Blog Archives

Second Car Driven into Tikitapu (Blue Lake)

24/11/2018

A second car has been driven into Tikitapu (Blue Lake) after a submerged car was pulled out yesterday.

Police were called at 10.05 this morning after reports of a car being driven into the lake. A police media spokeswoman said there were two occupants who made it out of the car safely. Police had since spoken to them. She said the car was not fully submerged but the nose of the car was in the water.

This comes after another car was completely submerged in the same lake yesterday, and had to be removed by divers from Tauranga traffic management, and a tow truck.

The first car was driven into Tikitapu (Blue Lake) about 12am Thursday.

Holiday park worker John Alexander said he got a call from the driver of the first car shortly after midnight and gave him a lift home. "He told me the brakes had failed and launched off into the lake."

A police spokesman said police had made an arrest in relation to the first incident.

0 Comments

Firefighters at Large Scrub Fire North of Taupō

20/11/2018

0 Comments

Fire response crew gathered at the end of Rapids Rd. Photo / Rachel Canning

Multiple fire engines have been called to a large scrub fire near Taupō.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Paul Radden confirmed firefighters had been called to a the fire at about 3.10pm.

Up to 8 fire trucks and 35 firefighters and two helicopters are still battling a scrub fire on the east side of Lake Rotokawa on Rapids Rd. Crews from Taupō, Rotorua and Kinloch attended the fire off Rapids Rd, north of the Rotokawa Geothermal Power Station.

A spokesperson for Rotokawa Geothermal Power Station said it was unknown how the fire started although ground conditions were currently dry.

The attending fire officer said it was believed the fire began at 3pm and emergency services were now in the mopping up phase.

At 5pm a Mercury spokeswoman said the fire was in an area Mercury staff were not active in, and there was no current threat to its power station.

At 8pm, some crews were still onsite. The extent of the fire will not be known until Tuesday.

0 Comments

Fiery Crash North of Taupo on State Highway 1: Police Fear 'Number of Fatalities'

13/11/2018

0 Comments

Police have confirmed at least one person is dead after a fiery early morning crash involving a truck and car on State Highway 1 north of Taupo.

Police and emergency services were called to the scene of the serious crash that closed SH1 north of Atiamuri near the Bull Ring Cafe at 2.39am.

"Both vehicles caught fire and it is believed there have been a number of fatalities," a police spokesperson said.

Northbound traffic was being diverted west on to SH30 at Atiamuri to Whakamaru, then north on SH32 back to Tokoroa.

Police said at 6.50am the road would be closed for several more hours as emergency services worked on the "complex scene"."At this point, at least one person has been confirmed deceased, however, emergency services are still working to separate the crashed vehicles."

Tokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade fire chief Dave Morris said the brigade were first responders and arrived to find a "horrific" scene. "We didn't know how many people were involved but the driver of the truck was out of the truck walking." The truck was transporting frozen goods and was not carrying dangerous goods, he said. It was possible there were two people in the car but he could not be certain.

The crash, near a major intersection, closed the road. Photo / Stephen Parker

It appeared a truck travelling north and a car travelling south had collided right beside the Bull Ring Cafe. "When we arrived both vehicles were well involved in flame." Once the fire was out the crash was left to the Rotorua Fire Service for any required extrication.

Signage was being arranged at Tokoroa for southbound traffic using the same route. Southbound traffic on SH30 from Rotorua was being diverted north to Tokoroa then west and south on 32 and 30, back to Atiamuri.

The crash follows a horror triple fatal in Hamilton where three people - two women and a man - were killed in a two-car collision on the Waikato Expressway. The crash happened on a slight bend of Mangaharakeke Drive/State Highway 1, between the suburbs of Dinsdale and Nawton, shortly after midnight on November 10. The crash this morning pushed the country's road toll up to at least 324.

When asked about the skyrocketing road toll and what's driving it, a police spokesperson said there were four main behaviours that contributed to death and serious injury on the roads: speed, driving while impaired-alcohol, drugs or fatigue - driving while distracted, and not wearing a seatbelt.

The crash this morning was the second fatal crash on the highway in recent weeks.

0 Comments