Racing this time at Kaiaua Beach Horse Races … Posse won race 2 with Lady Gaga coming home fourth; don’t know about race 1, we were getting the car stuck in a paddock; race 3 was a 22 horse race, our lucky dip pick Sarge came second but first place is the only one that pays at Kaiaua, it was Mac that stormed down the beach to take first and pay $10 the win ….
Time for hot chips and a bet on race 4, Posse took the win again with Lady Gaga in at fourth, what are the chances?; … Read the rest
NEWS FLASH 😉 – It’s official, Gisborne now hold the Guinness World Record for Largest Skinny Dipping (744 people)! (Update: On 8 March 2015 The Fig Group in Australia set a new world record with 786 people).
People have been getting their gear off around the world to try and beat the skinny dipping world record currently held by 729 people who bared all at a Spanish beach in July. In the naked queue for the record were 805 people who took to the water in November at a clothes optional beach in Florida, but they didn’t have adequate photographic … Read the rest
Thanks to all the Rotorua residents who lit up their homes to celebrate the festive season. Merry Christmas one and all.… Read the rest
New Regent Street – Shop Eight & Rekindle
New Regent Street in the central city re-opened in April 2013 after many of the Spanish Mission Revival style buildings were refurbished. I had a flat white at Shop Eight and admired their striking furniture made from waste wood by Rekindle.
Everyone likes a win win situation but with Rekindle it’s more like a winning trifecta. Rekindle not only rescue waste wood (much of it native) that was previously destined for landfill, they’re also giving new life to parts of homes once treasured by their owners, homes that were once completely lost … Read the rest
It’s the odour that hits you first at the Agrodome Farm Show in Rotorua – the smell of sheep replaces the reek of rotten eggs. If you’ve been in a shearing shed it’s a familiar aroma, if not, the smell is soon forgotten as 19 breeds of sheep run on stage and take their places on the podium.
Among them the hardy Merino, a breed that originated in Spain but now roams high country farms in the South Island, and my favourite, the Lincoln, the curly dreadlocks from Lincolns once dressed the wigs of barristers. I didn’t know there was … Read the rest
Cool caravans are rolling out of backyards and hooking up to hot rods as the weather heats up. Thanks to the owners of these cool caravans for towing them to the Retro Caravan Show at Beach Hop 2013 in Whangamata, it was a treat to see so many in one place.… Read the rest
Update: The shop at 10 Wilson Street in Geraldine that housed the mosaic and giant jersey has closed.
One knitting machine mechanic broke the teeth off industrial knitting machine disks until he had 1,500,000 pieces. He then stuck those 1,500,000 pieces down with masking tape until he had a 34 metre metal canvas. Why? He wanted to re-create a mosaic version of the Bayeux Tapestry, and after 20 years of breaking, sticking, drawing and painting, Michael Linton did it!
Given Michael’s dedication it might not come as a surprise that there is more to the mosaic than meets the … Read the rest
Guilt from overindulging at a buffet lunch at The Hermitage pushed me up the track* toward the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake. It was hot, the landscape was barren, overindulgence had turned energy into lethargy ….. and then I saw it – the surreal ice green lake, my guilt had served me well.
The melting Tasman Glacier created the lake, glaciologists predict it will eventually disappear. The glacier flow to the water looks more like an undulating sheet of brown gravel than ice as the glacier is coated with rock and debris. However you can see patches of white on the … Read the rest
If you’re staying at Lake Tekapo Holiday Park or are visiting Tekapo Springs there are walking tracks nearby that take you to the summit of Mount John, and the glass house style Astro Cafe.
There’s a choice of two tracks – a steep one hour climb, or a longer gradual climb. I chose the one hour track which took 45 minutes with a couple of stops to rest the screaming calf muscles. The first 30 minutes of the walk is shaded by tree cover, the last 15 minutes is exposed*, the trees disappear to reveal the view that makes Astro … Read the rest