Further to A new breed of boy racer? we captured Hannibal riding and rolling his supercharged lawnmower at the 2014 Rotorua A & P Show – both man and mower appeared to be ok. (For more lawnmower racing videos see YouTube).
The name Smash Palace gives an indication of what to expect – think a guy called Gazza getting a liquor licence for his second hand shop / wreckers yard and inviting his mates around for a party. There’s a pool table, Lion Red on tap and a mix of soft and hard rock on the sound system. Smash turns it up mid January for the annual rock and metal event – Hell Smash Fest.
One of Gazza’s mates has conveniently landed a DC3 in the garden bar to provide some shade and another has sawn off the top of a … Read the rest
Remove the blades, add some more horse power, make it loud and low, give it a name like MowJo, and you’re on your way to having a race ready ride-on mower.
When I saw lawn mower racing on the programme at the Rotorua A & P show last year, I thought it was a one off event unique to Rotorua. Not so, the first ride-on mower races were held in 2003 at the Omokoroa School gala, ride-on mowers meet regularly at the Sanson rugby park, and race at the Manawatu Garden Festival every year. The Rotorua A & P show … Read the rest
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
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
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
Prior to 1880 it was easier to get a beer in Oamaru than it was to get a decent glass of water. In the late 1800’s there were a few breweries, 17 hotels and 32 unlicensed grog shops to quench the local thirst.
These days Oamaru’s water supply gets good grades, and although Prohibition stopped the beer flowing for over 50 years, today you can get a beer in two hotels that served the locals in the 1880’s – The Criterion and Brydone Hotel* (formerly Queen’s Hotel).
The hotels are just two of the many impressive limestone buildings … Read the rest
Every year in July thousands of giant jaffas used to race down Baldwin Street in Dunedin as part of the Cadbury Chocolate Carnival, however Cadbury World has now closed. The jaffas raced down New Zealand’s steepest street to raise money for charity, each race had around 25,000 numbered jaffas! We decided to hold a race on a more modest scale – one packet of jaffas.
Media turned out in unprecedented numbers 😉 to record the event. I can imagine the comments from the couch when watching the home video – weird woman, and losing marbles may be mentioned. Although as … Read the rest