Page 4
The News
Thursday October 8 2015
Celebrating Spring Asparagus Local and freshly picked
The Chefs are having fun pairing Asparagus with Duck Eggs, Hollandaise, House Smoked Salmon, Risotto, Soup, Tarts. Beautiful Asparagus! Join us at the Nor’Wester All-day menu and into the evening. Monday – Sunday early until late. Ph: 03 314 9411 Main North Road, Amberley 7410 New Zealand www.norwestercafe.co.nz
1474100
Wild weather . . . Dust flies as the strong nor’west gales tore through the Hawarden area PHOTO: HAWARDENWAIKARI RURAL FIRE FORCE. on Sunday.
Wind batters Nth Canty By ROBYN BRISTOW The nor’west wind that whipped through North Canterbury on Sunday, battering parts of the region into the wee small hours, ignited fires, flipped a campervan, created huge dust storms, felled and stripped branches from trees, forced the cancellation of a spring promotion in Oxford and cut power briefly to some areas. At Hanmer Springs several large trees were blown over on walking tracks. While volunteer fire fighters were run off their feet, the damage left in the wind’s trail was lessened by the brevity of the blow. As the gales whipped through the Hurunui district eight fires flared up some of which were caused by lightning, power wires and flare ups. Principal Rural fire officer and emergency management officer Allan Grigg said there were three fires in the Amberley area, one at Motunau, one at Cheviot, one at Marble Point, one at Balcairn and one in the Medbury area. ‘‘Most were small and easily contained when we got there,’’ he said. However, the Medbury fire, which was close to the Balmoral Forest, took the HawardenWaikari Fire force and the Hawarden Brigade some time to fight as it got into willows which were dry due to the drought in the area. ‘‘It was an old burn that had been out for weeks. ‘‘But there were enough embers to blow into willows in the river,’’ said Mr Grigg. Meanwhile a campervan which was hit by a gust of wind blew into a water table near Mouse Point and tipped over after
the driver overcorrected to compensate for the wind. There were no injuries. Fires kept volunteers and rural fire fighters busy in the Waimakariri district, most being caused by old burns re igniting. Acting principal rural fire officer and emergency management officer Karen Worbel said four fires were significant. ‘‘We had five fires going at any one time all day Sunday. ‘‘By and large the big ones were burn offs that flared up again,’’ she said. And in spite of warnings of high winds, someone lit up on Saturday, which flared up in the wind on Sunday. A large fire at Petries Road, Woodend, was also a flare up from a burn off of debris and branches and took several hours to bring under control, while another flare up in the Oxford district at the corner of Woodstock and Mounseys Road, burnt up through the centre of old rotten trees. Ms Worbel said the property owner thought the fire was out, but hot embers were trapped underground and were re ignited in the wind. Huge piles of rubbish lit up in Roller Road, also in the Oxford district which took some time to control, before fire fighters headed off to North Loburn to bolster brigades and rural fire fighters put out a fire threatening to get into forest. Mr Grigg and Ms Worbel urge residents in both districts to listen to forecasts, be vigilant and ensure fires are properly extinguished by spreading them out and ensuring no embers were ‘‘cacooned’’ or trapped under a hard crust formed when water was poured on them.
Ellbee Crafts (at Framemakers)
137 Main North Road, Woodend 7610 (just north of Chinnerys Road)
Papercrafting and Scrapbooking supplies New Stock has arrived! Open weekdays 9.00am - 5.30pm Saturday 9.00am - 12 noon www.framemakers.co.nz
ell-bee photography & crafts