Northland news in brief: Boatie rescued, school warning to parents

Water streams from the ruptured pipe next to Old North Rd in Kawakawa. Photo / Supplied

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Part of Kawakawa was without water on Monday evening after a water main ruptured. Far North District Council infrastructure operations manager Glenn Rainham said the incident, on Old North Rd, left at least 25 homes without water from 5.04pm. Contractors quickly arrived on site to isolate the water line and restored the supply by 8:30pm. It wasn't clear what had caused the rupture but a wet winter after a very dry summer could cause ground movement affecting underground pipes.

Lucky escape
A pedestrian escaped without any serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Kawakawa on Monday. Kawakawa volunteer firefighters left their training night to attend the accident that occurred less than 300m away from their station outside the Hunter Star Hotel on Gillies St shortly before 7pm. Senior Sergeant Brian Swann, of Northland police, said the person was taken by ambulance to Bay of Islands Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Suspicious car fire
Police are investigating a suspicious car fire in Kauri on Tuesday morning. The blaze was fully involved when the Kamo Volunteer Fire Brigade was called to the scene on the roadside of Vinegar Hill Rd at 9.10am. The car was missing all of its number plates which a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said wasn't unusual to discover when it came to car fires. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze in under an hour.

Warning after attempted abduction
A Far North school principal has issued a warning to parents after an unknown man tried to pull a female student into his van. Ōkaihau College principal Thomas Davis advised parents to ensure their children walked in pairs or small groups when travelling to and from school following an incident on the afternoon of August 6. Thomas said a senior student was "accosted by a stranger" near the Ōkaihau Liquor Store on State Highway 1. The student was shaken but unhurt and was receiving support in the aftermath. People were asked to report any sightings of a dirty, green Toyota Estima with tinted or blacked-out rear windows to police on 111.

Double rescue
A boatie who went overboard in McLeods Bay as bad weather rolled into Whangārei Heads was rescued by a stranger who quickly paddled out in a kayak. A witness said they saw a man in a small kayak frantically paddle out into choppy seas off the Reotahi reserve on Saturday. The kayaker reached the boatie still in the water despite the difficult conditions and tried to help him back onto his boat. Coastguard Whangārei quickly arrived and was able to pull both men on board its vessel, Circa Rescue. A Coastguard Whangārei spokesperson said the boatie was cold but otherwise unharmed. The member of the public was taken back to shore and the boatie plus his vessel returned to Marsden Cove Marina.