Hapu representatives Ngawaiiti Ririnui, Wakata Kingi and Rondell Reihana view the mural with underpass project manager John McCarthy. Photo/ File
Hapu representatives Ngawaiiti Ririnui, Wakata Kingi and Rondell Reihana view the mural with underpass project manager John McCarthy. Photo/ File
JUNE
The Maungatapu underpass opened to traffic on June 22.
Welcome Bay drivers were not expecting any travel time savings, but the NZ Transport Agency earlier said those using the Maungatapu roundabout above should get through faster.
Construction on the $45 million two-lane underpass from Welcome Bay to Turret Rdunder State Highway 29A began nearly three years ago.
Tauranga MP and then-Transport Minister Simon Bridges turned the first sod on September 1, 2015.
He said it was "satisfying" to see the project wrapping up.
"It will make a difference. We need to continue investing in better transport infrastructure as Tauranga continues to grow."
Hapu representatives Ngawaiiti Ririnui, Wakata Kingi and Rondell Reihana view the mural with underpass project manager John McCarthy. Photo/ File
When water rushed through Bhupinder Bhardwaj's front doors, the Katikati shopkeeper could do little more than watch cardboard boxes and teabags float around his store in front of him.
Bhardwaj owned Spice Traders with wife Anu. Both spent June 4 cleaning up a thick blanket of mud and silt left behind after floodwater swamped parts of Katikati.
MetService recorded 53mm of rain in one hour in its weather station near Katikati on June 4 between 4pm and 5pm.
At the same time, the Uretara Stream burst its banks, overlapping the bridge and swamping State Highway 2 and buildings, including Bhardwaj's 100m away.
Bhardwaj saw the swollen stream rising and tried to clear debris from a stormwater grate outside his shop "but I couldn't do it fast enough".
"There was very heavy rain. The water came all of a sudden with a splash. We didn't have much time."
Within 20 minutes floodwater outside his shop rose to his waist level while water inside reached his upper ankles.
Katikati Spice Traders owners Bhupinder and Anu Bhardwaj were left to clean up the mess after floodwater swept through their store. Photo/ File
Neighbours who desperately tried to save the life of a woman who died in a house fire at Omokoroa on June 5 said thick smoke billowing out of the house prevented them from entering the property.
A body was found in the Bramley Drive house after firefighters were called to the property at 4.30am.
A couple, who would only be known as Jake and Christine, said they woke about 4.30am to the sound of fire, breaking glass and a smoke alarm sounding.
"We ran around there. The whole front of the house was on fire," Jake said.
A woman was killed in a house fire in Omokoroa in June. Photo/ File
Two car salesmen were stood down after accidentally leaving a racist message on a woman's phone.
The Farmers Auto Village employees were going through a disciplinary process after they left racist comments on the voicemail system of potential customer Narelle Newdick.
The comments were publicised in mid-June and sparked outrage among the Tauranga community.
Farmer Auto Village group managing director Mike Farmer told the Bay of Plenty Times the comments from the two "ignorant" salesmen were not reflective of the wider company, and his concerns were for Newdick and her family.
Narelle Newdick was the subject of a racist voicemail message accidentally left by two former staff at Farmer Auto Village. Photo/ File
A Tauranga dairy owner wanted to sell up after being targeted by robbers three times in as many years.
