#518 ... Copped Shopping

... even these guys have to do the shopping ... interesting that he didn't take his helmet off given the usual "NO HELMETS, NO HOODIES, NO SUNGLASSES" policy that most places handling money have today

#517 ... Guardians-in-waiting

The trusty orange Guardians waiting in the shade of the trees at Midland Park for another day of safety during the refurbishment of Lambton Quay.

#516 ... Political Landscape

#515 ... Chicannery

Some chicannery ... well at least by the bored signwriter who appears to have had a quiet patch ... so created two signs ... 0ne at 50m and one at 15m for a chicanne in the middle of relatively quiet suburban street in Crofton Downs (... next over from Ngaio) .. now look closely at the photo ... not only can you see both signs but also the chicanne ... a bizzare piece of nanny state visual pollution ... doh!!!

#514 ... Tricone Cutaway

Beautiful resonators handbuilt by NZ luthier Russ Mattsen in sunny Nelson. Russ has built for some real heavyweight players including lap steel guitar guru JerryDouglas. Yes, they're not cheap - but they are expensive. NZD7,199 with case. Follow that dream . . . you won't regret owning genius! this beautiful instrument was at Marc barlow's shop "MojoSound" in Cuba Street ... moi reflected

#513 ... Anticipation

walking up the concourse to the Stadium for the Air new Zealand Cup final between the Wellington Lions and Canterbury ... not the result we wanted in a wet slippery game ... Canterbury won 7-6 ... Congratulations ... AGAIN

#512 ... JJ Murphy's Bar, Cuba Mall

#511 ... Cafe 101

Queen Margret College school girls doing their early morning tuition in Cafe 101 in Mojos at the north end of Molesworth Street ... obviously this is one of the more enjoyable aspects of college life ... maybe this is Social Interaction 101 ... so young ladies ... enjoy the coffee, the hot chocolates and the lemon honey & ginger

#510 ... Fuel Crisis?

Two brand new Hummer Limos driving past Te Papa ... one bright nipple pink and the other jet black ... maybe on a per passenger basis they could be economical !!
Just like the man in the photo it was a spur of the moment shot.

#509 ... The Red Head

Spotted on the bus ... a creative interpretation of the "redhead"

#508 ... YES but NO

We create some interesting public signage ... perhaps just a "NO PARKING" would have sufficed!! This bureaucratic quirk is at the enternace to the Taranaki St. wharf ... between the boutique brewery on the left and Circa Theatre on the right. The building behind is the iconic Roger Walker designed Link Bridge office ... that is part of Wellington's architectural history. This is where the ro-ro ships (roll-on roll-off) used to dock.

#507 ... Speed Limit

No need for a speed limit on the motorway going home ... all self imposed ... ACCIDENT further north. I don't use the motorway but the diverted traffic tripled my 15 minute trip to 45 ... Oh well some good music helped!

#506 ... On any Sunday

An iconic Kiwi image .. the weekend fund raising sausage sizzle .. this one is outside Harvey Norman's store in Tory Street .. although the price has gone up from $1 to $1.50 for a sausage wrapped in a slice of bread with mustard and tomato sauce .. with onions if desired.

#505 ... Contrasts

The old brewery building ... the exterior was retained and incorporated into the New World Supermarket (below and behind) in Thorndon .. the "christmas wrapped" builing in the centre with the Accident Compensation Corporation building (Molesworth St) on the left ... photo taken from the Thorndon Pool carpark, Murphy Street

#504 ... Lambton Quay ... "brick by brick"

#503 ... Cranes, Boards & Trains

... construction proceeding opposite the Wellington railway station on the new IRD Building, Woolstore Apartments behind to the left, Post Office Building to the right, Old Government Builing hard right and the ubiquitous bus shelter advertising billboard in the foreground. Map of photo geography

#502 ... Intercontinental

The Intercontinental Hotel, Featherston Street ... formerly "The Park Royal" ... Arizona Bar on the corner with the umbrellas .. and Queens Wharf in the right background , down beyond the trees.

#501 ... Wellington Girls College

#500... Wrong season ????

This is watching the Wellington Lions playing Taranaki on Saturday at the Stadium ... the Lions won the rugby 50-30 and the crowd on the southern side of the Stadium, like me, got red faces (sunburn?) from the brilliant sunshine.

Not a big crowd especially on the northern side under the big screen .. but a great afternoon of rugby

#499 ... Thorndon Summer Pool

Thorndon Summer Pool in Murphy Street ... just over the road from the New World Supermarket ... it originally opened in 1924 and has been a "summer only" pool since then ... used by school kids, business suits, mothers and children ... it has a picnic and barbecue area to the left. The water looks very inviting and maybe alsmost warm ... YEAH RIGHT

Now for "Mediterranean Kiwi" the red roof building in the background is the relatively new classroom block at Wellington Girls College ... more photos of your old school to come

#498 ... Good Habits

Four delightful "chaste" ... or should that be "chased" ... ladies having a glass of bubbly at Hope Bros in Dixon Street before walking across the park to the Opera House to see the live show of "The Sound of Music"

... all dressed for the part ... have a great night girls !!

#497 ... the other side of the Holiday

Following some considered sharp commentary on the previous posting ... here is another side of the Post Office Tower and the Holiday Inn.

Behind the crane is the Post Office building and to its right is the Holiday Inn ... in the right foreground is the Old Government Building (wooden) which is now used by Victoria University ... as is the building in the left foreground

#496 ... Automotive Art

a piece of classic Americana automotive art on Thorndon Quay

#495 ... Political Protection ?

This shot was captured on the steps of Parliament ... don't know what was going on ... maybe a bomb squad exercise ... maybe a politician preparing for an election interview with the Press ... or maybe the latest fashion accessories for the Press. Whatever ... at least he brought his lunch bag !!

#494 ... White Out

Wellington like many other cities around the world gets its share of "tagging" ... some of which is quite artistic ... although the differentiator between art and tagging is basic ... "do you have permission to paint on said wall"

This is the construction safety fence around the new Supreme Court .. which presents itself as a canvas waiting for creativity .... so every day the construction workers have to get out the white paint and prepare the canvas for the next group of budding "taggers" ... YEAH RIGHT ... well at least the worker brings some colour to the scene.

#493 ... Lets use the colonies

Downtown Wellington was in use as a location for a TV commercial for the British national lottery operator Camelot. The shoot used about 170 extras who spent most of the time shivering in the cold wind between shoots. 3 blocks of Featherston Street in the central city were closed off all day ... orange coated security people everywhere ... and lots and lots of just stanhding around ... all for 60 seconds airtime !!
IMAGE TAKER: iPhone

#492 ... A Wellington Classic

Roger Walker, Park Mews, Hataitai, Wellington (1974)

#491 ... Another Wicked Camper

A wicked camper van parked outside the BackBencher .. the touristos must have been thirsty

#490 ... Guardians Aligned

Some more of our City Guardians aligned for their day of work ... right outside the State Services Commission building in Pipitea Street ... it appears that the workers are moving a hole along the street !!!

#489 ... A wrap for Christmas

A delightfully wrapped building across the Molesworth Street from where I work ... really its all part of the Occupational Health & Safety requirements when construction work is being carried out ... however the red colour is like a big billboard announcing ... some 90 days left to Christmas .... gosh it comes around quick !!!

#488 ... Lines (Theme Day)

"Wellington Lines" ... could be poorly enunciated kiwi slang for our winning rugby team the Wellington Lions

... but lines that give Wellington some of its uniqueness would have to be the trolley bus lines that grace the city ... and in todays eco-conscious world, the visual pollution is more acceptable that the carbon pollution !!

Trolley buses in Wellington form part of the Wellington public transport system, with the current system having operated since 1949. Wellington's trolley bus system is the only one still operating in Oceania, one of the few in the English-speaking world.

The first trolleybus route in Wellington operated between 1924 and 1932. It used a single AEC 602, and ran from Thorndon along Hutt Road to Kaiwharawhara. A trolleybus was chosen over an extension to the Wellington tramway system because a large watermain on the route precluded tram track construction. The service was replaced with diesel buses.

A second and more extensive trolleybus system was approved in 1945, when it was decided to gradually replace the city's trams with trolleybuses. Trolleybuses were preferred over trams for being more manoeuverable and "more modern", and were preferred over diesel or petrol buses due to better traction on steep slopes.

At its maximum extent the trolleybus network stretched for around 50 kilometres — in addition to current services, trolleybuses also went to Oriental Bay, Northland and Wadestown, and routes in the central city were more extensive. The trolleybus fleet peaked at 119 vehicles, including Crossley Empire, British United Traction RETB1 (in various forms) and Volvo B10M and B58 models.

The trolleybus system has been threatened with closure over the years, mainly on grounds of cost. The growing emphasis on environmentally-friendly transport has however prompted campaigns to keep the buses, and in 2007 it was announced that a new generation of trolleybuses would be funded. The new buses are being built by Designline in Ashburton, using some components from the current fleet. They have a greater passenger capacity than current buses, and incorporate other improvements — they are expected to de-wire less frequently, and will be able to operate for short distances off-wire from batteries. Delivery of the buses began in late 2007.

10 May 2007
Nnew 49-seat buses, costing $460,000 each, not only provide environmental benefits but were a significant step up in terms of passenger comfort and reliability. The new buses will have 20% more capacity than the old trolley buses, and this will enable significant growth in the number of passengers without increasing the number of buses on the road. The contract was officially signed at a celebration held on one of Wellington’s existing 26-year-old trolley buses and was formally witnessed by the Minister of Transport, the Hon. Annette King. Ms King said at the launch: “Anything we can do as a country to reduce CO2 emissions, to move toward renewable energy sources, and to increase the use of public transport is to be applauded. That’s why today is such a great day, and why Wellington and NZ Bus should be congratulated for their enterprise and initiative.
Trolley buses have been part of the Wellington’s landscape since 1924. The oldest of the current fleet was introduced in 1980. Designline will manufacture the new buses in Ashburton.

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