Northland trampers have been helping the police with their enquiries. Apparently, the hot and cold weather makes a bumper dope crop more likely this year. The Northern Advocate lends a lazy journalistic hand by telling folks what to look out for on their country walks, like:

• Stolen electric fencing from rural locations used to keep animals out of cannabis plots
• Stolen black piping used for irrigating cannabis plots
• Cars regularly parked on the side of the road in rural places
• Pungent smells associated with hydroponic cannabis production

As someone who lives and spends a fair amount of time in the country, I have the following questions:

• How do I tell whether electric fencing is stolen?
• How do I know which black irrigation piping is stolen and which isn’t?
• Couldn’t cars regularly parked on the side of the road in rural places belong to trampers or folks growing legal crops?
• What if I am not familiar with the pungent smells associated with hydroponic cannabis production?

Those more schooled in the art of nosing out narcotics can ring 0800 BAN DRUGS (0800 226 3784) to report their finds – calls are free and can be anonymous.

Technorati Tags: cannabis, dope, 0800 BAN DRUGS

Varekai, the latest show from Cirque du Soleil, has just hit town.  The show, loosely  based on the story of Icarus, will play inside the CdS’s 20m big top at Greenlanes from January 5th until early February.

Technorati Tags: cirque de soleil, varekai, auckland

photo: Michael Tarry

If you’re here looking for places to go and things to do for New Year’s Eve in Auckland, let me point you in the right direction.

Families with younger kids who love to party should head over to Auckland Zoo for the Buzz Junior Jungle Rock Party where, to the cheers of the parents and the boos of the kids, the party will see in the New Year at 2100hrs.

For those who are allowed out by themselves and favour clubs and DJs, the city is your oyster.  Check out the NYE action via the Thread and View listings.

Looking for indulgent cuisine rather than frolics?  You could see if The Observatory still has space or withdraw to the seclusion of the Waitakere Estate.

Technorati Tags: New Year’s Eve, auckland,