Tired firefighters finally contain Far North fire

UPDATE - Tired firefighters and helicopter pilots loaded up with food and water and were out at first light today to continue the fight against a large scrub fire near Cape Reinga in the Far North today.

The fire began yesterday when a BMW car driven by tourists crashed down a bank and caught fire.

The Asian tourists were lucky to escape unhurt but fire rapidly spread through a large block of significant conservation land at the Te Paki Recreation Reserve.

About 50 firefighters from DOC, the Fire Service and Far North District Council were battling the blaze on the ground, a DOC spokeswoman said. Helicopters, fire trucks and a fixed wing plane were joined by scores of volunteers yesterday.

By mid-morning DOC said the fire had been contained and ground crew had begun the mop-up to make sure all hot spots were extinguished.

The burnt area of Te Paki reserve covered an area of regenerating bush from Te Paki station to Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) and included the lighthouse area and two camp grounds Tapotupotu and Spirits Bay, said DOC.

Te Paki Reserve had several rare and endemic species, including Bartlett's rata, kauri and flax snails unique to the reserve, and native orchids. The reserve is also home to New Zealand wood pigeon (kukupa). There were also mature kauri stands, broadleaf-podocarp and coastal broadleaf forests, gumland and shrubland, wetlands and dunes.


DOC said the man, woman and a young child, left the BMW before it caught fire and were not hurt.

During the fire 38 people were stranded at Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) when the fire jumped the road to the cape.

They were asked to stay at the lighthouse car park by firefighters and with several campers were escorted out by the police at 6.45pm last night.

DOC said for safety reasons the road to Cape Reinga was closed from Te Paki and the camp grounds and a decision was due later today on whether the road and camps would be reopened.

Late last night the helicopter pilots returned to the Waitiki Landing resort -- the last motel and service station on the road to Cape Reinga -- and were out again at 5am, said manager John Brown.

Mr Brown said they were busy providing food and water to the firefighters who were exhausted after fighting another fire earlier in the week at Kaimaumau Wetlands, north of Kaitaia, which burnt 122 hectares.

"I felt very sorry for them because they came from Kaimaumau. They just come in and fill up with food and water and fuel and back they go to fight the fire," he said.

"They look very tired and the biggest thing for us is to make sure we have got the food ready so they can keep going," Mr Brown told NZPA.

The helicopters used monsoon buckets and several large bulldozers and an excavator were carving a fire break to stop the fire from spreading further.

- NZPA