logo
Woman, dog pulled from ‘Blood Bucket'

Woman, dog pulled from ‘Blood Bucket'

The skatebowl at the Mornington Skatepark, known as the "The Blood Bucket". Photos: Gregor Richardson
Retrieved from skateboard bowl: One woman, one dog, one ball.
Firefighters were called to the Mornington skatepark about 11.30am yesterday after a game of fetch went wrong leaving a woman and her dog stuck in a skatebowl known as "The Blood Bucket".
Fished from the skatebowl by Dunedin firefighters in Mornington yesterday was Cassie (left) and her 8-year-old dog Ruby.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said the pair were rescued using a ladder — the firefighters did not jump down themselves to prevent more people also getting trapped inside.
"Got her, and the dog, as well as the ball that was the main instigator to start with, out and sent them on their way," she said.
The woman, named Cassie, said she became stuck in the skatebowl after her 8-year-old dog Ruby chased the ball into the hole while playing a game of fetch.
Ruby with the ball that caused the chaos to unfold.
She was unable to get herself and the dog out and made a call to firefighters who promptly showed up to fish them out.
The bowl was slippery due to rain and covered in dirt, and was lined with broken glass at the bottom, making a running start out of the bowl very difficult.
laine.priestley@odt.co.nz

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bar open four hours a week gets licence
Bar open four hours a week gets licence

Otago Daily Times

time2 days ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Bar open four hours a week gets licence

It is open for only four hours a week and last served a meal before the Covid lockdown — is this New Zealand's most peculiar pub? The unusual operating practices of Dunedin's Harbourview Stadium Hotel have been revealed after it applied to renew its liquor licence recently. Pub owner Dr Hu Zhang bought the Ravensbourne premises in 2011 with a view to converting it into accommodation for students and visiting academics, but locals convinced him to keep the bar open so they had a place to meet for a drink. It is split into three parts — a bar, restaurant and upstairs accommodation — and also opened a cafe area in 2018. The bar used to be open between 4pm and 8pm from Tuesday to Sunday. But once it reopened after the pandemic, its opening hours were ultimately reduced to between 4.30pm and 8pm on Wednesdays only. The Dunedin district licensing committee seemed perplexed when Dr Zhang applied for the pub's liquor licence to be renewed. "Because they are open for such a short time on one day of the week, the impression would be that the premises is not trading," district licensing committee secretary Kevin Mechen said. It sometimes adjusted its hours when there were local events or parties, Mr Mechen said. "The locals use text messaging to let each other know they are going for a drink. "Unfortunately, some of their locals can no longer get to the premises because of their ages." Most patrons went to the pub for a soft drink or beer and did not buy food. "When asked when the last meal was prepared at the premises, Dr Zhang said it was before the Covid lockdown. When reporting agencies visited the premises, they found "the barest of food available for sale" and not enough to meet requirements. At a hearing last month, Dr Zhang had "by his own admission" said he did not need the premises, Mr Mechen said. The committee nevertheless decided to renew the licence for a truncated period to February 28 next year. When contacted yesterday, Dr Zhang said he was happy with the committee's decision but declined to comment further. A licensing inspector had indicated they would visit the premises every two months to ensure compliance with the legislation, Mr Mechen said. "We understand the applicant's desire to maintain a place for the locals to socialise but more needs to be done to make it a desirable premises and to ensure compliance with the legislation." The committee reminded Dr Zhang there must be a certified manager working whenever the pub was open for the sale of alcohol and food must be available that met requirements, Mr Mechen said. When the Otago Daily Times visited the premises about 5pm yesterday the front door was locked and the lights in the bar area were turned off.

Road cone hotline 'fuelling risk' of abuse
Road cone hotline 'fuelling risk' of abuse

Otago Daily Times

time3 days ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Road cone hotline 'fuelling risk' of abuse

The government's war on road cones is "just fuel thrown on the fire" for road workers already suffering regular abuse, a Dunedin traffic management company boss says. Yesterday, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden launched a 12-month pilot of a road cone hotline to investigate "instances of over-compliance in temporary traffic management", as part of changes to government regulator WorkSafe. The owner of a Dunedin traffic management company, who the Otago Daily Times has agreed not to name, said the hotline was "pretty out of the gate". "I just think it's very much noise — a great one for the politicians to bang on about." Abuse towards road workers was "systemic" and in the most extreme cases, often further north, workers had been threatened with knives or guns. "The biggest thing we train on is de-escalating conflict," the owner said. "This has just trumped it ... ultimately, it's fuelling a risk that we've only just ever managed." Traffic management was needed when essential work such as water or power maintenance was being carried out — something people overlooked. "A new university building, a new hospital — it's just 'bloody road cones'. "If people don't know the bones of what [the hotline's] trying to achieve — and there are some good things of what it's trying to achieve — they don't look into that. "They just see, 'oh, these f ...... road cones'. "It's just fuel thrown on the fire." He wanted to know how the scheme's success would be measured and who was liable if, for example, a vehicle drove through a work site due to a lack of road cones. A traffic management plan signed off by key stakeholders was already required for work sites, which included details of the number and spacing of cones used, he said. If not adhered to, a company could be audited or shut down. The hotline could "balance" those who put out more cones than a traffic management plan required, but he thought it was uncommon, as operators wanted to make the best use of their resources. In a statement, WorkSafe chief executive Sharon Thompson said the pilot aimed to reduce unnecessary cones on the road. "While cones are primarily there to manage the speed and flow of traffic and help keep everyone safe, there can be times when usage is excessive. "We will engage with those involved with temporary traffic management and provide information to influence them to take a more risk-based approach to the use of cones on the road." Ms van Velden did not respond to questions before yesterday's deadline.

Concern hotline will increase abuse
Concern hotline will increase abuse

Otago Daily Times

time3 days ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Concern hotline will increase abuse

The government's war on road cones is "just fuel thrown on the fire" for road workers already suffering regular abuse, a Dunedin traffic management company boss says. Yesterday, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden launched a 12-month pilot of a road cone hotline to investigate "instances of over-compliance in temporary traffic management", as part of changes to government regulator WorkSafe. The owner of a Dunedin traffic management company, who the Otago Daily Times has agreed not to name, said the hotline was "pretty out of the gate". "I just think it's very much noise — a great one for the politicians to bang on about." Abuse towards road workers was "systemic" and in the most extreme cases, often further north, workers had been threatened with knives or guns. "The biggest thing we train on is de-escalating conflict," the owner said. "This has just trumped it ... ultimately, it's fuelling a risk that we've only just ever managed." Traffic management was needed when essential work such as water or power maintenance was being carried out — something people overlooked. "A new university building, a new hospital — it's just 'bloody road cones'. "If people don't know the bones of what [the hotline's] trying to achieve — and there are some good things of what it's trying to achieve — they don't look into that. "They just see, 'oh, these f ...... road cones'. "It's just fuel thrown on the fire." He wanted to know how the scheme's success would be measured and who was liable if, for example, a vehicle drove through a work site due to a lack of road cones. A traffic management plan signed off by key stakeholders was already required for work sites, which included details of the number and spacing of cones used, he said. If not adhered to, a company could be audited or shut down. The hotline could "balance" those who put out more cones than a traffic management plan required, but he thought it was uncommon, as operators wanted to make the best use of their resources. In a statement, WorkSafe chief executive Sharon Thompson said the pilot aimed to reduce unnecessary cones on the road. "While cones are primarily there to manage the speed and flow of traffic and help keep everyone safe, there can be times when usage is excessive. "We will engage with those involved with temporary traffic management and provide information to influence them to take a more risk-based approach to the use of cones on the road." Ms van Velden did not respond to questions before yesterday's deadline.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store