2023 has not been short of memorable events. NZ Herald video covered them all. Video / NZ Herald
As the year draws to a close, Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2023. What moved readers most? As part of a 12-day series, Waikato Herald reporter Danielle Zollickhofer looks at the top stories each month. Welcome to day three: March.
Nationally, March 2023 was the month that Britishanti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, aka Posie Parker, caused widespread protests and quit her Auckland rally after a protester poured a bottle of juice over her head.
Also, Beach Hop returned to its regular March date after years of disruptions due to Covid-19, which meant keen fans of the event were treated to their second Beach Hop festival in four months.
The haul included a unique 1974 racing motorcycle and sidecar, plus distinctive gear and tools, worth more than $50,000, as well as a trailer that contained three classic racing bikes and gear, worth around $60,000.
The latter belonged to a father and son duo who went on a two-man mission to recover their bikes, following leads from people on Facebook who had seen the bikes being raced on Hamilton streets.
The 1974 850cc Norton Commando racing bike and sidecar, plus gear were stolen from outside Rangiriri Hotel. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
The cleanup mission had been three years in the making. Deep Dive Division founder Tua Karalus says he and his team detected 18 vehicles in various parts of the Waikato River on just one of their regular missions.
“We work on the river regularly, we survey riverways and do environmental monitoring. During one of these trips, we noticed the vehicles on our scanner,” Karalus said.
The Deep Dive DIvision team also found a 1970s Landcruiser in the Waikato River near the Hamilton Gardens. Photo / Supplied
Balloons over Waikato celebrates glorious comeback
The completely booked-out Zuru Nightglow lit up at Claudelands Oval this year, with 25,000 people in attendance - all other keen punters were advised to enjoy the show “from the comfort of their own homes” by tuning into the livestream.
