#1123 ... Action

Filming the action for the following crowd scene ... "Tweet4YourTee" promo in Blair Street

#1122 .. Winter Fashion

Winter fashion in Blair Street ... Gillian displaying a splash of vibrant colour amongst the "new black" ... gotta love those shoes ... maybe the sign above on the restaurant says it all !!!

#1121 ... Catch the train

Catch Sushi bar on Courtenay Place ... had a great lunch here with Josh ... after playing extras in the crowd scene for a film shoot ... an interesting lunch time.

#1120 ... Inside Outside

Playstation promotion at Harvey Norman's store in Tory Street ... to the upper left of the photo is the entrance to the New Century Hotel & Apartments ... the Playstation, sound blaster and projector were set in in the back of a Subaru station wagon ... "have Playstation, will race anywhere!"

#1119 ... Moody Makara

Makara on the west coast of Wellington ... DRAMATIC IMAGE by Anna Blandford

#1118 ... The West Coast

Out on the west coast of Wellington ... looking north to Makara Beach ... 20-30 minutes from the city and you have the raw beauty of the west coast ... great for clearing the head and resetting the brain.

#1117 ... A circular view

Looking at the container terminal, through the porthole of one of the Wellington Harbour tugboats ... PHOTO by Anna Blandford

#1116 ... Crane your neck

Looking north down Willis Street ... cranes working on the new Telecom building ... NZ Post building in centre photo, back ground

#1115 ... cecci shoes

A smart pair of shoes from cecci in Masterton ... 2 hrs north east from Wellington ... I was up there for the day and met some delightful people including Marion and her smart pair of shoes ... black suede with bronze satin ribbon woven through holes in the shoes ... thanks for sitting still for 30 seconds to capture the image !!

#1114 ... Waiting

Waiting while the boss does the shopping ... Moore Wilson's Fresh ... College St, Wellington

#1113 ... Sweet Apple Sauce

Another Saturday morning at Moore Wilson's Fresh .. and another great food tasting ... this time some sweet apple sauce ... great for icecream or waffles !!

here are the "apple sauce" makers ... Robert Stam and Gill Munro.

They arrived in the Bay of Plenty in the early days of January, 1991. After a total of ten years abroad, travelling and working in Europe, Africa, and Asia, they were looking for a place to settle down. The Bay of Plenty, with it's relaxed lifestyle, unspoiled beaches, mountains, and mild climate, turned out to be an ideal choice.
It was while making an apple liqueur that the apple syrup was accidentally created. Robert needed a concentrated apple juice to add to the pure apple spirit, and so began simmering apple juice to reduce the water content. During the process of gently heating the juice, there was regular tasting by anyone passing through the kitchen. It soon became apparent that the apple syrup was far more popular than the liqueur it was destined for. The rest as they say, is history.

#1112 ... Hair Cut Here

Hair cut time ... Norris Barbers, Waring Taylor Street, Wellington

#1111 ... A Tad Cool

A frosty morning ... this is about the coldest we get in Wellington ... 2 degrees C

#1110 ... Wet Fire

Wet day ... fire engine screaming down Featherston Street ... quick photo with the iPhone

#1109 ... Irish Shelter

The umbrella through the undergrowth outside JJ Murphy's Pub in Cuba Mall

#1108 ... Orange Alignment

Usually cafes exhibit an eclectic disordered nature ... some sort of welcoming immediacy ... however Arabica staff have sorted it all out and colour aligned the tables and chairs on the sidewalk

#1107 ... Local Deforestation

Cutting down the macracarpa trees beside the railway overbridge ... Ngaio Station ... a full on exercise ... with "orange" workers ... the city guardians (the orange road cones) ... cranes ... wood chippers ... and the ubiquitous STOP GO signs. The over bridge looks rather naked now!!

#1106 ... Dreams

Young ladies with dreams ... awaiting audition at the Wellington round of the NZ Next Top Model selections. Museum Hotel, Wellington

#1105 ... Night Hair

Queens Wharf ... getting the "look" for tomorrow ... late night hair stylists at work

#1104 ... Shed 5

At Shed 5 Restaurant & Bar on the waterfront, Queens Wharf ... a well known and respected establishment in the Wellington food & entertainment scene

#1103 ... Clean Street

Keeping the streets of Wellington clean ... here at the bottom of Plimmer Steps on Lambton Quay

#1102 ... A grey Grey St

A wet Wellington morning in Featherston Street ... cold southerly wind ... 8 degrees .. and note the appropriate street off to the right ... Grey Street

#1101 ... Tasman Fireball

The Kapiti master photographer is at it again ... the waves ... the night sky ... and a fireball sun !!! Thanks Tony.

#1100 ... On the Bus

Travelling along Courtenay Place in a big yellow ... heading for the Basin Reserve

#1099 ... Riderless

View across Midland Park towards Lambton Quay

#1098 ... A Blind Perspective

This is George Taggart and his standard bred poodle, guide dog Yalena or "lena" for short as he calls her. Now George has only very minimal sight left in his left eye and that is fading fast ... but a more delightful positive gentleman ... would be hard to locate. George came out to New Zealand from Scotland in the early '50s ... he was not a ten pound POM ... he had to front up with twenty five pound being a Scot.

George used to get around with a white cane but found this increasingly frustrating ... Yalena has given him back his favourite city ... they get around all over Wellington.

Meeting George was a highlight of my day ... so if you happen to come across George and Yalena ... say hello ... but please ignore Yalena.

#1097 ... Wet Day Posted

Rushing through the rain ... across Midland Park ... a welcome splash of colour on the poster bollard

#1096 ... Sale Time

Getting ready for the Rod & Gun clothing store SALE ... Lambton Quay

#1095 ... Faces

The rusted faces on the corner of Wakefield St and Tory St ... a very useful navigation mark ... Museum Hotel behind ... and Te Papa across the road behind the photographer

#1094 ... Garage Sale

Aro Street ... pre-loved clothes and other goodies for sale ... a great pragmatic coat rack!!

#1093 ... Youthline

Dressed in costume to stand out from the "suits", collecting for Youthline on Lambton Quay ... bottom of Woodward Street ... this guy volunteers for Youthline for about 20 hours a week ... much valued commitment ... thanks.

YOUTHLINE
Youthline has developed a unique, community-based approach to the development and delivery of services, and we are the first point of entry for young people to access a wide range of youth development and support services. Youthline is a regionally focused, nationally linked service operating from an integrated model of evidence-based practice within a community development, training and youth development, and clinical services framework. Youthline brings innovation and experience to its research, evaluation and advocacy functions. We are a leader in the development of the Youth Work profession and provide expert consultation and policy advice. Youthline is proud to provide leadership and partnership with the community services sector.

#1092 ... eco friendly bike !!

Some Friday fun on a wet day ... the latest in eco-friendly invisible bikes ... bottom of Woodward St, Lambton Quay

#1091 ... Wet Day Coffee

Outdoor coffee is really popular on a wet day in Wellington ... YEAH RIGHT, Mojo's Coffee, Old Bank Arcade, Lambton Quay

#1090 ... Kitsch ?

An alternative example of a mirror frame ... made from rolled up film brochures and CD covers ... some may consider it kitsch while others see it as a memory spark for music and movies from an earlier time ... Kapai cafe, Courtenay Place ... they serve great fresh salads and meals.

#1089 ... Water Storage

Wellington's water storage lakes at Te Marua ... east of Wellington at the upper end of the Hutt Valley.

BRIEF HISTORY
work started in October 1980 on the two lakes, to hold 3,220 million litres – equivalent to about three weeks’ average supply. The consulting engineers were Tonkin & Taylor Ltd, for whom contractors Green & McCahill worked. The project was hit by ballooning inflation in the 1980s, when costs estimated in 1974, for instance, had to be multiplied by 361 percent.229 Water from Lake 2 flowed first to consumers in January 1986. However, leakiness seemed to dominate public perception of the lakes and led to five years of remedial work. The contractor was paid for this considerable extra work by the engineers’ insurers, but only on the steps of the High Court.230 The lakes were named after Stuart Macaskill in 2002, honouring the long-term water board member and regional council chairman

Before the lakes were completed, work began on a pumping station at Te Marua. This housed 10 pumps, to move water from lake to treatment plant or between the lakes, or boost the gravity flow of treated water from Te Marua to Karori. It was commissioned in December 1985. The Te Marua water storage and treatment project was completed in 1987 with commissioning of the treatment plant

#1088 ... Wet Lunchtime

Lunchtime on a wet Wellington day ... Borders magazine section, Lambton Quay

#1087 ... delish !!!

The delights at kaffee eis on Courtenay Place. My favourites are vanilla bean and lemon sorbet. Hmmmm ... mmmm

HISTORY
Established in 2004, Kaffee Eis represents a modern fusion of New Zealand and European flavour specialising in gourmet gelato and boutique coffee. The philosophy is simple - produce the highest quality product and deliver it with exceptional service to our customers. They make their own gelato - which many believe is as good, if not better, than you will find anywhere else in the world. They use authentic Italian recipes, enhanced by quality New Zealand fruit (whenever possible) and organic milk. With more than 40 different flavours, each of the shops has an ever-changing selection of flavours to tempt your taste buds.

The fruit gelato (with the exception of banana) are all sorbetto, water-based not milk-based (containing up to 38% real fruit) and hence are 99 % fat free; while the milk based gelato is just that - milk based, in contrast to ice cream which is cream based. This means that Kaffee Eis gelato is lower in fat than traditional ice cream and has a fuller more satisfying flavour. Traditional ice cream in a cone will never taste quite the same after you’ve sampled the delicious gelato in a crisp waffle cone.

#1086 ... A True Classic

Seen in Moore Wilson's carpark ... 1971, V12 ... stunning

#1085 ... High Noon

I went and had a haircut today ... however with the way that hair stylists dress for a day of action ... it seems like a visit to the OK Coral ... these two delightful stylists obliged with a back to back start, before commencing the shootout ... Brunette vs. Blonde ... it all got a bit messy really ... with hair flying all over the place ... YEAH RIGHT

#1084 ... Wikipedia Espresso?

Christchurch ... yes more travelling ... so here is an image of an alternative use for this cafe's espresso machine ... a new genre every 2-3 days ... all designed to stop the coffee drinkers talking about the weather !!!

#1083 ... Wellingtonian Winging to Gisborne

Images from the flight to Gisborne this morning ... just over an hour in a BeechD 1900D, 19 seats, and YES it is one of those planes where you can see the pilots and give them directions if you feel you are not on the right flight path ... YEAH RIGHT. In the top left hand photo of Mike (one of the pilots) you may be able to see Mt Ruapehu and Mt Tongariro just above his sunglasses on the horizon. the strobe effect of the photo 0f the plane propeller in the sunlight creates an interesting effect

#1082 ... Wrights Hill Fortress

Wrights Hill Fortress was built in the 1940's as a long range coastal battery to protect Wellington city and environs from possible enemy attack and invasion from the Pacific in World War Two. The site was selected as early as 1935, but it wasn't until March 1942 that authority was given for work to proceed on the construction of three 9.2 inch guns.

Wrights hill, Karori, Wellington showing the concrete mixing plant during construction of defense works. 15-Apr-1943 The British designed Fortress was adapted to New Zealand conditions and by October 1942 construction was being pushed ahead with top priority. Towards the end of 1943 when the situation in the Pacific had improved, the priority lapsed and its completion was carried out in more leisurely fashion. The whole project was kept secret and was referred to as Site "W". A barbed wire fence surrounded the Fortress.

The extensive underground work started in November, 1942, by a firm of engineering contractors, Downers. They constructed the massive task of 2,030 feet (620 metres) of interconnecting tunnelling in just two years, worklng often three 8-hour shifts over 24 hours. When Downers became short of men in December 1943, the Public Works department helped out with men and machines. Two massive 185 horsepower Ruston and Hornsby diesel generators were installed to provide the power to manoeuvre the guns, and a smaller auxiliary generator was put in to provide power for lighting and air conditioning. Wrights hill tunnel up to gun emplacements 1944

Two huge 9.2 inch guns were installed by the Army in 1944, after arriving by ship fom England. The whole gun weighed 135 tons, with the barrel alone weighing 28 tons. The order for the third gun was cancelled after an improvement in the Pacific war situation. The guns could fire a 380 pound (172 kg) shell up to 18 miles (30 km) across Cook Strait towards Tory channel, or up as far as Plimmerton. Each shell was about three feet (1 metre) long and was propelled by two half charges of 62 pounds (28kg) of cordite. The guns of course never fired in anger but were test fired, each with three rounds, in 1946 and 47 after the War. The Army reported later that the "proofings," as they were called, were "most satisfactory". Broken windows resulted at the Fortress after the blasts.

The Fortress was used for training purposes up to the mid 1950's but a Government decision in early 1960 resulted in the guns being cut up for scrap and being sold, ironically, to the Japanese. The gun emplacements were filled with rubble and other equipment removed from the Fortress.

After years of neglect the Fortress complex was "rescued" in 1988 by the Karori Lions Club who opened them up to the public for the first time on ANZAC Day 1989. The Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society was formed a few years later and it has been actively restoring the coastal battery to its former state. Thousands of voluntary hours and tens of thousands of dollars have been spent over the past ten years on restoration work. This includes digging out gun pit number one, restoring the radio room, waterproofing inside the tunnels, rebuilding wooden walls, repainting and completely rewiring the Fortress. Work is also progressing on the engine room. A replica gun barrel, ten metres long, was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the installation of the guns at the top of Wrights Hill. The Incorporated Society's aims are "to restore and preserve the Wrights Hill Fortress as an historical monument for the benefit of the community". Membership is available to anyone for a small charge and money raised from membership and Open Days goes towards restoration costs.

#1081 ... The "new" Royal Thai Embassy

The old Thorndon Tavern under major refurbishment to create the new Royal Thai Embassy ... may currently be much much safer that their capital city.

#1080 ... Lord of the Rings country ???

The view from Wadestown to Ngaio looking across the Ngaio Gorge ... LOTR?

#1079 ... Thai Night

Two of the Thai dancers ... all ready to perform at a function,last night, to raise money for a monastery. The evening was made up of Thai authenticity right down to some very interesting and tasty desserts ... delightful

#1078 ... Religious Cleansing

Taranaki St ... giving religion a clean facade

#1077 ... On the street

An eclectic pair of shoes spotted walking along Featherston Street this morning ... a statement that reinforces the sunny autumn day

#1076 ... The Source of Wings

Sam & Belinda, the Winged Warriors at the Wellington source of Red Bull Energy drink... a secret location in the centre of the city where those neat little Mini Cooper utes .. and the large Red Bull can ... get replenished for your body's benefit. Note the rego plate on the back of the Mini.

Thanks guys for my Body & Mind vitalizer

#1075 ... Apartment View

The view from yesterday's apartments ... looking from the old dry dock tracks , across Evans Bay towards Wellington Airport ... the flat bit in the distance beyond the end of the wharf.

#1074 ... Apartments @ Cog Park

The new apartments at Evans Bay ... on the road to the airport ... and a great place to watch the boats and planes.

Designed by award winning architects Warren and Mahoney, these stunning apartments have the usual tow or three double bedrooms, underfloor heated bathrooms (some ensuite), entertainer's deck and car parking. The development also has bicycle and kayak storage on site. Fantastic sea views from every room and great afternoon sun. Quality fittings and added luxuries such as sliding timber privacy screens, 4-way ceiling heat pumps. This is an historical and coastal site that overlooks Evans Bay & Cog Park.