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Kiwi of the Week

Robin Hyde

Robin Hyde packed a lot in to her short and often tragic life. She is best known today for her novels Passport to hell, Nor the years condemn and The godwits fly, but she was also a fine poet, a crusading journalist and an outspoken advocate for the downtrodden.

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Today in History

25 August

1920 First flight across Cook Strait

Captain Euan Dickson completed the first air crossing of Cook Strait, flying a 110-hp La Rhone Avros from Christchurch to Upper Hutt, and carrying the first air mail between the North and South islands. more...

External links

Euan Dickson (Wikipedia)
Aviation - early feats (Te Ara)
'Cook Strait flown over' (PapersPast)
'Another Cook Strait flight' (PapersPast)
The Homing Bird (PapersPast)

1916 First New Zealand soldier executed

After being found guilty of desertion, 28-year-old Private Frank Hughes was shot by firing squad in the French village of Hallencourt. He was the first New Zealand soldier executed during the First World War. more...

Internal links

First World War timeline

External links

Shot At Dawn
Frank Hughes (Cenotaph record)
Pardon for Soldiers of the Great War Act

1948 Killer twister hits Frankton

Three people were killed and about 150 houses and buildings damaged by New Zealand's deadliest recorded tornado. Damage was estimated at more than £1 million. more...