2649 days ago

What was the thunder and lightning like at your place?

Georgia Reporter from Stuff

Hi neighbours,

Tuesday's storm over the Waikato caused havoc for some locals, including Clem Newby whose cows were struck by lightning. The dairy farmer said he heard a "hell of a bang" before finding four cows had died when hit by lightning. You can read the full story here, please note however there is a graphic warning on this story as some images may be upsetting.

"The lightning was just horrific and it really frightened myself. I had never heard anything like it in my life and it really shook the cowshed," says Clem.

The storm caused power outages, school closures, and flash flooding. Even some houses were hit by lightning. So, what was it like at your place? Have you ever seen a storm like this in the Waikato before? Share your thoughts with us in the replies below.
(Please add "NFP/not for print" if you do not want your images/ comments used on Stuff)

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More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

🍦 A Challenge for the Sweetest Tooth!

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

We all love a scoop (or three) of ice cream... but the owner at Little Liberty Creamery in Taranaki is taking things to a whole new level for 2026!

Her goal? 52 new flavours this year. That’s one brand-new, experimental creation every single week! 🤯

The Great Flavour Debate: We want to know what the current "Gold Standard" is for you.

What is the crème de la crème of ice cream flavours?
🍦 The Purist: Are you a "perfect vanilla or nothing" kind of person?
🍫 The Chocoholic: The darker and chunkier the better?
🧂 The Salty-Sweet: Is Salted Caramel still the reigning champ?
🌈 The Wildcard: Are you into the experimental stuff—think lavender, chilli, or charcoal?

Tell us your absolute favourite flavour in the comments below! 👇

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12 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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5 days ago

Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?

What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?

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If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
  • 36.8% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
    36.8% Complete
  • 63.2% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
    63.2% Complete
901 votes