Opinion: Paul Hickey - America's Cup, Covid-19 vaccination, The Hits Beach Dig

Emirates Team New Zealand against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli race 2 of the 36th America's Cup. Photo / NZME

What an exciting week it has been with all the action on the Waitematā Harbour.

It has been pretty hard not to get swept up in all the hype around the America's Cup.

The whole event seemed to take a while to get on to the foils, with a big reduction in expected races due to the pandemic and damaged boats, but this past week has been enthralling.

As a sports fan, it is heartening to see things like this unite our country.

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To vaccinate or not to vaccinate … that is the question. Or is it really?

After everything the world has been through over the past year, for me it was a no-brainer to eagerly take the opportunity earlier this week to receive my first jab of the Pfizer vaccine at the Rotorua Covid-19 vaccination centre.

My son Joel works at one of our local managed isolation facilities, so as a household contact I'm lucky enough to be classified towards the top of the queue.

There is so much information out there, and unfortunately in this day and age, it's not all correct.

So while we all have the right to refuse the vaccine, I just hope you take the chance to do your research, and make an informed decision that is right for you and your loved ones.

Just remember that once upon a time lots of people were nervous about the flu jab, the MMR inoculation and many others that we all now take for granted.

The staff at the centre have got a massive job in front of them, and my experience was nothing but positive.

Friendly welcomes, smiles, and plenty of information at hand. And a special shoutout to my nurse Cate who was a real pro, and one of a small handful of nurses working that day.

But you can see that the set-up is ready for some busy times ahead, and I wish them all the best in their mission to help us all make a better future, and a future we can think of as normal.

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Among the many lows of 2020, one of the major disappointments for me was the cancellation of The Hits Beach Dig.

It's a community event that we've been doing for close to a decade now, and one that the team at The Hits really enjoy putting together for the kids of our city.

So I am really excited that we are all go this weekend with the 2021 version of the event.

You can read a full story about it elsewhere in this edition of the Weekender, but I personally just want to express my gratitude to those local businesses that have once again supported us in making this happen.

We've got heaps of goodies from McDonald's Rotorua, Reduced To Clear, Skyline, Motion Entertainment, Rotorua Speedway, Reading Cinemas, and of course the major prize comes from My Ride Rotorua on Hinemoa St – two brand new kids' bikes must be won.

It is always such a happy event, and we will send every child home with a prize of some sort.

Remember, though, that you will need to pre-register on the morning for the dig, and it is limited to the first 300 kids aged from 3 to 13. See you there!

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Paul Hickey is the host of the local Rotorua show on The Hits Rotorua weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Listen on 97.5FM or download the iHeartRadio app. Follow The Hits Rotorua and Paul on Facebook and Instagram.