Awful Wednesday on New Zealand roads

Wednesday has been a horror day for motorists around the country.  A crash near the Johnsonville on-ramp closed State Highway 1 out of the capital. A 4WD towing a trailer  blocked both northbound lanes.

Emergency services rushed to the scene, and the NZ Transport Agency asked motorists to use an alternative route. In the Clutha District, a 69-year-old South land woman died after she was thrown from the vehicle she was a passenger in.

The driver, a 71-year-old man, was flown by helicopter to Dunedin Hospital. The single car crash occurred on State Highway One about 10 km north of Balclutha about 9.15 am on Wednesday, he said. A Northern Fire Service Communications spokesman said the the driver got out and the car was left on its side. The New Zealand Transport Agency said the crash site had been cleared and traffic had returned to normal about 6 pm.

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Prime Minister John Key Has Resigned. What happens next?

Prime Minister John Key has told the emotion of quitting, and how he will tell the Queen he is standing down. Key had made a shocking announcement yesterday that he was resigning as Prime Minister. Next week Monday there will be  new leader chosen. Key kept his usual morning media slots on Tuesday and told TV news reporter Paul Henry he would be speaking with the Queen. Her people had been in touch with his office to arrange a time. John Key says he is leaving on his own terms and that this is the right decision for a National lead Government. "I am going to leave forever grateful to the NZ public that they gave me a chance."It's been a big part of my life, I've enjoyed the process and being part of it. New Zealand's First leader Winston Peters claimed he was not surprised by Key's sudden resignation.

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Oamaru builds tunnel to help penguins

N.Z's blue penguins are more comfortable at sea than waddling on land. Oamaru has built a 25 meter tunnel to help their local penguins pass the busy roads between the sea and their nests. Penguins in the town are rare ‘blue’ penguins, the smallest kind in the world, and are an endangered species. Before the underpass, the birds crossed the road protected only by a “penguin crossing” sign. The underpass was started in September this year, and was opener earlier this month.

Oamaru’s blue penguin colony is one of the few populations in the world that is actually growing.