2 February 2009
The Gisborne Herald
Sweltering temperatures around the district over the weekend had people flocking to beaches, the Olympic Pool complex and wherever else they could find respite from the heat.
The official high at Gisborne Airport was 35 degrees at 3pm yesterday but elsewhere around the region it got into the 40s.
In Gisborne the 35 degree maximum was close to the record high of 36.6 degrees set on February 7, 1973, and well above the mean daily maximum for February of 24.2.
Inland from Manutuke, Gisborne district councillor Graeme Thomson said he recorded 43 degrees in the shade at his home, where the aluminium handle of his ranchslider door was too hot to touch.
At Waerenga-o-Kuri, 1100 feet above sea level, it reached a similar level, topping the 40-degree mark in the shade. Temperatures in the 40s were also recorded at Onenui Station on the northern side of the Mahia Peninsula.
At Tokomaru Bay it was so hot that people could not bear to be on the beach, said Hine Wilcox. "Everyone was bobbing around in the water," she said. It got so hot in her beachfront home that the Formica lifted off its base on her kitchen benchtop and the phone was hot."We don't have a thermometer but I reckon it was a record. I have never seen the kitchen benchtop lift before." Miraculously, after cooling down overnight, the Formica settled back into place.
At Whangara, power lines heating in the sun are believed to have started a fire in nearby manuka tree. It was quickly brought under control. It is not known whether a vehicle which exploded into flames near Ngatapa yesterday was heat-related. All occupants of the car got out safely and firefighters from Patutahi and Te Karaka dealt with the blaze.
Beaches around the city were crowded, as was the Olympic Pool. Complex manager Hendrik Geyer said the place was packed as droves of people flocked in search of water, shade and iceblocks to cool off. The complex had already had record months in December and January, and with the hot weather continuing over February, this was likely to continue. Although staff were sometimes stretched, it was great to see the facilities being so well enjoyed, he said.
A southerly breeze cooled things down overnight, but it is expected to be short-lived, with a predicted return to warm north westerlies again tomorrow.
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