rivettingKateTaylor

Takapau and Norsewood are waking up this morning to the news that a gunman is still on the loose on Whenuahou Rd/Otawhao, a rural area between the two settlements… that is, if they got to sleep at all!

It has been a nervous night really. We are just outside the police cordon but that doesn’t mean we’re not on the lookout for a grumpy man with a gun.

The relief was great last night though when we realised the shooting victim was not serious and that the offender was not a local gone mad. No local tragedy.

The journalist in me has been privately worked up with the turn of events. While I would never wish this situation on anyone – the victims, the farmers, the gunman or the police – I have realised how much I miss the thrill of daily news gathering. It’s just a little nervewracking having it happen so close to home.

Radio and the internet are awesome (and now television with the advent of  breakfast telly, which wasn’t around when I was working fulltime for a news org) as they are able to feed information and news to people as it happens, as opposed to newspaper, which will be out of date as soon as the print button is pushed (but gathers background information and many comments/viewpoints into one article – or should).

But that is completely beside the point today. It’s time to feed the lambs so I will be taking police advice and keeping a good eye out. 

It’s also time to meet my mother in law in Wairoa to pick up the kids, who have been in Gisborne for a week. But the journalist in me just doesn’t want to go! Murphy will rear his head the moment I drive in the other direction.

And wow!!! There’s a chopper hovering over Whenuahou Rd as we speak. Radio NZ was on the phone and she could hear it in the background so they put me through live!!!!

I was going to make pikelets for the AOS guys on the corner 🙂 but I think they might be a little busy now….