Raglan band Abstract Fish Lungs had a successful night at the Rockquest Regional Finals in Hamilton on Sunday night. The judges awarded them second place and while they might have preferred top spot, it’s the top two bands who are both eligible for the National final – although they still have to submit a video to impress another set of judges before confirming they’ve made it.
Fans of the band will be able to see them play in Raglan soon too as they are one of 8 acts signed up for the Whaingaroa Talent Factory which will be held on Saturday 8th July in the town Hall. The acts will be going into mentor sessions with professional musicians next monday and will have the week to prepare for the big night.
Recreational boat skipper, Maurice Kyle Johnson, was convicted of causing ‘unnecessary danger’ under the Maritime Transport Act in the Hamilton District Court last week.
The conviction was in relation to an incident at Raglan on 11 December last year when the boat Mr Johnson was skippering capsized, throwing himself and two crew into the sea. The incident was caught online by the surfline surf camera and most people in our community will have seen footage of the boat going vertical as it tried to go over a breaking wave.
Regional Compliance Manager Patrick Lynch said: “This incident could easily have resulted in three fatalities. Coastguard records indicate Mr Johnson has put in at Manu Bay 154 times previously, so he is clearly very experienced, but this incident shows that complacency can have dire results in a maritime setting.
Following a guilty plea by Mr Johnson, a fine of $900 was imposed by Judge Paul Geoghegan. The judge also acknowledged that Mr Johnson had made a $1000 donation to the Raglan Coastguard.
In local sport, wet fields in Hamilton had an impact on a lot of sport this weekend with the Whaingaroa Whai rugby league team lucky enough to have the game against the Ravens relocated to their home ground in Raglan. The result went their way in a high scoring match as well with a 40 -36 victory.
Most football across the region was cancelled so the Roosters missed out on their game this weekend along with all the junior club teams. https://raglanradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/P1100274-1-2.jpg