Regatta off the line
The Whangārei Cruising Club's popular Women's Series Regatta is off to a flying start. April 27 saw On Sunday the first of three races commence with 12 yachts - with women-only crews of three to six - take part. The course started just outside Parua Bay and looped past McLeod Bay, Port Marsden, and One Tree Point. High n Fibre, Ex Machina and Mystery Achievement enjoyed close racing at the front of the fleet, with the lead changing several times on the long windward beat to Port Marsden. The downwind leg saw High n Fibre and Ex Machina extend their lead to finish first and second respectively. The smallest boat in the fleet, Carbon Footprint suffered a crash gybe, but the boat and all crew were recovered and they finished the race in style – a very high-speed run under gennaker. The final two races are set for April 10 and 24. The club invites keen female sailors to either enter a yacht or sign up as crew – no experience necessary. For further details contact the Whangarei Cruising Club.
Pedestrian who died on SH14 named
A man who died after being hit by a car on SH14 at Tangiteroria on Tuesday has now been named. He was Derek Morgan, aged 60, from Dargaville. It appeared he was crossing the road when he was struck by a car travelling east towards Whangārei about 8am on Tuesday, police said. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he died at the scene, where the Serious Crash Unit was in attendance.
Big fundraising effort in Mangawhai
The Mangawhai community and the local Four Square donated a whopping $10,000 to the coastal town's volunteer surf lifeguards. The money was raised by Four Square Mangawhai Heads shoppers adding $1 or more to their total at the checkouts - tallying more than $6500 in donations which were later topped up to $10,000 by the grocery store. Four Square Mangawhai Heads wrote on their Facebook page that 3000 customers made contributions. The Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service was "very grateful" for the outpouring of support.
Flu vaccines from today
With winter looming, April 1 marks the start date for the influenza vaccination programme in Northland to protect against the most common flu strains entering our community. Influenza (or the flu) symptoms can include fever, chills, aches, runny nose, a cough and stomach upset and spreads quickly from person to person. The strains of the virus that cause the flu constantly change, so having had the virus before does not stop you from getting it again. Each year, the vaccine formula is updated to keep up with changing viruses. Book your flu vaccination at your GP, a participating pharmacy or Māori health provider.
