Northland news in brief: Maunga Mayhem on again, but Funky Fishing comp postponed

There'll be mud, sweat and water slides at this month's Maunga Mayhem - a major fundraiser for Maungatapere School.

Maunga Mayhem - a major fundraiser for Maungatapere School - is back after last year's event had to be cancelled three days beforehand due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Maunga Mayhem is an adventure race with 14 different obstacles to complete. It is an opportunity for kids and adults to be active outdoors, get outside their comfort zone, build confidence and get muddy. The adventure race incorporates many natural country obstacles such as clambering over a hay bale stack, leaping over silage bales, sludging through a big mud pit, an enormous slippery slide, through big culvert pipes, whacking their way through a maze of maize, getting over a pile of tyres, under a scramble net covered in tea tree branches, leaping over horse jumps, swinging over monkey bars, crossing a pond and following a rope through the trees. It will be held on March 20 with different race categories. For tickets and more info go to www.maungamayhem.co.nz.

Funky Fish postponed

This weekend's Funky Fish competition at Whangārei Heads has been postponed due to the uncertainty over the Covid alert levels. The fishing competition, which is a fundraiser for the Whangārei Heads School and Community Library, was to be held this weekend, based at Taurikura. It will now be held on the weekend of April 17–18.

Boy flown to hospital

A child was flown to Whangārei Hospital by rescue helicopter after the quad bike he was riding crashed into bollards on the Kaitaia Awaroa Rd near Kaitaia on Sunday afternoon. The boy was treated at the scene by a St John crew for what were believed to be facial injuries before the helicopter arrived. Details of his injuries and condition were not available yesterday. The Kaitaia Fire Brigade was called to prepare a landing zone for the helicopter but was not required.

Woman airlifted

A Kerikeri woman was airlifted to Whangārei Hospital with suspected spinal injuries after a single-vehicle crash on Wiroa Rd on Saturday morning. The woman's car left the road about 9.20am a few kilometres east of the junction with Waiare Rd. Volunteers from the Kerikeri Fire Brigade had to cut the roof off the car to extricate her.

Winning tickets

Two tickets sold in Northland were among 20 nationally that each won almost $20,000 on Lotto Second Division on Saturday. The tickets, sold at Kaeo Four Square and Four Square Kaiwaka, each won their holders $19,947.

Trust misses out

Whangārei's I Have a Dream Charitable Trust has missed out on a place in the finals of the 2021 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Awards. The trust was the only Northland semifinalist in the awards - in the Community of the Year category, but missed out when the finalists were announced on Tuesday. The three finalists announced for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year are: Farid Ahmed, a Muslim community leader who has become an icon of forgiveness following the March 15 terror attacks (Christchurch); Ranjna Patel, founder and director of Tamaki Health and domestic violence social entrepreneur (Auckland), and Dr Siouxsie Wiles, microbiologist and science communicator (Auckland).
Winners will be announced on March 31.