clipped from: www.nzherald.co.nz Plagues of locusts have crossed the Tasman to make the most of New Zealand's hottest summer for a decade.
Swarms of crickets, an insect "associated with drought", had hit the Hauraki Plains and there had been larger numbers of locusts in the northern regions, many of which may have come from Australia.
"It's the remains of the swarms that get over here, but the weather conditions are right to bring them over," Maddison said.
Grass grub beetles, whose growth is encouraged by hot temperatures, had been causing problems in the Bay of Plenty.
There have been strange goings-on at sea, too.
Fisherman and tackle salesman Scott Malcon, of Auckland's Fish City, said mahi mahi, typically a tropical water fish, had been caught off Auckland.
Other species, including the skipjack tuna and blue marlin were more plentiful than usual, and Malcon said there had been a highly rare spotting of a tropical sailfish near Great Barrier Island.