June 10, 2019 10:00am by David Farrar

A devastating fire

Just minutes after getting 27 sleepy children out of a smoky marae, the adults who saved their lives looked back to see the place engulfed in flames.
Those five adults’ actions, in the dead of night at Island Bay’s Tapu Te Ranga Marae, “undoubtedly” saved the lives of the 27 Scout cubs, New Zealand chief executive Joshua Tabor said.
Ngaio Scouts group leader Hadyn Nicholls said the adults supervising the one-night marae stay on Saturday night smelled smoke and quickly woke up the sleeping children then got them rapidly out of the marae and up the driveway.

Thankfully they all got out. The motto of “Be Prepared” is a good one!

But very sad for the marae. I grew up in Island Bay and the marae was an iconic building and a big part of the community.