#578 ... The Net

...Not the net we usually deal with today ... but sometimes alot more productive in putting food on the table. Dragging a net along the beach at Waikanae to catch flounder. This drag produced one this time (you can see it in the receding wave, between the man's blackshorts and the seagull)... to go with the other two they already had. I have done this many times and it is usually a toss as to who gets the deep end ... as the net is dragged at right angles to the waterline. Flounder are a flat fish that swim close to the bottom so the net has weights on its lower edge to ensure they don't escape under the net

#577 ... Take me home, country road

Looking east along Pekapeka Road ... which runs from State Highway 1 just north of Waikanae down to the beach at Pekapeka

#576 ... Kapiti Island

Not quite Wellington City ... but the Wellington Region. We are having a few days on the Kapiti Coast ... west coast side of the lower North Island ... at Peka Peka, about one hours drive from Wellington. However it took us a bit longer on Saturday as everyone was heading north on their summer holidays.

This image, taken about 7:30pm in the evening ... is looking south west from Peka Peka Beach towards Kapiti Island ... Fay & Ziggy going for an evening walk along the beach at low tide ... and just over the horizon is the top of the South Island. ... more photos of Kapiti coast over the next few days

#575 ... Rubbish Animals

A couple of Dogs on the waytothe Wellington Rubbish Tip ... Ohariu Road, Brooklyn ... there are a range of large sculptures on this raod made out of all sorts of machinery scrap ... these will be familiar sites as we all dispose of the christmas waste !!

#574 ... Wise One

A post christmas thought courtesy of a car number plate !

#573 ... NZ Christmas Tree

Looking west along Wakefield Street towards Te Papa. The Pōhutukawa trees in flower ... Maori legend says that if they flower ... dark red spikey flowers .... early it will be a long hot summer ... "let us believe" The Majestic building is the tall one in the background at the end of the street.

Have a look at Auckland Daily Photo for a great photo of a mature tree at Snells Beach

The Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand.

Description
The tree grows up to twenty metres in height, with a dome-like spreading form. Its natural range is the coastal regions of the North Island of New Zealand, north of a line stretching from New Plymouth (39° S) to Gisborne (38° S). It also grows on the shores of lakes in the Rotorua area. A giant Pōhutukawa at Te Araroa on the East Coast is reputed to be the largest in the country, with a height of 20 metres and a spread of 38 metres. The tree is renowned as a cliff-dweller, able to maintain a hold in precarious, near-vertical situations. Some specimens have matted, fibrous aerial roots. Like its Hawaiian relative the Ōhi a lehua (M. polymorpha), the Pōhutukawa has shown itself to be efficient in the colonisation of lava fields, notably on Rangitoto Island, a volcano in Auckland Harbour.

Flowers
The Pōhutukawa flowers from November to January with a peak in mid to late December, with brilliant crimson flowers covering the tree, hence the nickname New Zealand Christmas Tree. There is variation between individual trees in the timing of flowering, and in the shade and brightness of the flowers. In isolated populations genetic drift has resulted in local variation: many of the trees growing around the Rotorua lakes produce pink-shaded flowers, and the yellow-flowered cultivar "Aurea" descends from a pair discovered in 1940 on Mōtiti Island in the Bay of Plenty.

#572 ... Santa Me !!

Christmas Day Kiwi style ... and a wedding as well and unfortunately on such a hot day ... a traditional Santa Claus ('tis moi) ... with two down pillows to create the rounded 3D effect ... YEAH RIGHT ... well everyone enjoyed the day !! MERRY CHRISTMAS

#571 ... Woodward Buskers

Busking at the bottom of Woodward Street ... over the road from Midland Park ... every block down Lambton Quay seemed to have buskers performing a wide range of christmas songs ... the city was not as busy as usual as many had taken the opportunity start their holidays last weekend ... but it still feels like a Kiwi Christmas

#570 ... Hills of Home

The evening light on the hills behind our house in Ngaio ... geography that reminds me of home.

#569 ... Medicinal Drinks

Enjoying the summer weather at St John's Bar ... St Johns Heineken Hotel at 5 Cable Street in Wellingtons CBD is a fantastic new bar and restaurant in a waterfront location near Te Papa.

St Johns has an outstanding history as the ambulance building in the 1930's, a great music venue in the late 80's and 90's and now a modern, comfortable and stylish fitout make this art deco architectural masterpiece the place to visit while in town. .

The NZSE (with more red than green on the rolling share sign) is just to the right and above and the Boatshed is to the left. The Harbour sneaking thru in the left background

REVIEW
Going Up, Going Down - Sunday Magazine
"St Johns Heineken Hotel, Wellington. Stylish drinking and dining this summer by the lagoon"
Beer: The rebirth of cool - Neil Miller - Realbeer.co.nz - November 18 2006
".........creating a modern, stylish waterfront bar and restaurant while retaining the 1930s charm of the building. The interior calls to mind the kind of international hotel where you might have seen James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart nursing a double scotch. The attention to detail is phenomenal. I particularly love the swooping art deco island bar. Even the lights are cool and I don’t say that about many places. Dark leather and solid wood predominate through the various areas – the lobby, the bar, the restaurant, the lounge and the sun room. This venue is classy and versatile – I enjoyed a leisurely Saturday brunch with friends there every bit as much as watching the rugby there the night before with my mates. The food on offer ranges from pub favorites (try the calamari) to full-on restaurant dishes. The menu includes the pheasant and venison dish which won the Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge last year. I have my eye on the Spatchcock with Five Spice for next time. Of course, this is a beer column and all the ambiance and Game Terrine in the world will come to naught if the beer selection is sub-standard. Fortunately, there are several interesting brews here. The absolute highlight for me is the Erdinger on tap. The St John Heineken Hotel is one of the first bars in the country to get this classic German drop. Carefully transported and stored, Erdinger is a slightly cloudy wheat beer – fruity, spritzy, slightly tart and completely refreshing. The best seller is unsurprisingly draught Heineken. Sipping at a tall glass of this famous brew as the sun streamed through the round windows reminded me how good this beer can be – crisp, floral, dry with a soft bitter finish. Tiger beer also makes a rare appearance on tap...... The beers are all served in beautiful branded glasses on a matching coaster. This is a great little touch which I find adds so much to the overall drinking experience. They take their beer seriously here. That’s just one of the many reasons to visit."

#568 ... Xmas Trees

Zac down in the carpark by the Ngaio Town Hall .. selling Christmas trees ... a wet cool day but Zac is aiming to put his earnings towards an XBox .. these trees were harvested in Whitby ... about 30 minutes drive north of Wellington

#567 ... Moral Fibre

Michael & Simon quietly working away joining up our world inside their mobile workshop ... while everyone else is rushing around christmas shopping. Theses two guys work for CityLink and were going through the laborious process of joining all the 250 micron fibres .. in each cable about the thickness of your thumb there are 312. The machine he is holding fuses the two pieces of fibre together .. doing all the alignment and even showing you images of both axis .. sort of a high tech "hand"-draulic device that auto-magically connects fibre to fibre. This photo was taken across the road from the Thistle Inn ... which was really handy for their cool drink after work.

#566 ... Freyberg Beach

View through the gap between the changing sheds ... looking across Freyberg Beach and Oriental Bay towards Point Jerningham. Eastbourne in the far distance, across the other side of the harbour.

#565 ... Marina Panorama

Multiple shots looking from the Overseas Terminal towards the city on a superb Wellington day. Te Papa on the lefthand side and the Overseas terminal on the right. The Wadestown Hills in the background. North is approximately the centre of the frame.

#564 ... Would you like that gift wrapped?

Susan and the other lovelies at Body Shop, Lambton Quay ... maybe it would be a point of retail difference if you were asked anytime you made a purchase ... "Would you like it gift wrapped?" ... after all we all have birthdays and anniversaries etc ... but somehow our small brains only allow this wrapped up thought for Christmas

#563 ... Bike the Bays

Under starter's orders for the 3km event of Bike the Bays ... kid's on tikes, even those who use wheel chairs for transport ... all out to enjoy a great summer weekend.

Bike along Wellington's beautiful coastline on Sunday 14 December, in 3km, 10km, or 26km return journeys. All rides started in Waitangi Park and were open to riders of all abilities and types. After the ride, picnic in Waitangi Park and enjoy live bands, give-aways and food stalls from 11.00am to 1.00pm.

.. And here is the starter with a superb wig ... YEAH RIGHT!!

#562 ... A Magic Morning

For those of you who know Wellington and it's wind .. this is the harbour this morning ... YES really .. a magic day .. really feels like summer ... this photo taken from the Overseas Terminal looking east towards the Hutt Valley ... Oriental Bay is to the right hand side.

#561 ... Thorndon Fair

Photo not by me but taken by PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

The Thorndon Fair in Tinakori Road is another of those community annual events .. .and this time the weather was superb. They came from all over Wellington and out of town, babies and dogs in tow, eyes glinting at the thought of a bargain. An estimated 25,000 people ventured out to peruse the 350 stalls at this year's Thorndon Fair, the major fundraiser for Thorndon School.

School parent and fair organiser Carleen Needham said the crowd was swelled by large numbers of out-of-towners, who had heard about the annual fair over the years from friends and relatives. Antiques, plants, second-hand clothing, jams and books were all big sellers, while the school's senior pupils sold out of strawberries and cream on a windless Wellington day. Beancounters had not reached a final tally, but the fair was likely to have raised more than $50,000, Mrs Needham said. The money would be used to pay an extra teacher's salary.

#560 ... Cruisin'

Purposely a wider angle shot (taken from the railway overbridge at Kaiwharawhara Station) ...so that you gain a perspective of the Harbour, City and motorway in the foreground .
From left to right: the slopes of Mt Victoria; against the hills just to the right of the motorway light is Wellington East Girls College; the "huri-cranes" are next on the container wharf; then the "Dawn Princess" on a cruise into Wellington and on the right hand side there is the Westpac Stadium. For the opposite view from within the Stadium look at Stadium cruisin'. The CBD is behind the cruise ship. The motorway in the foreground is part of State Highway 1 which runs the length of the country ... and maybe someone is getting a brand new Suzuki for Christmas !! at least the colour is appropriate.

#559 ... Light wires

A bit of a happening this morning on Victoria Street opposite the Wellington City Library ... something smashed the traffic lights and here is the workman sorting out the wires that connect the red, amber, green lights to its brain for all that sequencing we experience everyday ... YES I know you always wanted to know what was inside the traffic light pole.

behind the trolley bus to the left of the man's back is Dan Carter's GAP store .. in case your interested in rugby or pricey fashion!!!

#558 ... The Fish Ladies

Saras and Eunice at Moore Wilson's Fresh .. these two delightful ladies are just two of the fish team who are always bright and chatty each time I visit the store .. they are especially pleased to be in their new surroundings

#557 ... Sunshine & Space

Looking north from in front of Circa Theatre beside Te Papa. The floating crane Hikitia ... with the city behind. To the left of the crane is the cream Boat Shed with the red roof. The tall black building on the left hand edge is the State Insurance building on the corner of Willis Street & Lambton Quay

#556 ... Summer Cafe

Astoria Cafe, Midland Park .. on a very warm and sunny Sunday ... kids in the fountain ... happy people

#555 ... Shave a lid for a brave kid

A very worth while event in Midland Park on Thursday ... raising funds for the Child Cancer Foundation in support of children and families dealing with the traumatic challenges of a child with cancer. The Beat Girls provided the early entertainment ... then the main event commenced with the buzz of clippers .. many of these brave people had raised thousands of dollars to bare it all on top.

Having been involved with paediatric oncology and supporting families for over 25 years I applaud the "hair raising" contribution made by these brave souls.

#554 ... Fresh Art

Art work by Dick & Otis Frizzell in the new Moore Wilson's Fresh store between Lorne and College Streets in Wellington. Both Dick and his son Otis are well known in the NZ art scene and this artwork softens the harder edge of the new store ... much more spacious than the former facitlties but does not yet exhibit that fresh market, hustle & bustle feel of the former.

Dick Frizell
One of Dick's well known prints is "From Mickey to Tiki"
b. 1943 Auckland, New Zealand
Dick Frizzell has often slipped through the nets of traditional critical and curatorial definition and the success of his artistic career is, in part, due to the number of dramatic diversions he has made between different art styles and genres. Before moving into visual arts Frizzell worked in advertising. He has worked as an animator, commercial artist and illustrator and has no qualms about blurring the categories between his commercial work and art. His paintings are often a pastiche of images drawing on modern art and graphic design.

His work has always been characterised by a highly skilled handling of paint and an endlessly inventive range of subject matter and styles: faux-naive New Zealand landscapes, figurative still-life, comic book characters and witty parodies of modernist abstraction. His taste is conveniently broad and he has a penchant for fondly remembered and well-worn clichés. His work also portrays a sense of exuberance, ironic humour and baby-boomer nostalgia. An anti-traditionalist, Frizzell often makes a deliberate effort to mix up the categories of high and low art - poking fun at the intellectualisation of 'high art' and the existential angst of much New Zealand painting in the art culture of his youth.

Although primarily a painter, Frizzell also produces an extensive range of works on paper including lithographs and screen prints.

Otis Frizell
Otis Frizzell (1971-) entered public life in his late teens as half of popular hip hop duo MC OJ and Rhythm Slave. (Frizzell is also the son of well known New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell). Otis has more than 15 years of public graffiti art experience and is New Zealand's highest profile graffiti artist. His work is on walls in Saatchi and Saatchi, IE Music (Robbie Williams' London management office), in celebrity collections, on KFC packaging, breast cancer T shirts, Playstation Ads, TV2 promos and the record sleeves of Che Fu and Concord Dawn.
Through New Zealand Fine Prints you can buy the full range of limited edition screenprints, giclee prints and posters available by Otis Frizzell and the Weston Frizzell collaborative identity where Otis works with Mike Weston

#553 ... All in a day's work

Getting ready for the day's influx of Santa visits. This was in Harvey Norman's store in Tory Street ... photographer at the ready to record the event. The year before last we were in london at Harrod's .. they had four separate Santa's operating ... each with their own Christmas Grotto !!! ... Oh well he is popular at this time of the year.

#552 ... Cafe on the Park

Astoria Cafe & Bar on Midland Park .. at the left hand edge of the image you can see a couple of the spouts of the fountain

#551 ... Body Parts

A sale for body parts ??? ... the old BNZ building on the Willis Street corner is relected in the window as is the photographer next to the SALE sign.

#550 ... More fancy dress

Some more fancy dress in Midland Park .. this time a promotion for beer ... where maybe you can win a flight to Australia ... hence the pseudo airline uniforms ... Oh the fun of marketing to the masses ... although beer on a hot day has got to be relatively easy !!!
Apologies about the reduced quality ... I only had the iPhone @ 2mp

#549 ... Spheres THEME DAY

The Fern Ball suspended above the Civic Square has been posted previously .. as have the steel spheres along the edge of the wharf ... however Wellington has another sphere which is a magnet to adults and children alike. This one greets you as you enter Te Papa our national museum.

It is a 3 tonne granite ball, 820mm in diamteter, that is supported only by water ... OK it's water under pressure ...at approximately 15 pounds per square inch. The water layer between the base and the ball is only 2mm thick. The ball is rotated by water jets pulsing at 4 min internvals and by helpful little hands !!!
The granite sphere wa made by Kusser Granit in Germany

THEME DAY PARTICIPANTS
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

#548 ... Aiding

These "lovely lads" were out and about ... all dressed up collecting for Aids Awareness Day ... another colourful aspect of the city

#547 ... Hot Stuff

Well it was a hot day for Wellington ... not sure on the official temperature but the car external temp was reading 24 ... as you can see all the students were out at Oriental Bay and there was very little wind ... summer is really on the way !!!

#546 ... Authorised Graffitti

Temporary decorations and celebration graffitti on the walls of the Beaujolais Wine Bar in Woodward St for their party time

#545 ... Storm over Ngaio

Storm clouds brewing over Ngaio ... a view from my driveway looking towards the city. The hill behind the power pole (old style!)is the Wadestown Hill which looks down on the Harbour

#544 ... Homemade Pizza

Something for the inner man today ... Joshua's home made pizza ... chicken, cranberry and brie ... tasty tasty tasty

#543 ... Car Catchers

... and rarely do we consider what is beneath us .. we drive over this stuff every day without giving it so much as a thought ... UNTIL it decides not to work ... and then perhaps we get a tad irrate.

These workmen are installing the wires into the road surface ... the wires that sense the vehicles that pass over. it was like watching a correographed "ballet-in-boots" as they rolledout, pushed in and sealed the groove to complete the task.
LAMBTON QUAY, by MIDLAND PARK

#542 ... A new site

Creating a spectacle with a rebranding makeover ... underway on Willis Street. The optician over the road from the New World Metro gets a new name "My Sight"

#541 ... Viewing Corridor

One of those glimpses of the view beyond ... looking from Willis Street .. down Chews Lane to the Boat Shed on the Lagoon by Frank Kitts Park ... Oriental Bay & Mt Victoria beyond that. Click here for map.

#540 ... Christmas in the Park

The Christmas tree is already up in Midland park in the centre of Wellington

#539 ... PL8ED

An exquisitely PL8ED Subaru Legacy spotted in Johnston Street next to Midland Park

#538 ... Quirky Topping

Apartments down the Courtenay Place end of the city ... on Wakefield Street over from the New World Supermarket ... makes for an eclectic interesting layer on an old body. Often we forget to look up as we go about our daily business.

#537 ... Cold Models

Reflections in a Kirkcaldie & Stains display window with the mannequins trying to keep warm !!

#536 ... Trying it for size

One of the bikes at the HOG display at Wellington Motorycles on Kent Terrace

#535 ... Panorama

An iPhone Panorama ... on a visit to Highbury (south western side of the city) this week ... all I had to take a photo was my iPhone ... so I tried the "panorama" application and took three photos ... you can see the joins if you look closely e.g. the roof og the house in the foreground. The southern side of the city, Oriental Bay, Mt Victoria, Soames Island and the Hutt Valley beneath the clouds ... can all be seen. Foreground right is the ubiquitous cabbage tree in flower.

#534 ... Italian Pizzazz

A Lambo in Johnston Street ... Midland Park to the left, Kirckaldie & Stains behind the photographer

#533 ... A Wellington Castle ?

The Revera Building opposite Wellington Girls College ... a modern take on the european castle maybe. The building was opened in September 1990 (4mk)

#532 ... Goodbye school - hello sunshine.

NOTE: This is not my photo ... this great shot was taken by KENT BLECHYNDEN of The Dominion Post ... thanks Kent for being there to capture what is becoming an iconic interlude in college life.

Wellington Girls' College pupils could not have picked a better day for their uniformed plunge into Frank Kitts Park lagoon, with yesterday's temperature reaching a balmy 21 degrees.
The big jump has become an annual tradition for the school's year 12 pupils, who do not have to wear uniform in their final year.
Yesterday was their last day of school before they go on exam study leave.
Kate Brookie, 17, said the weather played a role in the biggest turnout yet, with more than 200 year 12 pupils taking part.
"The gods must want us to do it," she said.
The gods may have approved, but those set to inherit the uniforms were more sceptical.
"I'm giving my uniform away and I know the people," Emily Rowe, 16, said. "They're not too happy about it."
Neither was her mother, she said. "My mum wants me to go home immediately and have a shower, because she's worried about waterborne diseases."
Most parents seemed content for their daughters to take part, however, joining curious office workers and passers-by on the waterfront to watch.
Many pupils went back for second or third jumps. "It was so exhilarating," Emily said. "I want to do it again."
The event had been weeks in the planning, but excitement got the better of some pupils who forgot to bring dry clothes or towels. Kate and her friends were not fazed.
"Everyone will just walk home wet."
Wellington has enjoyed 74.1 sunshine hours so far this month, following a drier than average October. Tomorrow's temperature is forecast to reach 21 degrees, with only light winds and morning cloud.
The good weather is set to continue over the next few months, with Niwa predicting a dry, settled summer for the Wellington region

$531 ... The Underbelly of the City

The big hole (about 3m x 6m x 3m deep) outside the State Services Commission in Pipitea Street waiting for the comining together of all sorts of utilities ... gas, water, ICT fibre, etc ... some of the labelled and protected conduit is visible. To comply with all the requirements for the junction a reinforced concrete pad has been built on the floor to ensure stability of all the junctions.

#530 ... Stadium Cruises

Interesting juxtaposition of a cruise ship berthed at the wharf behind the Westpac Stadium ... I was at a business event in the facilities at the Westpac Stadium when this caught my eye ...