Monster waves hit Mount Maunganui main beach this morning. Photo / George Novak
Monster waves hit Mount Maunganui main beach this morning. Photo / George Novak
The Bay of Plenty Times is taking a look back at the stories of 2019. Here's what made headlines in February.
February 2:
Home owners in a luxury apartment building at Mount Maunganui launched a $36 million civil suit against 16 defendants including Tauranga City Council, a prominent developer anda building company, after major defects were discovered.
All but one of the 48 apartment owners at the Cayman Apartments on Maunganui Rd were part of the legal action that began after Tauranga City Council issued a notation against the $46 million building's property file.
Firefighters were on high alert and farmers said the dry spell was starting to ''bite'' as the region tackled more than 20 days without any significant rainfall.
Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty provincial president Darryl Jensen on his Paengaroa dairy farm.
February 11:
Large swells battered the Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa coastline. They were expected to last until the end of the week, with lifesavers urging swimmers to be cautious.
Surf lifesavers along the Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa beaches made four rescues in as many hours one evening.
Monster waves hit Mount Maunganui main beach this morning. Photo / George Novak
February 12:
Staff were evacuated from a Pāpāmoa school's administration building after toxic black mould was found.
Tahatai Coast School office staff moved into the school's library after an air quality test detected unsafe levels of black mould, caused by moisture getting into the floor and roof of the administration building.
Tahatai Coast School staff have been relocated into a new building after staff got sick from mould cause by the leaky admin building. Principal Matt Skilton.
February 16:
A makeshift campsite for homeless people in Ōhauiti sparked a backlash from neighbours who said it was lowering property values and posing health risks.
The Ohauiti Rd property was owned by the Anglican Church's Tauranga Moana Parish, which offered the site as a haven for the homeless.
A man fatally shot by police during a roadside shootout after robbing a Kawerau bank was a Mongrel Mob member suspected to have used methamphetamine. Police received reports that a man had discharged a firearm at another family member near Kawerau.
While police were investigating the family harm incident, the same man, aged 29, walked into the Kawerau First Credit Union where he robbed the bank with a shotgun.
Greerton residents said major roadworks at one of Tauranga's most dangerous intersections had turned the usual cheerful village into a "slum" and ruined businesses.
A petition was to be presented to the Tauranga City Council calling for urgent remedial work on a roading project involving Cameron Rd and Chadwick Rd.
Three Rotorua families prepared to say goodbye to their loved ones, all in utter disbelief the men's lives had been cut short.
The families of Haki Hiha, David Eparaima and Soul Raroa spoke about the men who were killed in a horrific crash at their worksite near Matatā on February 26, involving four trucks.
