NZ@Noon: Coins bound for hospice stolen from wishing well

Waipapa Rotary members, from left, Jeff Cleghorn, Geoff Tilley and Warwick Woollams, with French visitor Flavien Pineau, examining the damage done to the wishing well. Photo/Supplied

Some stories making headlines across our regions this Easter Monday include: A wishing well holding coins for a Northland hospice was raided, an elderly poppy-day collector in Wanganui was left traumatised after her bucket of donations were snatched and wandering dementia patients in the Wairarapa are to be tracked in a similar way to kiwis.

Northlanders are being urged to keep an eye out for dirty, water-stained coins after a wishing well raising money for hospice was raided.

An elderly poppy-day collector was "traumatised" after a young man came up to her outside the Wanganui New World last Thursday and snatched the donation bucket.

A spate of wandering and confused dementia patients in Wairarapa has prompted a search and rescue trust to suggest "tagging" them with tracking devices similar to those used on native kiwi.

It was a worrisome weekend for the manager of a Wairoa motor camp as one of her guests vanished without a trace.

People were dancing in the streets; the bars, restaurants and cafes were packed and there was no shortage of great entertainment for thousands of festival-goers in the Bay of Plenty.

And finally, Kawaha Point Primary School children have a new outdoor "classroom".