Northland news in brief, strong winds see cruise ships cancel visit

The cruise liner The Noordam was one of two that cancelled a visit to the Bay of Islands yesterday because of strong winds.

Winds cancel ship visits

Two cruise ships carrying a combined 4000-plus passengers cancelled their visits to the Bay of Islands yesterday due to strong winds.

The Noordam, with 1848 passengers en route to Sydney from Auckland, and the Norwegian Jewel, with 2376 passengers travelling from Tauranga to Auckland, had been due to spend the day in the Bay but the weather was too wild to transport passengers to shore by tender.

Even before the ships canned their visit, Paihia's cruise ship committee had cancelled plans to close Williams Rd to traffic and turn it into a pedestrian precinct for the day.

Meet ward candidates

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ward electors will have two chances next week to meet the candidates in the Far North District Council byelection called to replace Willow-Jean Prime, after her election to Parliament.

The first of the public meetings, co-hosted by the Paihia and Kerikeri ratepayers' associations and Grey Power, will be at the Paihia War Memorial Hall on Tuesday, followed by the Kerikeri Union Church on Thursday, both starting at 7pm.

The candidates are Harko Brown, former Green MP David Clendon, 2016 mayoral candidate Peter Gill and Kelly Stratford. Voting forms will be mailed to registered voters next week, the postal ballot closing on February 17.

Engineer dies

Well known Whangarei engineer Malcolm Hawthorn has died. Mr Hawthorn, a retired director of Hawthorn Geddes Engineers and Architects, and a former Whangarei District councillor, died suddenly on Sunday. Mr Hawthorn was also a fellow of the Engineering NZ (formerly the Institute of Professional Engineers of NZ). Respecting Mr Hawthorn's wish a private family committal will be held.

Night market for foodies

The first Gourmet Night Market of the year will be tomorrow after the last scheduled event was cancelled due to wet weather. Along with delicious food options there will be a kids' corner complete with a giant Connect Four set and free facepainting. Tomorrow's market on the Canopy Bridge runs from 5pm to 9pm.

Wearable arts

Entries are being sought for the 2018 Waipu Museum Art'n'Tartan Wearable Art Awards in July. The annual, highly acclaimed competition is a chance for artists and designers of wearable art to showcase their work. Anyone keen to enter or be part of the event in any way is invited to Waipu's Celtic Barn on Thursday, February 15, at 7pm for the annual Expressions of Interest meeting.

This will be an information evening for entrants and backstage volunteers, a chance to chat to the show's artistic director and production manager and hear more about the 2018 show. Further information at www.waipumuseum.com or the Art'n'Tartan Facebook page.