#1376 ... These boots are made for ...

Corner Vivian & Cuba Streets ... some heavy boot action.

#1375 ... Coffee time

taking time out for a coffee at Mojos at the waterfront ... looking towards NZ Post building (centre)

#1374 ... The Black Brick Road

Lower Cuba Street under reconstruction ... these guys were laying these bricks with some considerable speed ... quite impressive ... look forward to the new look.

#1373 ... Red & Black

Emma and Melissa of Momentum Executive Consulting and Recruitment have contributed and shown their support to the WEAR RED & BLACK (Canterbury colours) campaign for people in Wellington this Friday and weekend, to support the fund-raising efforts for those affected by the Christchurch earthquake. It a spontaneous call for support.

“The idea originally was to ask everyone going to the Hurricanes versus Crusaders match to wear red and black, but now irrespective of the match being played we felt people should be asked to wear those colours anyway,”.

There is no venue, and people who want to take part should wear the colours when around Wellington during the day. A red and black day facebook page has been set up to spread the word.

“It’s another example where social media is being used to make people aware of what is happening,” The Super rugby match scheduled for this Saturday between the Hurricanes and the Crusaders has been cancelled.

#1372 ... Out early

Teachers' afternoon meeting ... so college is out early ... what to do? ... go the the waterfront ... sit in the sun, jump off the wharf, hang out.

#1371 ... Free WiFi

Sitting in the shade of the trees on the waterfront ... in the TradeMe free WiFi zone ... it is like an outdoor computer room.

#1370 ... Might Play

The playground at Frank Kitts park ... night time ... looking across the harbour to Oriental Bay

#1369 ... Louis Baker

Louis Baker, at Frank Kitts Park, Wellington Waterfront ... great soul with an easy overlay. Louis is a musician with an eclectic taste, including Soul, Funk, Folk, Blues and R & B. In 2007 Louis' song “Three Ladies” was a finalist in the prestigious NZ competition 'Play It Strange' and was released on the Play It Strange Compilation album. Louis’ talent was identified again in 2008, winning the NZ national Primal Youth 'Acoustic Sessions'.

More recently Louis has focused on formalising his music, majoring in jazz guitar at Massey University NZSM, Wellington. He's also has been working on the Louis Baker Trio, playing at regular gigs in popular Wellington venues like the San Francisco Bathhouse, Bodega, the Southern Cross and The Lido,

Louis Baker draws influence from musicians like Jeff Buckley, John Mayer, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo and Jimi Hendrix. In developing his music, He dreams of one day performing worldwide, as well as continuing to perform before an ever broadening and appreciative audience here in New Zealand.

#1368 ... Fuse Campground Chaos

We're all going on a summer holiday, so pack your togs and jandals! Fuse Circus presents a new show for 2011 summer: a mix of kiwiana and crazy circus.

Inspired by the classic kiwi holiday, a tradition of sunburnt pleasure and carefree hijinks in campgrounds, holiday parks and beaches all over New Zealand. Campground Chaos and the lively cast of Fuse Circus will bring you a summer holiday experience you will never forget!

Campground Chaos is a fast, funny and irreverent look at our very own Kiwi culture, complete with tyre swings and flying picnic tables. Campgrounds are a colourful meeting place for people of diverse backgrounds. Tourists and locals, thrown together under the summer sun, amidst tents, caravans, and rambling through bush and the beach. Fuse Circus invites you into their imaginative world, where all things are possible.

Bring your sunscreen, your deck chairs and your mates to enjoy this special new show, full of circus performance, physical theatre and Kiwi music. Over the past five years Fuse Circus has built a wide public following, touring festivals and events nationwide and this show is sure to be a pearler!

“The overwhelming impression they leave is of a group cleverly lacing dazzling accomplishment in the air with something more akin to true theatre, for they claim more than our fascinated gaze. In playing so wholeheartedly from their imagination they invite a response in kind.”

FRANK KITTS PARK, WELLINGTON WATERFRONT

#1367 ... The Season has started

The rugby season has started .. and here are the Tui Girls doing their promotional thing ... The Tui Brewery is one of the sponsors ... and I am reliably informed that the tool belts are ideal for holding your lip gloss and cellphone !! The evening was superb, the company congenial, great to be back at the Stadium ... HOWEVER the rugby was crap ... It's amazing how the first games of the season look rusty and amateurish. At least there was lots to laugh at ... and cry at !!!

#1366 ... Country meets City

Bindie and her boots ... these are made for walking. Summer, winter ... it doesn't matter ... I like wearing my cowboy boots too. Bindie works in project management ... events, operations, IT, telecommunications ... so if you need help with managing your project ... this is the "cowgirl" for you. THANKS FOR THE PHOTO, BINDIE

#1365 ... Sitting on the grass with a chilled wine

Looking the otherway from yesterday's photo ... the lawn in front of St John's Bar ... relaxation with a cold beer or a chilled wine.

#1364 ... Action Man

On the steps of the City to Sea Bridge ... filming skate boarders in action amongst the lunch time wanderers.

#1363 ... Striped Visitors in the Garden

Monarch caterpillars feasting on our Swan plant ... fattening up ... then the chrysalis phase and finally beautiful butterflies.

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer.In Europe it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 centimetres (3½–4 in).(The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger.

The caterpillar is banded with yellow, black, and white stripes. The head is also striped with yellow and black. There are two pairs of black filaments, one pair on each end of the body. The caterpillar will reach a length of 5 cm (2 in). The chrysalis is blue-green with a band of black and gold on the end of the abdomen. There are other gold spots on the thorax, the wing bases, and the eyes.

#1362 ... People watching

First day of study ... and you are on the street "people watching". New students at the NZ Drama School Toi Whakaari sitting in Courtenay Place recording what goes on in the street.

#1361 ... Moody Blue

A moody sky with subtle tones of blue and grey ... IMAGE BY TOM ... thanks from WDP

#1360 ... Contained @HOME

Ohariu Valley Road ... the house built out of 40ft shipping containers ... unique & different

#1359 ... PRIMOGRL

The Primo girl handing out ice cold Primo Chocolate milk drinks in the CBD ... superb on a hot summers day

#1358 ... Orange Guardian

Lower Cuba Street under refurbishment ... as a consequence of the the new bus lanes through the CBD .. this area should now become more pedestrian friendly. Michael Fowler Centre in the back ground.

#1357 ... Cup Cakes

Some classic retro food ... the cup cake ... PHOTO by OLIVIA ... thanks

#1356 ... The Road to Nowhere

The local cafe below our office has morphed into the new iteration ... THUNDERBIRD ... run by Nicki and her great team... this image is a 'morph' of two images ... the right hand side (black & white) shows the mural workers starting to paste up "The Road to Nowhere" ... and the left hand side (colour) shows the completed photo-mural with patrons enjoying their fix of great coffee.

An interesting NZ connection to "the road to nowhere" is the "Erewhon" ... an anagram of Nowhere. Erewhon (1872) is Samuel Butler’s satiric fantasy of a mythical land, drawing on his experiences in Canterbury between 1860 and 1864. In particular, his description of the journey ‘over the range’ is based on his exploration of the mountain headwaters of the Rangitātā River in 1861:

‘The weather was delightfully warm, considering that the valley in which we were encamped must have been at least two thousand feet above the level of the sea. The river-bed was here about a mile and a half broad and entirely covered with shingle over which the river ran in many winding channels, looking, when seen from above, like a tangled skein of ribbon, and glistening in the sun. We knew that it was liable to very sudden and heavy freshets; but even had we not known it, we could have seen it by the snags of trees, which must have been carried long distances, and by the mass of vegetable and mineral debris which was banked against their lower side, showing that at times the whole river-bed must be covered with a roaring torrent many feet in depth and of ungovernable fury. At present the river was low, there being but five or six streams, too deep and rapid for even a strong man to ford on foot, but to be crossed safely on horseback. On either side of it there were still a few acres of flat, which grew wider and wider down the river, till they became the large plains on which we looked from my master’s hut. Behind us rose the lowest spurs of the second range, leading abruptly to the range itself; and at a distance of half a mile began the gorge, where the river narrowed and became boisterous and terrible. The beauty of the scene cannot be conveyed in language. The one side of the valley was blue with evening shadow, through which loomed forest and precipice, hillside and mountain-top; and the other was still brilliant with the sunset gold. The wide and wasteful river with its ceaseless rushing – the beautiful water-birds, too, which abounded upon the islets and were so tame that we could come close up to them – the ineffable purity of the air – the solemn peacefulness of the untrodden region – could there be a more delightful and exhilarating combination?’

From Samuel Butler, Erewhon: or over the range. London: Jonathan Cape, 1960 (first published 1872), pp. 28–29

#1355 ... Inside Out Poet

David Merrit, LANDROVERFARM PRESS Whanganui ... in Cuba Mall selling his deconstructed, turned inside out, reconstructed books of prose, poetry & language convolutions.

One of life's delightful characters, keen for a conversation about the twists, turns and challenges of daily life.

I am now the proud custodian of "geek prayer:22" ... one of his literary artworks ... thanks David & safe travels

#1354 ... Pohutukawas

No where else in the world would the thought and execution of dressing up as a "pohutukawa" flower ever happen .... YET for the IRB Rugby Sevens in Wellington it all seems quite natural really. AND this is a tree in full bloom

#1353 ... Tagged

These guys dressed up as tag wrestlers ... HOWEVER by the strength of their performance for the vocal crowd ... AND that they were wrestling on hard rough concrete ... they were very professional. As you can see by the colour in the crowd ... the IRB Rugby Sevens is your chance to dress up in anyway you want ... and you don't even need to go the RUGBY ... "no one will blink an eye" ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY WELLINGTON

#1352 ... Seven Seven

#1351 ... Seven Six

#1350 ... Seven Five

#1349 ... Seven Four

#1348 ... Seven Three

#1347 ... Seven Two

#1346 ... Seven One

The IRB Rugby Sevens Series hits Wellington this weekend ... dress up RULES !! so here is a special treat of SEVEN montages on the Sevens

#1345 ... Hens' Party

This delightful group of young ladies had travel down from Palmerston North by train to spend the day in the Capital city celebrating the impending marriage of one of their team. The lucky man, Anthony, also accompanied them ... albeit in life size 2 dimensional form ... he was "flat out" making the most of the occasion too!
At least one person was going to remain sober !!! for the train trip home again. Hope you all enjoyed your day in Wellington

#1344 ... Flower Girl

This is Emily from Bunches the Florist ... doing the delivery of a corporate flower arrangement; cnr Featherston & Panama Sts. Note the interested coffee drinker in upper right hand side

#1343 ... Kaka in the back garden

Now this is another of those "not my photo" however Ian (on the right) is also the "cheese man" at Moore Wilsons Fresh. We chatted on Saturday and he told me about L/Y - R/L-B #43573 (see Zealandia web site hit "report a bird" this explains the letters and numbers) This particular bird is very friendly as you can see from the pics but is just one of many kaka's that visits Ian's place on a regular basis. Ian lives 1 km as the kaka flys from the sauntuary in Karori on a property that was planted to attract birds, it is such a blast to have the kaka, tui and kereru in such numbers within 10 m of your living space. Ian is presently feeding the kaka hazel nuts from the Marlborough Sounds in the hope they may make the trip to discover the source!

#1342 ... Up Close

Amongst the action ... The Tour of Wellington cycle race.