Wingate: Scrub Fire
Emergency services arrived at the blaze just after 2.30pm above Pick-A-Part Wingate.
The fire while initially small increased in size as a strong breeze picked up from the south. The Eastern Hutt Road, Peterkin Street and Cambridge Terrace were closed as the fire increased.
Wingate bridge was also closed.
A helicopter from Helipro and eight fire appliances were at the scene fighting the blaze.
By 7.30pm the fire is still been attended to.
No houses were being threatened by the flames.
A large crowd watched throughout the afternoon.
Thanks to Megan Leith for Photos
More comprehensive coverage here from Hutt Valley Fire Police Unit
Lower Hutt: Old Waterloo Fire Station what to do?
There has been a lot of talk lately around the disused Fire Station in Waterloo Road and the vandalism occurring.
The back story is that the Fire Station once decommissioned has not ended up in Fire Service hands but is now part of the Office of Treaty Settlement.
This and more addressed by Dave and Camille Breakfast show yesterday on
90FM Classic Hits including the problem at the old Petone Tech as well.
Both hosts on Twitter Dave and Camille so follow them.
Audio below:
ch90fm David Ogden on Waterloo Road Fire Station
I will post some photos of the dragons round the back via Twitter soon. (lol)
Upper Hutt: Space Station photo from Pinehaven
International Space Station over Upper Hutt taken by Lance Andrewes in Pinehaven on the 30 January. Details below of photo taken on the beautiful clear night yesterday with the full moon. The original photo (link) highlights star formations eg Sth Cross. Great work!
Hutt Radio and others
Its been a while since I updated on Hutt Radios progress. This project has developed over the last 4 months from their requests for announcers to their first public meeting and earlier developments .
But I am happy to release the latest news following their early hard work and funding issues:
Hutt Radio, the new community station now on 106.1 FM,
hopefully has most of the inevitable teething problems solved.
The Trustees are pleased to finally have BBC World on-air,
24 hours a day. Technically, this is the “test broadcast” phase.
It won’t be too long before some live local content is inserted
on a regular basis, in partnership with the BBC World Service.Current coverage is the whole of the Hutt Valley from the
southern end of Upper Hutt, right down the valley to Petone.
Until the Trust can afford to site the transmitter on a hilltop,
some areas in the Western Hills will be unable to pick it up.The transmission is from a NaeNae rooftop. FM radio is a
“line of sight” signal, so houses tucked behind a bit of hillside
won’t receive it. Nor will steel-reinforced concrete buildings.
Cars with Japanese radios will need to insert an expander.
Hutt Radio should eventually cover the entire Hutt Region.via Hutt Radio
Congratulations all around to those involved as the continuing hard work is paying dividends. I look forward with interest to their continuing development in 2010.
Network radio is the current business model but I for one would like to see Hutt Radio succeed if only to provide a conduit for local voices, that seems to have been lost in the drive for commercial success.
As a sidebar the development of this community asset piqued my interest in the history around earlier radio broadcasting in the Hutt Valley (does anyone remember KIX FM?) but also similar activities already underway.
Several other broadcasters exist in this area that I have uncovered (albeit LPFM and/or internet based) which while limited in their range and coverage show the desire of others to express themselves via broadcasting. Whilst not all about community some show interest, and with the desire to broadcast on a network basis by the bigger radio stations the role of a community station servicing only the Hutt community is novel in todays world.
Visiting the NZ LPFM website provides insight into a list of 29 stations within Wellington of which 7 are in the Hutt region. Registration is voluntary and there could be more, but does show the diversity of people wishing to pursue their avenue of broadcasting, some with local content.
My chance to plug two that I have listened to (and know they are around) and like
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Grant of the The Cheese is also on Twitter as http://twitter.com/zollymonsta
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These guys are also on YouTube
No doubt they have other social media addresses and I apologise if they are not your best avenues or are out of date.
Does anyone else have any favourites that are out there?
Hutt Valley: Two car crashes last night
Around 9 pm last night two seperate car crashes occurred.
A car burst into flames in Petone at the intersection of Jackson and Cuba Street after two cars collided. Firefighters put out the fire and nobody was hurt.
In another seperate incident at Haywards Hill two cars collided no injuries were reported.
Hutt Valley: Car Chase last night ends in arrests
Well there was a lot of drama last night as noted from Twitter over Police cars moving at high speed.
It started with a police chase through the streets of Wellington and ended in the Hutt Valley with five arrests.
The chase began late last night in central Wellington, when an officer on foot patrol tried to get the driver to pull over on Tory Street, but the driver ignored him, and sped off down Aotea Quay. A police patrol gave chase, but had to abandon the pursuit because of the number of pedestrians leaving the AC/DC concert outside Westpac Stadium.
The offender drove onto the motorway, and sped towards the Hutt Valley, where he exited at the Petone off-ramp. Police say officers rejoined the pursuit at this point, and continued through the streets of Petone and Lower Hutt.
It eventually ended in Manor Park where the five male occupants of the vehicle were arrested. The driver is likely to face charges of dangerous driving, failing to stop and excess breath alcohol.
Stokes Valley: Fire at Bus Depot
Fire fighters put out a fire that engulfed a bus at the Stokes Valley bus depot (Cnr of Stokes Valley Road and Kamahi Road) on Friday afternoon.
The fire was in an engine compartment of the bus and no one was injured or on board at the time.
Naenae: Friday Car crash update
The police say the driver of a car that crashed into a house in Naenae on Friday night was just 16 years old and had only a learner’s licence.
Two men were hurt, one seriously, and three passengers fled the scene after their vehicle failed to take a corner and ploughed into a brick house in the suburb of Naenae.
Mary Boyle was alone in the house at the time when she heard tyres screeching, and a huge crash. It felt like an earthquake, she says, but luckily she was unharmed.
She says her granddaughter Caitlin, aged five, sometimes stays in the room where the car hit, but was not there at the time.
The police are waiting for the results of a blood alcohol test before deciding whether to lay charges against the driver.
The house was structurally damaged.
via NZ Police
Naenae: Car crashes into house
Last night around 9.30pm as we reported via Twitter a car crashed into a house on the corner of Naenae Road and Gibson Crescent.
A Toyota Corrolla sedan had lost control (apparently from burnouts) and hit the front of a brick house causing structual damage.
No one in the house was injured. Of the two male passengers, one has suffered moderate injuries while the driver had to be cut out from the car. It is reported that he has serious but not life threatening injuries.
The area around the incident was closed for several hours as the accident was investigated.
