Rajesh Kumar, his wife Indra and daughter Muskan were reunited in January. Photo / Bevan Conley
Rajesh Kumar, his wife Indra and daughter Muskan were reunited in January. Photo / Bevan Conley
January 7
In early January, the Chronicle reported the story of Rajesh Kumar, the owner of Tasty Indian restaurant in Whanganui, who was reunited with his wife and daughter after being separated for 12 years.
Kumar had been battling Immigration New Zealand for more than a year to get hisfamily to visit him, after the government agency shut one of its offices in India.
Wife Indra and daughter Muskan were eventually granted a nine-month visa to visit Rajesh, and received an apology from Immigration New Zealand.
January 10 marked the first time the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic was reported in the Whanganui Chronicle. Appearing only as a brief, the small report said that Chinese state media were reporting the discovery of a new "viral pneumonia-type disease" that was "different from known human coronavirus species."
In a real sign of the times, the report about the newly discovered virus appeared lower than a story on the release of a new Netflix programme and a letter on bus route changes.
In what was described as "an amazing place to die," a German tourist suffering from prostate cancer passed while traversing the slopes of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Gerd Wilde, a 75-year-old dentist from Berlin, decided to travel the world with his close family in his final days, after battling the disease for many years.
The man and his son Simon were around 100 metres from the top of the mountain when Wilde paused and sat down. He soon lost consciousness and was pronounced dead shortly after.
Son Simon said the death was "very peaceful", and thanked New Zealanders for their kind words and generosity. A rahui was later placed on the mountain, and the man was repatriated home to Germany.
A pod of Orca were seen at North Mole in January. Photo / Bevan Conley
January 22
Crowds of people flocked to the North Mole on a hot Wednesday night to witness a pod of Orca swim into the river mouth to feed. Department of Conservation staff followed the pod, ensuring they were not in trouble, as they pleased onlookers by breaching and slapping their fins.
As darkness fell, the pod of the marine mammals eventually dispersed, as did the crowds.
January 27
A body was found in the Whanganui River, and was quickly confirmed to be that of a missing 24-year-old Israeli tourist. The body was found near Mosquito Point, after Police had spent almost two days searching for the missing man.
Police dive squad scours the Whanganui River for a missing tourist's body. Photo / Bevan Conley
Police were originally alerted at 1.20pm on the previous Sunday, receiving reports that a swimmer had failed to surface. Police searched all evening with no luck, eventually suspending the search for the night. He was discovered late the next day. The man was never named.
