Northland news in brief: Brynderwyns closed overnight and road toll rises to two

SH1 over the Brynderwyns will be closed overnight twice next week for resealing.

Brynderyn closures

State Highway 1 on the Brynderwyn Hills will be closed for two nights next week for resealing. The road will be closed between 9pm and 5am on Tuesday and Wednesday between Waipū and the intersection with SH12 on the south side of the Brynderwyns. During the closure, NZTA contractors will carry out other maintenance work including clearing litter, clearing drains, and cleaning edge marker posts and signs. Traffic for north-bound traffic will be detoured via SH12 and Paparoa Oakleigh Rd and will add about 55 minutes to the journey. For traffic heading south, the detour will be via Mangawhai Heads and will add about 30 minutes. The south-bound detour is not suitable for trucks, so all truck drivers are being asked to use the Paparoa-Oakleigh detour only.

Road toll at two

Northland's road death toll is two so far this year after a motorcyclist who slammed into a bridge succumbed to his injuries. Sergeant Ryan Gray of Whangārei police said 22-year-old Graeme Peri of Kaitaia hit the Waipapakauri bridge on January 1 and was transported to the Kaitaia Hospital. He was then transported to Whangārei Hospital and later to Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland where he died. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash

Boaties asked to complete reports

Coastguard Northern Region is reminding boaties to close their trip reports, and make sure they can be contacted after an incident last week. A vessel was reported overdue from it's trip out of Tutukaka and after attempts to contact the boatie failed, Northland Air Patrol and Tutukaka Rescue volunteers were called to start search. In a stroke of luck, while on his way to the rescue boat, a Tutukaka volunteer spotted the vessel being towed down the road with the boatie on his way home, oblivious to the effort going in to find him. All volunteers were stood down. A trip report gives the Coastguard Operations Centre a good picture of where a boatie is if they are reported missing. However, it isn't followed up by Coastguard unless they are reported missing. In this case a relative of those onboard called Coastguard after they didn't show up as planned and could not be contacted.

Festival earlybirds close Monday

There are only a few days left to get earlybird tickets for this year's Whangārei Fritter Festival. Monday is the last day you can take advantage of the special price of $44 per ticket. Earlybird tickets are available from Forum North Box Office & Eventfinda. Fritter Festival is on March 16 at Northland Events Centre. The line up includes Dragon, Drax Project, Knights of the DUB Table, Otium, Sojourn, Spiral and Erin Cole-Baker and the Little Ripples.

New market tomorrow

Whangārei's newest market is on tomorrow for those needing to clear out the garage or the spare room, needing more space for those new Christmas gifts or who have excess of plants or produce in the garden or hand crafts to sell. The new Herekino Triangle market will run fortnightly on the first and third Sunday of every month starting tomorrow just across from the Town Basin and the start of the loop walk in the large car park behind the businesses in Lower Dent and Herekino St. The market will open at 12.30pm and finish at 4.30pm. There will be food stalls and a wide range of stalls from produce to handcrafts, tools, plants, clothing and more. There are three entrances to the market area and there's plenty of parking on Lower Dent Street and Herekino Street and in nearby carparks.
Sellers can book a space by ringing 021 922 098 or just turn up on the day. More information is available at Facebook - HerekinoTriangleSundayMarket

Walking weekened turns 20

The annual Mangawhai Walking Weekend is celebrating its 20th year in March over four days with 30 glorious walks. The Mangawhai Walking Weekend is a festival of events, with guided walks over four days exploring magical Mangawhai community running from March 28-31. There are walks from coastal, bush, rural, history and geology, eco tours by paddle boarding or kayak, to wine and beach trails and so much more - even a special doggie walk. A weekend highlight is Saturday's Mangawhai Food & Wine Festival, time to relax and unwind in a picturesque olive grove. Enjoy the late afternoon sun with some great music, dancing, delicious food and award winning wines and craft beers. For more info check out https://mangawhaiwalking.co.nz.