Haere Mai,Welcome,To all family & friends in NZ & around the world and anyone reading my blog ! This is my first ever blog, which I started on Black Friday, 13th May 2005. My thoughts & prayers are with you all. Take care & God Bless. Arohanui ! Kakite !

Blog Archive

Friday, January 13, 2006

# 690 - # 702 Updated

"Black Friday" - January 13th

# 690. "Treaty For You "

A Treaty of Waitangi roadshow hits the road, on a 5 month, 35 whistle stop town & city NZ tour. The Treaty, will travel the North & South Islands, in a large truck with an expanding trailer. The show will include replicas of the original nine Treaty documents. The tour starts on February 14 - 17 at Taupo. The Treaty took 7 days to write, 7 months to sign & 165 years to debate. Each year we remember "Waitangi Day" on the 6th of February.

# 691. Coexistence In Art !!!

Twenty three NZ artists are among the finalists hoping to join "Coexistence" a travelling art exhibition aiming to improve understanding between cultures. Coexistence, which was lauched in Israel in 2001 reaches NZ in February. More than 40 (3m x 5m) giant poster-shaped artworks will be on display for 3 weeks, at Britomart, as part of a 22 city world tour.

# 692. "Have A Heart"

The National Museum of Australia, in Canbberra has agreed to lend one of its most prized exhibits to Te Papa Museum as part of Wellington Racing Clubs centenary - the "heart" of racehorse, Phar Lap !!! The Australasian horse-racing legend, who died in mysterious circumstances in 1932 , was one of NZ's most famous exports. He won 37 times from 51 races.

FOOTNOTE: January 20th - Australia won't let has have the "heart", which weighs 6.4 kilos, because it's too old to travel. Normal horses hearts are around 4 kilos.

# 693. Many Languages !!!

Auckland City Libraries have moved some of their language collection into suburban libraries to better serve the people !!!

Mt Albert Community Library - Indian language collection, including books written in Bengali; Gujarati; Hindi & Punjabi.

Leys Institute Community Library - European languages, including texts in French; German; Italian & Spanish.

Mt.Roskill Community Library - Arabic; Persian/Farsi and Tamil.

Otahuhu Community Library - Indonesian; Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Remuera; Panmure; Epsom & Mt Roskill - Chinese.

Central City Library - Bulgarian; Chinese; Croatian; Dutch; French; German; Italian; Japanese; Korean; Polish; Russian; Serbian' Sinhalese; Spanish & Thai.

# 694. A Trip Down Olde Auckland.

One of Auckland's best kept Hertiage secrets is "Rendall Street". Each of the 23 houses in this small Ponsonby Street is a Category A heritage rating, which means they can not be demolished. If you haven't got a car, catch the Link Bus and tell the bus driver, you want to get off at Rendall St. The houses built in the 1870's & 1880's, are a remnant of Aucklands 19th century artisan housing that ahs all disappeared. Many of the sections are only 10 to 12 metre wide, so the houses are jowl-to-jowl. The houses on the north side of the street are "single storey, while those on the south are double storey.

# 695. We Are The Champions - Again !!!

Well, not 100% true - I am telling a "little" bit of a porky !!! There's a little "Pink Pig" flying past and he is flying mighty low, because we came second !!! For what ??? We are the second-best value destination for thrifty travellers, next to Buenos Aires, Argentina according to a travel guide book. The guide book claims careful travellers can get by on $50 per day in NZ, unless of course they go all out with and do all the touristy things, day in & day out.

# 696. A Bird With A Mind Of Its Own !!!

What bird do you know ??? It seems most people know the "kiwi" bird, because New Zealanders are sometimes called "kiwi's". But little known is the bird called "Tui". This particular Tui, called "Porangi" (which is the maori word for crazy) had been hand-raised by an older lady in her Browns Bay home. Eventally the woman was told that because "Porangi" was a native bird, she wasn't allowed to keep him in her home. So the bird was taken to the Auckland Zoo at Western Springs, which is quite a distance from Browns Bay. But "Porangi" who may have been a little krazy, certainly wasn't silly. He knew which side his bread was buttered on so he escaped from the zoo and flew home to Browns Bay. He tried to get back into the house but to no avail. Zoo staff were sent out to capture "Porangi", but after two hours gave up trying. An expert in birds was called in and "Porangi" was captured and returned to the zoo - again. But.........you can't keep a krazy person - sorry bird, caged up and so "Porangi" escaped again, back to Browns Bay. Word has it, that "Porangi" has found a girlfriend and she is teaching him to make the transition back into the wild. All they need now is a "home". Who said birds aren't clever has never meet "Porangi" !!! (hehe)

# 697. "A Hole Into The Future" ?

It may take years, but...........an underground passage will cut the travelling time between Queenstown & Milford Sound, two of the South Island's tourist attractions, from a 10 hour round trip to just 4 hours. The $150 million tunnel approx. 10km long, would be built beneath Mt. Aspiring & Fiordland National Parks. Planning consents could take 2 years, with construction expected to take 3 to 4 years, meaning the tunnel could be ready for the "crowds" in NZ for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Only time will tell !!!

# 698. "A Hole Into The Past".

The drilling is over !!! Someone said they were drilling a "hole to China" but the truth of the matter is that the hole they were drilling, only went 30 metres down. Scientists are trying to find out more about the past eruptive history of the cities volcanoes. The hole they drilled was in the Auckland Domain - a large inner city park, which covers a volcano approx. 150,000 years old. The hole has yeild a 85mm wide core sample of volcanic ash layers from prehistoric eruptions, which have been given to the University of Auckland for analysis.

# 699. A Blast From The Past !!!

Another "blast from the past" that a couple of people I know have been asking about. It seems strange in a way that these are from the "past" and I mean the "past" - 70 years ago. What life must of been like then............??? What has been said here is as true then as it is today.

A Genuine Menace - Although we are in immediate touch with the uppermost parts of the earth, there never was a time when the isolation of the individual was greater than today. The car takes us away from our homes and friends so that we know less than we ever did of kith, kin and neighbours. The movies beckon us with their allurements from social and religious functions and the radio deafens and deadens us to the intimate fellowships of home and community. We are really more lonely from the standpoint of personal relationships than ever in our history. One is at times, tempted to utter the cry "Oh for a lodge in some wilderness" to escape the rush and din. But to those whom friendship means more than a round of bridge or a midnight dance, the longing persists for the fellowship of the "friend that sticketh closer than a brother".

January 5th

# 700. What Price is Misery.

A bus company in New Orleans is promoting a 3 hour tour at US$35 adults & US$28 for children, to tour areas which were hit by hurricane Katrina. The tours leave from the French Quarter area and take in the the Superdome, the Convention Centre as well as other neighbour areas badly hit by the hurricane. The bus company is said to be donating $3 from every ticket to Katrina related charities. Residents have been at odds whether the tours are crass and morbid exploitation or a good way to help people grasp the enormity of the disaster.

# 701. When Your Heart Stops........

It seems that when your heart stops, so does the membership of the Automobile Association in Sheffield, England. A Sheffield man on his way to a football match, collasped at the wheel of his car and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Relatives of the man who went to collect his car from the side of the road could not start it, because of a flat battery. They noticed the mans AA membership card in the glovebox and rang the AA, asking if they could help. But..............!!!

# 702. Torch Too Heavy !!!

The "torch" for the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy which was hailed as a masterpiece is said to be too heavy at nearly 2 kilos. Torch bearers carrying the "torch" have said that running with it is quite tough. The torch which is on a two month journey across Italy by runners in a relay, resembles the point of a ski.

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