Tolls Confirmed on Eastern Link
Western Bay of Plenty's Mayor says the Eastern Link will give Te Puke back its life after being plagued for years with accidents and traffic congestion. There's been confirmation by the Transport Minister the stretch of highway from Te Maunga to Paengaroa, will be tolled. It means construction can begin next year - seven years earlier than previously planned. And Mayor Ross Paterson says it'll bring significant safety gains on State Highway 2 to what is one of the deadliest stretch of roads in the country: He says an enormous 93 per cent of the community were in favour of the toll. Tolls will be no more than two dollars per trip for cars and motorcycles and no more than five dollars for heavy vehicles.
No Bids for Brooke Property at Auction
Embattled Robin Brooke’s Tauranga home has failed to sell under the hammer. The former All Black who's family home in Pyers Pa is worth nearly a million dollars, attracted no bids at Auction on Wednesday. It's marketed by Bayleys Real Estate as a ‘refuge’ where you can ‘lock the world out’. Mr Brooke who owns the Gate Pa New World and is understood to be purchasing the Walkworth New World too - is moving with his wife and family to Auckland. He's recently been at the centre of sexual allegations.
Playing with Matches Likely Cause of House Fire
Bay of Plenty firefighters are sending a stern message to kids - don't play with matches. It follows a huge blaze yesterday on Tuesday in Gate Pa which completely the destroyed the insides of a house. Fire spokesman Robert Pinkerton says they believe an eight year old boy may have been playing with matches in the rear bedroom. He says it's a reminder to parents to keep matches and lighters well out of reach from children.
iPhone Confusion
Confusion surrounds the New Zealand launch of Apple's iPhone 4. It was to have been launched today but all mention of it has been removed Vodafone's website. Social media and tech forums are abound with angry comments and speculations, so far no official statement has been issued over the matter.