Ahead of the US Presidential election, the Chronicle spoke to US expats who now call Whanganui home, for their thoughts on where the day might end up.
Lynn Hurst, an artist originally from Kentucky, gathered with friends on the night to watch the results come in. Hurst said that her country was bitterly divided, with even her own family voting along different lines.
Whitney Cox, another Whanganui-based American said that she was "cautiously optimistic" that Biden would win the Presidency. She said the lesson for her was that last election the fact Trump won was an "anomaly" she hoped didn't repeat itself.
It was a shock result that very few saw coming on November 6, when it was discovered Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer would be entering Parliament after the final results were confirmed.
Ngarewa-Packer had run in the Te Tai Hauāuru electorate but was beaten by Labour incumbent Adrian Rurawhe by a margin of 1,039 votes.
When told of the news, Ngarewa-Packer said she was dedicated to being an "unapologetic voice" for Māori.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer joined Rawiri Waititi in Parliament off the back of the special votes. Photo / Mark Mitchell
"I can't wait to get stuck into the mahi and for the opportunity to serve our people in Parliament."
November 7
The Ohakune Mardi Gras finally went ahead on November 7, after being postponed not once, but twice over the course of 2020.
Typically held in winter, the events attracts around 7000 people to Ohakune, and this year saw 16 New Zealand acts taking to the stage.
Prior to the event there was some concern around Covid-19, with Ruapehu District mayor Don Cameron urging caution, encouraging visitors to use the Covid tracer app wherever they went.
November 17
On November 17 the Chronicle reported that Kowhai Park skate bowl had been vandalised with oil, after vandals targeted the area over two separate days.
The vandals first targeted Michael Wilson's Riverland Family Park on the Friday, taking oil reserved for the go-karts and spilling it over the track. Wilson and the police couldn't catch up with the vandals, and they returned overnight on the Sunday, this time also targeting the nearby skate bowl.
The Kowhai Park clean up cost ratepayers almost $6000. Photo / Ethan Griffiths
The council later confirmed the clean up cost from the vandalism reached a total of $5963. The vandals were never caught.
November 21
After years of lobbying, funding, testing and building, the dreams of renewable energy entrepreneurs finally came to fruition on November 21, when the first wind turbines at Waipipi wind farm near Waverley were finally switched on.
A joint venture between Tilt Renewables and Genesis Energy, the entire project cost around $227 million. Once fully operational, it will contribute 455 GWh per year to New Zealand's power grid - enough to power 65,000 homes, or double Whanganui.
Waipipi Wind Farm near Waverley had its first turbines switched on in November. Photo / Bevan Conley
The turbines are the largest in New Zealand, substantially bigger than turbines found anywhere else in the country, including Tararua near Palmerston North. The towers stand at 95m tall, with the turbines measuring 64m.
November 25
Whanganui was hit with a downpour of epic proportions on November 25, with the more than 50mm of rain causing flooding across the city.
The rain, which mainly fell between 3am and 3pm, didn't severely affect the Whanganui River, but did cause surface flooding across the city. St Johns Hill resident Renee Matthews was found out the front of her property with sandbags, after the rain caused her entire property to flood, with water entering her garage.
Putiki Kindergarten also experienced flooding in November. Photo / Bevan Conley
Phil Jones, another resident on the street, was experiencing similar flooding in her yard.
"I came home and thought, oh no, not again" she said at the time.
The rain eventually subsided, and the Fire Service said they received a manageable number of calls.
