Hunker down, Auckland!
MetService have issued a strong wind warning and heavy rain watch for Auckland. Already ferries have been cancelled, there are power outages and drivers are being cautioned about driving in these conditions. From 3pm, a severe thunderstorm watch is in place, as well as a strong wind watch until 8pm on Friday night.
Here's what you need to know:
- All Pine Harbour ferry services have now been cancelled until further notice, due to weather conditions. The 7am, 8am & 9am Pine Harbour to Auckland services will be replaced by Bus.
- Areas of North Auckland around Te Arai are without power as of 6.20am on Friday. Some areas near the Auckland border have had power cuts since at least 3am on Friday.
- Drivers heading over the Auckland Harbour Bridge advised by Waka Kotahi NZTA to watch out for strong gusts and wind. Commuters should drive to the conditions, look out for full bridge closures, and stay within their lane while travelling across the bridge. High-sided vehicles and motorcyclists should avoid the Harbour Bridge and use the Western Ring Route on State Highways 16 and 18.
Keep up to date with weather warnings on the MetService website and be cautious if travelling this Auckland Anniversary weekend.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
If you have any unused FlyBuys points
If you dont have enough points to redeem to buy anything - you can donate them to various charities on the flybuys website before 31 Dec.