#1341 ... Catching the action

The Tour of Wellington bike race finished in the city with a circuit race around the inner streets of the CBD. Amazing sensation with bikes zooming past on mass, just the width of a tire away from you. The District Court in the background left and Pastoral House on Lambton Quay, centre background ... now the home of Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry ... used to work there a long time ago!!

#1340 ... High Masted

The mast head of "Janice of Wyoming"; Queens Wharf.

#1339 ... Race Day

The punters on their way to the Wellington Cup race day at Trentham ... many people take the train there & back ... it certainly mitigates any "drink drive" issues. The Wellington Railway Station provides a great backdrop for this more formal "dress up" day. Next weekend it will all be so different, with the NZ Rugby Sevens Tournament at the Westpac Stadium!

#1338 ... Stationary Security

The security team at the Wellington Railways Station ... having a briefing before going about their job to keep us safe & secure at the city's transport hub.

#1337 ... Morning Flight

On the early morning flight out of Wellington yesterday ... view of the inner harbour ... from the Freyberg Pool to the left around to the Meridian building on the right.
City office buildings backed by "little boxes on the hillside"

#1336 ... WAITING

Kelburn shops

#1335 ... Kai Moana

Kai Moana ... food of the sea ... seafood. And this tasty haul was gathered tight on the city's doorstep at eastern end of Oriental Bay. Almost closer than the local fish'n'chip shop and certainly fresher.

#1334 ... Sailing Away

"Janice of Wyoming" leaving Wellington Harbour ... check out previous post

#1333 ... Peka Peka WOW

DISCLAIMER ... this unfortunately is an image that was not captured by me.

This is another of the superb photos by the PPPOTC ... the Peka Peka Photographer on the Coast ... Tony Eyles ... an absolutely awesome image. THANKS TONY

#1332 ... 3 birds & a bike

Yes it was all a bit of fun ... while walking around Oriental Bay and beyond, I was asked by a couple off the cruise ship "Dawn Princess" if I would take their photo, with their bikes and with the cruise ship in the background. No problem. Then these four young ladies came around the corner and politely asked if they could use one of the bikes for a photo ... they were in Wellington for the Under 21 Hockey Training Camp and were doing a scavenger hunt activity. Hence this photo ... so thanks to the couple from Melbourne, the bikes and the young hockey ladies.

#1331 ... Architectural Textures

The wooden window shades on the Meridian Building on the waterfront.

THE BUILDING

The design and development of Meridian’s Wellington office accommodation is an exemplar of how collaborative partnerships between designers, users, and financial stakeholders can yield award-winning results.

It is a practical demonstration that good environmental principles and commercial imperatives are not mutually exclusive. Meridian’s brief was for a building to be designed and constructed using Ecologically Sustainable Development principles. The result was the first completed commercial office building to be awarded a 5 Star Green Star Rating by the New Zealand Green Building Council. The building is designed to use 60% less energy and 70% less water than comparable office buildings. It has features such as solar hot water, heat recovery systems, intelligent and addressable lighting controls, mixed mode ventilation (including chilled beams), an active external façade and a rainwater collection system for water re-use within the building.

During construction of the building around 60% of site waste materials were diverted from landfill, and by focusing on recycling, reuse and waste reduction the contractor was able to generate additional revenue streams and apply its learnings into other building projects. The building has been well recognised for its contribution to changing the face of commercial office development in New Zealand.

#1330 ... 5 OCEANS

The Velux 5OCEANS Challenge yachts start to arrive in Wellington ... a spider's web of wires and lots of R&M being done to get the boats ready for the next leg ... Ocean Sprint 3 from Wellington to Punta del Este starting 6 February 2011.
3 of the yachts have arrived and are berthed at Queens Wharf.

#1329 ... Janice of Wyoming

Superb nautical design visits Wellington. "Janice of Wyoming" an awesome example of liquid assets gives some class to the rather tatty wharf.

SY Janice of Wyoming

130 ft (40m) sloop designed by Ed Dubois' team in Hampshire, UK and built by Alloy Yachts International in Auckland , New Zealand .She has a beam of 28.54 ft (8.7m) and draws 13.12 ft (4.00m). The yacht is Alloy Yachts' 31st project and the 12th Dubois design. "Janice" began construction in June '03 and will be launched in March '05. She has a very low profile superstructure and a high performance hull in the classic maritime colors of flag blue and white. Alloy Yachts' own captive winches, a carbon fiber rig from Southern Spars plus a wardrobe of 3DL Aramid/carbon sails from North Sails' Auckland loft ensure that she will be fast and easily handled in a wide variety of wind conditions.

The design has been a collaborative effort between the Alloy Yachts team, the Owners and the Dubois office. Personal design touches are everywhere, from direct galley / dining salon access and a guest servery on the lower deck.

#1328 ... Art Underfoot

Tasty pavement art at the Wellington Railway Station

#1327 ... Your coffee

Mojos on the Waterfront underneath the Meridian building ... and just across the lane from the Mojos Coffee Roasting House. A delightful place to sit and have a coffee.

#1326 ... Go Thunderbird Go

"espressorepublic" is dead ... long live the "thunderbird"
The demise of Espresso Republic has left a hole in the Featherston Street strip of cafes and pubs. So it his been great to watch "thunderbird" ( a rumour) arise from the ashes. Here is Dan Brown of Allpress installing the the great Marzocco machine that will keep us well supplied with our jolts during the day. Most of us never see the mish-mash of boilers, valves, switches and wires that live under the hood of an espresso machine ... we just enjoy the result of the barristas's craft.

Well done Nicki and the rest of the hard working crew who have scraped, painted and installed to get it all ready. Looking forward to ETA Friday 21 this coming week!!

#1325 ... Just enjoying it

A great summer's day in Wellington ... and this is how some chose to enjoy it

#1324... Salt Therapy

Just what is prescribed! for hot feet. Getting back to work after summer holidays usually means swapping those bare feet and jandels (flip flops) for shoes and socks ... so here's the remedy ... a salt spa !

#1323 ... Summer Evening

Early evening diners on Courtenay Place ... enjoying a cool beer on a summer's evening. Try Nicolini's for that Italian meal ... and enjoy it.

#1322 ... Goodbye Christmas

The dismantling of the Christmas tree in Midland Park ... all packed away for the next festive season

#1321 ... Urban Red

On the eastern edge of Glover Park ... between Ghuznee and Garrett Streets. Shades of red ... some old, some new and some freestyle

#1320 ... Christmas leftovers

This is what is leftover after the pohutukawa tree looses all its amazing crimson red colour ... a matted carpet of dark red on the ground beneath the tree. For what it was like before this check out the magnificent pohutukawa flower in all its glory

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.

#1319 ... Green City

Our Christmas present ... grow your own green city ... came as a flat pack the size of a small block of chocolate ... and you just add water, sunshine & time ... to grow some 'green' around your miniature city.

#1318 ... Stationary Ending

A perspective of the Wellington Railway Station that not many of us see ... my good friend Thomas took this shot from the Bluebridge ferry boat when he travelled from Picton to Wellington last week. THANKS TOM.

WELLINGTON RAILWAY STATION HISTORY

When completed in 1937 the station was New Zealand’s largest building, partly because it was designed to accommodate 675 head office and district office staff.The land upon which it is built is reclaimed, and it was the first major New Zealand structure to incorporate a significant measure of earthquake resistance. It was constructed by Fletcher Building as one of its first major construction projects. It was designed by New Zealander W. Gray Young, famous for his neo-Georgian styles.
When it opened, Wellington's two former stations closed: Lambton, built by New Zealand Government Railways to serve the Wairarapa line; and Thorndon, built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company to serve what became the North Island Main Trunk via Johnsonville.

It has a steel frame encased in reinforced concrete and supported on groups of reinforced concrete piles. Bricks used for the outer cladding are of a special design, with slots to accommodate vertical rods reinforcing the brickwork and binding it to the structural members. It required 1.75 million bricks, plus 1500 tonnes of decorative granite and marble. The station is registered as a Category I Historic Place.

The station was used in a 2009 TV advert in the United Kingdom for a train ticketing company, TheTrainLine, where a large flock of sheep use the station facilities. The station copes with large daily passenger numbers with very little alteration having proved necessary. In its first year, 7,600 passengers made 15,200 trips on 140 trains daily. Today, 22,000 passengers make 44,000 trips on 390 trains, excluding long-distance services.

#1317 ... un barman spécialisé dans la confection des expressos

Sam, Sam ... the barrista man. RIPE Coffee, cnr Brandon & Featherston St. Always a different perspective on the world, friendly conversation ... and a great coffee fix for the day. Call by, grab a coffee ... say hi to Sam and Amanda ... she's the one with the delightful accent.

#1316 ... Oriental Bay Panorama

A new perspective on Oriental Bay on a superb summers evening ... and still as!

#1315 ... Awaiting the Suits

The calm before the storm ... Midland Park today ... before many of the "suits" return to work tomorrow ... this place will be packed with the CBD lunchtime crowds seeking to feel the sun and remember the holidays they have just had !!

#1314 ... Kiwi Humour

A neat bit of humour to promote men's suits and shirts at Working Style, Tawa Dressmart

#1313 ... Join the Dots

The dimpled edge to the train platform at Wellington Railway Station ... all installed "handraulically" ... took several days ... holes drilled using a template to ensure alignment and then the little yellow mushrooms planted.

At least the Guard could follow the "yellow dot road"

#1312 ... A Bright Start

The colour of summer ... a naturally bright start to 2011. NEW YEARS DAY, TAUPO