#879 ... Last Stage

The last stage of the Targa 2009 Rally ... leaving from Taranaki St Wharf ... next to Te Papa (background right) .. and under the watchful eye of the law ... who were breath testing all the drivers.

Targa Rally ... the story
Targa New Zealand is a motorsport event company that organizes the best closed road races on public (tarmac) roads. All of our events are based on the North Island of New Zealand. To enjoy these roads within the magnificent New Zealand scenery will leave you with an indescribable experience that will never be forgotten.

Targa New Zealand was founded in 1995 and since the start it has grown from a 74-car entry list to around 200 entries and from one event a year to an annual three-round series:
Targa Bambina (2-day event) held in March based around Franklin and Waikato district;
Targa Rotorua (2-day event) held in June based around the Rotorua district;
Dunlop Targa (6-day main event) held in October starting in Auckland and travelling through the North Island to Wellington.

Each event consists of open road touring and competitive Targa special stages on closed sections of public tarmac road, where the competitors race against the clock, without the fear of police cars or speed guns. The event is divided into two competitions, Classic and Modern, each with five vehicle categories difined by means of age, giving the competitors a chance to compete on a level footing with cars of similar speed. Over 1200 tyres are consumed by the competing cars annually during the three events, and Dunlop is the proud supplier of these tyres and the main sponsor of Targa New Zealand.

Targa New Zealand has become New Zealand’s largest competitive rally series and the longest closed-tarmac road motorsport event in Australasia, spanning vehicles from the 1950’s to today. The unique aspect of Targa NZ is this variety of cars, from old to new, from very expensive to the very affordable, all driven by passionate car enthusiasts. This is car culture at its finest: driving fast, loads of fun and an element of danger!

The attraction of this unique event is the ability for people from all walks of life to compete, even in a relatively standard vehicle. Given reasonable reliability and a good standard of driving ability, it is possible to be as competitive as the man with the unlimited chequebook.

Youth are not forgotten with the event targeting young drivers through a series of initiatives to assist them to compete and race in a controlled manner, rather than testing their skills in an open road situation. Local community involvement is an important part of the Targa New Zealand events. Schools (tomorrows decision makers) and community clubs are involved in activities for fundraising through the events from providing a morning or afternoon tea, pre paid lunches, passage controls and car washes. Parents are being utilised as marshalling in return for a donation to the school or community club.

Targa New Zealand’s charity of choice is Cure Kids and since our relationship began in 2002, we have raised over $400,000.00 for them. Cure Kids is a very worthy cause and we are proud to be supporting an organisation that gives hope to so many children and their families.

#878 .. On yer bike

A group of cyclists ... heading north at the top end of Willis Street .. waiting for the green.

#877 ... Sleeping City

An afternoon nap in Cuba Street ... oblivious to the wider world.

#876 ... School Girl Rush

A group of school girls on a mission .. rushing across Lambton Quay .. view looking south from Esprit and James Cook Arcade

#875 ... Keep on Truckin'

A line up of truck & trailer units on Thorndon Quay ... .. there were two more units out of shot to the right ... the giveway sign on the left is the start of Tinakori Road. The trucks were waiting to pick up earth being excavated from the Johnsonville railway line as behind the buildings .. behind me!

#874 ... Blue Crane

Not a bird ... not a plane .. but a crane .. disassembling another crane (yellow variety) ... Taranaki Street. The blue crane, the blue shroud around the building and the brooding sky made an interesting combination.

#873 ...The Watchers

Appropriately dressed and watching the proceedings across the road ... you can partially see the event reflected in the Cafe window behind the four dapper gentlemen. .. tomorrows post will have what was happening across the road

#872 ...Sleeping with the angels?

Outside dreaming

#871 ... STOP GO FAST SLOW

Modified road signage in Boulcott St ... another use for "gaffer" tape?

#870 ... It's coming

Kirkaldie & Stains are moving Christmas into the store ... just moments before this the young lady had had a happening and tipped one of the trees onto the street ... this was post-event as they recommnced their tree journey.

#869 ... 1963 Original

A 1963 original Fiat Bambina spied in Taranaki Street ... and with a delightful number plate. My mother had one of these ... red with soft top ... and with four teenagers on board we could almost get to 60mph down hill with a tail wind.

#868 ... Lion Supporter

The face of a Vodafone Wellington Lions rugby supporter .. this guy was handing out the flags and posters before the game ... many of the "younger" kids were also sporting these superbly done "big cat" faces ... awesome

#867 ... Little boxes on the hillside

Just like the PP&M song ... a typical Wellington vista ... looking North West from Barnard St, Wadestown towards the hills of Crofton Downs and Ngaio ... what is most evident is the amount of "green"

#866 ... Cookin' up a storm

Working the crowds on Lambton Quay ... promoting Jamie Oliver's new cook book "AMERICA" ... these guys were delightful ... the choice of the young dark skinned lady was inspired although she was not from the USA but her parentage had links to Africa and the Carribean ... I think that was right and the guy looked like old Mr America himself ... they were so friendly and keen to chat I forgot to ask their names ... it added some colour to the Quay on what was a mixed day weatherwise.

And now thanks to one of the faithfull followers of WDP ... Leif Hagan who added this.

Mr America = Uncle Sam ... who is the national personification of the United States and sometimes more specifically of the American government, with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812 and the first illustration dating from 1852. He is depicted as a serious elderly white man with white hair and a goatee beard, and dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of flag of the United States—for example, typically a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white striped trousers

#865 ... Tug-o-War

The Original Version !!!

#864 ... All Black All Right

Ma'a Nonu on Lambton Quay collecting for the rebuilding of Samoa following the tsunami disaster. He was joyfully helped by Rodney Solialo, Piri Weepu (next to TV3 cameraman) and Neemia Tialata .. it was also interesting how many people as well as making a donation wre also getting autographs at the same time ... thanks for the help guys ... awesome

#863 ... Big Presence

CourierPost is celebrating its 20th year of business and so we would like to give you the opportunity to win $10,000*! They’ve placed some giant presents in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, each filled with 10 mystery items for you to guess at.

This yello present with a fair bit of presence is in the open space bwtween the NZ Staock Exchange and Te Papa (in the background) .. makes for a nice bit of spring colour!!

But it doesn’t matter where you are in New Zealand you can still take part. In order to have a chance to win the grand prize of $10,000 just listen to Classic Hits each weekday between 2pm and 6pm from 12th to 23rd October. Each day there will be a new mystery item to guess at and they’ll be giving away a different clue each day as to what that mystery item may be. But don’t worry, if you happen to miss the clue on Classic Hits, we’ll be posting that day’s clue right here each day. Classic Hits will also be giving away 10 instant prizes each day so stay tuned.

#862 ... Under Construction

A fairly typical Wellington house under construction ... a challenging site, on a hillside, timber framing ... and a view ... on the road around the bays to the airport.

#861 ... In error

The F1 exhibition at Te Papa ... a must see, even for those who have no interest in motor racing ... the presentation and displays are "INFOGRAPHICS" at its best. This image was taken in error when someone bumped into me ... but it captures the speed and colour of F1 racing. Exhibition on till 1 November.

#860 ... Storm Warning

#859 ... Al Brown

"DON'T LET THIS GUY SCARE YOU"
Al Brown was at Moore Wilson's Freash his morning .. doing one of those things he does best ... talking with real people about his passion for fresh New Zealand food ... and how to make the most of it. He has just published a book "Go Fish" .. a superb publication on catching, cooking and eating kaimoana ... food from the sea. The book is a work of art in its self ... the cover can be taken off, unfolded to form a large poster of NZ fish species. The hard cover is beautifully embossed with the image of a fish ... so this publication is highly recommended. The cover photo is pure Al Brown ... in his element. Chef, TV presenter, writer and Wellington restaurant-owner - is one of the best known faces of New Zealand cuisine

Al Brown and Steve Logan of Logan Browns on the cnr of Vivian & Cuba Sts create culinary delights that are natural, with stunning flavours ... so when in Wellington make sure you get along to this restaurant which received New Zealand’s highest restaurant honour - Cuisine Restaurant of the Year - in 2009.

Hunger for the Wild
Away from Wellington, Brown and Logan are best known as co-presenters of the award-winning television food series, Hunger for the Wild, which has them visiting regional New Zealand, introducing great Kiwi characters, chasing down some of New Zealand’s finest food, and preparing dishes of wild game and seasonal delicacies.

Brown grew up in the Wairarapa region, in the southern half of the North Island, on a sheep and cattle property. His passion for the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, developed early in life when he went on regular hunting holidays with his family to the coast. After completing a culinary arts degree at the New England Culinary Institute, USA, then cooking in restaurants in North America, Europe and New Zealand, Brown returned to New Zealand and opened Logan Brown Restaurant.

#858 ... Walk About

A creche outing in the big city on a wet day ... all decked out in the safety green fluro vests ... Willis Street ... yesterdays pavement spot is middle of picture.

#857 ... Tickle

... and yet another coffee stop in the CBD ... this is under the delightful iconic Italian mural on the wall of the old Il Casino restaurant & bar in Tory Street... friendly team ... so call in and enjoy the coffee

#856 ... Eyes on the pavement

Chalk prose on the pavement outside Unity Books ... which incidentally is a GREAT bookstore that is also very supportive of local talent. The bookies at Unity know their books ... and obviously their footpath.

Book Activists around the country have launched a month-long programme of events. It’s all about discovering, exploring and loving our Kiwi books for New Zealand Book Month 2009. The festival is designed to celebrate the work of local writers and illustrators, runs for the calendar month of October with more than 200 uniquely Kiwi events and thousands of participants.

#855 ... Transformers

A new transformer being craned into position at the Kaiwharawhara substation at the bottom of Ngaio Gorge. The symmetry of the two cranes working in tandem caught my eye as I headed home up the Ngaio Gorge Road.

#854 ... Clarity

... well at last we have a clear view. View looking south towards upper Willis Street and Brooklyn. The wind turbine can be seen on the hill just below the window cleaner's left hand.

#853 ... Start Here

Well we all have to start somewhere ... motorbike school at the Wilson Carpark between Victoria St and Wills St. During the week and on Sunday for the market this place is super busy ... but Saturday morning its the place to learn on two wheels

#852 ... Saturday Morning

Outside Peoples Coffee in Garrett Street ... Saturday morning, fresh coffee, sunshine & friends ... heaven!!!

#851 ... Aligned

Waiting patiently in line for the next road ... Lambton Quay

#850 ... Getting the News

Recording a news story or making a travel documentary ...outside Air New Zealand ticket office, Lambton Quay

#849 ... Free Parking

It is good to know that when picking up you death certificate you get reserved parking ... interesting juxtaposition of parking sign and the Births, Deaths & Marriages office. Look closely at the building sign under the veranda.