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Weather Forecast
Weather Forecast

25 December 2023, 6:45 PM

Warkworth RegionTuesday 26th December - Very humid. Rain, possibly heavy and thundery this morning. Fine spells from afternoon as rain eases to isolated showers. Westerlies. Very hot.Heavy Rain WatchPeriod: 11hrs from 4am - 3pm Tue, 26 DecArea: Northland, Auckland north of Orewa, Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula north of WhitiangaForecast: Periods of heavy rain with thunderstorms possible and rainfall accumulations may approach warning amounts over the area and possibly exceed warning amounts in localised areas. Rainfall rates may reach 20 to 40 mm per hour in one or two places, regardless of whether thunderstorms occur or not.Wednesday 27th December - Fine. Southwesterlies, easing in the evening.Thursday 28th December - Partly cloudy. Northeasterlies, becoming fresh in the morning.Friday 29th December - Cloudy, with occasional rain developing. Northerlies, becoming freshSaturday 30th - Showers, becoming isolated with longer fine breaks. Westerlies.Sunday 31st - Showers, becoming widespread and heavier later. Northwesterlies, turning to fresh southwesterlies.Monday 1st January - Partly cloudy. Southwesterlies.Mangawhai RegionTuesday 26th December - Rain, possibly heavy and thundery, easing this afternoon. Northwesterlies easing this evening. Hot and muggy.Heavy Rain WatchPeriod: 11hrs from 4am - 3pm Tue, 26 DecArea: Northland, Auckland north of Orewa, Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula north of WhitiangaForecast: Periods of heavy rain with thunderstorms possible and rainfall accumulations may approach warning amounts over the area and possibly exceed warning amounts in localised areas. Rainfall rates may reach 20 to 40 mm per hour in one or two places, regardless of whether thunderstorms occur or not.Severe Thunderstorm WatchPeriod: 6hrs from 11am - 5pm Tue, 26 DecArea: NorthlandForecast: A moist northwesterly flow is expected to bring frequent showers to Northland today. Thunderstorms are likely and there is a risk of severe thunderstorms bringing localised downpours, 25 to 40 mm per hour late morning and during the afternoon. Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips.Issued: 8:21am Tue 26 DecWednesday 27th December - Fine. Southwesterlies, easing in the evening.Thursday 28th December - Partly cloudy, chance of a shower. Northeasterlies developing in the morning.Friday 29th December - Cloudy, with occasional rain developing. Northerlies.Saturday 30th - Showers, clearing and becoming fine. Westerlies.Sunday 31st - Partly cloudy, with showers developing. Northwesterlies.Monday 1st January - Partly cloudy. Southwesterlies.

Boxing Day sale bargain hunters warned to do their research
Boxing Day sale bargain hunters warned to do their research

24 December 2023, 12:13 AM

Bargain hunting shoppers are being warned to do their research before hitting the malls for Boxing Day sales.New research from price comparison website PriceSpy shows in 2022, 17 percent of products on its website increased in price on Boxing Day.Ten percent were subjected to a fake sale, a strategy where retailers incrementally increase a product's price and then abruptly lower it, promoting a discount based on that inflated price. For instance, it might advertise a 50 percent discount from the previous day's price, but compared to the price from 30 days prior, the discount might only be 20 percent.Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang said taking 15 minutes to look at previous prices could save hundreds of dollars."That's a really important step to do before you go shopping and before you're in what's called 'the web of marketing,' when you're in the store and you're committed and a salesperson is talking to you. It's very important to do your research before so you know what is actually a good price and what is not a good price."Lang said checking price comparison websites is always his first step."What these websites do is they show the cost for that particular model at a variety of retailers, which is really helpful. They also show a price history, so you know whether the price it is available for at that point in time is actually cheaper than the historical average, or whether it's been bumped up."He said retailers adopt a range of sales techniques to lure in shoppers, some legitimate and some not."It might be 'up to 50 percent off' and so shoppers think, 'oh, this is great, there's a bargain to be had' and they go into the store and once they're in the store they discover that very few items, and maybe only very inexpensive items to begin with, have that large percentage off and really everything else is either full price or only has a very modest discount applied to it."In PriceSpy's consumer survey, 54 percent of respondents said they intended to shop on 26 December.The average amount New Zealanders plan to spend on the day this year is $840.40, down from $1203.30 in 2022 and $954.80 in 2021.PriceSpy's analysis of last year's pricing patterns revealed 44 percent of the products experienced a price drop on Boxing Day.Almost one in five products listed on the website were reduced by 10 percent or more, with the average discount being 21.33 percent.New Zealand country manager Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett said it was evident that Boxing Day presented significant discount opportunities for consumers, so long as they conducted important pricing research to be sure that the item they were looking to buy was being sold at a worthwhile price.This story was originally reported by Emma Stanford, senior reporter on RNZ News

Tips to keep petrol costs down this festive season
Tips to keep petrol costs down this festive season

23 December 2023, 5:50 PM

It's a busy time on our roads and at petrol stations.AA Fuel spokesperson Terry Collins told Checkpoint petrol stations hiking prices in the holidays was a "myth".Unlike self-service stations, those that had full-service models had overheads of bathrooms and magazine racks, and that's why prices varied."Last Christmas we had our 25 cents reduction, which with GST came to nearly $0.29 off our fuel. That was the measure that the government put in for the cost-of-living crisis to reduce the fuel excise duty and the price of petrol."In July that came back on. But if we look at what was the price last year add that fuel duty bill, it's within about $0.03. So within background noise of the costing."Without the discount, New Zealanders would be paying the same price at the pump last year, as this year.He said there was worry that prices would go up to $3 a litre, but "fortunately, at the end of September, lack of international demand and other factors came to play and the price has been dropping every week since about the second week in September and long may that continue".Using apps like Gaspy was one way to keep costs down, Collins said."But if you go to the cheapest place in your region on a regular basis, that's the best way. Often those savings will be better than any discount scheme."Another tip he shared was accumulating the discounts and not long before "you've got $1 a litre saving for 50 litres, and because I can accumulate all my scheme for about two months, I'm hoping when I go to redeem it, I will be paying something like $0.40 or $0.50 a litre for my petrol, for 50 litres".Waikato had the most competitive prices, he said.As for planning for long-distance drives, Collins said foresight would help, especially if the destination was a remote area where petrol could be expensive.There was no particular time of day when prices were cheaper."Usually at the beginning of the week often they'll put their pricing models out."He said the price of fuel was affected by domestic and international factors.This story was originally posted by RNZ

Auckland overnight motorway closures 24 December 2023 - 13 January
Auckland overnight motorway closures 24 December 2023 - 13 January

22 December 2023, 6:43 PM

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises of the following closures for motorway improvements. Work delayed by bad weather will be completed at the next available date, prior to Saturday 13 January 2024.Unless otherwise stated, closures start at 9pm and finish at 5am.NORTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Upper Harbour Highway southbound on-ramp, 8-9 JanuaryStafford Road northbound off-ramp, 1-7 January (24 hour closure)Shelly Beach Road southbound off-ramp, 25 December- 1 January (24 hour closure)Curran Street northbound on-ramp, 1-7 January (24 hour closure)CENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)Nelson Street (SH16) eastbound off-ramp, 7-8 January (approx. 7:00pm to 5:00pm)SOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Southbound lanes between Mt Wellington Highway off-ramp and East Tamaki Road on-ramp, 10-11 January (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Mt Wellington Highway southbound on-ramp, 10-11 JanuaryPrinces Street southbound on-ramp, 10-11 JanuaryHighbrook Drive southbound on-ramp, 10-11 JanuaryPapakura (Diamond) northbound on-ramp, 9 & 11 JanuaryPapakura (Loop) northbound on-ramp, 9-11 JanuaryPapakura northbound off-ramp, 11 JanuarySouthbound lanes between Drury/SH22 off-ramp and Bombay on-ramp, 10 January Drury/SH22 southbound on-ramp, 10 JanuaryRamarama southbound on-ramp, 10 JanuaryBombay northbound on-ramp, 10 JanuaryNorthbound lanes between Bombay off-ramp and Ramarama on-ramp, 10 JanuaryRazorback Road northbound on-ramp, 11 JanuaryRidge Road northbound off-ramp, 11 JanuaryPokeno northbound on-ramp, 11 JanuarySH1 northbound to SH2 eastbound link, 11 JanuaryNORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)Southbound lanes between Brigham Creek Road roundabout and Hobsonville Road on-ramp, 9 JanuaryHobsonville Road northbound on-ramp, 9 JanuaryNorthbound lanes between Hobsonville Road off-ramp and Brigham Creek Road roundabout, 9 JanuarySH16 northbound to SH18 eastbound link, 9 JanuaryUPPER HARBOUR MOTORWAY (SH18)Westbound lanes between Greenhithe Road off-ramp and Tauhinu Road on-ramp, 8 January (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Greenhithe Road eastbound on-ramp, 8 & 11 JanuaryEastbound lanes between Tauhinu Road off-ramp and Greenhithe Road on-ramp, 10 January (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Eastbound lanes between Tauhinu Road off-ramp and Albany Highway on-ramp, 8 January (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Tauhinu Road eastbound off-ramp, 8 JanuarySquadron Drive eastbound on-ramp, 8 January (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Eastbound lanes between Hobsonville eastbound on-ramp (SH16) and Squadron Drive on-ramp, 9 JanuaryTrigg Road eastbound on-ramp, 9 JanuaryBrigham Creek Road eastbound on-ramp, 9 JanuarySOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)Mahunga Drive southbound off-ramp, 7-8 January (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Walmsley Road southbound off-ramp, 9-10 January (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)STATE HIGHWAY 2 (SH2)SH2 westbound to SH1 northbound, 11 January (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)

Local board adopts the Puhinui / Warkworth Town Centre Plan
Local board adopts the Puhinui / Warkworth Town Centre Plan

20 December 2023, 10:06 PM

Plans for a vibrant riverfront, better connections to Warkworth town centre and river, and a new green network are set to delight the community.Rodney Local Board has adopted the Puhinui / Warkworth Town Centre Plan which Chair Brent Bailey says guides future development and provides for a well-designed and attractive town centre with the river at its heart.“The Warkworth community are very clear about what they want to see in the future. Over time, the town should develop as a vibrant centre full of energy and life that is accessible to everyone.“They want the town’s character and heritage maintained and enhanced with a new entertainment and arts focus.”Bailey says for locals the river is intertwined with the town and other comments were about accessibility, pedestrian safety, cycling and car parking.“We heard about the river’s health and revitalising the riverfront. People want better connections to the river, like at the Elizabeth Street Bridge, and with parts of Lucy Moore Park.“The town centre really comes to life during celebrations like the Kowhai Festival, Mahurangi Winter Festival of Lights and Christmas events. People enjoy being able to move around and experience everything as it happens. We hope this plan reflects that aim and the desire for attractive public spaces that everyone can enjoy.”Key action areas from the plan are:Mahurangi River – improving the river and town interface along both sides of the river. Providing more opportunities for interaction with the river including walkways, environmental restoration, and heritage exploration. Improving the health of the river, acknowledging the mana of Ngāti Manuhiri and their relationship with the river.Neville, Elizabeth and Queen streets – improving accessibility and pedestrian safety in the town centre, supporting cycling, improving street character, preserving heritage buildings and better management of car parking.Laneways and walkways – developing a co-ordinated strategy to transform laneways into safe, fun, accessible spaces. Providing artwork, lighting, seating and planting that will create a new entertainment and arts focus for the town.Green network – supporting the ecology of the natural environment in the face of anticipated intensification through good access to green spaces, creating walks and trails, tree planting and protection, provision for outdoor events and community gardens.A vibrant riverfront – revitalise the waterfront along Wharf Street, create a new community plaza and riverfront play space next to the old Warehouse Stationery building, create a market space and village green area between the Masonic Hall and Lucy Moore Park, and improve the accessibility and usability of Lucy Moore Park.The Puhinui / Warkworth Town Centre Plan can be found on the Rodney Local Board business meeting agenda, item 13.

'Spectacular' pōhutukawa flowering on Northland coast
'Spectacular' pōhutukawa flowering on Northland coast

20 December 2023, 6:25 PM

Peter de GraafThe Northland coast has been transformed into a sea of red in what a leading conservationist is calling the most spectacular flowering of pōhutukawa he has seen in 20 years.Dean Baigent-Mercer, Northland conservation manager for Forest and Bird, said the explosion of colour was not confined just to the region's most-loved coastal trees."This summer is a particularly spectacular year for pōhutukawa flowering, but it's not only them. It's also kānuka, porokaiwhiri or pigeonwood, taraire, tawa, karaka and other native trees. They're all just having the most stupendous flowering season, which will also be a massive fruiting season come autumn."Baigent-Mercer put the remarkable display down to the "ridiculous" amount of rain across Northland during the past year."And of course there was Cyclone Gabrielle and other heavy rain events during that time, so there is a lot of water in the system, including the aquifers," he said."Back in 2020 we had a really severe drought in Northland. Now it has switched and that is fuelling a very heavy flowering season. This is one of the consequences of climate change - as the climate heats there is more energy in our weather systems, things became more unpredictable and we get more extreme weather. And so all these different forest plants are reacting to the extremes that are happening around them."The term used to describe a sudden heavy flowering or fruiting was a "mast event".Pōhutukawa in bloom at Paihia's Horotutu Park. Photo: RNZ / Peter de GraafBaigent-Mercer said Northlanders were now witnessing a multi-mast event because many different species were involved.Pōhutukawa did not flower consistently every year, he said."But it seems they've all flicked their on-switch and they're going to maximum in this particular summer season. It's a very rare occurrence that it happens all at once. This is the most impressive flowering of pōhutukawa I have seen in 20 years, and if you look up valleys you will see they are white with kānuka flowers as well."There was, however, a potential downside for Northland's native species once autumn came."It's wonderful that there's all this nectar there for birds, bats and lizards, and there's going to be all this fruit production with all these big fats seeds coming in autumn," he said."In that natural scheme of things that would feed the birds and lizards whose populations have been depleted, so they can build up and have an extra next for that year. But, unfortunately, if there's no pest control going on, or very little, the food that is suddenly produced in abundance ends up in the mouths of rats and possums, and they have a surge in their population."In areas where pest control was in place, wildlife would benefit from the extra food.In areas without pest control, rat plagues could decimate native species as the weather cooled.That was particularly true in Northland, which had no rapid response plan for major mast events.Baigent-Mercer's message for anyone carrying out pest control was to be ready to ramp up in autumn - and for those who were not yet catching pests, now was a good time to start."There's not a moment to lose. Fill up your bait stations, set your traps, go hard out, because the benefits will be reaped in autumn as that fruit falls," he said.This story was orginally published by RNZ

First home buyers drive market higher for fourth consecutive month
First home buyers drive market higher for fourth consecutive month

18 December 2023, 6:03 PM

The housing market continues to improve, but recovery next year is expected to be gradual and muted.The November Quotable Value (QV) housing market report shows the value of the average home increased 0.7 percent on October, the fourth consecutive monthly rise, for a quarterly gain of 2.3 percent.The national average value was $914,017, a gain of $6630 on October, but overall the market was still down 3.3 percent since the start of the year.QV operations manager James Wilson said the market this year had fallen, stabilised, and was now recovering."But rather than the start of another major uplift in values, I expect we'll see a return to a more typical sort of housing market in the year ahead, with slow growth, and days to sell and listing numbers eventually returning to historic norms."He said high interest rates and issues of affordability would put a "damper" on recovery.Values rose in 14 of the 16 main urban centres over the past quarter, with Tauranga and Marlborough posting marginal declines.Among the stronger gains for the period were Rotorua (9.5 percent), Hastings (3.5 percent), and Wellington (3.2 percent).Only three centres recorded price rises this year - Rotorua (3.2 percent), Queenstown (2.1 percent) and Invercargill (1.5 percent), with Whangārei and Tauranga values still markedly lower.Wilson said first home buyers remained the driver of the improvement, and increased migration was also underpinning demand, but he doubted the recovery would be strong."It's really tough out there and it could get tougher. It's just a slow but steady recovery at this stage," he said."But it will be interesting to see if significant numbers of investors do return to the market in the first half of 2024, given the new government's policy settings. They'll be hamstrung by affordability constraints just like everyone else, as the mortgage pain looks set to continue in 2024."This story was originally published by RNZ

The Leigh Sawmill Cafe is back!
The Leigh Sawmill Cafe is back!

18 December 2023, 5:41 PM

The closing of the Sawmill’s doors earlier this month signaled the abrupt end of years of mismanagement at the hands of Auckland businessman Craig Anderson. He operated the facility during a tumultuous period, particularly post Covid when the Café’s quality and reputation suffered. The Guinness family own the property and are now in full control of operations. The Sawmill will reopen on December 28th. They are determined to honor their late patriarch Grattan Guinness’ memory by returning the renowned music venue to its former glory, announced his granddaughter Ella Guinness when we met on site.The Sawmill was Ella’s playground, her little hand and foot forever cast in the beer garden’s concrete steps. Her enthusiasm is infectious and I can’t help but wonder if the life size chess set is coming back too (pretty please). “Right now the place just needs some love, it doesn’t need change, it’s famous for what it’s always been.” Agreed. Grattan and his family put the Sawmill on the map decades ago by keeping it simple. The combination of great food, local brews, chilled vibes and edgy gigs appealed to locals and visitors alike. Eventually bands from all over the world graced its stage. Local legends like Fat Freddy’s Drop and Tiki Taane cut their teeth here.“We’re holding onto our roots. It’s very important (to my family). We’re all together on this.” The place was buzzing with energy, laptops open, tables stacked up, construction projects all go. Ella tells me I must meet her Uncle Ed (Grattan’s son), who’s beavering away somewhere by the accommodation wing which is also getting a makeover. A quick poke into a cavernous shed full of flotsam and jetsam, but no Uncle Ed. So we wander back to the beer garden to check out a newly built deck.Ella beams saying “This is dad’s project (Ben Guinness), he’s so creative. He just wants to do it all and has the vision.” Ben’s deck will house a pizza oven serving up pies the Sawmill became celebrated for, like the Ella Hart (my tour guide’s namesake as well as a delicious local favourite). It’s an impressive addition that will brilliantly connect the restaurant and music hall to the outdoor spaces. More by-gone treasures like ‘Leigh’s Got Talent’ (my neighbour and I are currently working on a harmonica medley), bingo and half price pizza night are also in the cards. “These are the events that brings the community together, it’s what the Sawmill has always done.” says Ella, and may it long continue.A new website is in the works (the Leigh Rag Facebook page will also provide updates on Sawmill events). New opening hours begin Dec 28th from noon to late, Thursday to Sunday.Mark your calendars for upcoming gigs:Connected NYE Party – Drum & Bass | doors open 8PMSummer Thieves – 4th Jan (ticket details soon)Coterie – 11th Jan (tickets available on www.ticketmaster.co.nz)No Cigar – 13th Jan (check the band’s website)Written by Lee Parker. Reposted with permission from Leigh Rag.

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