Northland news in brief: Vintage motorbikes northbound; and fire victim still in burns unit

Some of the machines on display at the last Northland Motorcycle Rally held in Whangārei in 2022. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Vintage motorbikes on show

A convoy of classic and vintage motorbikes will be on parade through Northland later this month when the Northland Motorcycle Rally takes off.

On Saturday, May 20, the Northland Vintage Car Club will hold its annual Northland Motorcycle Rally, starting from the clubrooms at Heritage Park, Maunu.

Dozens of riders and bikes from around the North Island will be arriving from 8.30am and starting to leave on their run at 10am, with up 60 motorcycles expected.

There will be motorcycles from 30 to over 100 years old on the run, with many of the famous makes and models represented, manufactured in England, USA, Germany, Italy and Japan. The oldest motorcycle will be a 1918 Triumph Model H, restored and ridden by a Whangārei club member.

For more info go to vcc.org.nz or northland@vcc.org.nz.

Blaze victim still in burns unit

A woman seriously burned when a family homestead was razed to the ground south of Kaikohe on Saturday remains in the burns unit of Middlemore Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman gave her condition as stable yesterday afternoon.

Three children were also burned but less seriously. They were initially taken to Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa. The blaze prompted fire bosses to repeat their call for every home to be equipped with working smoke alarms.

Child abuse charges

A Dargaville man charged with multiple alleged child abuse offences has appeared in court.

Rowan Cosbrook, 34, appeared in the Whangārei District Court on 11 charges of assault on a child, three charges of assault with intent to injure and one charge of assault with a blunt instrument.

The assaults are alleged to have occurred over a seven-year period on a number of complainants.

Cosbrook was granted bail and will reappear in the Whangārei District Court on May 19.

Alleged burglar in pain

A man who was visibly in pain with a broken arm after being caught by police dogs when he attempted to burgle a Morningside property has appeared in court.

Belneves Gordan, 42, of no fixed abode, appeared in the Whangārei District Court on one charge of Burglary and one charge of breach of prison release conditions.

Gordon told the court he suffers from schizophrenia and has been unable to get medication due to a two-week wait time at his GP.

He was remanded in custody and will reappear on May 15 via audio-visual link.