Two-vehicle crash
Several people were treated with minor injuries on Friday morning after two vehicles collided at the intersection of Riverside Dr and Mackesy Rd, Whangārei. An SUV coming from Mackesy Rd and an Onerahi-bound car collided about 7.45am. Traffic control was on site almost immediately, securing the incident site and diverting traffic causing only minor disruptions for commuters. St John Ambulance said they attended the scene and several people were treated for minor injuries.
Tramper winched out
A patient was winched from a Far North walking track yesterday after suffering an apparent allergic reaction to a sting. The man, thought to be in his 30s, was in dense bush about halfway between Totara North and Lane Cove hut on the Whangaroa Harbour when the incident occurred. The Northland Rescue Helicopter reached the scene about 1.55pm and lowered a paramedic into a clearing about five minutes' walk away. Medic and patient were then winched into the helicopter through the bush canopy. The patient was flown to Whangārei Hospital. His condition was not thought to be serious. Opononi winner
A ticket sold in Northland was among 10 nationally that each won more than $18,000 with Lotto Second Division on Wednesday night. The winning Northland ticket was sold at Opononi Four Square and earned its holder $18,155. The winning numbers were 4, 6, 21, 29, 32 and 35 with the bonus number 2.
Cyclone brings swells
Northland's east coast may face larger than normal swells from tomorrow as the remains of Tropical Cyclone Tino are expected to sweep by the country. Tropical Cyclone Tino is heading from Fiji, but is expected to be downgraded to a storm by the time it reaches the east of New Zealand on Monday morning. The MetService said the system could bring moderate 2-3m swells along Northland's east coast beaches tomorrow and early next week. The swells would likely be larger than normal for the time of the year and people going into or on to the sea over the next few days will need to take extra care.
Seat belt safety promo
Wear your seat belt is the focus for 2020's Whangārei District/Northland Transport Alliance Road Safety Promotion Programme for the 2020 funding year. Roadsafe programme manager Gillian Archer said 12 new signs had gone up at strategic locations in the Whangārei District, reminding people to wear their seat belts. "This is the start of a staged project where we expect to install seat belt reminders at the exit to all large carparks in our district. We will be relying on the goodwill of owners of privately owned carparks to undertake this project." The $5000 project is funded through the New Zealand Transport Agency's Road Safety Promotion scheme that covers 53 per cent of the costs, with the rest covered by council. Northland is the worst region in New Zealand when it comes to wearing seat belts. Police data shows that 40 per cent of road deaths in 2018 and 2019 were of crash victims who were not wearing seat belts.
SH1 roadworks
People travelling to and from Northland will face night-time roadworks on State Highway 1 south of Wellsford, starting tomorrow night. The work south of Wayby Valley Rd - between Hoteo River Bridge and Forestry Rd – will be carried out over five nights, weather permitting, with stop/go traffic management in place from 7pm to 5am. The Transport Agency's senior manager project delivery, Andrew Thackwray, said the road will be reduced to one lane so crews can drill utility services across the highway.
