Cove Fish Fry set to take off
The seventh annual Cove Fish Fry is on March 8, with an invitation for surfers and those interested in the sport to go along, dust of that old surfboard and display it among hundreds of other surfcrafts. The Waipū Cove Fish Fry is a gathering of positive and like-minded surfers and shapers sharing a day at the beach. The original format of the Fish Fry was based around the fish surfboard but as the event has evolved and spread throughout the world it has become open to all forms of surfcraft, including fish, logs, hulls, alaias, handplanes, mats, and more. The Cove Fish Fry is a non-competitive and non-commercial event and starts at 8am on March 8 at Waipū Cove. More details on The Cove Fish Fry Facebook page.
Lotto win trickles down
Five tickets sold in Northland were among 98 from around the country that each won almost $11,000 on Lotto Strike on Christmas Day. The Strike First Division prize was a must-be-won $1 million but when it was not struck it rolled down, meaning the prize was shared between those that won Strike Second Division. In total 98 players each won $10,993, including two tickets sold at Countdown Tikipunga, and one each at Countdown Kerikeri, Corner Cardz N Magz in Whangārei and on My Lotto in Northland. Lotto Powerball First Division is worth $17m tonight.
Day without togs
Kiwis are being encouraged to go naked at the beach for the "Day Without Togs" with a Northland beach hosting an event. The international day without bathing suits is believed to have started in Spain in 2007, and New Zealand nudist group Free Beaches says the public are welcome to join in for an outing. "On the last Saturday of January Free Beaches promotes this special day for New Zealand," it says on its site. "This year it's on January 25 when we expect to have members attending a range of beaches from Northland to Otago.'' So far, events in New Zealand are scheduled in Northland, at Uretiti Beach in Bream Bay, Auckland, Hawke's Bay, either Kapiti Coast or Breaker Bay, and in Christchurch.
Shopping record on cards
Christmas Eve is often one of the busiest shopping days of the year in Northland and 2019 was no different. While final sales figures are yet to be collated, New Zealand shoppers are on track to be close to the record figures from Friday of $297.5 million for the day. The busiest time of day passed with a peak of 199 transactions per second at 12.09pm. That's up from the previous peak of 182 transactions per second set last year on December 22. Spending on Monday was 14.2 per cent above the same Monday (Christmas Eve) of 2018 nationally but 15.8 per cent higher across the combined three regions of Auckland/Northland, Wellington and Canterbury. The running pre-Christmas spend, at $8602m since November 13, 2019, has already surpassed the total for last Christmas now and was racing even higher in the lead up to the big day.
Free health checks
People with minor to moderate health concerns will have five weeks of free and immediate access to treatment at a pop-up hauora clinic in Kaikohe, under the MAiHEALTH rapid access scheme championed by Dr Lance O'Sullivan. The walk-in clinic at 10 Marino St is open 10am to 7pm seven days a week until January 17. The service is free for patients with a community services card and is being supported by Unichem Orrs Pharmacy Kaikohe and dispensary manager Alex Graham with free prescriptions for whānau of Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi or Te Rūnanga Ā Iwi Ngāpuhi. Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi general manager Te Ropu Poa has been working with MAiHEALTH to bring the pop-up clinic back to Kaikohe, and said staff including registered nurse Kataraina Harawira will be dealing with minor skin issues, rashes, scalp problems, blood pressure checks, pregnancy checks and throat swabs, among other concerns.
