A short celebration of its 50th anniversary, enjoy a little flavour of the history, construction, maintenance and recreation around the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
If you cannot see the above video, click here to go to the YouTube page (rate! favorite! comment!).
Connecting Auckland's North Shore City with the rest of the isthmus' metropolitan area, the bridge was originally opened on the 30th of May, 1959.
The 1.2km structure (about the length of ten football pitches) is actually made up of three bridges. The section in the middle with the steep arches and flags on top, is the original four-lane 'truss' bridge that was built over four years by a team of 1000 men at a cost of over $6 million dollars.
The base of the six piers (76ft by 46ft), filled with 7,500 tons of concrete, support over 6,000 tons of steel.
Within a relatively short time it was apparent that the bridge would not be able to cope with the rapidly growing North Shore population (within a year 4.9 million vehicles had crossed the bridge and by 1965 traffic had risen to 9.3 million). The decision was made to extend the bridge from four to eight lanes to increase capacity and ease congestion.
This was done by adding two box girder bridges to each side of the bridge at a cost of $7.4 million. Designed and manufactured in Japan they instantly became known as the "Nippon clip-ons" and opened to traffic on the 23rd of September 1969.
Since then traffic volumes have continued to rise, to over 56 million vehicles last year.
The most important bridge in New Zealand, it is one of the best maintained anywhere in the world. From day one comprehensive maintenance has been carried out and over the years there have been a number of major upgrades including seismic, wind loading and fatigue crack upgrades.
In addition to its traffic purpose, recreational visitors can climb the bridge to walk over it to its summit and/or bungy jump from it.
Posted 9:44 AM, Monday, July 06, 2009, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
A new, improved version of Northland Secrets, updated to include some rare footage of Māori waiata (singing) at the oldest living kauri tree, courtesy of geocachers Early Rizers.
Click here if you cannot see the above video to go to the YouTube page.
Billed as "A Real New Zealand Town", Maungaturoto was first settled by pioneers from the Albertland Settlement Scheme back in 1863, the Māori name meaning "Valley Between Two Hills". See: http://www.realtownmaungaturoto.co.nz/
- Waipoua Forest
An ancient rainforest, the Waipoua reserve comprises 247 hectares (greater than the size of more than 600 football pitches), with more than 300 species of trees, shrubs and ferns.
- Te Matua Ngahere
Meaning "Father of the Forest" in Māori, it is thought to be the oldest living kauri tree. Enjoy the Māori waiata, captured by fellow geocachers Early Rizers whilst doing the FaberOptimé Te Matua Ngahere geocache (for more info, see here).
- Tane Mahuta
Meaning "God of the Forest" in Māori, it is the largest living Kauri tree, estimated to be over 2000 years old. It stands about 52 metres tall, with a girth of 13.8 metres.
- Omapere
"Gateway to the Hokianga" (a long, estuarine drowned valley).
- The Hundertwasser Public Toilets
Designed by internationally-renowned artist, ecologist and architect, Freidrich Hundertwasser, he recycled the communitys old glass bottles and reclaimed bricks, and incorporated these into the only structure he ever built in the Southern Hemisphere.
Grass adorns the roof, a tree is incorporated into the structure and mosaic tiling, copper handwork, sculptures and cobblestone flooring abound.
- Wellsford
A small Northland town with some interesting corrugated iron!
- Other art, sculpture and pink sheep?!
Posted 6:17 PM, Thursday, March 19, 2009, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of red wine...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two glasses of red wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
Now, said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.'
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.'
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented.
The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of red wine with a friend.'
Share this with a friend,
I JUST DID!
Posted 6:12 PM, , by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
Kia ora, talofa lava, malo e lelei, ni sa bula vinaka, kia orana, fakaalofa lahi atu, kam na mauri, taloha ni, greetings!
One of the largest free events in the South Pacific, the Pasifika Festival comprises ten "villages", each from a differing South Pacific island community. Now in its 17th year, this one day event is held annually in Western Springs park, Auckland, New Zealand.
The villages (in order of appearance): Tangata Whenua; Tokelau; Fiji; Samoa; Tuvalu; Niue; Cook Islands; Tonga; Tahiti and Kiribati.
TANGATA WHENUA Meaning "people of the land" in Māori, this village presents the hosts - Ngati Whatua o Orakei.
TOKELAU One of the smallest and most isolated island groups in the Pacific.
FIJI Fierce warriors and friendly Fijian policemen usher entertainment and mat weaving, tapa printing and wood carving crafts.
SAMOA Known throughout Polynesia as the "happy people", the Samoan village highlights food, dance and fashion, with traditional Samoan dishes such as cold pineapple salad, tropical ice cream and food prepared in an umu (earth oven); dance groups, bands and choirs and a fashion show, Fa'afetai Lava.
TUVALU Tuvalu means "eight beautiful islands".
"Tuvalu culture is rare and unique And hold a message we should seek Hold our culture way up high And our Tuvalu culture will never die. I normally hear friendly waves on our island shore when I was little It is not anymore The sound is getting louder and threatening My Tuvalu island is going to disappear from the rising sea level Tuvalu, my beautiful Tuvalu I cry for you." - Apiseka Eka
NIUE Originating from the word "niu", meaning coconut, Niue literally translates as "here is a coconut". Also known as the "Rock of the Pacific", comprised of a single island, Niue is the largest raised coral atoll in the world. With song, music, challenge dances (meke), traditional weaving, coconut grating, umu cooking and a range of handicrafts made from pandanus and coconut leaves. Niue is also proud home to Miss Vanessa Marsh - Miss Niue and Miss South Pacific 2009.
COOK ISLANDS The Cook Islands are known as the "Pearl of the Pacific". To the sound of the conch shell, drumming, ukuleles and warm smiles, Cook Island dances make your feet and hips move in magical ways. Abundant delicacies, intricate handicrafts and rich resources are key features of this vibrant community.
TONGA Tonga means "south" and is another highlight of the South Pacific. Traditional Tongan music by Kava groups, tapa cloth making and mat weaving.
TAHITI Tahiti is made up of 118 islands in five archipalle - Tuamotu, Marquases, Australle, Society and Gambier. Home to the finest black pearls and a blend of Tahitian and French cultures.
KIRIBATI Featuring traditional dances or mwaies, such as "Te Eitei" - where head and arm movements imitate the frigate bird, an I-Kiribati symbol of peace and freedom. A chance to taste their foods and see Kiribati weaving and tilbuta (a traditional blouse, unique to the I-Kiribati women).
Billed as "A Real New Zealand Town", Maungaturoto was first settled by pioneers from the Albertland Settlement Scheme back in 1863, the Māori name meaning "Valley Between Two Hills". See: http://www.realtownmaungaturoto.co.nz
- Waipoua Forest
An ancient rainforest, the Waipoua reserve comprises 247 hectares (greater than the size of more than 600 football pitches), with more than 300 species of trees, shrubs and ferns.
- Tane Mahuta
Meaning "God of the Forest" in Māori, it is the largest living Kauri tree, estimated to be over 2000 years old. It stands about 52 metres tall, with a girth of 13.8 metres.
- Omapere
"Gateway to the Hokianga" (a long, estuarine drowned valley).
- The Hundertwasser Public Toilets
Designed by internationally-renowned artist, ecologist and architect, Freidrich Hundertwasser, he recycled the communitys old glass bottles and reclaimed bricks, and incorporated these into the only structure he ever built in the Southern Hemisphere.
Grass adorns the roof, a tree is incorporated into the structure and mosaic tiling, copper handwork, sculptures and cobblestone flooring abound.
- Wellsford
A small Northland town with some interesting corrugated iron!
- Other art, sculpture and pink sheep?!
Posted 11:40 PM, Wednesday, March 04, 2009, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
"...possibly the best thermal area left in New Zealand and one of the finest in the world..."- Lonely Planet Guide
Click here if you cannot see the video above to open the YouTube page in a new window.
Orakei Korako, a Māori name, translated into English as "the place of adorning", also known as "the hidden valley".
It has remained almost completely unchanged for thousands of years, even though 20 million litres of hot water flow over its silica terraces every day.
Enjoy a short tiki tour of some of its highlights featured in this film.
Access is by ferry across Lake Ohakuri, about 25 minutes north of Taupo and 45 minutes south of Rotorua.
The Emerald Terrace (so called as it extends 35 metres under the lake's water, thus has a distinct hue), greets you.
Past the Diamond Geyser (ejecting boiling water up to 8 metres, its water jet shatters into a million droplets, sparkling like diamonds in the sunlight), "Aniwaniwa" - the Rainbow and Cascade Terrace is found.
One of three great fault scarps formed by the last eruption of the world's greatest known volcano - the Taupo volcano (now a caldera, filled by Lake Taupo), around 131AD. The diverse colours are created by algae growth in water temperatures up to 60°C.
Having numerous small geysers erupting at its base, another striking fault scarp, called "Te Kapua" (The Cloud) by the Māori people, "The Golden Fleece" is 5 metres high and 40m long.
"Kei Runga Ite Mania" was formed by hydrothermal eruptions between 8000 and 14000BC. The expansive, kidney shaped silica area features a myriad of browns, greens, yellows, oranges and pinks, pock marked by over 120 crystal clear blue pools. It is hence (very appropriately) known as "The Artist's Palette".
The Ruatapu Cave (Sacred Cave) is preeminent - the video sincerely does not do it justice. One of only two geothermally situated caves known in the world. A 45 metre descent takes you to "Waiwhakaata" (the pool of mirrors), resting serenely at the bottom. Legend has it that if you put your left hand in the water and make a wish it is guaranteed to come true! The water's acidity and chemical composition also has the peculiar ability to naturally clean jewellery.
The steaming, boiling "Kohua Poharu" mud pools, hot springs and "Waiariki" soda fountain can also be found during the meander back through one of the largest Ponga (silver tree fern, Kiwi native and emblem) forests.
Other features (not appearing) such as "Elephant Rock", "Devil's Throat" and "Map of Africa" truly have to be seen to be properly appreciated.
A short film featuring Goat Island, Leigh, New Zealand.
Click here if you cannot see the above video to go to the YouTube page in a new window. Make sure you have sound!
Favoured by snorkelers, divers and day trippers alike, Goat Island is New Zealand's longest established marine reserve.
The name originates from the ancient maritime practice of leaving a couple of goats (since they do not need to drink) when small, uninhabited islands (having no dependable water supply) were found, for potential future use as an emergency food source.
The island had previously been stocked with goats and pigs, but the pigs swam and escaped to the mainland, leaving the goats and the name. There's also the Hen and Chicken Islands on the reserve too!
A stunning diversity of marine species can be found here (many featured in this film), such as spotties, red moki, kelpfish, marblefish, moray and conger eel, silver drummer, crayfish, snapper, blue cod, bearded mussel, seahorse, global sponges, sea squirts, stick bryozoa, hydroid trees, blue maomao, demoiselle and kahawai.
The island's notable ornithology includes pied shags, petrels and little blue penguins.
Click here for more information about the Goat Island glass bottom boat.
Posted 1:15 AM, Thursday, January 29, 2009, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
Here in New Zealand, similarly to the USA, we're on the run up to a general election.
A Labour led coalition are the present incumbents.
With Labour having been in power since 1999, there's much talk in the air of a change to the more right-wing National party.
True to my beliefs, I've given my support to Labour.
Naturally, the locals are much excited by this!
There's barely a street left available to walk down without crowds of avid interest...
Of course it's great to see such support in action.
Gives one hope for a decent election result yet to come.
The picture opposite from a recent rally thankfully shows that there's still a good body of peoples that retain the nation's best interests in their hearts.
Here's to another glorious four red years to come!
Posted 7:45 PM, Sunday, October 26, 2008, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either, just f*!k off and leave me alone.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a flat tyre.
The darkest hours come just before the dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbour's milk and newspaper, that's the time to do it.
Sex is like air. It only becomes really important when you aren't getting any.
Don't aspire to become irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
Remember, no one is listening until you fart.
Never forget that you are unique, like everyone else.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
If you think nobody cares whether you're dead or alive, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.
Before you judge someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you judge them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
If at first you don't succeed, avoid skydiving.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
Have you ever lent someone $20 and never seen that person again? It was probably worth it.
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
Some days we are the flies; some days we are the windscreens.
Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment.
The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
A closed mouth gathers no feet.
There are two theories about how to win an argument with a woman. Neither one works.
Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
When we are born we are naked, wet, hungry, and we get smacked on our arse. From there on in, life gets worse.
The most wasted day of all is one in which we have not laughed.
Remember not to forget that which you do not need to know.
Posted 6:18 PM, Tuesday, September 04, 2007, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
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Thanks to Paul Cropp, CEO, Hanover Group for this fantastic piece of observation: Not olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
Posted 8:23 PM, Friday, July 07, 2006, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
Today's date has eerie overtones... From the bible, book of Revelation 13:16-18: "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."
Posted 7:08 PM, Tuesday, June 06, 2006, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
Also known as "one point uh-oh", or "barely out of beta". We had to release because the lab guys had reached a point of exhaustion and the marketing guys were in a cold sweat of terror. We're praying that you'll find it more functional than, say, a computer virus and that its operation has some resemblance to that specified in the marketing copy.
1.1
We fixed all the killer bugs ...
1.2
Uh, we introduced a few new bugs fixing the killer bugs and so we had to fix them, too.
2.0
We did the product we really wanted to do to begin with. Mind you, it's really not what the customer needs yet, but we're working on it.
2.1
Well, not surprisingly, we broke some things in making major changes so we had to fix them. But we did a really good job of testing this time, so we don't think we introduced any new bugs while we were fixing these bugs.
2.2
Uh, sorry, one slipped through. One lousy typo error and you won't believe how much trouble it caused!
2.3
Some jerk found a deep-seated bug that's been there since 1.0 and wouldn't stop nagging until we fixed it!!
3.0
Hey, we finally think we've got it right! Most of the customers are really happy with this.
3.1
Of course, we did break a few little things.
4.0
More features. It's doubled in size now, by the way, and you'll need to get more memory and a faster processor...
4.1
Just one or two bugs this time... Honest!
5.0
We really need to go on to a new product, but we have an installed base out there to protect. We're cutting the staffing after this.
6.0
We had to fix a few things we broke in 5.0. Not very many, but it's been so long since we looked at this thing we might as well call it a major upgrade. Oh, yeah, we added a few flashy cosmetic features so we could justify the major upgrade number.
6.1
Since I'm leaving the company and I'm the last guy left in the lab who works on the product, I wanted to make sure that all the changes I've made are incorporated before I go. I added some cute demos, too, since I was getting pretty bored back here in my dark little corner (I kept complaining about the lighting but they wouldn't do anything). They're talking about obsolescence planning but they'll try to keep selling it for as long as there's a buck or two to be made. I'm leaving the bits in as good a shape as I can in case somebody has to tweak them, but it'll be sheer luck if no one loses them.
Posted 8:34 AM, Sunday, June 04, 2006, by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
It's an oldie, but still a goodie: TECH SUPPORT CALL I'm currently running the latest version of GirlFriend and I've been having some problems. I've been running the same version of DrinkingBuddies 1.0 forever as my primary application, and all the GirlFriend releases I've tried have always conflicted with it. I hear that DrinkingBuddies won't crash if GirlFriend is run in background mode and the sound is turned off. But I'm embarrassed to say I can't find the switch to turn the sound off. I just run them separately, and it works okay. GirlFriend also seems to have a problem co-existing with my Golf program, often trying to abort Golf with some sort of timing incompatibility. I probably should have stayed with GirlFriend 1.0, but I thought I might see better performance from GirlFriend 2.0. After months of conflicts and other problems, I consulted a friend who has had experience with GirlFriend 2.0. He said I probably didn't have enough cache to run GirlFriend 2.0, and eventually it would require a Token Ring to run properly. He was right: as soon as I purged my cache, it uninstalled itself. Shortly after that, I installed GirlFriend 3.0 beta. All the bugs were supposed to be gone, but the first time I used it, it gave me a virus anyway. I had to clean out my whole system and shut down for a while. I very cautiously upgraded to GirlFriend 4.0. This time I used a SCSI probe first and also installed a virus protection program. It worked okay for a while until I discovered that GirlFriend 1.0 was still in my system. I tried running GirlFriend 1.0 again with GirlFriend 4.0 still installed, but GirlFriend 4.0 has a feature I didn't know about that automatically senses the presence of any other version of GirlFriend and communicates with it in some way, which results in the immediate removal of both versions. The version I have now works pretty well, but there are still some problems. Like all versions of GirlFriend, it is written in some obscure language I can't understand, much less reprogram. Frankly I think there is too much attention paid to the look and feel rather than the desired functionality. Also, to get the best connections with your hardware, you usually have to use gold-plated contacts. And I've never liked how GirlFriend is totally "object-oriented." A year ago, a friend of mine upgraded his version of GirlFriend to GirlFriendPlus 1.0, which is a Terminate and Stay Resident version of GirlFriend. He discovered that GirlFriendPlus 1.0 expires within a year if you don't upgrade to Fiancee 1.0. So he did, but soon after that, he had to upgrade to Wife 1.0, which he describes as a huge resource hog. It has taken up all his space, so he can't load anything else. One of the primary reasons he decided to go with Wife 1.0 was because it came bundled with FreeSexPlus. Well, it turns out the resource allocation module of Wife 1.0 sometimes prohibits access to FreeSexPlus, particularly the new Plug-Ins he wanted to try. On top of that, Wife 1.0 must be running on a well warmed-up system before he can do anything. Although he did not ask for it, Wife 1.0 came with MotherInLaw 1.0 which has an automatic pop-up feature he can't turn-off. I told him to try installing Mistress 1.0, but he said he heard if you try to run it without first uninstalling Wife 1.0, Wife 1.0 will delete MSMoney files before doing the uninstall itself. Then Mistress 1.0 won't install anyway because of insufficient resources.
Posted 3:08 PM, , by Faber Optimé. Post permanently located here. Click here to email the author about this post.
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