E-scooter charges, cheap eats for students and a wrong-way motorway dash

If this email is not displayed correctly, [click here]( to view an online version. Grace Millane Murdered British backpacker [Grace Millane's]( photo, name and personal details have been beamed around the world but her killer's identity remains protected by a court order. Grace was [travelling around New Zealand]( when she was killed by the man she met through online dating app Tinder hours after they went on their first date on December 1, 2018. Her 28-year-old killer will be sentenced on Friday after being [found guilty]( by a jury in November. Meanwhile, a Kiwi woman living in London has collected nearly 300 handbags for domestic violence victims in support of an appeal launched by Grace Millane's family. They have since launched the [Love Grace X]( initiative, which collects handbags, toiletries and luxuries to donate to local domestic abuse charities. The Love Grace Handbag Appeal, which ran from February 10-14, collected 277 handbags for the cause. Click [here]( to find your nearest drop off point. First person out of quarantine facility Coronavirus evacuees who have spent the past two weeks in quarantine in Auckland [finally left to go home on Wednesday](. The 157 New Zealanders and foreign nationals were taken to a military training facility in Whangaparāoa on February 5, after being evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan [on a government-chartered flight](. Two New Zealanders who were held back after one displayed mild symptoms of coronavirus have [tested negative](. Both would be allowed to leave the centre. Meanwhile, six New Zealanders evacuated from the [coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess]( were expected [back in the country on Thursday](. The group were on board an Australian Government-chartered Qantas flight to Darwin, due to land at the Whenuapai airforce base in north Auckland at 7pm. Once at Whenuapai, those on board would go to Whangaparāoa to begin their quarantine. The dark-coloured vehicle was captured heading the wrong way A [teen has been charged]( after allegedly fleeing police and [driving the wrong way on Auckland's northern motorway](. A dark-coloured vehicle was seen heading south in the northbound lanes near Albany's Oteha Valley Rd on Wednesday morning. It could be seen changing lanes to avoid oncoming vehicles before turning around and taking the off-ramp. Police earlier said the vehicle, sought by police over dangerous driving complaints, was signalled to stop but failed to do so. It was involved in two "minor collisions" during its getaway, police said. The first crash was with a motorway barrier and the second was with another vehicle, but no serious injuries were reported, a spokesman said. Spikes deployed on Dairy Flat Highway brought the vehicle to a stop and the man was taken into custody. A spokesman said the 17-year-old faced a number of driving-related charges, including failing to stop and reckless driving. Enjoying this email? [Check out Stuff's other daily and weekly newsletters](. Not all of Auckland has experienced the 40-day dry spell A claim Auckland had a [record-breaking 40 days without rain]( is [not wholly accurate for the entire region](. On Saturday, Niwa, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, reported it had been 40 consecutive days since the region last had more than 1mm of rain, breaking the [previous record of 39 days]( set in 2013. However, MetService meteorologist Kyle Lee said there were "quite a lot" of stations in the region that recorded more than 1mm of rain on January 14 – only 32 days ago. Particularly, the station at the airport got 5mm of rain on that day, he said. Lee said there is no "threshold" as such for what constitutes rainfall, but anything over 1mm is definitely "felt" by people. There had been no rain since January 14, he said. Niwa forecaster Ben Noll said the record 40-day dry spell, and counting, had been recorded at NIWA's climate stations in southern Auckland (Pukekohe), central Auckland (Western Springs), and MetService's station in northern Auckland (Whenuapai). "A dry spell is defined as consecutive days having less than 1mm of rainfall." Irina Read A [woman has vowed to "never use Uber again"]( after she appeared to be charged $18 a day for e-scooter trips she wasn’t taking. Irina Read, a resident of Auckland's Parnell, was incorrectly hit with a $15 "no parking fee" for leaving an Uber JUMP e-scooter in Auckland Domain on February 11, taking the cost of a $3 trip to $18. Since the incident, bank statements show her account was charged with daily $18 payments to Uber, despite not using the e-scooter again, until she contacted her bank Westpac on February 14. A JUMP spokesman said the original $15 fee was an error that had been refunded, but the other charges had not been actioned by JUMP. "The $18 charges on February 12 and 13 have not been paid to JUMP. We have seen rare instances in the past where a financial institution holds authorisation charges." But a Westpac NZ spokesman said there was no systemic issue with the bank's payments system. The additional charges appearing on Read's statement were pending transactions, which were reversed after Read called. Kiwi band Six60 If you are looking for something to do before the month is out, there is plenty to do in the City of Sails. The Auckland Fringe festival, an independent arts festival, kicks off on February 25 with a full programme packed with more than 70 events happening over the 12-day period. Audiences can expect to see Shakespeare re-imagined, Dungeons & Dragons-inspired improv, comedy aplenty and even some metal music among this year's offerings. Head [here]( to find a Fringe event to suit your fancy - there are cheap or free events and gigs to suit those with kids or couples looking for a cheeky date night. If you're a student heading to or back to university soon, there are heaps of bars and restaurants in Auckland offering discounts for tertiary students. Click [here]( to find out where the student-friendly bars and cheap eats are. Looking for something to do over the weekend? There are still a handful of tickets available for Six60's gig at Western Springs Stadium on Saturday. Head [here]( to learn more about the line-up, show times and how to get there. You've received this email because you have opted in to receive Auckland news updates from Stuff Did a friend forward this to you? [Sign up to get Auckland News: In case you missed it]( to your inbox [Unsubscribe]( [Newsletter Settings]( [Privacy Policy]( [Advertise]( [Feedback](