Waiouru Police File

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 436, 12 May 1992, Page 5

Waiouru Police File

Winter arrived for the Police at 3.30 am on Saturday morning, with a phone call informing us that numerous truckies and motorists were stranded in the snow and ice on the Desert road. The road was dangerous and had to be closed while a rescue mission was undertaken by heavy haulage to tow vehicles to remove the vehicles and occupants before the weather got any worse. This was accomplished in about six hours and by this time the road and weather conditions had improved and the road was re-opened. • Saturday afternoon, about 3.30pm, a vehicle collided into a concrete power pole 4 kilometres south of Waiouru. The result was the total loss of power to Waiouru and outlying areas for the next seven hours. The two occupants of the vehicles, a mother and young daughter suffered minor injuries, and were treated at the scene by a family member who was a doctor in the preceeding vehicle. The vehicle was written off, and it was remarkable that the injuries were not more serious. • A sigh of relief echoed around about 10.30pm when power was restored, only to lose power again about 2.00am, when a tree fell on a line 50 metres from where the accident happened. This time power was not restored until 12 hours later. It was unforunate that it had to happen to probably the coldest and isolated place in New Zealand that weekend. We can all talk about this weekend when we gather at the Taihape Hospital sometime in February next year. • There were two arrests during the week. A 33 year old woman was arrested for fraud offences, and a 39 year old woman was arrested for shoplifting. Sadly we saw the departure of Traffic Officer Mike Lenihan and his family this week who have been transfered to Te Puke. Mike has been here for six years, and has been a valued member of the community. His replacement should arrive this week. I hope you will give him the support that was offered Mike, and we wish Mike and Jill all the best. • School holidays are upon us, and once again, if you are travelling away on vacation, please remember the security of your property. Drive safely, have a great holiday break, and a safe week.