Sideswipe: January 4: Further sharks on the loose

The friendly shark became wedged in ceiling rafted of the Auckland International Airport. Photo / Helen Gower

Radio for help - I'm stuck
Another Air Swimmer escapee ... This one is trying to leave the country and was spotted by Helen Gower at Auckland International Airport stuck in the rafters.

Our future is in safe hands

A reader writes: "Four of New Zealand's best and brightest future leaders, including two honours law students, an honours engineering student and a history grad embark on relatively simple task of driving from Wellington to Waihi Beach. Two hours after passing through Turangi, they ended up back there, having unintentionally driven around Lake Taupo.

Apparently the brightest of all decided Waihi is west of Hamilton so they should turn left at each Hamilton sign. Two had phones with sat nav and they had a map! Incredulous father of one of the geniuses, on learning story when they eventually arrived, offered the services of autistic brother with a fascination with maps for the rest of the journey to Coro Gold in Whitianga. True story."

Into the wild blue yonder #1

And this from a pilot on the Wings Over New Zealand Aviation Forum: "There I was, just cruising around at about 1500 feet (457m) above Hamilton in a Robin just having an aerial shufti, when I see an object that looks like a helicopter off in the distance. However, without getting much bigger (i.e. closer) it suddenly whizzes past my left wing ... and although it has the same general shape as a chopper, this thing has fins and a tail instead of rotors. Despite the warning on the box of the Air Swimmer Shark (for indoor use only) someone's $80 Christmas present (with $50 worth of helium) is drifting gently southwest over Hamilton city, climbing at about 200 feet a minute. I did my civic duty and reported it to ATC as a hazard."

Into the wild blue yonder #2

Kim has another shark on the loose ... "After leaving our shark to roam free in our house in Howick on Christmas Day, as we enjoyed Xmas dinner on the deck next door, my 14-year-old daughter looked up and said, 'That's our shark' as it flew off over the roof tops."

Into the wild blue yonder #3

"Yes I work 'where everyone gets bargain'," says Ross. "And I served a father who needed to replace his young son's shark ... Despite the instructions not to use outdoors the adult had tied a fishing line, obviously not securely enough, to see how high it would go and that was the last they saw of it. I don't understand why the instructions say it will go up to 40,000 feet but use only indoors when they are so big."