From rock to city... #336

Looking west from Oriental Bay , beyond the fountain to the cityscape ... note the calm harbour waters ! ... another windless day

Lyall Bay ... #335

Last weekend .... looking south east towards Wellington Heads and to the left is the end of the runway at Wellington Airport ... there were lots of surfies out enjoying the waves rolling in.

A Friend indeed ... #334

Oriental Bay outside Eis Cafe on the corner of Hay Street ... One young lady with a broken ankle, two bags, two crutches and one strong friend

Freedom of Speech ... #333

Several hundred Chinese people took to the streets of Wellington on Saturday to support their country hosting this year's Olympic Games. As the Olympic torch continues to court controversy, hundreds of Chinese living in New Zealand converged on Wellington's Civic Centre in defence of their homeland.

The group, made up mostly of students from Victoria University, says media organisations have unjustifiably made China the villain in the wake of a recent crackdown in Tibet. "They want to make money (the news media) because people want to see something bad happen in China, that's what people want to see, that's what they are making money out off but we want to change that," Jerry Dai, the rally organiser

The demonstrators say the Beijing Olympics will be a chance for the world to see the real China.

"New Zealand you are being poisoned, you don't know the truth," one protester told TV3. Protesters denied the Chinese government was behind the march. "Oh no, no, this is all student-made," one woman said. "Support China, support Chinese, support Olympics," she chanted.

Harbour Dawn ... #332

6:30am looking across Wellington Harbour from Wadestown hill.

ANZAC Day ... #331

A selection of the crowd at the Dawn Service this morning ... returned servicemen, family, young and old, ... a unique Australasian tradition ... repeated all around the world ... and especially at Gallipoli . The image captures the solemn tone of the morning that will replicated in the major cities and many of our smaller country towns throughtout NZ.

There was a good crowd of people down at the Cenotaph by Parliament for the Dawn Ceremony at 5:45am this morning ... a windless clear morning .. and the day is turning out superb ... sunny, warm, somewhat unusual for ANZAC Day but welcome all the same.

Anzac Day occurs on 25 April. It commemorates all New Zealanders killed in war and also honours returned servicemen and women.

The date itself marks the anniversary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers – the Anzacs – on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. The aim was to capture the Dardanelles, the gateway to the Bosphorus and the Black Sea. At the end of the campaign, Gallipoli was still held by its Turkish defenders.

Thousands lost their lives in the Gallipoli campaign: 87,000 Turks, 44,000 men from France and the British Empire, including 8500 Australians. To this day, Australia also marks the events of 25 April. Among the dead were 2721 New Zealanders, almost one in four of those who served on Gallipoli. It may have led to a military defeat, but for many New Zealanders then and since, the Gallipoli landings meant the beginning of something else – a feeling that New Zealand had a role as a distinct nation, even as it fought on the other side of the world in the name of the British Empire.

Anzac Day was first marked in 1916. The day has gone through many changes since then. The ceremonies that are held at war memorials up and down New Zealand, or in places overseas where New Zealanders gather, remain rich in tradition and ritual befitting a military funeral.

Night Malls... #330

Cuba Street Mall at night ... quaint, quirky, eclectic ... a mix of old and not so old buildings .... food, bars and alternative fashions ... all part of what is called the Cuba Quarter.

Pub Gone... #329

The Feathers Tavern on the corner of Featherston Street and Johnston Street ... is obviously on the move, expiring or just going through a makeover .. this traditional English style pub was more like a bomb site that a drinking establishment.

The Feathers was a traditional English style pub that guaranteed a good time with your mates after work or, if you are adventurous, at lunchtime. There was a big bar with beer on tap, ample bar space and seating, and a huge elevated television screen so no one missed the Friday night football. Popular with the after work crowds who enjoy the straight forward bar meals and snacks. Complimentary nibbles sometimes circulated on a Friday. Full bar service of course with an excellent beer and spirit range. ... BUT NO LONGER

Autumn Beach... #328

Oriental Bay left to the seagulls and a couple of warmly wrapped walkers ... the morning was cool with a southerly wind ... however the afternnon cam out warm and sunny if you found a sheltered spot.

Thoughful Rest ... #327

A memorial seat along Oriental Bay ... many of the resting places along the bay are like this ... and yesterday was a delightful warm autumn day to pause and reflect on what ever you wished ... another magic day in Wellington.

ROBYN MARGARET CURRY
11-9-51 ... 2-11-06
"Some people come into our lives & quietly leave, others leave footprints in our hearts and we are never ever the same again"

"Te Papa rocks" ... #326

You can take the title anyway you like ... literally or coloquilly ... Te Papa still continues to be the most popular museum in New Zealand ... this is out the front of the museum ... light, shadows and big boulders

Getting a lift ...#325

Our skyline is still littered with cranes in all directions ... but they do create interesting patterns and shapes in the world above us.

Political Balance ... #324

The colours and the symmetry of the image appealed ... the yellow Wellington bus with advert, the pohutakawa trees, Parliament in the background ... and even the eclectic nature of the road repairs in the foreground. Have a great weekend.

Lagoon Morning ... #323

Early morning looking east across The Lagoon ...this is where the rowing crews and the dragon boats start from.

To the left is the edge of Frank Kitts park, the Albatross Fountain and the bridge that links the park to the Taranaki St wharf.

The red and cream building is The Boat Shed ... upstairs is the events facilities ( had many a great night there!!) and on the ground floor are all the sports facilities for the rowing club. Behind the BoatShed is the old floating crane the Hikitia and behind that Te Papa ... and in the distance Oriental Bay and Mt Victoria

Access this way ... #322

A security guard at the entrance to the Beehive ... the parliamentary office wing next to Parliament ... where most of the Cabinet Ministers offices live during the day.

There is sort of a "get past me if you can" stance about this gentleman

Justice Reinforced ... #321

Work continues on the new Supreme Court at the end of Lambton Quay ... at present it is slowly growing out of the ground with a mass of reinforcing steel, formwork and concrete .

New Shoes ... #320

These young ladies had just been to No1 Shoes to get something more stylish than the jandels they were wearing .. so find a seat, new shoes out of the bag, labels ripped off, and voila! .. they are ready to hit the town ... all decked out in new white strappies and silver suede bows. Photo taken outside Farmers Store in Lambton Quay.

City under Siege ... #319

Saturday morning ... and all the workmen come out to play .. the refurbishment of the pedestrian areas in Lambton Quay are still under construction and the overhead trolley bus wires require repairs & maintenance .. it all made for a scene of organised chaos in and around the morning shoppers.

The Terrace Tunnel ... #318

A commuters view of the city heading north.

The Terrace Tunnel takes the Wellington Urban Motorway (SH1) under The Terrace in central Wellington, New Zealand. Opened in 1978, it is 460 metres in length.

Design
The tunnel has three traffic lanes, one southbound and two northbound. The merge towards single southbound lane causes frequent congestion during peak periods rush hour. However flows at the southern end of the tunnel have improved somewhat since the opening of the Wellington Inner City Bypass.
The tunnel is one of the few single-carriageway stretches of motorway in New Zealand. All that separates opposing flows of traffic is a set of double no-overtaking lines.
The tunnel was opened as part of the extension of the Wellington Urban Motorway through Thorndon to Te Aro and was originally envisaged to include a parallel three-lane tunnel exclusively for southbound traffic (with the existing tunnel built for northbound traffic only). The motorway was intended to be extended to Mt Victoria Tunnel which would also have been duplicated.

However this proposal was shelved in the early 1970s as the rising cost of building the single tunnel ruled out duplication for the foreseeable future and the extension beyond Willis Street. The cut in funding sees the design of the motorway abruptly reduce from about the Bowen Street overbridge as six lanes are curtailed to three lanes. Appraisal of expected traffic flows also indicated that the second tunnel would not be needed for many years.
A reversible lane (tidal flow) system as used on the Auckland Harbour Bridge has been proposed. Investigation as part of the tunnel link project raised questions about safety of such an option, but it has not been ruled out.

Some of the pillars for the second tunnel approaches are visible in the Clifton Terrace carpark adjacent to the cable car line, as is some of the approach road which currently forms part of the upper deck of the Clifton Terrace carpark. These pillars may also be seen on the left hand (eastern) side of the "Wellington Terrace Motorway, looking south" webcam on the CityLink website (http://citylink.co.nz/services/webcam/terrace-south/). As you enter the tunnel it is impossible to see the other end, as it curves in the middle.

State Highway Status
When it opened in 1978, the tunnel was the southern end of State Highway 2. Alterations at the Ngauranga SH1/SH2 interchange in 1984 connected SH1 to the motorway (although SH1 continued off the Aotea Quay offramp until 1996), and in the 1996 Transit extended the SH1 status to the entire route from the end of the Wellington Urban Motorway to Wellington International Airport.

Dan at Peoples Coffee ... #317

This is Dan the master barista at Peoples' Coffee in Newtown. Dan previously worked at Moore Wilson's Fresh Food Market but is now demonstrating his art at the other end of the city. He has also branched out and is learning the art of roasting. We buy the single origin Mexican Chipas beans and they make a smooth tasting espresso.

The cafe is the size of a pocket handkerchief and is always busy ... queues meandering out the door ... obviously the locals know where the best coffees are to be had.