The Rotorua Daily Post is taking a look back at the top stories that shaped 2016. The following are some of the big news stories in and around Rotorua in July.
■Bittersweet time for residents after the shock closure of the Lumbercube mill. (July 1)
■Rotorua is set to become the country's official home of mountain biking with the new Mountain Bike National Performance Hub being set up. (July 6)
■A weekly Rotorua Farmers Market will be adding vibrancy, operating out of the former City Focus site on Sunday mornings. (July 8)
■The Pokemon go phone craze sweeps Rotorua. (July 12)
■Rotorua's City Focus has been renamed 'Manawa' and will soon have eight new carvings installed. (July 14)
■Terrifying moment as police shoot a machete-wielding man on a busy Rotorua road. (July 15)
■Picking the best of the best 'a harrowing feat' for judges at this year's Rotorua Hospitality Awards. (July 18)
■Close call for four kayakers rescued from Lake Rotorua in terrible weather conditions. (July 25)
■St John Ambulance looks set to expand its Rotorua station, if a proposed land swap gets the go-ahead. (July 27)
■Elected officials receive a 2 per cent pay rise. (July 29)