Northland news in brief: House destroyed by fire in Kawakawa

Kaka Street will be closed for resealing of the intersection at Kaka Street and Porowini Avenue.

Resealing work

Kaka Street will be closed for resealing of the intersection with Porowini Avenue for two consecutive nights. These closures are from 7pm tomorrow until 5am on Thursday, as well as from later that day into Friday, 7pm until 5am. The contractor (Downer) will mail-drop a notice to all residents and businesses that are directly affected prior to work commencing. There will be residents-only access on Kaka Street while the work takes place.

Busy night for fires

Police and fire services attended a number of incidents on Sunday night. Police assisted Fenz with a fire event which was notified at 9.31pm. A person living in the bush near Kensington allegedly set fire to their dwelling and no injuries were reported. A fire investigator is also looking into the cause of a house fire in Kaitāia that was found well involved upon arrival. Ambulance services attended to a person with respiratory issues. Another fire in Avenues, Whangārei, is also being investigated by Fenz. The 10m by 10m fire was notified to police at 9.10pm. No injuries were reported.

Home destroyed

A Far North man suffered minor injuries in a fire that destroyed a home in rural Kawakawa early on Sunday morning. Kawakawa fire chief Wayne Martin said the blaze on isolated Pakaru Road broke out at about 1.25am. Fire crews from Kawakawa and Paihia responded, with a tanker from Kerikeri. A large, single-storey home burned to the ground. Martin said the sole occupant was woken by a noise and suffered minor burns to his hands, which he treated himself. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, but neighbours said there were no fireworks in the area overnight. Firefighters left at about 6am and a fire investigator was yesterday at the scene.

Haka dance theatre

Celebrated Māori performance company Hawaiki TŪ present their award-winning haka theatre work Taurite. Deeply grounded in Te Ao Māori, Taurite is a large-scale production that is centred around the art of balance and duality. The work will be presented at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri on December 2 at 1pm and 7pm. This captivating performance is a visceral embodiment that seamlessly blends the essence of kapa haka, Māori movement and theatre, interwoven with a breath-taking backdrop of AV projections. Tickets are available at turnercentre.co.nz.

Garden safari

Garden lovers have the chance to see some of the finest grounds in the Far North when Kaitāia Riding for the Disabled holds its annual Garden Safari fundraiser later this month. This year, it is the turn of the gardeners from Awanui to Ngataki to showcase their gardens, with a number of vibrant gardens open for viewing on November 18 and 19. The safari headquarters will be at Araiawa Hall in Pukenui, with refreshments, music, local art, crafts and gardening stalls. Programmes are available at Mitre10, the i-Site at the Te Ahu Centre and CBEC in Kaitāia, Bloomfields in Taipa, Gloss Stationary in Mangonui and PlantZone in Kerikeri.