Far North news in brief: Pedestrians take care; and forest fire suspicious

NZTA is asking pedestrians to take care when crossing SH1 in Kawakawa while roadworks are undertaken as the surface is rough at times.

Take care crossing

Pedestrians are being urged to take care while crossing State Highway One in Kawakawa as roadworks have made the surface rough at times. Road rebuild work on SH1 through Kawakawa is tracking well despite the complexity of working with multiple underground services and an active railway through the town centre, all while keeping SH1 open and minimising disruption to businesses and road users.

NZTA contractors have completed the structural asphalt, but the road remains several centimetres lower than normal and people are urged to take extra care and use designated crossings to help avoid tripping.

Forest fire arson?

Police are treating a fire in Aupouri forest north of Waipapakauri last week as suspicious.

Fire and Emergency was first alerted to the blaze near Ogle Dr and Coast Rd about 2.30 pm on Thursday. It had grown to cover about a hectare.

Fire crews with heavy machinery worked throughout the night to put a containment line around the fire and managed to stop it spreading further, a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said. On Saturday morning, the service announced the fire was finally out and a specialist fire investigation team was on site. Police said the blaze was being treated as a suspected arson.

Chopper sent

A rescue helicopter and ambulance were sent to a single-vehicle crash at Kaimaumau in the Far North on Saturday night.

A Hato Hone St John spokeswoman said the service was alerted to the incident on Lake Rd about 9.15pm. The injured person was flown to Northland Base Hospital in a moderate condition.

Power pole struck

Two people were injured in a two-vehicle crash involving a power pole in Moerewa on Saturday night.

Police and emergency services were alerted to the incident about 11pm. A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said one person was taken to Northland Base hospital in a moderate condition. The other patient was treated at the scene.

Shearer on top

Northland shearer Toa Henderson shore 25 second-shear sheep in under 20 minutes to complete a 2025 Golden Shears and New Zealand Championships Open titles double in Te Kuiti on Saturday.

Henderson won his first Golden Shears final over 20 sheep, in Masterton four weeks ago and stepped up to a new challenge by shearing the first 25-sheep final in more than three decades in 19m 57.44s, averaging 49.64 seconds a sheep caught, shorn and dispatched to finish 28.65 seconds before Mark Grainger, of Te Kuiti.

He was a total of 49.08s ahead of Scottish shearer and Southern Hawke’s Bay farmer Gavin Mutch, who made the pace early and hung for second place, Henderson winning by 1.534pts, with a further 0.274pts back to Marlborough shearer Angus Moore in third place.