23 February 2016

We have lot of these........






We have about 30million of these, there are only 4.5 million of us.

20 February 2016

Chinese New Year Lantern Festival- Auckland Domain


Lovely warm night and as Aucklanders do when the weather is good - really turn out in droves . 






12 February 2016

Wellington Cable Car


Last time I used the Wellington cable car was over three years ago and before that almost four decades when I had a student job at the top of it as the local Postie.

Some time in more recent history sets of cool coloured lights have been added inside the once dingy tunnels - OK so some way off the spectacular high-rise lighting in Shanghai but this is just tiny NZ .

Not very expensive and if you have time a Wellington "must do" .

More info here  : Wellington Cable car


Coach interior 


The tunnel lighting 





09 February 2016

Muriwai over the holiday weekend


Made the mistake of going to Muriwai over the long holiday weekend , totally overcrowded compared to when I went with Mum in November. No parking anywhere. Never again - its my favourite west coast beach but not when a half of Auckland is day tripping.


Lots and lots and lots of surfers 


07 February 2016

The Tannery - Christchurch


These are photos from  The Tannery in Christchurch a bit of pretty far sighted retail development in the east in the post earthquake era that will define the way the city shapes its self into the future.



This is very reminiscent  of arcades I've seen in Australia and to a much lesser extent a couple in Auckland. Beautifully executed with painstaking attention to detail - a little quite when i visited but it is a "destination" in its own right. 


There is an incredibly good range of shops minus the usual Mall - see one seen them all - stores of the Westfield variety. For Christchurch people this has got to be the new age version of the old (but still existing)  Ballantynes department store in the City. 



I really liked it and if I were  a tourist I'd defiantly put it on my itinerary and there are several places to eat. There is work underway to include a cinema at the eastern end of the arcade. As usual the provinces outdo the big smoke of Auckland in style and finesse.  

06 February 2016

Romantic couples


Just one of the dozens of romantic couples that wandered past while I was making a phone call from the car (parked - you can't use a cell phone while driving here).

04 February 2016

Trans Pacific Pacific (TPPA) trade Agreement protesters in Auckland

Post Office Engineers Office pre 1967

Mums been gathering names for this photo from the last of them still living (Brian Pattrick) 

Apart from Dad only Henry Morgan, Malcolm (Mac)  Macleod and Brian are people I recognise. Henry retired in Auckland and spent much of that helping Cambodian refugees settle in NZ. A lovely man with a huge heart. 


Mums list


01 February 2016

Another passing

Mum sister Isabel passed away in her 87th year recently and as happens previously unseen photos emerge in the unearthing of the family albums . I've asked for copies but in the mean time...

This photo I had but the one at the bottom from Isabel's collection is of my Nana - Mum mother - (on the left) with her sister-in-law, that is , married to her brother Bob.


Back row:
Dad (died 2013) , Uncle Ray (Isabel's husband died 2001) , Mums father ( died when he was 51) 
Middle row:
Auntie Pat (Dads younger sister, deceased),  Mum , Nana (died aged 87), Dads Mum (deceased), Isabel (died 20/1/2016), Valmai
In front of the two grandmothers:
My cousin John
Font row:
Uncle Warwick (Dads sisters husband- turned 90 last year - still living independently) , my cousin David, Me (in peddle car)

As I don't see my sister in this it must be prior to 1958. Maybe Christmas 1957.


Nana and her brother Bobs wife Nellie Rouse.

Looking towards Chamberlins Island


On the Kawakawa Bay Coast Road

Waiti Bay


On the Kawakawa Bay Coast Road . Auckland