Hangi goes haywire

A hankering for a hangi will cost two Northland doctors dearly after their efforts ended up destroying 4ha.

They had rented a house at Whangarei Heads and, not wanting to damage the lawn, they dug a hangi pit in a nearby bank.

The paper and kindling they used, plus the long grass, led to a blaze which took a helicopter and seven fire trucks to put out.

They will have to pay at least the $6000 cost of the helicopter and possibly several thousand more to cover the firefighters on the ground.