Northland news in brief: Whangārei Lotto player wins $20,000; Kamo house fire

A ticket sold on MyLotto in Whangārei won its holder more than $20,000 in Lotto's Second Division draw.

A Whangārei MyLotto player was one of 18 Second Division winners nationwide to take home $20,054 on Saturday. Two lucky players from outside of the region also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $32,500. A Wairoa Lotto player took home the major Powerball prize of $10.3 million.

Embers extinguished

Firefighters were called to a vacant home in Kamo in the early hours of Saturday morning after reports the house was on fire. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said there was a small fire inside the house that was easily extinguished by the Kamo Volunteer Fire Brigade. Police were called to the scene as the fire was considered suspicious.

Motor mishap

Police were called to a crash on Ngunguru Rd on Sunday afternoon. A spokeswoman said two vehicles were involved but there did not appear to be any injuries. The vehicles had to be towed off the main stretch of Glenbervie Road.

Boating blunder

Three people were seen trying to correct a yacht that tipped in the Whangārei Harbour in Parua Bay on Sunday. A police spokesperson said the vessel struck a mud flat, but emergency services were not needed as everyone aboard made it safely to shore.

Plan proposal

Residents who want to have their say on the proposed Far North District Plan have until today to make a further submission. The District Plan is the set of rules that control where you can undertake certain activities, and how land can be used, developed and subdivided. It affects all landowners and residents in the Far North. To find out more visit www.fndc.govt.nz/.

Roundabout ramp-up

Whangārei District Council has reached a critical stage in the construction of the Port Road roundabout, temporarily running it with a single lane. In the coming months, the council will be rebuilding all of the old road pavement on-site, including the section from the intersection to the old bridge, adding new kerbs and installing traffic islands, drainage, lighting and other services. During this stage the old Hāhā/Limeburner’s bridge is closed and all Port Road traffic crosses the new two-lane bridge.

Rain report

Northland averaged over 400 millimetres of rainfall for the three months of winter 2023, with much of that falling in June. The region has ended the winter season with 82 per cent of the rainfall usually expected. It was most dry in the east and down through to Dargaville and Pouto, while weather was wetter in the north and west, as well as south of the Brynderwyns.