Tuesday, September 30, 2008

#487 ... sole soul survivor

In the Parliament precinct .. a lone luncher enjoys the sun and the solitude

Monday, September 29, 2008

#486 ... Civic Night

I have to thank my mate Rumi for this photo ... taken with his iPhone the other night ... of the Civic Square and the "fern ball" ... it looks like the moon in the evening sky.

In fact we got talking after this and thought it would be fun to have an "iPhone iPhoto Welly" competition .. just for the hell of it ... so go have a look at iPhone iPhoto Welly

Sunday, September 28, 2008

#485 ... Weekend work


Just a small job removing some trees ... YEAH RIGHT

$6000 later ... crane... gripper ... shredder ... 100s of traffic cones and the job is done. Ngaio Gorge Saturday morning.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

#484 ... Last Day of Term

Students from St Patricks College, Kilbirnie or St Pats Town as it is colloquially known because there is also a St Pats Silverstream in the Hutt Valley ... these guys are celebrating the end of term and looking forward to two weeks holiday or study break ... YEAH RIGHT ... they added some colour and mayhem to the Wellington Railway Station on Friday morning ... well done guys .. have a great break

Friday, September 26, 2008

#483 ... WOW

It's that time of the year for a bit of WOW ... and this mannequin is an interesting commentary in its self.

Montana World of WearableArt Awards Show - WOW

Step into a world where art and the human form combine, where dance, music and lighting tell a story of the body as a canvas; where the lines of fashion and art blur and merge as one.

A Montana WOW Awards Show can be difficult to describe, hard to define and utterly impossible to forget. A montage of theatre, dance, colour, movement and art, simply put, the Montana WOW Awards Shows are theatrical spectaculars.

Montana WOW is a two hour show held annually in September in Wellington, New Zealand to an audience of 30,000 per season. First shown in 1987, World of WearableArt originally began as a promotion for a rural art gallery in Nelson. Nelson sculptor Suzie Moncrieff had the vision to exhibit art in the form of a live theatrical show - and WOW has since grown to receive international acclaim.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

#482 ... The Shield ... finally

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post took this photo ... not me ... unfortunately I had a client meeting .. so thanks to the DominionPost for the image and the article ... and remember this event previously occured 27 years ago ... interesting that the game score was 27-0 !!!

Thousands of Wellingtonians have turned out to welcome their Ranfurly Shield-winning rugby team - and to get a chance to touch the elusive log o' wood.

To the sound of Queen's 'We are the champions', the Wellington Lions' victory parade began weaving down Lambton Quay from the old Government Buildings just after 12.45. Thousands of fans clustered the streets and hung out office windows. Many waved inflatable lion paws.

Steven Bruce was one of thousands of office workers who used their lunch break to view the parade from Lambton Quay. "This is just fantastic," he said. "It's pretty special to finally get the shield."

Mr Bruce, who managed to touch the prized shield as it hung over the side of the float, said Wellingtonians were great supporters of their local team. Despite forecasts of gale force winds of up to 120kmh for Wellington today, the parade was not troubled by wind, and the rain stopped just as the celebration started.

Captain Piri Weepu and Chris Masoe held the shield on the front float while other players followed on the second float. They dangled the shield out the side of the float to allow fans to touch the log o' wood, which Wellington has not held since 1982. Thousands of people filled Civic Square to greet the players, who were announced and welcomed onto the stage one at a time.

The Ranfurly Shield
The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is perhaps the most prestigious trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies. The holding union must defend the Shield in challenge matches, and if a challenger defeats them, they become the new holder of the Shield.
The Shield is currently held by Wellington, who won it from Auckland in Round 8 of the Round Robin in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup.
Although the professional era of rugby has seen competitions such as the National Provincial Championship and its successor, the Air New Zealand Cup, and Super Rugby detracting from the pre-eminence of the Ranfurly Shield, many still regard it as the greatest prize in New Zealand rugby, thanks to its long history, the fact that every challenge is a sudden-death defence of the Shield, and that any team, no matter how lowly, has a chance to win.

Monday, September 22, 2008

#481 ... In the Pink

This tree on the way to work turns pink every year as we slowly head into spring .... a colourful interlude from the concrete jungle

# 480 ... Draw Wellington

Coated in chalk, these Victoria University first year architecture students have no option but to "get dirty" while lying on the streets of Wellington to capture the city's buildings on paper.
The fourth annual Draw Wellington event, held at Cuba Mall, Allen and Blair streets, Courtenay Place and Woodward St on Saturday, had people turning out "just to watch" the students work on their designs.
About 180 architecture students prepared black building paper surfaces and sketched frameworks of the buildings and surroundings. The public then took over, adding "cars and flowers" and sketching their favourite elements of the capital.
Local architects Fiona Christeller and Judi Keith-Brown organised the event, along with Victoria University school of architecture and Wellington City Council.
The event was designed to encourage people to take an interest in the city's built-environment and to draw attention to how the buildings interact with their surroundings.
The students will be judged on their finished products, which will be exhibited at Victoria University.

#479 ... School Ball Season

It's that time of year again when all the Secondary Schools have their School Balls or School Formal Dances. This was a group of girls from Queen Margaret's College doing the hair and makeup thing at Kirkcaldie & Stains makeup zone .. these girls were aiming to have a great night with a Pre-Ball party and then the Ball at the Michael Fowler Centre.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

#478 ... Clematis Chemistry

Alan, Richard and the team at Ngaio Pharmacy are proud of their Clematis plants which they planted last year ... another indication of the changing seasons


CLEMATIS spp.
There are few more beautiful inflorescences than the large panicles of white flowers, 2–4 in. in diameter, of the puawhananga or Clematis paniculata which appear in late winter and spring in the crowns of forest trees throughout New Zealand. This is one of the nine or so species of Clematis endemic to New Zealand. Altogether, there are about 250 species in this genus, mostly in temperate regions. Apart from the native ones, at least two introduced ones have become garden escapes. The commonest is the traveller's joy, C. vit-alba.

C. paniculata will climb to heights of 30 or more feet and the vine can increase to a thickness of as much as 6 in. through at ground level. Leaves are three foliate, and the broadly ovate leaflets are 2–3 in. long, entire to bluntly toothed. The leaves of seedlings and juveniles are much narrower. This variation of leaf form is to be found in other New Zealand species. The variation is so great in some species that it is difficult to separate closely related ones. Thus C. marata and C. bracteolata form a complex that is difficult to untangle. The flowers of C. paniculata are fragrant, but a species with much more strongly scented flowers is C. foetida, peculiarly named by a French botanist, for it is the opposite to foetid. This species is also found throughout the country. The flowers are yellow and are not nearly as conspicuous as those of C. paniculata. C. afoliata is a peculiar, leafless species in which the leaves appear as spirally coiled petioles only. It is found growing locally in a few places in the southern half of the North Island, and in rocky and open places in tussock grassland in the South Island.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

#477 ... Real working style

On Wednesday when I did the photoshoot for Working Style we could not find a REAL workman anywhere so I had to use the shovel and sledge hammer tools from the back of my car.

Yesterday as I went downtown in the bus , I saw that Woodward Street was swamped with REAL workers, REAL orange cones, REAL holes and REAL dirt ... digging holes to put in some new fibre connections ... as well as breaking the water pipe to Chow Restaurant !! ... so on the way back I dragged the well suited guys out of the shop, co-erced the REAL workers to act as props ... and here is one of the shots .. apologies for the repeat of a daily photo ... but I think its worth it for another DOUBLE ENTENDRE ... have a great weekend

Friday, September 19, 2008

#476 ... Lunchtime Fashion !

A "sloggi" underwear promotion in the window of Kirkcaldie & Stains, Lambton Quay ... lunchtime ... with real live dancing models.

The construction workers doing the Lambton Quay footpath refurbishment all had some repairs to be made on this corner.

Actually the aim of the exercise is that "sloggi" are searching for NZ's best male and female botoms for the 2nd Annual "Show ne your sloggi" competition. If you think you have what it takes, go online to http://www.sloggi.com/ to register and you could be heading to the international finals in paris in November 2008 with a chance to win a sloggi modelling contract. 15000 euro (around NZ$30,000) and bum insurance !!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

#475 ... Working Style

Well this is the quirky side of doing a photoshoot for the good team at Working Style suits in Woodward Street ... I liked the double entendre or "working" and "style" ... not the image used in the adverts ... but we had some fun.

The return of an old face and the arrival of someone new!

Fraser Bremford – Director Southern Region – Tailor
Working Style is pleased to announce the return of a familiar name to the city, Fraser Bremford. Having worked for the company for some 10 years, Fraser is going to be looking after the Wgtn operations. He has had extensive experience with WS in the Tailoring area and men’s outfitting business and will be well known to many of you from his previous time with the company.

Daniel Palmer –Tailor
Daniel Palmer has transferred to Working Style Wgtn from Christchurch and has extensive experience in the Garden city as a men’s outfitter and tailor. Daniel has a passion for tailored clothing and is relishing the opportunity of working in New Zealand’s premier menswear city.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

#474 ... What's On

Cuba Mall ... looking north ... early morning ... and the poster bollards stand quietly telling us all what is on in the Capital .. in the centre background is the another old bank building ... that is now the home for Burger King ... oh well ... I think that is defined as "progress"

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

#473 ... Sunshine

An awesome weekend of sunshine and sport ... and an open day at Parliament. This couple obviously took advantage of the delightful day.

Monday, September 15, 2008

#472 ... Wellington Blah

Two buildings that struggle for architectural merit ... but the NZ Post building on the right is a landmark ... it has been here a long time ... its two tower roofs stand at an entrance to the city ... and it serves as a billboard for the neon christmas tree and candle that we see every Christmas Season.

The building on the left is the new Holiday Inn hotel... and on the extreme left in the distance you can see the brick edge of the Wellington Railway Station.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

#471 ... '57 Morrie

It seems to be one of those weeks for interesting transport ... here is a 1957 Morris Minor on a trailer towed behind a camper van. It was sitting outside Parliament this week ... in the background is the High Court and imediatle to the left (out of frame) is the BackBencher Pub.

Morris Minor
The original Minor MM series lasted from 1948 until 1953. It included a pair of 4-seat saloons, 2-door and 4-door, and a convertible 4-seat Tourer. The front torsion bar suspension was shared with the larger Oxford MO, as was the almost-unibody construction. Although the Minor was originally designed to accept a flat-4 engine, with four distinctive gaps in the engine bay to accommodate it, late in the development stage it was replaced by a 0.9 L (918 cc/56 in³) side-valve straight-4 producing 27.5 hp (21 kW) and 39 lbf·ft (53 N·m) of torque. This little engine pushed the Minor to just 64 mph (103 km/h) but delivered 40 miles per imperial gallon (7.1 L/100 km/33 mpg US).
Early cars had a painted section in the centre of the bumpers to cover the widening of the production car from the prototypes. This widening of four inches (102 mm) is also visible in the creases in the bonnet. Exports to the United States began in 1949 with the headlamps removed from within the grille to be mounted higher on the wings to meet safety regulations. These became standard on all Minors for 1951. When production of the first series ended, just over a quarter of a million had been sold with a surprising 30% being the convertible Tourer model.
A tourer tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of 58.7 mph (94.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 29.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 42 miles per imperial gallon (6.7 L/100 km/35 mpg US) was recorded. The test car cost £382 including taxes.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

#470 ... clouded view

A monochromatic perspective ... Looking across the Harbour this morning from Evans Bay towards the Hutt Valley and Eastbourne

Friday, September 12, 2008

#469 ... Old in the New

Reflections of the older style architecture in the glass facade of the Wellington City Library ... Victoria Street

Thursday, September 11, 2008

#468 ... green transport !!

Yes a real grassy car outside Parliament, Molesworth Street... a promotion for a brand of green tea "teza" and the number plate had the byline "the fastest tea on the road" ... maybe this sort of foliage is a great way to hide all the bumps, scrapes and supermarket trolley dings .. what's missing is a sheep grazing on the roof !!

In the background is the High Court

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

#467 ... Pigeon Park

The toilets on Pigeon Park ... have been the canvas for a number of murals over the years. This is the latest iteration. The park has a long history and not without controversy.

Between 1800-1890 this was the location of Te Aro Pa which was settled originally, by the Ngati Mutunga tribe from Taranaki and, after their departure by Ngati Ruanui, Ngati Haumia and Ngati Tupaia also from Taranaki. Later it was settled by the Te Ati Awa people. In 1839 Wesleyan missionaries Bumby, Hobbs and Minarapa Rangihatuaka were welcomed by the Maori people and they held the first religious service in Wellington on this site. Formerly Pigeon Park, in 1988 Maori artist Shona Rapira Davies was commissioned by Wellington City Council to redesign the park. She handmade 30,000 tiles for the project. Kura Te Waru-Rewiri carried out the artwork on the prow. The park was complete in 1992. This refurbishment sparked the usual public debate about costs, budget over-runs, time delays ... however it now sits as a legitimate part of the Wellington cityscape.l

Monday, September 8, 2008

#465 ... Spring Winter

Not a very usual sight for Wellington ... a sunny cool day with a sprinkling of snow on the hills on the other side of the harbour

Sunday, September 7, 2008

#464 ... One of a Pair?

Setting up for what seems to be the continuous ubiquitous sale ... Mischief Shoes on the corner of lambton Quay and Willis Street ... opposite the Old Bank Arcade

Saturday, September 6, 2008

#463 ... The Wall of Plastic

the re building of Lambton Quay still continues ... this is outside Kirkcaldie & Stains and it is a bit like a maze to navigate along the street

Friday, September 5, 2008

#462 ...The Council Offices

Home the the Wellington City Council ... the Lido Cafe is on the ground floor of the cream building on the right and the Wellington City Library is on the left hand edge ... behind the Council building is the Civic Square

Thursday, September 4, 2008

#461 ... Glimpses of Saigon

This photo in central Wellington reminded me of our time in Ho Chi Min and Vietnam in general ... the land of the motorbike. The rise in fuel prices has brought many more bikes onto the roads .. this parking area just off Willis Street would normally have 5 -10 bikes ... not so now

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

#460 ... FOOD2GO

Red Rocks Cafe at Wellington Airport ... feeding the waiting travellers

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

#459 ... Government House

This shot was taken at the Duke of Edinburgh Award presentation at Government House ... this is at afternoon tea .. drinks and tiny cakes with the Governor-General ... all very proper yet delightfully down to earth.

Government House in Wellington is a large, two-storied house, built mostly of wood, with attics, a grand staircase, a ballroom, dozens of other large and small rooms, very long corridors and a flag tower. It is the official residence of the Governor-General, but it also contains offices, and is used frequently for receptions of many kinds.

Each year, there are usually over 15,000 visitors to the House, invited to one or more of the many functions in the House. These in-House events range from investitures and diplomatic receptions, to conferences, concerts, exhibitions and community morning teas. In addition, members of the Royal Family, Heads of State and other distinguished guests often stay at the House when they are visiting New Zealand.

WIKIPEDIA says
Government House in Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand is the principal residence of the Governor-General of New Zealand. It was designed by Claude Paton in the office of John Campbell, Government Architect. Built between 1908 and 1910, the house's grounds total 12 ha, and the house is 4200 m². There are 27 bedrooms and 19 bathrooms in total including staff quarters as well as a ballroom, various sitting rooms, state rooms, service rooms and wing offices, all of which are tended to by about 30 staff. The grounds, which have been endorsed as a 'garden of National Significance' covers some 12ha and includes a policemans lodge a the main gate. Other outdoor facilities include a Tennis court, and pavilion, swimming pool, bomb-shelter squash court, and eight external cottages.
Located at 1 Rugby Street at the southern end of the Basin Reserve, it counts amongst its neighbours a hospital (Wellington Hospital) and a high school (Wellington College). The main Rugby Street entrance has a guard house and a large flag-pole, from which the Flag of New Zealand flies when the Governor-General is in the residence[1].
The upkeep of the house is the responsibility of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. As such, supply and maintenance for the Governor-General's office falls within Prime Minister's department.

Monday, September 1, 2008

#458 ... Sister Fireworks



Wellington has three sister city relationships:
Beijing, People's Republic of China
Sakai, Japan
Xiamen, People's Republic of China
A sister city relationship is a formal, long term relationship based on diverse linkages between the two cities - including cultural, educational and business links. The relationship requires a high degree of commitment on both sides, as well as the active involvement of a community committee.
Beijing, China

Beijing
In 1994 Deng Lin, the daughter of former Chinese President Deng Xiaoping, visited Wellington and 'fell in love with the city.' The Vice Mayor of Beijing then visited Wellington, followed by a reciprocal visit to Beijing by Wellington's Deputy Mayor. A friendly city relationship was then made official.
Based on increased interaction between Wellington and Beijing, the cities agreed to become sister cities. During the Sister Cities New Zealand 25th Anniversary Conference in May 2006, this relationship was formalised. Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast and the Deputy Mayor of Beijing, Mr Sun Anmin, signed an official Wellington-Beijing agreement. The Beijing relationship is important as it links Wellington to the capital city of one of the world's giant economies. Beijing is the political, economic, social and cultural centre of mainland China.

There has been a very active link between the two cities, including:
visits by civic and business delegations , xchanges dealing with earthquake technology, mayoral visits, teacher training exchanges, cultural festivals and local government training in Wellington for officials from Beijing.
In February 2005 Wellingtonians were treated to a fireworks display to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The display was a gift from Beijing. It was the longest fireworks display Wellington city has ever seen.

Sakai, Japan
The idea of the Sakai-Wellington sister city relationship was originally promoted by the former Japanese Ambassador to New Zealand, Takeo Iguchi.
In 1993 Fran Wilde, then Mayor of Wellington, visited Sakai and signed an agreement to proceed with the establishment of a sister city relationship. The following year a delegation led by the Mayor of Sakai, Hideo Hataya, visited Wellington to formally sign a sister city agreement.
The Wellington Sakai Association was established in 1995. The mission of the association is to support Wellington City Council in the development of the sister city relationship with Sakai. There is also a Sakai Wellington Association in Japan.
Wellington and Sakai now have a wide variety of exchanges between them, including home stay and educational exchanges, youth sports tournaments, kindergarten picture exchanges, and exhibitions of art, pottery and ikebana.



Xiamen, China
In the early 1980s the Council asked the Chinese Embassy about establishing friendly city links with a city in China, following a trip by Prime Minister David Lange. The Chinese authorities suggested that Xiamen (pronounced sha-min) was a good partner because there are similarities between the two cities and Xiamen had recently become the first Special Economic Zone in China.
In 1987 Wellington and Xiamen officially became sister cities.
In 1998 the Wellington Xiamen Association was established to support and encourage the relationship. The association has been instrumental in developing a healthy and interactive relationship between the two cities


THEME DAY PARTICIPANTS
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants