The REAL NZ vs the JAFAs

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Meanwhile, in Wellington, the stadium is so close to the centre of the city that one could almost walk there on one's hands! 






And in Masterton, “downtown” is so close to my residential-street home that I can walk there in 3-4 minutes....

[Ferney]

I know 2 Aussies that visited Auckland last November.     My 2 brothers.   



Is someone in here suffering from an inferiority complex ?

[ssweetpea]

My brother, a friend and the rest of his family are coming over to Ak for the Aussie school hols. They are all perminant residents across the ditch.

Meanwhile, in Wellington, the stadium is so close to the centre of the city that one could almost walk there on one's hands! 

And in Masterton, “downtown” is so close to my residential-street home that I can walk there in 3-4 minutes....

Yeah well, if you choose to live in a hick town.... I am only 2 minutes walk from the nearest shops (20 of them) and 4 km from 2 larger suburban centres with malls. There are 3 really big shopping areas only 10 km away and one of them is downtown Auckland.

The Caketin maybe closer into the CBD and right next to a railway with 3 lines in but Wellington isn't big enough to host the bigger games and overseas visitors can't fly directly into Wellington unless they come from Australia and then not on a 747. Most of them would have to fly into Auckland or Christchurch first then catch a domestic flight.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Ah....but you don't have beach-resort-style airport terminals in the Auckland region! 


Kapiti's new quirky terminal

By KAY BLUNDELL - The Dominion Post | 11:18AM - Tuesday, 06 September 2011


SANDY ARRIVAL: Kapiti Coast Airport owner Sir Noel Robinson
in the new beach-style terminal.

THE FIRST THING passengers flying in to Kapiti on the new Air New Zealand flight service will see when they disembark is an old wooden sign stating "sorry, gone fishing".

A quirky new Kapiti Coast Airport terminal featuring a coastal beach theme will greet passengers when the flight service between Paraparaumu and Auckland takes off over Labour weekend.

Man-made sand dunes planted with native flaxes are included in the grounds surrounding the $1 million terminal and the beach theme continues inside with straw umbrellas, outdoor barbecue-type furniture and a realistic looking boardwalk, actually made of carpet.

Airport owner Sir Noel Robinson said he wanted to create the beachy, relaxed atmosphere of the Kapiti Coast.

"We wanted people to walk in and end up with a smile on their face. It does not look like an ordinary terminal — it is a Clayton's terminal. It is like you have come to the beach with deck chairs with soft canvas seating."

Historic photographs on one wall recall the days last century when the National Airways Corporation flew to Paraparaumu, including one of Queen Elizabeth II stepping onto the tarmac.

The toilets — designed by Dave Smithson of Home Creators and interior designer Heather Thorley — resemble old beachside loos.

A cafe named "iland" will probably open a couple of days before the flights commence, Sir Noel said.

Check-in counters have been installed for Air New Zealand and local flight service air-2-there.

A seven-metre-long photo of Kapiti Island is featured on one one wall and old wooden aeroplane propellers enhance the historic aviation theme accompanying the beachside ambience.

Named Terminal 1, it is located on the north-west side of the airfield with access from Toru Road. A larger terminal was planned at a later date.

The new flight service, using 50-seater turbo props, will take off on October 25.

Related news stories:

 • Kapiti's new $3m runway opened

 • Air New Zealand trials Kapiti Airport

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5571837/Kapitis-new-quirky-terminal

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Wellington waterfront in a different light

Photos capture waterfront's night-time charm.

By LUKE APPLEBY - The Dominion Post | 2:16PM - Wednesday, 07 September 2011

WELLINGTON is such a beautiful city to photograph and undoubtedly one of the best areas to do so is the waterfront — these photos show the night-time atmosphere in a different light.

I've been playing around recently with a technique called HDR - or High Dynamic Range photography.

It involves taking several photos, each with a different exposure times to get a range of images from very dark and underexposed to bright as day.

You then use software to merge the different exposures into one image, which gives them a wonderful, oil-painting sort of look.

Normally, cameras can only capture a narrow band of light — either the light areas or dark areas, but not both at once. HDR gives you detail in both the shadows and the highlights.

It's a little bit different, some have told me they think it's too unrealistic, but I think it has a unique charm to it.


Frank Kitts lagoon from the grassy area in front of the Wharewaka as a touch of rain sets in.
 — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


The Wharewaka and NZX building, just after sunset. — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


The green light-lit area showing the water beneath the waterfront walk with the Macs Brewery Bar
in the background. — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


Frank Kitts lagoon at low tide becomes a mirror for the lights of the city. — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


Looking across the waterfront towards Te Papa and the marina from Frank Kitts Park.
Slight “ghosts” of pedestrians are visible, caused by the blending of multiple photos.
 — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


The boatsheds and bridge on the waterfront, including the newly-installed Festival of Carnival notice board.
 — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


Frank Kitts Lagoon illuminated by city lights at night. — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


The Circa Theatre on the waterfront. — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


The Wharewaka and NZX building. — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


From Frank Kitts Park looking towards the TSB Arena and port area. — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.


Shot from on top of a ledge, Civic Square with the iconic Ferns sculpture and Majestic Centre.
 — LUKE APPLEBY/Dominion Post.

• Camera used was a Canon 7D with Sigma 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 lens at F/3.5 and ISO 800.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/5581034/Wellington-waterfront-in-a-different-light

[ssweetpea]

I have a new camera. I'll have to have a play with it, haven't done any night shots yet.

Since we are heading out to watch the fireworks on Friday I should see what it can do.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

I'm bring my camera with me up to Auckland this today.

That way, I can post some pix in the weather thread showing what the weather is like in JAFAville today.

Don't worry....it's only a fleeting visit....arriving off a flight from Wellington at midday, then buggering off again on a 6:30pm flight to Masterton.

[ssweetpea]

Good luck with that - it is raining.

I didn't get good pictures of the fireworks with the new camera - teenaged know it all got in the way.

She finially admitted that apture prority was the better setting but didn't know how to adjust the shutter speed and since she was the one hogging the instruction book  . I shut up and used her camera with the firework setting.

She did figure it out - after we got home.

With that 16 year old I am best to pick my battles. There is a reason why Mr sp is the one giving driving lessons not me - and it has nothing to do with driving.

[Ferney]

it's only a fleeting visit....arriving off a flight from Wellington at midday, then buggering off again on a 6:30pm

I like that.  the buggering off part.     

[Ferney]

I forgot to add......I hope we have torrential rain in Aks this afternoon.   

[Newtown-Fella]

what some people do for a free concert .....

no very green racking up all those carbon emissions ....

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

it's only a fleeting visit....arriving off a flight from Wellington at midday, then buggering off again on a 6:30pm

I like that.  the buggering off part.    

I like that too....it means I don't have to spend too much time amongst the JAFAs....


BTW....I'm still in JAFAland....I'm waiting at the airport for my flight to board so I can bugger off out of the place, back to the REAL NZ!!   

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Made it....escaped JAFAville safely and got back home.

It did rain briefly in Auckland around 1:00pm while I was there (I don't know what the weather was like while I was indoors for 2½ hours).

However, I flew home to the bottom of the North Island with clear skies....it's a lovely night.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Wellington: A soaring financial powerhouse

By FIONA ROTHERHAM - The Dominion Post | 2:41PM - Tuesday, 27 September 2011


ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE: Wellington's rise comes at the expense of European cities with
the recent euro crisis dragging down their rankings. — Photo: The Dominion Post.

WELLINGTON's reputation as a world financial powerhouse has soared, taking it past heavy-hitters such as Dubai and Madrid.

The capital is up 11 places to be ranked 27th in a six-monthly index of the world's leading financial centres.

Its rise comes at the expense of European cities with the recent euro crisis dragging down their rankings.

The Global Financial Centres Index 10 put out by the Z/Yen Group was first published in March 2007 and it provides profiles, ratings and rankings for the top 75 financial centres in the world.

London remains at the top spot of the index followed by New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.

But competition remains fierce with only four points between the top three centres compared to a gap of 16 points in the previous index. However, the top 8 rankings remain the same as the previous index.

Wellington's rating followed its ranking up by 53 points.

It also scored in the top 15 for reputational advantage which has remained fairly stable among the centres in the past six months despite the economic turmoil in Europe.

Four of the top five by reputational advantage are Asian centres, largely driven by their favourable assessment among other Asian centres rather than those outside the region.

The GCFI uses responses from more than 28,000 international financial services professionals to rate centres on their perceived competitiveness.

Confidence amongst financial services professionals has surprisingly risen in the past six months, as shown by higher overall ratings for most centres.

However, the recent euro crisis has affected centres within the Eurozone with the capital cities of the weaker European economies clearly suffering — examples include Luxembourg down 14 places in the rankings,  Madrid and Malta down 11 places and Dublin and Milan falling ten and nine places, respectively.

By contrast, Nordic and Eastern European centres are now starting to get more support from the financial services professionals with Tallinn up 188 points, Istanbul increasing 86 points, Moscow up 75 points, and Helsinki rising by 72 points.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5692579/Wellington-A-soaring-financial-powerhouse

[ssweetpea]

Wellington great, but Auckland better
BLAIR ENSOR Last updated 13:18 29/11/2011


Are you feeling comfortable living in Wellington?

You should. New Zealand's capital city is ranked 13th in Mercer's 2011 Quality of Living Survey, released today.

Wellington is ranked ahead of cities, which include Toronto, Berlin, Melbourne and Stockholm.

However, Auckland, which is ranked third in the survey, is considered to be New Zealand's best.

Austria's capital Vienna is ranked first in the world.

Wellington has got a reputation as a great place with Lonely Planet calling the city the "coolest capital in the world" and The New York Times recently praised it.

The capital tied with Auckland as the ninth best for personal safety, with New Zealand easily beating Australian cities. Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney are tied at 25.

Mercer's global survey is based on an evaluation of 39 criteria for each city, grouped in 10 categories, including political and socio-economic environment, medical and health considerations, education, transport and housing. The survey covers 221 cities which are compared to the base city, New York.

A release from Mercer said New Zealand cities offered world-class quality of living standards and excellent working conditions for overseas expatriates.

"New Zealand remains an attractive destination for skilled workers who want a high quality of life coupled with economic and physical security'' Mercer's information product solutions business leader Georgina Harley said

New Zealand, unlike Europe and the United States, had a "relatively strong'' economic outlook which increases the country's appeal as a "safe haven'' from economic uncertainty, Ms Harley said.

"New Zealand's high living standards provide a potentially compelling case for attracting international talent to our shores.''

New Zealand also "ticked all the boxes'' when assessing living conditions for overseas workers, she said.

The country had quality housing, excellent infrastructure, comprehensive health care, a wide selection of restaurants and other amenities, as well as good education, she said.

TOP CITIES Full rankings

1       Vienna
2       Zurich
3      Auckland
4       Munich
5       Düsseldorf
5       Vancouver
7       Frankfurt     
8       Geneva     
9       Bern     
9       Copenhagen     
11     Sydney     
12     Amsterdam     
13     Wellington    
14     Ottawa     
15     Toronto     
16     Hamburg     
17     Berlin     Germany
18     Melbourne     
19     Luxembourg     
20     Stockholm

 - The Dominion Post

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/6055100/Wellington-great-but-Auckland-better

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Those bloody JAFAs keep pinching good locomotives from the Wellington region and replacing them with their crapped-out heaps.

There are two separate fleets of diesel-electric locomotives in the North Island, one based at Auckland and the other based out of Wellington and Palmerston North. The two distinct fleets are normally kept separated by the fact that trains between Te Rapa (Hamilton) and Palmerston North are hauled by electric locomotives. The JAFA never look after their locomotives, including maintenance and the way they operate them, with the result that a huge proportion of the Auckland-based fleet are dogs. By way of contrast, the Wellington/Palmy North locos are much better maintained and looked after. Every weekend, Overlander passenger trains are diesel-hauled for the entire distance both ways on both days. So a Wellington-based locomotive is supposed to haul the Overlander to Auckland on Saturday, then return to Wellington on the same train on Sunday. Usually, it is one of the pool of locomotives used to haul Wairarapa passenger services. At the same time, an Auckland locomotive is supposed to work to Wellington on the Saturday, then return to Auckland on the Sunday. However, those devious JAFAs have got into the habit of sending one of their crapped-out heaps to Wellington on the Sunday and keeping the good Wellington-based locomotive, which they then proceed to neglect and wreck, just like their own fleet. Meanwhile, Wellington ends up stuck with the JAFA heap of shit until they work out how to get rid of the JAFA garbage and get the Wellington locomotive back. And you should see the filthy state of the locomotive cabs from the Auckland area. Those JAFAs must live like bloody pigs!!

Yesterday, there was a huge fiasco on early morning Wairarapa trains when one of those Auckland heaps blew-up just south of Featherston. It's not the first time that has occured.

Time to build that wall across the Bombay Hills and cut the power cables, I reckon!

[ssweetpea]

Auckland named world's 10th most liveable city
5:31 PM Tuesday Aug 30, 2011  
 

 Auckland is the 10th best city to live in while Wellington occupies the 23rd position, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's latest survey of ranking among 140 locations,

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10748419

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

A travel guide for those poor unfortunate JAFAs who are so depressed by Auckland that they need to escape southwards....

[Ferney]

Yeah but....the sun was shining in Auckland. 

[ssweetpea]

If that was all on the same time scale he had a dream run throught the Tron - I recognised the round about. I usually takes us around 40 mins to get through Hamilton although I willl admit we are usually changing from SH1 to SH5 at that point.

There was more time (videowise) spent on the motorway/highway going into Wellington than on the Auckland motorway even though the Auckland motorway had more traffic on it.


Ahh... the penny drops on the second veiwing. The driver started in Queen St thus missing the entire Northern motorway (and/or Northwestern motorway) and Spaghetti Junction. The Wellington motorway system on the other hand doesn't continue much passed Lambton Quay in comparison.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Thank you JAFA ratepayers.

Today, I discovered that a Wellington Snapper Card gives one free rides on Auckland City Link buses.

They advertise free rides for Aucklanders using Hop Cards, but the card readers on the buses also dish out free rides to Snapper Cards.

It's good to know that I can bludge off Auckland ratepayers paying for my bus fares....

[Newtown-Fella]

Thank you JAFA ratepayers.

Today, I discovered that a Wellington Snapper Card gives one free rides on Auckland City Link buses.

They advertise free rides for Aucklanders using Hop Cards, but the card readers on the buses also dish out free rides to Snapper Cards.

It's good to know that I can bludge off Auckland ratepayers paying for my bus fares....

you hope .......

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Thank you JAFA ratepayers.

Today, I discovered that a Wellington Snapper Card gives one free rides on Auckland City Link buses.

They advertise free rides for Aucklanders using Hop Cards, but the card readers on the buses also dish out free rides to Snapper Cards.

It's good to know that I can bludge off Auckland ratepayers paying for my bus fares....

you hope .......

Nope, not hope....I KNOW.

I held my Snapper Card up to the Hop Card reader and it gave me the same free ride it promises JAFAs with Hop Cards.

All subsidised by JAFA ratepayers!   

[ssweetpea]

Free? are you sure about that?

Was it free as in your card wasn't debited?

Integrated ticketing up here is still a shambles. NZ bus has the snapper card but Hop card (Thales won the tender, not Snapper) that is supposed to be installed is still stuck in the starting gate as far as I can tell. There have been conflicting reports.

There is some sort of card system for the ferries at Birkenhead Wharf but since Birkenhead Transport have yet to start using any system it is still a non starter as far as we are concerned.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Free? are you sure about that?

Was it free as in your card wasn't debited?

Nope....I've already been to the www.snapper.co.nz website, logged in, and checked my card transactions.

It shows which stops I got on at in Auckland and which stops I got off at, and it shows a $0.00 fare in each case.

In other words....JAFA ratepayers subsidised me today!