Artists attend gathering
Four clay artists and a printmaker from Northland will travel to Olympia in Washington State next month to attend Tears of DukwibahL, Gathering of International Indigenous Artists at the Evergreen State College Longhouse Education and Cultural Centre.
Clay artists Davina Duke, Rhonda Halliday, Noelle Jakeman, Dorothy Waetford and printmaker Jasmine Horton will join other Maori artists in a week of intensive art making and cultural exchange with other indigenous artists from around the world. Cultural exchanges, public presentations, an exhibition and trips to local tribes and sights will take place during the gathering.
Boaties carpark closed
The parking area at Opua boat ramp will be closed from August to mid-October while the gravel area is tarsealed as part of the Bay of Islands Marina expansion project. The ramp will be accessible most of the time and a there will be a temporary carpark at the former Total Marine Services project base.
However, Far North Holdings boss Andy Nock asked boaties to consider launching elsewhere, such as Waitangi, during the sealing work. The re-surfacing has been timed to avoid summer. Parking and ramp access was expected to be back to normal by then.
Double blackout
Power was restored to the Ahipara and Herekino areas about 6pm on Tuesday after a second outage unrelated to a major power cut which affected the top half of the Far North from 9.07am to about 2.30pm on Tuesday. The cause of the blackout remains unknown.
Boy faces nine charges
Police have arrested a juvenile they suspect is the "kingpin" in Kaitaia's ongoing spate of burglaries.
The boy, who was bailed to Kaitaia on nine charges that are still before the court, has been charged with two burglaries and one unlawful taking of a vehicle, a police spokesman saying he was believed to be responsible for multiple offences.
Lodge is No 1
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs is the No 1 hotel in Australia and New Zealand, and fourth best in the world, according to Travel + Leisure readers in the US-based publication's World's Best Awards 2017.
Since opening at Matauri Bay to international acclaim in 2001, Kauri Cliffs has set a benchmark for a relaxed and laid-back style of authentic luxury that is quintessentially New Zealand, yet sophisticated and world-class in the overall experience, the magazine says.