‘Mad scientists’ in shortest day plunge
It was a shivery shortest day for a group of ‘‘mad scientists’’ yesterday.
Toes were curled and eyes were closed as staff of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (Niwa) jumped off a Wellington pier to celebrate the winter solstice, or shortest day of the year.
For people more accustomed to studying the water than experiencing it first hand, the plunge at Evans Bay posed a bit of a challenge.
‘‘I have no idea why I’m doing this,’’ one woman pondered.
Despite the jokes about sharks and shrinkage, safety was taken seriously by the team.
‘‘We’ve got a defib machine in case someone has a heart attack from the shock,’’ one supporter assured the jumpers.
Emma Hawthorne wasn’t daunted by the dip, she takes the plunge regularly, but said an incentive always helped.
‘‘We’ll have showers, hot soup and rolls afterwards.’’
It was an annual event that Niwa held and a good chance to have a bit of fun, she sad.
‘‘We’re the literal group of mad scientists.’’
Ebony Barrett had been ‘‘volunteered’’ by colleague Chloe Hauraki and was busy psyching herself up to make the leap.
‘‘I haven’t been in sea water for over four years.’’
With the water temperature sitting at 11 degrees Celsius, Barrett was worried her wetsuit might not be up to the task but had an even bigger fear gnawing at her.
‘‘Me and sharks are not friends. I’m just hoping there aren’t any about.’’
After the dip she said worse than expected. it was
It was a lunchtime jump for the workmates but the winter solstice is an exact moment in time – 4.24pm.
Also known as mid-winter, it marks the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year. For Auckland this means having nine hours and 37 minutes of daylight, while Invercargill has eight hours and 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, the MetService was forecasting snow to 500 metres in Canterbury and Central Otago today and Timaru was officially the coldest part of New Zealand shortly after noon yesterday on 0.7C.
Cocaine convictions
Two men were yesterday found guilty of smuggling cocaine into New Zealand inside a diamante-encrusted horse head sculpture. In the High Court in Auckland, American Ronald Cook and Mexican Augustine SuarezJuarez were accused of involvement in a ‘‘sophisticated international drug trafficking operation’’. In May 2016, Customs found 35kg of high-grade cocaine, valued at $14 million, inside the 400kg sculpture. It was the largest cocaine bust in New Zealand. Both men remain in custody for sentencing next month.
Body found after fire
Police have confirmed a body has been found in a Nelson home destroyed in an early morning blaze. Sergeant Gus Carlsson said two people were known to live in the house, they were believed to be in their mid-70s. One of the pair, a man, was not at the house at the time of the fire. A neighbour said he believed a man and woman lived in the home.
Staff quit Napier offices
Almost 200 local government and IRD workers are abandoning their offices in two earthquake-prone buildings owned by the Napier City Council. The council admitted to being surprised yesterday by a report that found its four-storey library building had been rated as low as 15 per cent of the new building code at its weakest point. The adjacent civic building was rated even worse – as low as 10 per cent of the code.
Police shooting valid
Police have been cleared over shooting dead a man who pointed a shotgun at them, with one officer saying his only option was ‘‘shoot or be shot’’. Nicholas Marshall was shot on July 12, 2016, after he pointed a shotgun at police as they attempted to search a warehouse in Hamilton. Details of the shooting were revealed yesterday in an Independent Police Conduct Authority report which found officers were justified in firing. Police suspected Marshall was supplying methamphetamine and manufacturing firearms.