Operations manager Mike Bradshaw said the current boiler cannot be repaired, and will have to be replaced, lifting the cost from $80,000 to $200,000-plus. About $27,000 has already been donated, including via a Givealittle page. Bradshaw said the trust was fully committed to returning Gabriel to service, which would take 12 to 18 months.
Later Anzac service
Anyone who can't make the 5.30am Dawn Parade at Kerikeri tomorrow can have another crack at an Anzac Day ceremony later in the morning. Both the Dawn Service and then a Commemorative Service at 10.30 am will be held in the Kerikeri Domain. Pam Harrison-Boyd, Minister at St James Anglican Church, said she hopes families and those who cannot make the Dawn Service will be encouraged to attend the later one.
Tourist crashes
A French tourist survived unscathed when he lost control of his vehicle on Rarawa Beach Rd on Sunday after braking to avoid an unidentified animal, but his passenger was taken to Kaitaia Hospital suffering shock and a sore neck. The vehicle crashed into a drain, coming to rest on its side
Romantic break
Police ruined a romantic stroll for a 27-year-old man and his girlfriend at Ahipara on Saturday. The man was recognised and arrested for breaching the 24-hour curfew that was a condition of his bail.
New judge welcomed
Judge Deidre Orchard was officially welcomed to the Kaitaia District Court last week, shortly before presiding over her first sitting. Judge Orchard, who has been appointed to Whangarei from Nelson, said she appreciated the warmth of the welcomes she had received — Dargaville and Kaikohe preceding Kaitaia.
She was settling in well, she added, and had taken the opportunity to have a look around the Kerikeri area on her way to Kaitaia. She is expected to sit in the Kaitaia District Court on a regular basis.