Super speedy dinner delivery at C1 Espresso in Christchurch

Posted on June 11, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

Mike was travelling solo in Christchurch and thecuriouskiwi mission he chose to accept was to have dinner delivered via pneumatic tube at C1 Espresso. Initially delivery speed was up to 140km/h, surely the fastest dinner delivery in town, maybe even the world? Delivery speed has since been reduced to prevent food carnage.

We first saw (and sent a cannister flying) around a pneumatic conveyor system at The Faraday Centre in Napier. The systems were once used in New Zealand department stores to transfer cash between divisions.

Eventually the pneumatic tube system at C1 will deliver food cannisters from the … Read the rest

Oamaru Steampunk Festival

Posted on June 6, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

We’re intrigued by steampunk and the stars aligned for us to be in Oamaru for the annual Steampunk Festival. We’re still not entirely sure what steampunk is but for now I’ll go with ‘how those from the Victorian era would have imagined the future’.

It’s open to interpretation and that’s part of the intrigue, and the fun. One of the highlights of the festival for us was steampunk fashion. There were some exceptional outfits, and unlike ourselves who only had one outfit for the weekend, many people wore different clothes and accessories to each event.

We were initially self conscious … Read the rest

A quacking good time – Rotorua Duck Tours

Posted on May 27, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

They’re yellow, they’re amphibious, and they’re really called ducks, or more precisely, ours was a 1944 GMC 6×6 DUKW.

Ducks, as they became known, were initially used by the military in WWII. They’ve been modified for use in Rotorua and other cities around the world as commercial tour vehicles.

And what do some ducks do? They quack, and we did too, courtesy of a yellow quacker handed out at the start of the tour.

There are some things, quacking like a duck say, that you wouldn’t dream of doing. However put one enthusiastic ‘Conducktor’ in front of a duck load … Read the rest

Thirsty Wellington – Unusual Places For A Brew

Posted on May 20, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

Below are a few unusual places for a brew, alcoholic or otherwise in Wellington ….

The Backbencher Gastropub, 34 Molesworth Street
The Backbencher Gastropub is opposite Parliament and has a political theme. There have been a series of satirical political puppets strung up over the years. Prime Minister John Key unveiled a new set of puppets in 2013, including one of himself disco dancin’. We’ll see if he’ll be ‘stayin’ alive’ after the 2014 election.

There are a few spaces to eat and drink. You can head to the Back Bar to watch sport onscreen and have sports legends Tana … Read the rest

The Green Dragon Inn – Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

Posted on April 29, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

“Oh, you can search far and wide, You can drink the whole town dry, But you’ll never find a beer so brown, As the one we drink in our hometown …” so goes a song written by the film writers of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

If you like dark beer the Oakbarton brew may be your choice of complimentary beverage at The Green Dragon Inn. You visit The Green Dragon for about 20* minutes as part of a Hobbiton Movie Set Tour (blog post) – Hobbiton website.

Mike matched a stein of Girdley fine grain amber ale … Read the rest

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

Posted on April 24, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to”, so wrote J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings.

After visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set I can see why the hobbits were content with life in The Shire, but I’m glad we ventured out our door and onto the road to Matamata.

Lots of people start their tour from Matamata i-SITE, however there is plenty of parking at Hobbiton and your own transport gives you more flexibility. From … Read the rest

Carried away in Carterton

Posted on April 16, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

Getting carried away for us was rising before 6am on a Friday morning to hook up the caravan and head to Carterton. We were keen to see hot air balloons lift off at 7am as part of the Wairarapa Balloon Festival*. The balloonists got carried away on a beautiful March morning, it’s definitely a sport for early risers, we won’t be taking it up any time soon.

The big attraction at the 2014 event was ‘Patriot’ – a replica space shuttle. The balloon is close to 54 metres high, has a wingspan of 35 metres and weighs 449 kilograms. … Read the rest

Running of the Sheep in Te Kuiti

Posted on February 27, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

Te Kuiti bills itself as the ‘Shearing Capital of the World’ and has a 7.5 tonne sheep shearing statue to prove it. What gives the town more shearing capital kudos is that David Fagan, a multiple World and NZ Champion Shearer, is a local. David’s son Jack followed him into the woolshed, he’s a gun shearer too, so Te Kuiti should hold its title for a while yet.

If you visit the shearing statue you’ll read that the NZ sheep population peaked in 1982 at 70.3 million, try counting to 70.3 million the next time you can’t get to … Read the rest

Ring the Westminster Chimes at The Faraday Centre in Napier

Posted on February 25, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

The Faraday Centre is a historical technology museum, it’s a hands on sort of place so you get to push, pull and make stuff go, not just look at it. You’ll find all sorts of weird and intriguing things like a Uranus electric mouse trap, a dishwasher from 1925, a 1907 Rover car, and old and unusual typewriters.

You can use the pneumatic conveyor system that once transferred money in cannisters through a series of pipes around Westerman’s Department Store in Hastings. Curiously, C1 Espresso in Christchurch are using a similar system to transfer sliders from the kitchen to food … Read the rest

I wanted to be a prawn star …

Posted on February 13, 2014 by thecuriouskiwi

… like Casey from Auckland who caught a 43.5cm long prawn at Huka Prawn Park in Taupo. After 3.5 hours of fishing I thought I’d have to settle for being a prawn star photographer as all I’d done was photograph other peoples prawns and feed fish that were continually stripping my hook of bait.

However I kept baiting and kept waiting and after four hours I finally hooked a prawn. Did I taste success?

No, I looked at my little prawn and thought about how Mike had eaten some of its mates for lunch. I also realised that the bucket … Read the rest

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