Sick cruise ship worker airlifted
A rescue helicopter landed on a cruise ship in the Bay of Islands after a crew member became seriously ill about 1pm yesterday. Initially the patient was to have been brought ashore at Waitangi where volunteer firefighters set up a landing zone in the grounds of the Copthorne Hotel but after circling over the Explorer Dream for more than 15 minutes the Northland Rescue Helicopter was able to land on the deck. It is believed the patient had suffered a cardiac arrest and was flown to Whangārei Hospital. His condition was not known at edition time yesterday. The Explorer Dream is owned by Hong Kong-based Genting Cruise Lines, also known as Dream Cruises, and has 1870 passengers on board. Its previous port was Auckland and it was headed for Milford Sound.
All good for northern new year
Northland is expected to be one of the best places to be in the country on New Year's Day, with the thermometer set to hit 28C-plus. MetService is forecasting mainly fine weather for Northland tomorrow, apart from some morning and evening cloud. There will be light winds and sea breezes. The temperature high will be 28C-plus while the overnight low is expected to be around 14C.
Drowned snorkeller named
The man who died while snorkelling at Kai Iwi Lakes on Christmas Day was Hanbo Bao (known as Campbell), aged 44, from Albany, in Auckland, police said. Bao was found unresponsive in the water at Kai Iwi Lakes, near Dargaville, about 2pm on Christmas Day.
It was the second water death in Northland on Christmas Day, after a crabber was found dead at Uretiti Beach, south of Whangarei, about 10.10am that day. The crabber's name has yet to be released by police. Police have also yet to release the name of the woman who died when a boat flipped at Houhora on Boxing Day. The woman, in her 60s, died at the scene at Houhora Harbour's east beach, while two others received minor injuries, police said. Emergency services were called to the incident at 11.15am.
The Feelers to play Paihia
Kiwi band The Feelers will be playing Zane Grey's on the Paihia waterfront tonight as the Bay of Islands town welcomes in the new year. Other entertainment will include the Biggest Little Circus, with busking performances at 2pm, 7pm and 9pm on the Village Green, and Business Paihia's midnight fireworks display launched from a barge moored between Paihia and Russell.
Motorcyclist injured/
A motorcyclist suffered minor injuries in a collision with a car at Pakaraka, at the junction of State Highway 1 and 10, about 1.30pm yesterday. The injured rider was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital. Police, St John Ambulance and the Kawakawa Fire Brigade responded.
