#695 ... Pushing it uphill

A bit like the preverbial really ... pushing S#*t uphill! We spotted these guys pumnping concrete uphill .. when we went for a lunchtime walk around Thorndon. The cement mixer truck and the concrete pumping truck were virtually wedged up the narrow Ascot Tce ... the wonders of modern construction solutions for challenging sites.

#694 ... This says it all

#693 ... A Thorndon Cottage

One of the delightful , well maintained heritage cottages in Thorndon. On a fine day, a lunchtime walk around the narrow steep streets on the Thorndon hillsides is always rewarding ... for the character and history of the place.

#692 ... The Tui Trio

Well almost colour co-ordinated including the 'blonde' hair !! ... at the Hurricanes vs Brumbies rugby match at the Stadium. Photo obviously not taken by me.

#691 ... ANZAC Rugby

Images left to right, top to bottom:
Hurricanes & Brumbies 'walking' out for the opening ceremony
At attention for the 'last post'
Airforce chopper flying in the match ball
Firing of the guns
The red poppie on the big screen
Mates saluting during the playing of the 'last post'
Chopper diappearing into the night sky
Generations & cultures at ANZAC parade (nzrumi Photo)
Airforce 'husband & wife"

GAME REPORT courtesy of the DomPost
Hurricanes 56
Brumbies 7

He is sporting a Zapata moustache, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the days of Freddie Mercury in the 1970s, but Cory Jane is a rugby player whose time may have come. The Hurricanes are finding their rhythm when it counts, putting together their most complete performance of the season to blitz the Brumbies in Wellington last night. The Hurricanes were more than steady - they were explosive at times, scoring four tries in 18 minutes to have the bonus point on the half hour.

From there the Canes ran in four more tries and even had the luxury of getting Piri Weepu back into the groove off the bench after a two-week absence.It was a performance that will send a shudder through the top end of the table where the Hurricanes have solidified their place in another mad scramble for playoffs spots.

Next week, it's sink or swim for the Blues in Wellington. After this form by the Hurricanes, the Blues might well pack their aqualungs.Portrayed as a potential title winner in the leadup to the tournament, the Hurricanes have spluttered along mixing brilliance with ordinary. But classy centre Conrad Smith said he knew they "weren't far off" a performance like this big win.

Hurricanes 56 (C. Jane, C. Smith, T. Ellison, D. Smith, F. Levave, Z. Guildford 2, V. Vito tries; W. Ripia 5 con, 2 pen), Brumbies 7 (B. Alexander try; S. Mortlock con). Halftime: 25-7.

Wellington Daily Photo now on Twitter as "wellingtondaily"

#690 ... ANZAC Day

Anzac Day is a national public holiday in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga. This image is from the Dawn Parade at the Cenotaph in Wellington ...the north end of Lambton Quay

History
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand. This is a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same national day, but making reference to both countries in its name.

The Gallipoli campaign
When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a Federal Commonwealth for only thirteen years. In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, under a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stale-mate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Istanbul and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity in both countries. This shaped the ways their citizens viewed both their past and their future.

The foundations of Anzac Day
On 30 April 1915, when the first news of the landing reached New Zealand, a half-day holiday was declared and impromptu services were held. The following year a public holiday was gazetted on 5 April and services to commemorate were organised by the returned servicemen.

The date, 25 April, was officially named Anzac Day in 1916; in that year it was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia and New Zealand, a march through London, and a sports day for the Australian and New Zealand soldiers in Egypt. The small New Zealand community of Tinui, near Masterton in the Wairarapa was apparently the first place in New Zealand to have an Anzac Day service, when the then vicar led an expedition to place a large wooden cross on the Tinui Taipos (a 1,200 ft (370 m) high large hill/mountain, behind the village) in April 1916 to commemorate the dead. A service was held on the 25th of April of that year. In 2006 the 90th Anniversary of the event was commemerated with a full twenty-one gun salute fired at the service by soldiers from the Waiouru Army Camp.

In London, over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets of the city. A London newspaper headline dubbed them "The Knights of Gallipoli". Marches were held all over Australia in 1916; wounded soldiers from Gallipoli attended the Sydney march in convoys of cars, accompanied by nurses. Over 2,000 people attended the service in Rotorua. For the remaining years of the war, Anzac Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities. From 1916 onwards, in both Australia and New Zealand, Anzac memorials were held on or about 25 April, mainly organised by returned servicemen and school children in cooperation with local authorities.

Anzac Day at Manly, Brisbane, Australia, 1922Anzac Day was gazetted as a public holiday in New Zealand in 1920, through the Anzac Day Act, after lobbying by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, the RSA. In Australia at the 1921 State Premiers' Conference, it was decided that Anzac Day would be observed on 25 April each year. However, it was not observed uniformly in all the States.

During the 1920s, Anzac Day became established as a National Day of Commemoration for the 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders who died during the war. The first year in which all the Australian states observed some form of public holiday together on Anzac Day was 1927. By the mid-1930s, all the rituals now associated with the day — dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, sly two-up games — became part of Australian Anzac Day culture. New Zealand commemorations also adopted many of these rituals, with the dawn service being introduced from Australia in 1939

#689 ... A Dog's Life

Ghuznee Street ... outside the PopArt shop ... taking in the late summer sun ... someone has to do it

#688 ... In the Garden

The city gardners preparing the flower beds for the winter planting ... a rather precarious garden with traffic on both sides ... very close.
These guys do a great job maintaining the beauty of our city ... THANK YOU

#687 ... First Frost

OK not spectacular metre deep powder snow ... which incidentally we do not get in Wellington ... BUT the first frost of the winter season .. a crisp morning .. no wind !!! .. and a magical sunny day in the making

#686 ... Coastal Filter

A Wellington coastal perspective taken by David Pears. I met David when he was working at the Ministry of Health ... he is passionate about photography and carries one of those bazooka cameras unlike my toy one. This image could be one of a multitude of New Zealand coastal views, however Wellington claims this particular one

#685 ... Mondrian!?

The apartment block, with a touch of the Mondrian, at the top of Molesworth Street on the apex between the Ministry of Health building to the right and the US Embassey to the left ... there is a friendly Mojo's Cafe on the ground floor .. sort of like a second office for me and many from the Ministry of Health and the NZ Police (building behind) who work in the vicinity.

I come past here most mornings ... to work a couple of blocks away and drop the girls off at Wellington Girls' College.

#684 ... Winning Paint

Showing which team you support ... well it must have worked as the Hurricanes beat the Stormers 34-11 ... on a superb autumn night in Wellington

#683 ... Otago Hurricanes

In town for the rugby and other things ... the female members of this group are off doing the Wellington shopping things and these guys are enjoying some late summer weather ... now Dad her is one of the movers and shakers behind the Otago Rail Trail .. a unique regeneration of a piece of NZ history in Central Otago ... while in Wellington they are going to come along to the Hurricanes (hence the uniforms) vs. Stormers game at the Westpac Stadium tonight ... so here's hoping the outcome of the game is as good as the shopping

#682 ... "Barbie on the dashboard of my car"

Well not my car actually .. but an interesting dashboard icon spotted in a "boy racer" car parked on Lambton Quay .. apologies for the photo quality ... image shot with windscreen reflections of Vodafone building on Midland Park, street lights and camera in hand (right hand side). You will note that Barbie has had some enhancements with a wad of cash or maybe "plastics" added to her left hand .. together with a pink bow !!!

#681 ... Fire Fire

A firey performance at the hot air balloon event .. something more to entertain the audience. Basin Reserve

#680 ... Train Coming

The train coming up the Johnsonville line ... winding around the Wadestown hills towards the Crofton Downs station. You will note the usual Wellington scene of "little boxes on the hillside" and the predominance of greeness.

#679 ... A spot of Fishing

Easter for many is also a time for family ... and here we have one enjoying some fishing off the wharf by Te Papa ... looking across the marina to the Freyberg Swimming Pool (left)and St Gerrards on the hilltop, Port Nicholson Yacht Club (middle, cream roof, white centre) Copthorne Hotel (right).

Thanks to my mate Rumi again for capturing this easter moment.

#678 ... A lot of Hot Air

The Wellington wind paused just long enough for these hot-air balloons to inflate and light up last night. Local sculptor and balloon owner Denis Hall said it was "a bit of a fluke" that the weather came through for last night's nightglow during the Balloons at the Basin fiesta. "It's just something you deal with on the night we were more nervous during the week, watching the weather forecasts."

The 20 balloons lit up the sky for about half an hour about six o'clock before rising winds raised safety concerns. Balloonists from Whangaparaoa to Christchurch came to Wellington for the event, which has not been staged at the Basin Reserve before. Balloons gathered at Oriental Bay last year.
Ballooning was a hobby like any other, and attracted people from all walks of life, he said. "Some people have boats, some have sports cars, some have model airplanes we have balloons."

For a great photo by DomPost photographer Robert Kitchin go to balloons

#677 ... Easter Sunday

The Easter cross on the communication mast on the top of Mt Victoria .. photo taken at night from Wadestown Hill ... the cross is one of the most basic symbols yet it has been the essence of hope, the purpose of life and the catalyst of conflict ... for many people in our world.

#676 ... The Road Works

Molesworth Street ... on WTuesday they ground off about the top 100mm of the road surface and on Wednesday they replaced it with new bitumen ... lots of machinery, orange vests, orange cones and the aroma of hot tar.

#675 ... A Clean Protest

The Service & Food Workers Union’s Clean Start campaign kicked off with cleaning workers in Auckland and Wellington protesting against the behaviour of New Zealand’s largest contract cleaning firm, Spotless. This is outside the Government Executive offices at the northern end of Lambton Quay. The cleaners say Spotless does not give them enough time to do their jobs properly, or pay them enough money to look after their families.

Cleaners in both cities marched to buildings where Spotless holds cleaning contracts to raise awareness of their situation. Tenants were shocked to hear that Spotless pays its cleaners as little as $10.95 an hour. In Wellington, cleaners called on MPs to consider the low wages and poor conditions for cleaners in government-owned buildings. MPs whose offices are cleaned by Spotless were mailed sponges with the Clean Start message. Maori Party MP and Clean Start supporter Hone Harawira addressed cleaners and their supporters outside Parliament, saying it was unacceptable that cleaners were “holding down several jobs at shamefully low pay, in order to make ends meet.”

#674 ... The Tea Room

Tea break at the office ... YEAH RIGHT. The construction workers club from the building above taking a well earned break at All Day Breakfast Cafe in Molesworth Street ... whether it's pin stripes or orange vests and hard hats .. it's still a uniform

#673 ... Outdoor Classroom

Outdoor lessons .. Seatoun Primary school kids had the afternoon on the beach at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. Watching all this was interesting .. as soon as the kids hit the open space of the beach they ran in all directions ... only to be called back to attention by the teacher's whistle. The two boys in the front of the picture were trying to work out how they could comply with the whistle message to return to the teacher .. and also bring along the large piece of driftwood they had found. They did both ... and 'kid'handled the hunk of wood back to the class meeting point.

You will note that all the kids have their sunhats on ... in both Australia and New Zealand we have "sun smart" programmes becuase of the greater risks of skin cancer ... so – slip, slop, slap, wrap
We love our sport and being outdoors and because skin cancer is caused by exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation we can be at risk while we’re outside enjoying ourselves. The really good news is skin cancer is preventable. So one of the most important things you can do is to practice SunSmart behaviours while playing sport or enjoying the outdoors.
How can you be SunSmart?
Slip into a shirt – and slip into some shade, especially between 11am and 4pm when the ultraviolet rays are most fierce.
Slop on some sunscreen before going outdoors.
Put sunscreen on any skin not covered by clothes.
Choose a sunscreen that meets the Australian and New Zealand Standard
AS/NS2604.
Use an SPF30+ broad-spectrum sunscreen. Wipe it on thickly at lea 15 minutes
before going outdoors.
Reapply: do this 15 minutes after the first application to ensure complete coverage,
and also after physical activity, swimming or towel drying.

Sunscreen should not be used as a means of staying out of the sun longer, but as a
way to reduce the risk of sun damage to the skin when exposure to the summer sun
is unavoidable. Slap on a hat with a brim or a cap with flaps. More people get burned on the face and neck than any other part of the body, so a good hat is important. Wrap on a pair of sunglasses. Choose close fitting, wrap-around glasses that meet the Australian Standard AS1067

#672 ... Spaced Out City

The delight of open spaces in a city .. the Botanical Gardens on the hills above the city .. this photo reminds of the Andrew Wyeth's Christina painting. The city CBD and Harbour is over the other side of the hill on the horizon.

#671 ... The Lonely Dog

My good friend Rumi, captured Richard Taylor with the doorman as he was leaving the Exhibition Gallery. He was the special guest at the "Lonely Dog" exhibition ... an amazing collection of cartoon/landscape art from Queenstown artist Ivan Clark. Weta workshop has turned some of the lonely dog characters to bronze sculptures and Warner Bros have just signed a deal to make a movie out of Lonely Dog. It's an amazing story ... go have a look ... you will enjoy it.

PS. Richard won the "world class New Zealander award for 2009".

For the whole story go to the Lonely Dog site and read about how it all began

#670 ... Exit 2

Looking east across the harbour exit/entrance ... from the eastern edge of the old Fort Dorset site ... the new board walk and rugged coastline

#669 ... Harbour Exit

The Interislander ferry to Picton (top of the South Island) exiting through the Wellington Heads ... heading south. Picture taken from the eastern end of Seatoun Beach by Barretts Reef where the Wahine foundered in 1968 with the loss of 51 lives. A very very different day to the one you see here

#668 ... Elevated View

Looking north from Mt Victoria ... overlooking the city ... the CBD to the left

#667 ... City & Harbour

... the view looking north east from the top of the Botanical Gardens next to Clermont Tce ... a great day.

On the left hand side at the near edge of the harbour you can pick out a cruise ship, between the buildings and across the other side of the harbour, the valley that leads up the Hutt Valley to Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. Centre harbour you can see Matiu/Somes Island and to the right at the near edge of the harbour, one of the container cranes.

#666 ... YELLOW

Theme Day: YELLOW
The colour yellow is synonymous with Wellington ... yellow & black being our regional colours ... yellow & black for the Hurricanes Super 14 Rugby Team ... yellow & black for the Lions Provincial Rugby Team ... yellow & black for the Go Wellington buses ... yellow for the Westpac Stadium seats, etc etc ... so thankyou City Daily Photo for giving us the opportunity to display our city's colours ... NO JOKE!!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in this months THEME DAY