NZ@Noon: School picks up pieces after fire

Irongate School principal Fay Wooster says staff, pupils and the wider community are upset that the school's youngest pupils have lost their classrooms. Photo / Paul Taylor

Stories making headlines around the regions today include a suspicious school fire that has gutted a community and a pair of tourists are towed to safety after a dramatic tumble.

Irongate School pupils return to school today after an arson attack gutted a classroom and left two more badly damaged.

Strong gusts of wind and choppy water caught two tourists by surprise, causing their kayak to capsize on Lake Rotorua yesterday.

A hunter missing overnight in the Kaimai Range was insufficiently prepared, police say.

A brave Wanganui dairy owner has thwarted an attempted robbery by a man believed to be armed.

A 250kg Italian marble statue atop Whangarei's war memorial was gently removed and lowered on to the back of a truck as part of a relocation project yesterday.

And finally, a giant 90ft (27m) pirate's parrot will be the feature hot-air balloon at next year's Wairarapa Balloon Festival.