Escaper quickly caught
A 24-year-old Kaitaia man who smashed a reinforced window to escape from the Kaitaia District Court yesterday did not enjoy his freedom for long. He was pursued on foot by two police officers, who nabbed him on the intersection of Redan Rd and Commerce St, about 100 metres from the courthouse. A court security spokesman said the man had taken exception to news, delivered by his lawyer, that the police prosecutor was opposing bail at his appearance before the court registrar. He reacted by kicking out the 8mm reinforced glass window in the interview room, hopped through the hole and ran off along an internal corridor and out the front doors. He had been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail. He is now expected to face further charges of wilful damage and escaping.
Police car rammed
A police car was rammed during a short pursuit in Whangārei with the fleeing vehicle crashing and three men running off. The incident on Keyte St happened about 11.30pm on Thursday. The sole male officer was not injured but the patrol car was damaged down the panels on the driver's side. The trio had not been found yet. Yesterday the car was still being assessed as to whether it could be repaired and put back on the road.
Dunes ride cancelled
A group of motorcyclists and four-wheel-drive enthusiasts threatening to converge on fenced-off dunes south of Ahipara appear to have cancelled the event. The ''truck and bike day to take back Ahipara dunes'' was to have taken place on August 25 with more than 80 people saying they would take part and another 400-plus interested. The plan, and threats by others to cut the fences, sparked a storm on social media before the Facebook event page was deleted late on Thursday. Organiser Kealan Browning said Ahipara locals had ''fenced off what's not theirs'' so he was organising a ''mean day on the dunes to show them they don't own the beach''. Local iwi Te Rarawa, which owns the Department of Conservation-administered dunes, said the fence was necessary to stop damage to fragile sand dunes and sites of cultural significance. Drivers will still be able to drive on the beach and around the reef.
Auditions open for panto
New community theatre company The Stage Door is holding auditions this weekend for the upcoming pantomime Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood. Auditions for all roles as well as backstage crew will be held at 2pm and 5pm tomorrow, August 5, at the Turner Centre on Kerikeri's Cobham Rd. The panto will be directed by David Crewe and produced by Kim Bailey, the same team that was behind Billy Goes to War. The performances will on November 22-25 at The Turner Centre.
Golf run and promotion
Students from seven schools will take part in the Whangārei Golf Club's second annual Interschool Cross Country Challenge on Tuesday. The students, aged 8-12, will run around the golf course, in Tikipunga, which will be closed for the day, with the club providing prizes for the first five in all the age groups and each winner receives a Full Junior Membership. There are golf activities provided by the club, Golf Northland and Sport Northland to entertain the kids who have finished the races, and give them a taste of golf, a sport which is new to many of them. The runners are from Tikipunga Primary; Totara Grove; Te Kura Kaupapa O Rawhitiroa; Te Kura O Otangarei; Whau Valley; Te Kapehu Whetu and Tikipunga High schools.
