Northland news in brief: Police want to reunite boat with owner; truck stuck on Cove Rd

Police moved the boat to the side of Riverside Dr. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A small trailer boat on the side of Riverside Dr is waiting to be reunited with its owner.

The boat - with no motor - ended up on the road on Sunday evening during the storm, blocking one lane.

Police were called to move the unusual obstruction to the side of the road. It is now sitting by the side of the Riverside Dr/Tanekaha Dr intersection.

There were no identifying marks to help find the owner, police said, and no items of value were in it when it was moved.

Large truck stuck

A large truck and trailer unit became stuck on Cove Rd yesterday afternoon - two days after a Civil Defence ban. The truck, with two trailers, blocked one lane between Mangawhai and Langs Beach for around an hour from 1pm.

Guidance from Northland Civil Defence states that truck and trailer units are banned from the Cove Rd detour and all heavy vehicle traffic should be limited to those servicing local areas.

The approved heavy-vehicle detour route, while State Highway 1 through the Brynderwyns remains closed, is SH12/14 via Dargaville.

Northlanders safe

Police have confirmed that every person in Northland listed as uncontactable after Cyclone Gabrielle has been accounted for. Northland police have been conducting welfare checks on people cut off by road closures since the storm. The number of people across the country still uncontactable now stands at 346.

High hopes for whales

Two whales stranded on Ninety Mile Beach alongside three pilot whales that died are believed to have successfully re-floated. The Department of Conservation (DoC) said staff saw no sign of the two outstanding whales - a sperm and a fourth pilot - after the February 14 stranding. Staff also spoke to locals on the beach who said they hadn’t seen anything. Therefore, staff assumed the whales had been successfully re-floated.

Injured in crash

One person was seriously injured after a single-vehicle crash at Tamaterau. Whangārei Heads Rd at Tamaterau was closed for about 90 minutes following the crash about 3.50pm yesterday. The road was re-opened about 5.15pm. The injured person was taken to the Whangārei Hospital.

Contact insurers

Kaipara residents whose homes are stickered are encouraged to get in touch with their insurers. Kaipara District Council (KDC) building services manager Alistair Dunlop said a number of stickers have been issued, mainly in Dargaville. He said the number would change as more houses are assessed, and some houses may also be downgraded following an initial assessment.

The red, yellow or white sticker issued is a legal instruction and must not be removed or changed without a reclassification from council staff.

To book a building assessment, homeowners can contact buildingcompliance@kaipara.govt.nz or call KDC’s customer services centre on 0800 727 059. A welfare line has been set up for those who are affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and need support. Kaipara residents can call 09 439 1111.