Northland news in brief: Heavy rain for today and Bream Head Reserve gets new community facility

Bream Head Conservation Trust has a new community facility to help protect the native flora and fauna at Bream Head Reserve, above.

The Bream Head Conservation Trust yesterday celebrated the upgrade of its Community Conservation Facility at the Peach Cove (Ocean Beach Rd) entrance to the Bream Head Scenic Reserve.

For the past five years head ranger Adam Willetts worked from a cramped and hot container. Now after a lot of hard work fundraising and donations from locals and businesses the trust has three containers with a decked central area, a roof, power, windows and ventilation. The facility is used by volunteers who work in the reserve, visiting schools and tertiary students and rangers.

It's going to be wet

A heavy rain warning is in place for Northland today as a strong moist northerly brings heavy rain and strong winds to many areas, with a risk of flooding and slips.

A moist northerly with embedded fronts affects the country today and a subtropical low is expected to move south, just west of the upper North Island bringing strong wind and increased rainfall.

Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.
The warning for Northland is from 9am to 6pm today when between 60mm to 70mm of rain is forecast. Peak rates could briefly reach of 20mm to 30mm an hour during the period.

Police seek shooting information

Police are again appealing for information about a shooting and kidnapping in the Bay of Islands. Detective Inspector Dene Begbie said police still wanted to hear from anyone who knew the men who had fired at a police car on Puketona Rd early on October 27 or had information about a kidnapping at Waipapa a short time later. In particular he wanted to know about sightings of a grey or silver Nissan Skyline with the registration MWD839 on Monday evening, October 26, or early the next morning. The vehicle was found burned out on Puketotara Rd just before 5am. The officer who was shot at was uninjured but is still off work. Call police on 105 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 with any information.

Exhibition opens

On a Personal Level - the final exhibition by third-year students graduating from NorthTec's Bachelor of Applied Arts course will open next week.

Opening night at NorthTec's Geoff Wilson Gallery is Wednesday, October 11, from 4.30pm-6.30pm.

The gallery is overflowing with the diverse artwork produced by the 12 students through and beyond the trials of lockdown. The exhibition includes sculpture, installation, print, painting, book illustration, graphic design, moving image and photography.

The exhibiting students for 2020 are Alanah Stigsdottir, Beewitching (Melissa Bickers), Briar Piercy, Chris "Boysie" Boys, Connie T Davis, Jonathan Paul Hemsworth, Lux Lumiere (Amber-Maree Carroll), Paige Siobhan Pollington, Ros May, Tash Tornquist, Tess Wilson
and Tracey Willms Deane.

The exhibition is open 11am-4pm daily until October 19.

Burned toast

The Probation Service building on Station Rd in Kaikohe was evacuated when a fire alarm was triggered just before 9am yesterday. A search of the building by the Kaikohe Fire Brigade revealed the culprit was a burned slice of toast.