Editorial: Grinch weather be gone

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IF THERE'S one thing people love to talk about, it's the weather.

Especially when it's extreme or unseasonable.

So there were plenty of calls of "what's happened to summer?" as the upper North Island, including Rotorua, was hit by heavy rain yesterday.

It certainly didn't feel like summer. While many of our Facebook readers didn't seem too concerned - DVDs and boilups were on the agenda for several Rotorua households apparently - other events were affected.

The Reporoa Tractor Pull and Community Day was down on spectators thanks to the weather and the Ride to Recycle was postponed, while the Soundshell Market just moved inside.

The forecast for our city for the next 10 days or so is for more of the same, threatening to put a dampener on Christmas Day backyard cricket, dips in the lake and barbecues - all those great Kiwi Christmas traditions those in the snowy Northern Hemisphere find so bemusing.

So, while MetService said it's too early to say with certainty what Christmas Day weather will be like, let's hope Santa brings plenty of DVDs, lego and books. Just in case.

We reported on Saturday how Rotorua St John had been touched by two acts of kindness from strangers recently.

One brought them pizzas and drinks while they attended a scrub fire, while another anonymously paid the team's bill at a staff night out.

The St John staff let us know because they wanted to thank those responsible. That kindness obviously struck a chord with our readers too, it's been one of our most read stories this weekend and has been shared more than 400 times on Facebook.

The general consensus? "Awesome" and "well-deserved". It's always nice to see them getting a little thanks.

Katie Holland is deputy editor of the Rotorua Daily Post