A Northland hapu is sad their wharekai (dining room) was destroyed in a fire, but the good work of hapu members saved the larger, and more important, wharenui from the same fate.
The wharekai at Waikara Marae, on Waikara Rd, Aranga, north of Dargaville, was destroyed in a fire that
started about 6pm on Sunday, Dargaville deputy station officer Michael Ross said.
Mr Ross said hapu members were down on the beach below the marae when they saw smoke from the blaze.
He said they rushed to the marae and used buckets of water to prevent the fire spreading to the nearby wharenui, where valuable taonga were stored, while the alarm was raised with the Fire Service.
Mr Ross said when firefighters arrived the wharekai was virtually destroyed and there was nothing that could be done to save the building, which was similar to an extended double garage.
