Summer Times for Wednesday 11 January 2023

09.08 Cyclone brings state of emergency in Tairāwhiti 

Cyclone Hale has torn across parts of the upper North Island bringing galeforce winds, torrential rain and big swells. The Tairāwhiti region has been hard hit and last night a local state of emergency was declared. We get an update from Civil Defence authorities in Tolaga Bay and from Deputy Mayor of the Gisborne District Council Josh Wharehinga.

09.20 Mercury Bay Boating Club to be abandoned

The historic Mercury Bay Boating Club in Whitianga will have to be abandoned as the sea creeps to about three metres from the front of the clubhouse. It became famous in the late 1980s when the club was behind the first New Zealand challenge for the America's Cup. The club's commodore Jonathan Kline says there's only about three metres of usable land between the front of the club and the sea.

09.25 What Spare means for Prince Harry and the royals?

A new tell-all book by Prince Harry has been officially released. Spare is not short on bombshell revelations, which have already had a good airing after details were leaked last week. Anna is joined by royal commentator Victoria Arbiter to discuss the controversy it's stirred up, the reaction from the royal family and where to from here for Harry and Meghan.

09.45 Can NZ produce a Grand Slam tennis champion?

The last time a New Zealand tennis player featured in the world's top 10 was more than a century ago when Anthony Wilding won the last of his four Wimbledon titles in 1913. He also remains the only New Zealander to win a Grand Slam singles title. A new juniors tournament starts in Auckland tomorrow where it is hoped future stars can be discovered who could then end the country's Grand Slam drought. Sebastian Lavie is the founder of the Lavie Tennis Academy which helped to establish the tournament.

10.10 Talking with NASA astronaut Dr Kate Rubins

NASA astronaut and microbiologist Dr Kate Rubins has been touring New Zealand taking part in a programme to promote STEM subjects. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math subjects, and the programe Stem in the community is run by Tauranga STEM Festival. Kate Rubins was the first person to successfully sequence DNA in space, and she's also responsible for designing the new suits astronauts will wear to the moon.

10.40 Summer food and a taste of India

Marrying the classic spice and flavour combinations from India with fresh local ingredients is what Auckland restaurant owners Sid and Chand Sahrawat love best. They have made an indelible mark on the Auckland dining scene with restaurants Cassia, Sidart and Sid at The French Cafe. Chand Sahrawat joins Anna to share her favourite summer flavours.

10.50 Museum stop - Golden Bay Museum Te Waka Huia o Mohua 

We're stopping in at the Golden Bay Museum Te Waka Huia o Mohua today. The museum itself has an interesting history which began with a fundraising effort to purchase the private collection of former politician Margaret Wilson. Curator Karen Johnson joins Anna to tell people why it's worth a stop.

11.08 On the road with Alice Soper

11.35 Live with the Frank Burkitt Band Duo

Scottish born Frank Burkitt is a storyteller, songwriter, singer and guitarist. In 2014 he formed a four-piece band after moving to Wellington, releasing two albums and touring extensively through Australia, NZ and the UK. The band won a Tui for Best Folk Artist in 2019. Along with his life and musical partner Kara, he moved to Manchester at the start of 2020 - shifting The Frank Burkitt Band from a full ensemble to a duo. He's back in NZ for a tour and joins Anna for a few songs. You can find details of the tour here.

Urban Jumble Daily Quiz 

We've come up with a daily quiz to test both your word and geographical skill. Every day we're giving you three words. Within each word are letters which spell out a New Zealand town or city. Each letter can only be used once. While some words may have more than one answer, the correct answer must be the town or city we're thinking of. So have a pen and paper and a map at hand and have a go. 

Words and solutions for January 11

Glamourise - Mosgiel

Appropriate - Paeroa

Sobering - Gisborne