Friday, December 31, 2010

#1311 ... Good Night 2010

The sunsets on 2010 across Lake Taupo ... delightfully serene & thoughtful

Thursday, December 30, 2010

#1310 ... Ceramic Gardens

We are in Taupo for a few days ... and if you're passing through, go checkout L'Arte at 255 Mapara Road, Acacia Bay ... great tiled art, good cafe ... a place that makes you SMILE.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

#1309 ... Ski Cemetry

The "Treasure Shop" at the Wellington City Council refuse station (the tip!) ... installation art maybe ?

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

#1308 ... Hold On

A grey murky day at Wellington Airport ... everything is working BUT bumpy rides expected!

Monday, December 27, 2010

#1307 ... City Road Textures

The textures of the street ... Featherston St, CBD ... note the detail on the cast drain access cover "DRAINS TO THE SEA" ... how many of us take notice ?

Sunday, December 26, 2010

#1306 ... The Day After

YES the day after Christmas Day ... and all the catchup jobs still need to be done ... like mowing the lawns at our place... downunder and not a snow flake in sight !!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

#1305 ... Our Place - Christmas Day

Anna, Teagan and Caleb examining the contents of Christmas crackers ... not much really !!

Friday, December 24, 2010

#1304 ... A Classic Alternative

This is Nikita & Leon ... Two very fine musicians performing at the entrance to James Cook Arcade. These two talented musicians also have a CD titled "Pandasira"

Thursday, December 23, 2010

#1303 ... Alternative Carols

Father and daughter serenading the lunch time passersby with alternative Christmas carols ... and in Maori ... delightful ... love the pink ukelele. WOODWARD ST

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

#1302 ... Look Both Ways

part of the fall out from the new Manners Mall bus lane... we all need to be told AGAIN ... to look both ways when we cross the road ... Hmmmmm "Nanny State" ... these two students were taking a break from walking the streets with their promo boards. CUBA MALL

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

#1301 ... Another Christmas Queue

Ready for the lunchtime onslaught of mothers and children ... all to visit Santa in his sleigh ... Harbour City Centre, Lambton Quay

Monday, December 20, 2010

#1300 ... Must be Christmas

The Post Office around the corner from work ... 9:30am in the morning and already queues to the door !! ... MUST BE CHRISTMAS

Sunday, December 19, 2010

#1299 ... Food Carols

Singing Christmas carols for the shoppers at Moore Wilson's Fresh ... no snow ... but still christmas downunder in the Southern hemisphere

Saturday, December 18, 2010

#1298 ... Lace Ups

A pair of stylish lace-ups on Courtenay Place ... the rest of the body was about to enjoy a salad lunch at Kapai ... try it sometime.

Friday, December 17, 2010

#1297 ... Birthday Dress Up

So this is what you do for a birthday ... it was Cassie's (2nd right) 15th birthday and all her friends were doing the dress-up thing ... they were all ready to enjoy themselves and have a party. WELLINGTON RAILWAY STATION

Thursday, December 16, 2010

#1296 ... Swinging it

This image was a result of my day in Hamilton ... taken from the office window ... some people have interesting jobs !!!
THANKS TO HAMILTON for providing a quirky image for a Wellingtonian !!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

#1295 ... Arrival & Departure

I spent the day in Hamilton ... so really not in Wellington to take photos ... however on the way to the Airport in the morning I snapped this cruise ship entering the Harbour in the mist ... and just by chance managed to capture it again as it was leaving port when I flew in at 6:30pm. Not great images but quirky in terms of timing. SMILE

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

#1294 ... Full Size Advent Calendar

This home in Karori did the Advent Calendar thing fullsize ... counting down from 25 to show the number days left before Christmas Day ... delightful !!

Monday, December 13, 2010

#1293 ... Waiting

8AM ... School students waiting for the train at Awarua Station ... on the Johnsonville line

Sunday, December 12, 2010

#1292 ... Multi-coloured Model

A superb artistic take on a mannequin ... "Absolutely Fabulous" by Sue Lund, NZD$2,900 at Ora, Allen Street.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Friday, December 10, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

#1289 ... City Colour

Love the eclectic colour that cityscapes provide ... street signs, red trucks, black cars, flowers, parking ticket machines .. and the man with the measuring wheel. Victoria Street, Wellington

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

#1288 ... Mr Lifter

Now it is not everyday that one sees a Christmas decorated forklift stationary in a vehicle carpark on the side of a main street in the city ... so this caught my eye ... and what a delightful story.

This is TOM O'CONNOR who runs and owns this fork truck ... his second ... and his business THOMPSON BROS. LTD. drives this fork truck around the CBD and close suburbs to do spot lifting jobs ... unloading stock, moving money machines, loading delivery trucks ... as required. Clients ring up Tom and off he goes to the next job around town. A delightful engaging character to chat to ... and obviously fulfilling a much needed service for businesses around town. Thanks Tom ... and the only thing that is missing is the Santa hat !!!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

#1287 ... Humans + buses

The new Manners Mall bus route ... operational ... BUT this shows the current issue ... human + bus ... on the same piece of geography ... some near fatal accidents have occurred with impacts between the two entities ... me thinks the humans need to take some responsibility with their own care & safety !! ... however we are now having "in depth" consultants reviewing the whole new transport route to come up with recommendations ... may be feather soft buses!

Monday, December 6, 2010

#1286 ... Traffic Stopper

A nice piece of fashion on Featherston Street ... just to show that we are having some delightful summer weather ... apologies to the Europe followers !!!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

#1285 ... The Kiwi Christmas Tree

I did not take this photo ... it was captured by Simon Gianoutsos (a fellow tweeter) from Auckland, New Zealand ... it shows the magnificent pohutukawa flower in all its glory for Christmas ... thanks Simon.
POHUTUKAWA
Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa).
This is the best known of New Zealand coastal trees because of its attractive wide-spreading habit and the profusion of red flowers it bears about Christmas time. Although confined naturally to the Three Kings, the North Island coast down to Poverty Bay and Urenui, and the shores of lakes on the volcanic plateau, the tree is widely planted even well south of these limits.

It grows to 60 ft high and the trunk, which divides early, is some 6 ft through at the base. Masses of small fibrous roots sometimes hang down from the lower branches. The leaves are 1–3 in. long, elliptic, and covered below with a tight mat of hairs. Flowers are borne in terminal cymes. The buds are whitish before they break and the numerous stamens, which give the flower its colour, are shades of crimson and red. The capsules contain numerous tiny seeds which germinate on damp clay or in rock crevices.

The genus Metrosideros contains other outstanding native trees, in particular the northern and southern ratas, M. robusta and M. umbellata. It belongs to the myrtle family containing eucalypts which are the main natural foods of the Australian opossum. In New Zealand this animal feeds on pohutukawas and destroys some.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

#1284 ... Cuba Action Men

Intensive Care in Upper Cuba Street has started selling an eclectic mix of Action Men and other crazy action figures. $5 for a naked Action Man ... already for you to dress up ... haha

Friday, December 3, 2010

#1283 ... unhand me ... Sir !!!

Man-handling the model on Lambton Quay ... and with a smile and some laughter !!!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

#1282 ... Maria's Blue Shoes

These amazing electric blue shoes caught my eye as I walked down Featherston Street ... and the proud owner/wearer ... Maria ... was more than happy to have them showcased on the WDP. Thanks Maria

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

#1281 ... hey ho ... it's off to work we go

Now this great team of workers took a bit of convincing to let me take their photo ... but I'm really pleased they did .. as this makes a pretty unique photo ... note the way they are performing like a machine ... the no.1 guy at the right hand end has the can of hot tar, no.2 has the roller, no.3 has the sand, no.4 the broom and the last man is there to control any cars wanting to enter or exit the carpark at the Ngaio Railway Station. Thanks to a great team from Angus Ashphalt.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

#1280 ... Pita Lineup

Typically around the city it is people waiting in line for sushi ... but here is a new take on standing in line ... there were at least another 10 people already inside the new Pita Pit outlet ... it's like another take on the Subway concept ... except here you fill your pita bread with yummy healthy stuff.

Monday, November 29, 2010

#1279 ... A Welcome Sign

My wife had to go into Wellington Hospital today to have an antibiotic administered by dripfeed! ... she had an infected elbow ... which wasn't responding to oral antibiotics ... so that meant an overnight stay in hospital ... and this caused me to reflect on those in real critical medical emergencies .. and how they probably feel some relief at seeing this sign and realising they are not far away from medical help.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

#1278 ... Bird, beach, boat & chilled wine

Maybe not quite as you imagined but great all the same. Oriental Bay, 22 degrees, gentle warm breeze ... absolutely, positively, awesome !!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

#1277 ... Today WLG ... tomorrow SGN

Tran has lived with us this year, as she completes her last year at Wellington Girls College. The contrasts for her will be enormous over the next 24 hours. A last night in Wellington with a dinner of fish and chips at Oriental Parade ... and even though by Wellington standards there were a lot of people out enjoying the summer evening ... by Tran's measures it would seem as though the place was deserted. Ho Chi Minh (SGN in airline speak) is much much more populated !!! ... and the temperature is 38 degrees !!! Safe travels Tran and see you in 2011.

Friday, November 26, 2010

#1276 ... Sun sets on the Academic Year

The warm glow of the evening sun setting on Victoria University's Karori Campus ... where many of the education related degree courses are based. My daughter has just completed her Early Childhood Education degree here. In the foreground you can see the unbiquitous cabbage trees

Thursday, November 25, 2010

#1275 ... C view

C view on a number of levels ... this building is across the road from the wharf ... from where I took the photo. So you can choose ... see view or sea view and these two guys are making sure you can do both !!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

#1274 ... Maranui Cafe

Maranui Cafe ... the servery and no the piece of boat in the background is not real ... a fiberglass replica ... but it does look the real deal.

Maranui Cafe is a quirky, 1940s-style cafe situated in the clubrooms of the Maranui Surf Club. Delicious meals and counter food served, with great views out across Lyall Bay. The Cafe was badly damaged by fire in August 2009 but is now back in business. The Maranui Surf Club is nearly 100. It was established in 1911 and is the second-oldest surf lifesaving club in New Zealand. Its distinctive white wooden clubhouse on Lyall Parade was built in 1930 and a second storey was added in 1956. It is not on the Historic Places Trust register but is listed as a heritage building by Wellington City Council. According to its heritage listing, the clubroom building is "moderne in style, its strong cubic form and narrow horizontal weatherboards making it a prominent structure on the sweep of Lyall Bay".

The club is one of New Zealand's most successful surf lifesaving clubs and has won many national, provincial and local titles. Several members have completed Cook Strait crossings, including Brien McCrea, who in 1972 became the first person to make the crossing on surf skis.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

#1273 ... Nap Time

The bus depot in Kilbirnie where the GO Wellington "big yellows" take their mid-day nap. Joanne in the office kindly allowed for photo to be taken and like all the other Go Wellington bus staff ... professional and polite. Our bus drivers in Wellington are a real plus for the Greatest Little Capital in the World.

Monday, November 22, 2010

#1272 ... 2-4-3

Two on the case for TV3 ... Tova and her camerman Solomona working on the "kiwifruit" PSA virus story ... just completed an interview at MAF, checking their gear and off to the next job. Thanks for stopping ... albeit quickly.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

#1271 ... Political Murder Scene

The new bus lane through Manners Mall is nearly ready to go ... all the underground stuff has been done, new tarmac and road markings ... just the canvas to make a further political statement by those against the changes ... Oh the openess of a democracy with freedom of speech ... and thick chalk maybe !!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

#1270 ... Urban Nature

Designer's Notes: In Urban nature the idea of graffiti and its permanent character is explored through the combination of knitted textiles and grass. More recent forms of graffiti, such as stickers, knit and moss graffiti are affected by the environment into which they are placed. Glimpses of nature and graffiti are frequently seen in urban structures, unexpected and often unwanted. Scaffolding that temporary construction in the urban environment has been used here to explore the ideas of transience and impermanence.

This was one of the many awesome exhibits at the Massey University "BLOW 2010" exhibition which highlights all the amazing work done by the various design students. I highly recommend that you put this into your calendar for a must see each November.

Friday, November 19, 2010

#1269 ... Fly Zoe Fly

Zoe does some flying for the Flybuys promotion ... apologies about the image quality ... only had the phone and strong backlights ... but you will get the happy idea.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

#1268 ... Shapes & Shadows

Looking north from the southern end of the Lagoon (right hand side) ... up to the City to Sea Bridge ... with the wooden sculptures ... shapes, shadows and structures.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

#1267 ... Te Papa Night

Te Papa at night ... looking across the lake to the main building of the museum .. a warm glow

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

#1266 ... Wind Drama

Drama tonight on the Hutt Road, Thorndon. High winds had blown the "Flamingo" sign away ... firetruck, cherry picker, Police, the fluro-orange "Guardians of the City" cones ... and traffic delays as the signage was secured and made safe. Thanks emergency services.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Sunday, November 14, 2010

#1264 ... Reindeer on the loose

Reindeer on the loose in Wellington ... perhaps looking for a man in a red suit and a sleigh ... it is the Christmas parade today ... not typical weather for sleighs ... 20 deg at 9:30am ... so maybe summer is appearing

Saturday, November 13, 2010

#1263 ... 1BG

Robin Gibb ... the last of the BeeGees performing in Wellington ... apparently a good concert ... for the memories and the music. PHOTO by Rumi ... thanks

Friday, November 12, 2010

#1262 ... Three in a Row

The giraffes at the Wellington Zoo .. heading the other way. Graceful, gentle, delightful animals. Photo courtesy of Josh Blandford... THX

So what is interesting about these animals ...
  • Each giraffe has a unique spot pattern. 
  • Giraffes can spend up to 20 hours a day feeding and can eat up to 66kg of food daily.
  • Giraffes drink water if it is available but can go weeks without it; they rely on the morning dew and the water content of their food.
  • Giraffe can run at speeds up to 50kph but only for short bursts at a time.
  • Females give birth to a single baby after a 15 month pregnancy.  The baby is 1.8m tall when it is born, and is born feet first.  Calves can stand within an hour of birth.
  • Although generally quiet giraffes have been heard to grunt, snort and bleat.
  • Giraffes sleep the least of any mammal – they only sleep for between 10 minutes and two hours a day. 
  • They have only seven vertebrae in their neck, the same number as humans.
  • They have special two way valves in their veins so they can bend over without getting a head rush. A giraffe’s heart is as big as a basketball and weighs around 12kg.
  • A giraffe’s horns are not really horns at all – they are bony masses covered with skin and tufts of hair called ossicones.
  • Giraffes have lived at Wellington Zoo since 1988.