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Weather - Olympics – Cathy Freeman – Wellington S26 Protests
INTRO: A LACKLUSTRE DAY AT THE OLYMPICS.... later…
WEATHER: Trampers have been caught out in the open. Three yachtsmen have been rescued. 100,000 wake up with no power.
KAIMANAWAS: Two tramping expeditions in Kaimanawa’s turned sour. A pair of spring trampers from Auckland are caught out for another night. Team one into the area was turned back by high winds. The search and rescue team say it was wild, they were getting blown over. An Aucklander and his 10 year old are caught by the storm on a walk. They were found by another tramper Pikering. A pair of hunters had their tent blown over in the night. Two search and rescue teams have made it to the father and son – and their rescuer with Alpine tents. If it wasn’t for tramper Pikering those two would not be alive, say police. There is no urgency to bring them off the mountain at this stage as they are better off staying put till winds die down. Helicopters simply can’t make it up there.
CYCLONE: The battering came from a mini Cyclone that intensified as it crossed the North Island. One man’s Caravan is tossed into the air. In Gisborne shop fronts were taken away. Complete roofs were pulled off. The worst since Bola says a farmer. On the Napier-Taupo highway cars and trucks were stopped in their tracks . Up to 30cm of snow fell across the island. Stock losses are high. But there is a lighter side. September snowmen were the order of the day.
NO POWER: 100,000 people woke to no power this morning. Lines down all over are being worked. Hastings, Napier and Gisborne all lost their power. Napier temperatures are still in single digits. Hospital ran on diesel. Bread lost in a bakery. Transpower says it is doing all it can to keep power on. This morning's black-out was the blackest since Auckland’s three years ago.
YACHTIES: Three yachties rescued off the Northland coast. The were treated for hypothermia. The trio were returning from Tonga. They were rolled and dismasted in big seas. They activated their beacon and recommend them to all yachties.
AUGIE AUER: The storm is evidence that La Nina is surging back into life. The fast movement of the storm meant the duration of high winds and rain was not that long.
Olympics Key Points:
- Kallista Field is doing
very well in dressage.
- Soling Sailors have tough going
but scrape through.
- Roumanian gymnast loses medal for
using nurofen.
CATHY FREEMAN: Cathy Freeman puts Aboriginal Australia into the spotlight with a moment shared by all Australia. The PM is facing increasing criticism for failing to apologise. He says he would like to keep politics out of the moment but. Last night something was given back – a golden chance for racial reconciliation.
WELLINGTON s26 PROTESTS: Police arrest several protestors in Wellington. The protestors say the Wellington police went way over the top. On the other side of the world U2’s Bono Vox says that Africa is paying $200 million in interest payments to the West every couple of weeks, more money than raised in live Aid. That makes me sick he says. No violence yet in Prague.
Alastair Thompson
Scoop Publisher
Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.
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