Northland news briefs

Lucky crash escape

A man who hit a power pole beside State Highway 12, near Omanaia, while driving home from a party was "a very lucky man", his rescuers say. The crash, about 4.20am on Monday, spun the car 180 degrees and left the driver with only a suspected broken arm. The pole remained upright but had to be replaced. Alcohol was thought to have been a factor.

Woman burned

A Kawakawa woman suffered burns to a hand and one foot after a pot of oil caught fire on the stove at her North Rd home on Monday. Kawakawa Fire Brigade station officer Alistair Leitch said the woman was alerted by a smoke alarm about 7.30pm and did the right thing by putting a lid on the pot, rather than throwing water on it. However she then tried to carry it outside, spilling oil on herself in the process. She was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital by St John Ambulance. Her quick response prevented damage to the kitchen. Mr Leitch was pleased the house had working smoke alarms but the incident was a reminder to "keep looking when you're cooking".

Gorge closed

Mangamuka Gorge will be closed for resurfacing this week. The NZ Transport Agency says a detour will be in place via State Highway 10 between Awanui and Pakaraka, adding 10km to journeys. The work, which is dependent on dry weather, will be from 6am to 6pm daily on Sunday March 26 and Monday March 27. The Transport Agency apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

Bay boat wins

A Bay of Islands game-fishing fast boat last in the water in 1946 took out the top prize at this year's NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show. About 130 clinkers, steam launches, classic motorboats, sailing dinghies and their owners enjoyed two days of boating and chatting about boats at the event this month at Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park. The Jens Hansen trophy for best vessel overall went to Malolo, owned by Max Cumming and Ra Tangaroa from Russell. The 5.7m kauri fast launch was built in 1929, taken out of the water in during the war due to fuel rationing, relaunched briefly in 1946 and had sat in paddocks and sheds around the Bay of Islands until acquired by the owners in 2011.