Northland news in brief

The Northland Rescue Helicopter airlifted a Kaitaia woman to Whangarei Hospital after a crash on SH!) on Sunday. Photo / Supplied

Dramatic crash

A Kaitaia woman had to be cut out of her car after a dramatic crash on State Highway 10 on Sunday. Police say the 27-year-old was travelling north when she lost control at a bend near the junction with Taratara Rd, skidded about 100m, crashed through a fence, went down a bank and into a tree.

She suffered a suspected broken femur and other bones. Volunteers from the Kaeo and Mangonui fire brigades freed the woman by cutting the side off the car. She was airlifted to Whangarei Hospital by the Northland Rescue Helicopter. An investigation is continuing but police say alcohol was not a factor.

Horse freed from float

Kaikohe firefighters turned animal rescuers on Sunday when a stuck horse had to freed from a float. The brigade was called to Awarua, south of Kaikohe, about 4.50pm when a horse somehow got its leg trapped in the float. Senior station officer Brendon Mayall said firefighters used a hydraulic spreader to move the divider in the middle of the float, allowing the horse to free itself. The animal was uninjured.

Water main bursts

About a third of households in Kawakawa were without water on Sunday after a water main burst under SH1 near the intersection with Vogel Rd. The fault occurred early on Sunday morning and was repaired after 8pm.

The actual break was some distance from the "wet spots" on the highway so it took time to find, a council spokesman said. That section of main was old and would be included in the council's pipe replacement programme, he said. A water tanker was stationed on the main street on Sunday evening to allow residents to fill water containers.

$30k for hospice

The 2017 House Tour organised by the Girls' Club raised more than $30,000 for North Haven Hospice. It was the fifth such biennial event held by the group of Whangarei women, who ask people to open their stylish homes to the paying public over a weekend.

This year's effort, with the open homes being shown on November 11 and 12, was the biggest so far, with 630 tickets sold. The Girls' Club has raised more than $130,000 for the hospice since 2009.