Sacrifice lit up
To mark the centenary of Passchendaele, Creative Northland will be projecting a series of images on to buildings in Whangarei and Kaeo. In Whangarei the images will be projected on to the Gilmore Taylor Building on Rathbone St this evening and on to the side of the Whangarei Central Library tomorrow night.
The Kaeo RSA will be projecting images of four local soldiers who lost their lives in the battle and other images on to the wall of the Wesleydale Memorial Church in Leigh St on Thursday and Friday evening from sunset onwards.
Creative Northland will be inflating a giant 10m diameter peace symbol on the bowling green of the RSA on Friday at 12.30pm and are inviting the public to "pump for peace".
Waipoua switches on
A joint venture between Vodafone and Uber Group now means that the Waipoua Forest Visitor Centre has full 3G mobile phone coverage. Uber Group, which has been providing fast broadband to the area, provided a separate broadband connection for phone traffic while Vodafone provided the "sure signal" device.
Locals and tourists can now get a decent Vodafone signal up to 150 metres from the visitors centre so long as they have a 3G or 4G-capable phone.
Over 30 mobile calls can be connected at the same time. Previously the nearest cellphone coverage was 8km away and the staff at the centre were excited to have coverage.
Crash driver reappears
A Northlander accused of killing a Whangarei pizza delivery driver will be back in court in December. Howard Patrick Latimer, 54, reappeared in the Whangarei District Court this week on a charge of causing the death of 22-year-old Hunter MacKenzie while driving with an excess blood alcohol level on September 20 and one of failing to stop to ascertain injury and to render assistance.
Mr MacKenzie, from Ruakaka, who had been driving a scooter, died in Whangarei Hospital less than an hour after a crash at the intersection of Dent and Norfolk Sts on September 20. Latimer will reappear on December 6.
Panguru bach fire
A bach near Panguru on the north Hokianga Harbour side burnt to the ground yesterday afternoon. The building was engulfed in flames by the time fire appliances from Kaitaia, Ahipara, Broadwood and Kohukohu reached the property.
The bach was empty at the time and the alarm raised by nearby neighbours who saw the flames when they returned home after being out for the day. Firefighters were able to use water from two concrete tanks at the bach, and were at the scene for 2.5 hours.