A Kiwi-made aircraft goes supersonic, final preparations for the first Christmas parades, New Zealand claims a prestigious Scrabble title, and a young golfer makes history in Taupō.
Supersonic speeds
A locally-built aircraft has achieved supersonic speeds for the first time, in a groundbreaking moment for New Zealand aviation.
It was a huge milestone for multinational company Dawn Aerospace.
Reaching supersonic speeds means flying faster than the speed of sound. The aircraft reached a top speed of 1358.28km/h in its first flight.
Chief executive Stefan Powell said it was a really exciting achievement.
“Every time we’ve gone out flying, we’ve gone higher, we’ve gone faster. Now we’re at the very edges of the atmosphere.”
Santa returns to town
The first Christmas parades of the season are set to dazzle audiences this weekend.
In Christchurch, the Christmas Show Parade is making a return, held at its new home at Canterbury Agricultural Park, where 70 refurbished floats will wind their way around a 2.2km route from 2pm on Sunday.
Parade director Jason Reekers said a bit of festive cheer was needed now more than ever.
Big win for Kiwi Scrabble team
New Zealand has won the Trans-Tasman Scrabble Challenge for the first time in 14 years.
The Kiwi team secured 165 wins to Australia’s 123 out of the 288 games played across three days.
The tournament is one of the premier events on the Australasian Scrabble calendar.
Team captain Howard Warner said he was very proud to represent his home country.
“We always love to beat Australia because they have 10 times as many players as we do,” he said.
11-year-old makes history
Elijah Ellis, an 11-year-old golfing prodigy, has made history by becoming the youngest winner of the Lake Taupō Hole in One Challenge.
He secured the incredible $10,000 prize after sinking his ball into the floating pontoon on the lake.
Elijah said he’s still in a bit of shock, and planned to use the prize money on a family vacation to the Gold Coast.
