NZ At Noon: Shark Remarks, Randy Ram, Speedway Smash

Randy the Ram was kidnapped by rustlers while in a paddock with “his girls”.

Stories making headlines in the provinces on Tuesday at midday include a photographer photographing a photographer being hit by a speedway sidecar, Randy the Ram being kidnapped by rustlers while on heat, and a Wanganui real estate agent ringing people up and threatening to kill them.

The "Aotearoa Is Not For Sale Hikoi" passed through Rotorua yesterday, although some people appear to have got their protests mixed up with placards saying "Stop Deep Sea Oil" and "No oil spills, No Mining." Plenty of hakas went down by the looks.

A 23-year-old Taupo man caught drink driving evidently went off and had a few more before being caught again with an even higher breath alcohol reading.

News that drivers will make significant time savings on an Auckland-Whangarei journey in 2026 when the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway is operating has been greeted by one person with the comment that at least his hearse will arrive sooner if he decides to be buried south of Northland. Meanwhile large pieces of a dismantled power station are gathering dust on a wharf at Marsden Pt.

The shortlived sport of Shark Surfing has ignited the passions of the great unwashed, with comments such as "Sharks are misunderstood, beautiful creatures," and "the shark was dead already, its harmless fun" and "maybe the shark wanted to be a surfboard and the guys were just forfilling (sic) its dream?"

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that a "Jesus heals cancer" billboard in Napier lacked "social responsibility," reopening the God debate in the process with one person rightly or wrongly asking how "Jesus can heal cancer when he couldn't even save himself from being crucified? "

Photographer Daniel Reyland was so busy shooting the action at Meeanee Speedway he didnt hear the crowd yelling "Look ooooout for the ....". Photographer Glenn Taylor captured what happened next.

Rustlers have dragged a kicking and screaming Randy the ram from a paddock full of ewes in Waverley. Owner Kylie James, said he would not have gone easily. "He's nasty at this time of year, when he's with his girls."

A Wanganui real estate agent has been ringing up previous employers saying he was coming to get them and kill them.

While the metropolitan types are obessed with John Banks at the moment, over in Masterton the state of local footpaths remains at the top of the disgruntled list.

In Ashburton, Jenny Manton's kids had to eat their dinner sitting on the floor for two months because a giant hat had taken over their dining table.

The unusually warm April came to a wintry end in South Otago yesterday, but the snow didn't stop one Balclutha person from claiming $5 million at the local New World.

Top trending topics on Twitter in New Zealand at midday include: #NZMusicMonth, The Black Keys, #nzmm, #JohnDotBanks, Man City, Dotcom, United, Wellington, #MUFC, #LessAmbitiousNovels