Warkworth RegionFriday 5th January - Isolated showers, becoming widespread and possibly heavy this afternoon. Showers clearing to fine this evening. Southwesterlies.Saturday 6th January - Showers, clearing to fine in the evening. Southerlies developing for a time in the afternoon and evening.Sunday 7th January - Mainly fine. Chance of a shower. Easterlies, easing in the afternoon.Mangawhai RegionFriday 5th January - Mostly cloudy. Showers developing late morning, possibly heavy, but clearing to fine early evening. Light winds.Saturday 6th January - Showers developing late morning, possibly heavy, easing late. Northerlies, turning southeasterly in the afternoon.Sunday 7th January - Mainly fine, chance of a shower until evening. Easterlies developing in the morning.

Peter de GraafThe final death of the official holiday period - and the first in Northland of 2024 - was a baby boy who had only recently turned six months old.The infant was one of four people in a ute that rolled on Waimā Valley Road, in South Hokianga, at about 6.20pm on Tuesday.Serious Crash Unit investigator Jeff Cramp said the driver lost control on the gravel road about 500 metres from home, with the ute coming to rest on the driver's side.The three adults - the baby's parents and one other person - suffered various injuries but managed to get out of the vehicle and walk to the nearest house with the badly injured infant.They were then transported to Rāwene Hospital.Cramp said he understood the baby was dead on arrival at hospital.The investigation was ongoing. It was not yet clear what caused the crash or whether the occupants were restrained.A baby car seat was found at the scene, outside the vehicle, but it was not known if it was in use at the time of the crash.Cramp said the sad death was the fifth in Northland during the official holiday period, the nineteenth and last nationally of the holiday period, and the region's first fatality of 2024.Other road deaths in Northland during the holiday period included two cousins aged four and six, from Perth and Auckland, who died when the utility terrain vehicle they were in careered off Fern Flat Road, near Pēria, into a deep waterhole.This story was originally published by RNZ

Lucy XiaThere was commotion and excitement at a popular beach north of Auckland yesterday after yet another shark sighting - but experts say it was common over summer and that most sharks did not pose a risk to swimmers.Omaha beach was packed with holidaymakers when the bronze whaler was spotted late afternoon yesterday.The beach was abuzz as people left the waters and waited for 30 minutes for the shark to pass by.Ocean swimmer Ritchie Wattson who encountered a shark the day before at the same beach said it was not uncommon."There's plenty of sharks, I mean it's not a case of if there are sharks, it's a case of how far away they are," he said.He said he was not too concerned."They're all heading around the corner to goat island to have a feed anyway, they don't really want us, so I'm not terribly concerned," he said.Vinnie and Winnie, who had their shark inflatable at Omaha Beach did not expect to share the beach with a real one. Photo: RNZ / Lydia LewisClinton Duffy from the Department of Conservation's marine species team said bronze whalers were the most common large shark species in northern New Zealand at this time of the year.He said they ate fish and squid and were generally not a risk to people out on the water."They're quite often just seen swimming amongst people at the beach, but the swimmers and other water users themselves are completely unaware that the sharks are there,"And the sharks are swimming along the beach, swimming around people, that's how disinterested in people bronze whalers are," he said.Marine scientist Riley Elliott shared a similar view.He was out with his drone capturing shark behaviour at Pauanui in the Coromandel yesterday when he captured seven bronze whalers in a 20 minute flight."With drone perspective, you see these animals are very passive, very calm, and in fact in some of the imagery when swimmers and surfers come out in the water,"Sharks from a distance will get curious, come up and about 50 metres away, realise there's a person, and they actually avoid them, they turn directly around and swim the other way," he said.Elliott said the creatures were not doing anything out of the ordinary.He said the golden rule was to not dump fishing carcasses where people swim regularly - and vice versa, for people to avoid swimming in areas where others are fishing.This story was originally from RNZ

A man has been saved after spending 23.5 hours in the water at sea off Whangamatā, encountering a shark, and then using the reflection from his wristwatch to catch the attention of his rescuers.Whangamatā Police Sergeant Will Hamilton said the man set off on a solo fishing trip on January 2, aboard his 40-foot boat, intending to return the following day.Near the Alderman Islands he hooked what he suspected was a marlin, before falling overboard about 55 kilometres -- or 30 nautical miles -- off the coast of the North Island.Unable to catch the idling boat as it meandered further out of reach, the man attempted to swim to the Alderman Islands, but was dragged away by currents.He endured a cold night in the ocean, too exhausted to keep swimming -- but during his time in the water, a shark came to "have a sniff", before leaving him alone.At about 2pm on Wednesday, three fishermen on a boat near Mayor Island noticed an unusual reflection on the water.They discovered the fisherman in the sea, who had got their attention using the reflection of the sun on his watch.The trio plucked him from the water, immediately alerted Police and set course for Whangamatā Marina.Hamilton said it was an "absolute miracle" the fisherman was alive.The man was hypothermic and exhausted, and received treatment from a St John ambulance crew on-shore.The man said he wanted to thank Mike, Tyler and James for rescuing him, along with all emergency services involved.The man's boat was still missing, and boaties are asked to report any sightings of empty powered vessels.This story was originally published by RNZ

Extra, extra, read all about it! Additional refuse collections for summer hot spots! Prepaid blue bags only, from Thursday 28 December – Sunday 14 January: Glinks Gully - Monday and Thursday Baylys Beach (from Rehutai Road) - Monday and Friday Omamari Village - Wednesday and Sunday Prepaid blue and yellow bags, from Thursday 28 December – Thursday 1 February Mangawhai - Monday and ThursdayNote that Kaipara Refuse only collect the official prepaid blue and yellow bags available from KDC offices, local supermarkets, petrol stations and dairys.

If you've got kids online these holidays, now is a good time to brush up on how you can help to keep them safe Netsafe has created the Online Safety Parent Toolkit to get parents and whānau talking about online safety.Download it here - https://netsafe.org.nz/parenttoolkit/

The organiser of a rain-drenched Northland music festival says the event will be back at the end of the year but with lessons learned from this summer's three-day mud bath.Northern Bass was held near Mangawhai from 29 to 31 December and was hit by 114 millimetres of rain, leaving 10,000 revellers in a quagmire.Some festival-goers vented their frustration on social media, complaining of camping in ankle-deep mud, cars stuck in swamped paddocks, overflowing loos and a lack of drinking of water.Director Gareth Popham said the festival was by far the most challenging one he had run, due to what he described as unprecedented amounts of rain.However, he said some of the claims made on social media were not accurate, and customers who had been in touch directly appreciated efforts to keep the event going despite days of rain."A lot of them seemed to understand they were coming to a three-day festival that was predicted to have bad weather, and they decided to come," Popham said."Some of them prepared for it and some didn't, and we did our best to make it safe as possible for those people that did decide to come and enjoy it."Popham said the Settlement Road site had also copped a huge amount of rain in February - that deluge wiped out a bridge at nearby Langs Beach - but at that time there weren't 10,000 festival-goers and 700 staff on site.Popham said the crowd was slightly smaller than usual because he cut off ticket sales early, due to concerns about how many people the site could handle given the forecast weather.Once he knew the rain was coming he had extra gravel brought in for vehicle access, but that could not be done in the parking paddock because it was a working farm for the rest of the year.He also brought in large quantities of mulch for the paths around the campground."But that only does so much if the rain just keeps coming. It's fine to mulch at the start of the festival, then in the morning after it's rained, but when it keeps raining every hour on the hour, or consistently for five or six hours at a time, mulch only handles so much - especially with so much foot traffic."Early on 31 December staff brought in two truck-loads of pallets and used them to build raised walkways, then covered them with astroturf so they weren't slippery."I know a lot of media's picked on the complaints .. but we've had a lot of love from our customers saying, 'we can't imagine what you guys are going through' and 'we really appreciate waking up in the morning and seeing you've got diggers on site and you're building bridges and walkways'."Popham acknowledged there were problems with the water supply, but said claims there was no drinking water on site were not accurate.He said there were many outlets across the festival site, some of which ran out at times.That was compounded by problems with the Wellsford town water supply, which meant it took longer to get water onto the site.Some injuries were reported but nothing out of the ordinary for a festival of its size.Popham said it had been a tough few years with Covid cancellations and Welcome to the Jungle - another festival that had been planned to use the same site - cancelled in January due to Cyclone Gabrielle.However, the 13th Northern Bass festival would "definitely" go ahead in December 2024, he said."This was the first time we've gone through something like this on this site, so there's lots of learnings from that. We know now, if that amount of rain comes in, where that water goes, and what effect that has."There's lots of things we can do with pre-warning."All festival-goers managed to leave the site by Monday afternoon, with diggers and all-terrain vehicles used to tow festival-goers' cars out of the mire.About 90 staff remained on site working on the pack-down, with that number set to drop to five in two weeks' time.Headline acts at the 2023 festival included drum 'n' bass heavyweights Goldie, Sub Focus, Lee Mvtthews, Netsky and Dillinja.This story was originally published by RNZ

By Niki BezzantGyms can be intimidating places, especially if you haven't exercised in a while, or if you're not as fit, toned and young as their advertisements suggest. On the other hand, we all know the benefits of regular exercise, and the benefits of the type of exercise the gym enables: strength or weight training.So what to do? Is it possible to get fitter and stronger without setting foot on a gym floor?Kyra Seiler is an Auckland personal trainer who specialises in high-intensity strength training. Surprisingly, she says it is absolutely possible to gain fitness and strength at home with minimal equipment.Personal trainer Kyra Seiler. Photo: Supplied"You don't need to have a gym at home to achieve strength; to help you with mental health, flexibility… everything can be done with your own body weight", she says."It's just a matter of finding a little space. And you know, by doing a workout in a space that's one metre by one metre, you can definitely achieve that."Start smallIf you're coming back to exercise after a break - or you've never done it but you'd like to establish a regular exercise habit - the key is to start with something achievable*."Getting started is the most difficult point for anyone", Seiler stresses."What I hear from a lot of people is, 'I start out with good intentions in January and then by the end of February it's all falling apart because it's just really hard to stay committed…' A lot of the time people do depend on willpower to get it done, but it's not long-lasting."Start small for exercise success, personal trainer Kyra Seiler says. Photo: Jonathan Borba / UnsplashShe says to form habits that actually stick, we are far better off starting small. At home, that might mean just 15 minutes of exercise, once a week."If you are looking to get stronger; have more mobility and just feel better, create a program that is body weight only, starting off with once a week; maybe twice a week. Try two exercises for the lower body, two exercises for the upper body, and maybe an ab exercise. A 15-minute workout. Try and commit to that once a week."Once that's embedded, try doing the same workout twice a week."And then you can start looking at changing it around; maybe you add in a few other exercises to take it to 30 minutes."Exercises she suggests as good starters: something for the legs, like squats, lunges or wall sits - the latter was shown in recent research to lower blood pressure. Working the legs is important, "because you use your legs every day - walking up stairs, walking down stairs; your legs help you catch yourself if you fall over."Push-ups are another great all-rounder exercise for the upper body and core - and you do not have to start in a perfect plank position on your toes to benefit."You can start simply pushing up against the wall," Seiler says."Start with doing about 10 of those and then once you feel comfortable with 10, you can lower that down to maybe a chair. Then progress onto your knees on the floor, and then eventually you can lift your knees up."A 'superman' is a good back exercise: "Lying face down, flat on the ground, lifting your hands up, lifting your legs up, and then just lowering that back to the ground in a nice slow and controlled manner - that helps strengthen the back."Need help? There's lots of workout inspiration on YouTube, whether that's follow-along workouts and guides showing how to do various exercises in good form.Focus on resistance training"The number one thing I just want everyone to do is to try and do some sort of resistance training," Seiler says."The amount of research that's coming out now in terms of benefits for mental health, quality of life, reducing your risk of cancer and type two diabetes... strength training is being shown to be superior to cardiovascular training."Resistance and strength training will keep you fit into old age. Photo: Kelly Sikkema / UnsplashResistance work is important as we age, particularly, since we tend to naturally lose muscle mass. This is known as sarcopenia and it's a major contributor to frailty and falls in old age, as well as general aches and pains and weight gain in midlife.Beyond aesthetics, Seiler reckons "the mental health benefits are probably the number one reason why people should try strength training - or just [any] exercise. The endorphin release from it; the serotonin and oxytocin [feel-good chemicals]."People don't realise that you can get that with just a basic 10-minute workout or even a five-minute workout. Just jump on the floor, do a few sit-ups, maybe do a few pushups. You instantly feel better from it. When I'm feeling stressed… as funny as it sounds, I just do 10 pushups and I feel better."Add cardioCardiovascular health is improved by exercise that gets the heart rate up. Again, that can be done with strength training if you keep your rest periods short. Another option is walking."You can walk 10 minutes, 20 minutes," Seiler says.Walking is good exercise, but you need to make it more than a stroll. Photo: Social Cut / Unsplash"Ideally you want to try and make it a little bit intense to get the benefit. You're not just going for a casual stroll.""Another [good cardio exercise] is finding a flight of stairs. Just walk up that about five times. Another one that you can do now that summer's coming up is swimming. It's great, and low-impact for the knees. You don't have to swim laps and laps and laps. It can just be a 10- or 15-minute swim and whatever stroke you want to do. I think it's just about finding something that works for you. One type of exercise doesn't work for everyone."Pick exercise you enjoyIf you do not enjoy your workouts, they're unlikely to become a habit."If you set yourself up to say, 'I'm going to do burpees; I'm going to do jump squats; I'm going to do push-ups three times a week.' but you actually hate those exercises, you're not going to do it", Seiler says.Exercise should be challenging, but not damaging. Photo: Cole Keister / UnsplashTake any injuries or restrictions into account when figuring out what exercises your body will enjoy before settling on a programme, she says."It's finding exercises, experimenting with a few and then putting that all together."There is a line between enjoyment and the effectiveness that comes from a challenging exercise, though. Ideally, we should be doing exercises we enjoy, to the point of momentary muscular failure."That's when you can't complete a repetition in good form", explains Seiler. Evidence shows that failure means more muscle activation and increases in muscle strength over time.Step it upOnce you are comfortable with your regular exercise routine, try increasing the intensity."The next step can just be a simple progression, such as adding some resistance into the exercise", Seiler says."If you're finding that, for example, with body weight squats, you're doing about 25 repetitions, and you're kind of getting bored with that, you can purchase some dumbbells [available from most big-box retailers]. It doesn't have to be heavy dumbbells. Start squatting with those."Yes, you can lunge your way to better health and fitness. Photo: Big Dodzy / UnsplashChanging the timing in your exercise is another way to increase intensity - slowing down a squat to 10 seconds down, 10 seconds up, for example, will increase the time that the muscle fibre is under tension, which will help you get stronger.Adding variety at this point can be an intensity-builder too. Once you've mastered a lunge, try a Bulgarian split squat or a Russian lunge, where the back foot is propped up on a chair or bench.Consider your whyAt first, most people want to exercise because they want to look better, but Seiler says there are far deeper reasons to move that are probably going to be far more motivating long-term."Exercise has so many benefits," she says.There are more benefits to exercise than just looking good. Photo: Big Dodzy / Unsplash"Everyone thinks that by doing strength training, by going for a walk, by going for a swim… the first thing people think about is gaining muscle, or having that so-called 'toned' appearance. But there's so many underlying benefits such as reducing cancer, reducing type two diabetes, reducing cholesterol, reducing blood pressure, increasing your BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). That's associated with memory, learning and focus, so it actually makes you smarter by exercising."Decreased levels of BDNF are also associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.When motivation wanes, thinking of those external factors can get you back up on your feet."Being fitter is just one goal," Seiler says."There's another goal of feeling better mentally. Or it could be you're doing it for family reasons - I actually want to be healthier for my partner. I want to be healthier for my kids. I want to get strong so when I'm older I can still play with them. There's a whole bunch of other goals rather than just gaining muscle. And the list of benefits goes on and on and on."*If you have any health concerns, injuries or medical conditions, make sure you get the all-clear from your doctor before starting any exercise programme.This story was originally posted by RNZ

According to Safeswim's latest update Snells Beach is now ok to swim at after previously not recommended due to bacteria contamination usually from storm water and sewage overflow.Mangawhai Estuary and Piroa Falls are still considered high risk and not advised, until 9pm tonight.For more updates head to their website

The removal of tariffs on milk powder means all New Zealand dairy products can now enter China duty-free.This deal was part of the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement, which was first negotiated in 2008.Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said it was a landmark day."It's really good news not only for dairy farmers but [also for] the New Zealand economy."$350 million worth of additional revenue delivered to New Zealand as a result of the FTA finally entering into force, it's a day for celebration, but still a [lot] more work to do ... a lot more we can export."Federated Farmers president of Marlborough Evan White said the removal of tariffs would benefit New Zealand communities.Although it was always on the cards as part of the Free Trade Agreement with China, it had probably slipped under the radar and "snuck up" on most farmers, he said."It puts more money back in the pockets of the dairy farmers, which in turn will get spent in the town, in the community, in the country."White hoped removing the tariffs would have a positive effect on the dairy payout and farmer morale.McClay said China was a valuable trading partner for the country."They take about $8 billion worth of dairy products from New Zealand but across the primary sector they are big importers."The government is looking to build on that relationship but also diversify, so we can sell more to India and the EU and other places.China was also responsible for a lot of jobs in New Zealand's economy, said McClay.New Zealand's annual dairy exports to China have averaged 1.4 million tonnes each year over the past three years, around half of which was milk powder.FTAs currently in force covered two-thirds of New Zealand's exports.This story was originally published by RNZ

Jamie Wall, Digital Sports JournalistJust a little over three months on from her maiden Grand Slam title, it's fair to say Coco Gauff is pretty happy with the way her tennis career is going.The win at the US Open capped off a season that started with a win at the 2023 ASB Classic, so the 19-year-old returns as the defending champion and main drawcard. It's a fair assumption right now that Gauff is the leading light in the resurgence of American tennis, but that's not a label she likes to wear."Like public publicity wise and ranking wise, technically I'm at the front, but all my counterparts are older than me, so I don't really feel like that," she said the day before the start of the 2024 tournament."So, I don't feel like I'm leading them in any way or leading it. Maybe for you guys (the media) it feels like that. But for us, or at least for me, I just feel like I'm just focus on me. I'm not trying to lead anybody. If anything, I'm really learning from them."Still, Gauff admits that her breakthrough win at Flushing Meadows has changed things in a big way."I get more recognition, but I just feel like for me as a person, that helped me, prove that all the growth that I'm doing is leading to results."You're not going to win all the time. But there is a moment where you're going to reach that goal. So, I think (the US Open win) was just a statement for all the work that I put in, and I think I definitely deserved it."The women's draw for the 2024 ASB Classic Photo: ASB ClassicShe was quick to point out that her first-round exit at Wimbledon last season was something that she'd learned from in a big way."Learning from it helped me push forward and I think sometimes you need those setbacks to push you forward. Obviously, at the time I didn't want to lose first round, but I think that's what I needed."That sort of confidence and maturity on the court and on camera is something that the US tennis establishment is lapping up, as well as the fact that they also have Ben Shelton rapidly rising up the ranks.She is joined in the top 10 by Jessica Pegula right now and says that the potential for an American dynasty in the years to come is exciting."That feeling I felt on match point (at the US Open) was a high and I want to continue to chase that high," she said.So how does it feel to walk into a room as not only the defending champ, but a US Open winner?Coco Gauff greets a young fan at Te Atatu Tennis Club in the lead up to the 2024 ASB Classic. Photo: Tim Marshall"It feels the same, last season was last season. I don't really take any thought to it. Obviously, you want to defend, but my whole career has been trying to forget the past and it's just the same as a tournament that I've lost in the first round at."Honestly, I feel like that's more pressure because you don't want to lose in the first round again. I try to treat every tournament like a fresh start and if I get to the end and win back-to-back, that's pretty cool, but I'm not really looking at that."Gauff takes on fellow American Claire Liu, ranked 98 in the world, in her first-round match. Looking at the draw she's a decent shout to repeat her title-winning effort from last year, but the relaxed and confident champion is taking it all in her stride.This story was originally published by RNZ.

Warkworth RegionMonday 1st December - Fine. Fresh southwesterlies easing evening.Tuesday 2nd December - Partly cloudy. Southwesterlies.Wednesday 3rd December - Cloud clearing and becoming fine in the afternoon. Southwesterlies.Thursday 4th December - Fine. Southwesterlies developing.Friday 5th December - Partly cloudy, with rain developing. Northeasterlies.Saturday 6th December - Showers, clearing and becoming fine. Southerlies.Sunday 7th December - Showers. Easterlies.Mangawhai RegionMonday 1st December - Fine. Southwesterlies.Tuesday 2nd December - Becoming cloudy in the morning. Southwesterlies developing in the morning.Wednesday 3rd December - Cloud clearing and becoming fine in the afternoon. Southerlies, easing in the evening.Thursday 4th December - Fine. Light winds.Friday 5th December - Showers, clearing to partly cloudy weather. Northeasterlies.Saturday 6th December - Cloudy, with rain developing. Light windsSunday 7th December - Showers. Light winds.

Due to the current water quality both Snells Beach and Mangawhai Estuary are deems not safe to swim at due to high risk of contamination.Safeswim water quality models predict that levels of Faecal Indicator Bacteria breach national guidelines for swimming, based on guidance published by the Ministry of Health and Ministry for the Environment.Should I swim today?According to the Safeswim website: water quality forecasts take account of rainfall, wind, tide, sunlight and beach type. They are built using high-frequency targeted sampling on top of historical monitoring results, and are underpinned by the best available meteorological data, including readings from rain radar and an extensive network of rain gauges. Safeswim's forecasts are automatically overridden if sensors detect unpredicted events – like a wastewater overflow in dry weather – that are likely to cause a public health risk.If you would like to see a video on how contaminants move through the ocean.Mangawhai Estuary - is projected to be safe to get back in the back from Tuesday 2nd January from 7pm onwards.Snells Beach - is projected to be safe from today Sunday 31st Dec from 9pm.Piroa Falls and Ruakaka River are also currently unsafe to swim at.Other beaches on the east coast that are monitored have been deemed safe, these include Waiwera, Algies Bay, Tawharanui, Omaha, Goat Island, Mangawhai Heads, Langs and Waipu.For updated information head to their website

SH1 New Motorway is backed up heading North about 5km before Warkworth roundabout.Dome Valley is congested.Wellsford around Wayby is slow heading North.Matakana Valley road and Sharps road are congested heading into Matakana.

Warkworth RegionFriday 29th December - Showers, some heavy, becoming persistent this evening. Possible thunderstorms from afternoon. Northwesterlies, strong in exposed places, easing evening.Saturday 30th December - Rain, with thunderstorms possible before dawn, clearing in the morning with fine breaks developing. Cloud increasing late evening. Westerlies, easing evening.Sunday 31st December - Rain developing in the morning, heavy at times, with thunderstorms possible in the afternoon, easing late. Fresh northwesterlies, turning lighter southwesterly in the evening.Monday 1st January - Partly cloudy, with remaining showers clearing in the morning. Fresh southwesterlies, easing in the evening.Mangawhai RegionFriday 29th December - A few showers, increasing and becoming heavier this afternoon, then becoming persistent this evening. Possible thunderstorms from afternoon. Northwesterlies. Warm and humid overnight.Saturday 30th December - Rain, possibly thundery before dawn, clearing to mainly fine in the morning, but chance shower lingering. Cloud increasing evening. Northwesterlies. Hot.Sunday 31st December - A few showers, turning to rain in the evening. Fresh northwesterlies, easing in the evening.Monday 1st January - Rain, clearing in the morning but remaining partly cloudy. Southwesterlies.

We all need good life hacks from time to time, so we've rounded up ten stories from RNZ that have proved popular this year.From cheese storage, to sleeps, to charging the cell phone, here's to making your 2024 that little bit better. 1 Keep cheeses in the vege drawerPieces of cheese are best stored in baking paper and in your fridge's vegetable compartment, say brother and sister cheesemongers Sam and Ellie Studd.Photo: Supplied2 Yes, you still have to separate whites and brightsDon't take the risk of putting coloured clothes and light-coloured clothes together in the washing machine, says AUT chemistry lecturer Jack Chen.Photo: BJARTE RETTEDAL 3 When you're calling someone for work, don't ask if it's "a good time"Most people feel overwhelmed a lot of the time so they're likely to answer 'no' to this question, says Mary Jane Copps (aka The Phone Lady).Photo: Victoria Romulo / Unsplash4 Don't charge your phone overnightWhen you leave battery-powered devices plugged in and unattended for long periods, "things can go wrong", says battery expert Peter Simpson.Photo: 123rf 5 Hot showers aren't good for your skinWhile it can feel good to stand under hot water, it does strip your skin's oils and natural barriers, says dermatologist Dr Mark Abdelmalek.Photo: Hannah Xu for Unsplash 6 Have a hug and debrief with someone at the end of your dayThere's great healing power in simple human connection, says trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk.Photo: Public domain 7 Embrace tofuSoy protein is nutritionally so good and much cheaper than meat, says nutritionist Claire Turnbull.Photo: Sherman Kwan for Unsplash 8 Get outside for 30 minutes in the morning - no matter what weatherOne of the best things we can do for our sleep cycle - and therefore mental health - is head outside for 30 minutes of daily daylight, says neurobiology researcher Anna Wirz-Justice.Anna Wirz-Justice. Photo: 9 Can't sleep? Do something boringIf you've been lying in bed for 20 minutes, get up and do something boring like folding laundry until you feel sleep pressure return. says sleep expert Dr Roxanne Prichard.Photo: Public domain10 Pre-chill your chilly binThe night before you go camping, pre-cool your chilly bin with ice or a frozen milk bottle full of water, says camping expert Jono Collins.Photo: Public domainThis story was originally published by RNZ

Emma Stanford, senior reporterIt will be a summer of babies at Auckland Zoo, with giraffe Kiraka and tiger Zayana expected to give birth.Head of animal care and conservation Richard Gibson said Kiraka might be off-show while she gives birth and for the first few days with her calf."But we anticipate that she's a good mum and she'll be back on-show pretty quickly... we hope with her calf, and integrating that calf into the herd."He said Zayana is also expected to do better this time, after giving birth to two cubs in September - but when one was stillborn, she chose to kill the other one."This birth might go really well, but what we do know with tigers is the normal behaviour is they keep their cubs tucked away in a quiet place in a den. Or it might be under a dense tree or wherever they choose to give birth, and they'll have two or three places where they hide their cubs."Showing off the cubs will be up to Zayana, he said, which could take two to three weeks.Sumatran tiger Zayana at Auckland Zoo. Photo: Supplied via Auckland Zoo / Kathleen OttoGibson said they were also excited to have some fairy terns/tara iti hatch - New Zealand's rarest breeding bird. There were only around 40 individual birds left and a handful of breeding pairs."For the last few years we've been working with [the Department of Conservation] to provide an intensive management component to the recovery programme, whereby eggs from the wild come into the zoo and we incubate them and hand rear them. That part of the project is just kicking off now. We have eggs incubating right now, and so we'd anticipate eggs hatching."The zoo was working with the Department of Conservation on a release strategy to get the fledglings back into the wild and integrated with the flock.The last financial year, April 2022 to March 2023, was the zoo's busiest yet with 816,000 visitors through its gates.The zoo was run by the council agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, which had its funding cut in 2023.Baby giraffe Kabili at 1.5 years old with her mother Kiraka. Head of brand experience and development Jooles Clements said operationally it costs about $19 million a year to run the zoo."And that's running it pretty lean. We make savings everywhere we possibly can and with the well-publicised circumstances that Auckland Council finds itself in, our funding envelope is about 5.7 million, less than a third of our operational costs. The rest we generate through people's support - whether that is a visit to the zoo or buying something in our cafe or retail shop or contributing to our conservation work through donation."All of those things and the money that we receive from our partners and things like that help us reach our targets."Clements said visitors were encouraged to take their time through the zoo, as there was always something new to look at, whatever the weather."If we happen to have a new giraffe baby and perhaps some tiger cubs that people can get a glimpse of, then all the more reason to come."This story as orginally published by RNZ

If you haven’t visited theTi Point Reptile Park in a while, or ever, now is the time.After visiting for the first time about 2 years ago and being super impressed, we were equally enthralled today.Set on very expansive grounds there is such a diverse range of reptiles to experience. For adults and kids alike, we were just as impressed as my 5-year-old was.Did you know it is the ONLY Reptile Park in New Zealand?Tortoises and Turtles (yes, they are different), Tuataras (yes, you can actually see them) and other native skinks and geckos. Iguanas, Alligators, Eastern Water Dragons, and Monitor lizards.There is plenty to see. We even enjoyed the resident hen and rosters and wander through the bush overlooking the ocean.Ti Point Reptile Park is totally underrated and even if the idea doesn’t sound appealing, you may be pleasantly surprised.Tickets are reasonably priced, with kids under 5 getting in free. During summer holidays they are open daily from 10am until 5pm, with last admission at 4pm. From January 7th they are closed Monday and Tuesday.So be like a turtle and poke your nose out for a look. Cowabunga dudes!

Swimmers are being urged to follow the advice of lifeguards at the beach, after lifeguards performed 13 rescues and 10 assists on Christmas Day alone.These included a person being rescued at Piha after not listening to advice on where a safe place to swim was at the popular Auckland beach.Surf Life Saving NZ CEO Steve Fisher said the Piha rescue could have become a fatal incident, so it was frustrating when the public did not listen to their guidance."We're not actually police on the beach, so we're there to help people make good decisions and although it's disappointing when people don't take our advice, we're lucky that lifeguards were there to rescue people."Four people were also rescued at Wainui Beach near Gisborne yesterday after getting stuck in a rip."It wasn't big surf at Wainui yesterday but that kind of lures people into a false sense of security and I know they had pretty tricky conditions with some quite obvious rips so our big message there is people should be swimming in between the flags," said Fisher.Other rescues included a multi-service search and rescue operation - involving Coastguard NZ and police - for a missing kite surfer at Raglan, multiple rescues at Waipātiki, and the treatment and helicopter transfer of a suspected spinal injury at Whangamatā, involving surf lifeguards, Hato Hone St John, and a Westpac Rescue Helicopter.Two people were also hospitalised after a water incident at Ōtaki Beach in Kāpiti Coast on Monday evening.Meanwhile police were also warning the public to stay safe around water, whether that was diving, swimming or boating.They said Water Safety New Zealand found there were 94 drownings last year - the worst year since 2011.So far this year, 86 people have died due to drowning, with 85 percent being male.This story was originally published by RNZ